Bettman: "Coyotes Cannot And Will Not Remain In Glendale"

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

On the former - at the time of Balsillie and Moyes' bankruptcy scam, the team had a long term lease with the City of Glendale. Bringing up how awful the location was would have been pointless because at the time, there was no way out of the lease.

Which ties into the latter point, without a lease - I believe the deal with Glendale expires after next season - Bettman and the league no longer have a need to try and sell the location. So the goal is now to sell the region on the new arena hopes. But yes, if that fails, Bettman and the league are laying the groundwork for relocation.

After the bankruptcy Bettman could have moved the team anywhere he wanted.
Balsillie had also put money aside to pay off Glendale.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I'll never understand the hatred for Bettman, especially from a Canadian market fan.

If you're referring to the money Bettman sent north, in my view he was just sending back some of the TV money we'd been sending south.

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

From what I hear, the Kansas City arena has been making so much profit from concerts and trade shows, they're reluctant to give up 40-odd nights a year to a hockey team that will probably do no more than break even.

I've heard that they don't even want an NBA team too.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

After the bankruptcy Bettman could have moved the team anywhere he wanted.
Balsillie had also put money aside to pay off Glendale.

Maybe. While the bankruptcy effectively broke the lease, the city was making a lot of noise about suing if the team left. Also, the league legitimately does prefer to not relocate teams unless there remains no other option. As long as someone was interested in operating a team in the market, the team was always going to say. No matter how badly a fan who names himself after the former home of the Star Trek Museum wished otherwise.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

After the bankruptcy Bettman could have moved the team anywhere he wanted.
Balsillie had also put money aside to pay off Glendale.

Bettman could not have moved the team to "anywhere he wanted". He would need either a new arena deal in the Phoenix area (there wasn't one) or a buyer who could move the team to a viable area.

Had Balsillie also put aside money to pay off the Leafs, who were a huge obstacle to another team in southern Ontario? Under their agreement, all of S. Ont. is their exclusive territory. They'd have to agree or there would have been a huge legal fight (even though its very arguable they'd suffer no adverse consequences if a team moved there).

As it turned out, it was not a bad decision by the league to refrain from getting into bed with Balsillie.

[Resolute 14]

Well, by the time of the bankruptcy scam, the NHL had already blackballed Balsillie. Especially after he started selling season tickets in Hamilton for the Nashville franchise he didn't actually own. He went about things the wrong way, and that pissed the league's owners off.

That is part of why they fought him so hard in Phoenix. The other part is that Balsillie's scheme would have stripped the league's ability to control where its franchises exist. And that, in turn, resulted in the other three major leagues filing affidavits in support of the NHL. Because they all saw the danger the scheme represented.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Bettman could not have moved the team to "anywhere he wanted". He would need either a new arena deal in the Phoenix area (there wasn't one) or a buyer who could move the team to a viable area.

Had Balsillie also put aside money to pay off the Leafs, who were a huge obstacle to another team in southern Ontario? Under their agreement, all of S. Ont. is their exclusive territory. They'd have to agree or there would have been a huge legal fight (even though its very arguable they'd suffer no adverse consequences if a team moved there).

As it turned out, it was not a bad decision by the league to refrain from getting into bed with Balsillie.

I believe Buffalo would also have an issue and demand some compensation as well for putting a team in that area.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

Would love a team in Seattle.. just makes sense from a rivalry perspective for the Nucks. We might switch divisions if Seattle got a team no??

Central
Minnesota
Colorado
Nashville
St.Louis
Calgary
Edmonton
Winnipeg

Pacific
Las Vegas
Dallas
San Jose
Anaheim
Los Angeles
Seattle
Vancouver

I'd love to see a team in Seattle as well. I don't see the Coyotes moving to Quebec, it creates an imbalance in east/west. If they go anywhere the league will want to keep them in the western conference.

The problem with this alignment is Dallas would object to it. They would be the only team in the Central time zone and scheduling would be a mess, and it makes it tough for their fans to follow when most of their road games are on the west coast and a two hour time difference away. This was one of the factors the league took into consideration during the last re-alignment.

[PepsiFree]

Dallas makes no sense in the Pacific. Colorado would be an option though, same time zone as us.

It would still be weird having a team way further east than Calgary and Edmonton in the Pacific instead of either of us, though.

I'd prefer the Coyotes go to Kansas City.

[Hockey Fan #751]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

As far as the Nordiques go maybe many don't remember but they rarely sold out averaging about 14,500 fans a game over their time. I think they would get better attendance than Phoenix but I'm not sure they would be a runaway success or anything and it's not a television market that is going to help the NHL in any way. I also don't know if it's a city NHL players would be keen on playing in. They would probably have a tougher time attraction free agents than Winnipeg.

I hear this a lot, but still the Canadian TV deal is always more lucrative than the US TV deal so it would help in some way.

[Hockey Fan #751]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

I'd love to see a team in Seattle as well. I don't see the Coyotes moving to Quebec, it creates an imbalance in east/west. If they go anywhere the league will want to keep them in the western conference.

The problem with this alignment is Dallas would object to it. They would be the only team in the Central time zone and scheduling would be a mess, and it makes it tough for their fans to follow when most of their road games are on the west coast and a two hour time difference away. This was one of the factors the league took into consideration during the last re-alignment.

Although, if Alberta decides to get rid of daylight saving time, for at least a few months of the year (and playoffs) we could potentially be two hours away from the Pacific teams depending which time zone they go with (MST or CST).

On another note, if they go the other way and it's MST, how much would it suck to have eastern games (and Blue Jays games) start at 4?

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Hockey Fan #751

I hear this a lot, but still the Canadian TV deal is always more lucrative than the US TV deal so it would help in some way.

The Canadian TV deal is locked in for what, another 9 years? I don't see Rogers coughing up even more money just because a team relocates to Quebec.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

I'd love to see a team in Seattle as well. I don't see the Coyotes moving to Quebec, it creates an imbalance in east/west. If they go anywhere the league will want to keep them in the western conference.

The problem with this alignment is Dallas would object to it. They would be the only team in the Central time zone and scheduling would be a mess, and it makes it tough for their fans to follow when most of their road games are on the west coast and a two hour time difference away. This was one of the factors the league took into consideration during the last re-alignment.

He also forgot about Chicago, so to answer Heavy Jack's question, no we would not switch divisions in that scenario. Dallas stays in the Central, and we stay in the Pacific with Edmonton.

Though if the NDP follows through on the idiotic proposal to breakaway from the rest of the country (that matters) and live in CST year round, we're going to find ourselves in an ugly spot timezone wise ourselves. Road trips to half our division would be 9PM starts locally for most of the season.

[Hockey Fan #751]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

The Canadian TV deal is locked in for what, another 9 years? I don't see Rogers coughing up even more money just because a team relocates to Quebec.

The next deal though should be some consideration. It might be a tough one because who knows what the state of cable TV will be in 9 years.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Hockey Fan #751

The next deal though should be some consideration. It might be a tough one because who knows what the state of cable TV will be in 9 years.

In the next 9 years, either cable companies will stop charging all their subscribers for specialty channels they don't want, or the subscribers will quit. Either way, the gravy train for sports rights will stop.

And I can pretty much guarantee you that no Canadian network will ever again overpay for rights the way Rogers did this time. They'll be teaching the RSN snafu as a case study in business schools for decades.

[Resolute 14]

Given live sports is just about the only reason anyone has anymore to stick with a cable package, the gamble from Rogers' perspective is somewhat understandable. Ironically, all they needed to do was wait, as the Blue Jays surge in popularity would have cost them nothing.

[FBI]

Are you guys seriously trying to ditch Daylight Savings Time? What is the point of that?

[Jay Random]

It turns out that the energy-saving benefits of DST were wildly overstated, and there is a noticeable price in public health when you inflict an hour's worth of jet lag on the entire population twice a year. ISTR that traffic accidents and fatalities spike after each time change, but particularly in the spring when people are short an hour's sleep.

That said, it's more or less looney tunes for the NDP to propose dumping DST unilaterally. I'd like to see it scrapped continent-wide all in one go – which would take time to coordinate, but would prevent all kinds of chaos.

[powderjunkie]

The only scenario we move divisions is if Seattle expands and Arizona stays (or I suppose moves to somewhere like Portland or San Diego). time zone may soon make more sense, but it would suck to be in the division with the worst travel and not to cities one might be more prone to visit and take in a road game.

[powderjunkie]

Assuming Carolina goes to Quebec, I imagine they'd move the Florida teams into metro (and Columbus to Atlantic? That would mean that Boston is the only team legitimately on the atlantic coast if you disregard the St Laurent.

Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal
Boston
Buffalo
Detroit
Columbus
Quebec

NYR
NYI
NJD
Philly
Pitt
Washington
Florida
Tampa