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

[Joborule]

This thread is a perfect example of why those ignorant of Bettman's job and intended purpose tend to be the ones who think he's terrible.

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

I scoffed at the arena location issue way back and defended it to the death here..

Back when I lived in the West Valley for a year.. I've since lived out east since 2010 in Scottsdale, Mesa and have settled in Gilbert.

Most, 90% of ticket holders and youth hockey arenas are all east of Central... It's just not doable if you live out east to make it to more than 5-10 games per year. It's practically a day trip.

Most Yotes fans, myself included are wiped. I know the team can be a success financially on the East Side so i'm praying it gets done but i'd give it a 15% chance right now.

Just kind of numb to it overall, if I didn't have family that work for the team i'd be sad but ok just to see it end once and for all.

And this is why location is everything. I believe that if the arena was in a more central spot of Phoenix, that they would be drawing much more than they are currently due to ease of accessibility. Ottawa is trying to move in downtown region now to make it easier for their patrons to reach the venue.

It goes to show that for a product that goes on for multiple nights in the weekday for a calendar year, it's a necessity that you put it into the the most urban area of the region in order to maximize attendance.

When there was light rumours of the Flames considering outside of downtown location for their new arena several years back, majority of people on this board scoffed at that idea because it would have been a downgrade in accessibility from the Saddledome.

[Resolute 14]

Speaking of location, can't wait to see how big a fail the Atlanta Braves new park is going to be. They learned absolutely none of the lessons the Coyotes and Panthers have.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

I guess anger was a bit overdramatic. Major disappointment is more like it. But to each their own. I can't imagine many people on here think that the product is better now than it was 4 years ago. And seeing as their profits are tanking and fired the CEO who put this $5.2 billion agreement in place, i can't see it turning around in the next 9 years.

Yeah, I think we're all disappointed that TSN lost the rights, and Rogers is getting much of what it deserves too. But I can't fault the league for going for the deal. It's not often someone backs a dump truck of money into your lap.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

I guess anger was a bit overdramatic. Major disappointment is more like it. But to each their own. I can't imagine many people on here think that the product is better now than it was 4 years ago. And seeing as their profits are tanking and fired the CEO who put this $5.2 billion agreement in place, i can't see it turning around in the next 9 years.

That's nice, but the cheques aren't bouncing on the NHL's end, and so long as that doesn't happen they couldn't give a #### about the quality of the broadcasts, or whether Rogers is bleeding money because of the deal.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

It's not often someone backs a dump truck of money into your lap.

1) Seth McFarlane to continue to write Family Guy
2) Jason Segal to continue HIMYM.
3) SN to obtain broadcast rights.

Yeah that about sums it up.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Speaking of location, can't wait to see how big a fail the Atlanta Braves new park is going to be. They learned absolutely none of the lessons the Coyotes and Panthers have.

Apparently this may be the case where it may remain the same, or increase draw to games. This map shows where their 2012 ticket sales came from:



However, that doesn't mean it'll make it much easier to reach the games.

Originally Posted by Bloomberg.com Article from 2013

...It's true that Atlanta's suburbs are unusually dense, and the Braves have even created this handy heat map of ticket holders to demonstrate that most fans are coming from the northwest suburbs. But the only thing this map proves is that it's already too hard to get to a Braves game if you don't want to drive. Incredibly, Turner Field is a 25-minute walk from the nearest MARTA station.

Getting to a Braves game will be an even more unpleasant experience for many fans once the team moves. Cobb County is aggressively opposed to mass transit, and if you think the arrival of a 40,000-plus seat ballpark might change that, you're wrong. The chairman of the Cobb County Republican Party, Joe Dendy, has vowed that the county won't make it any easier for people from Atlanta -- yes, those people -- to arrive by train.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/artic...d-fans-behind-

So it'll be closer to to the season holder ticket base, but still lacks transportation accessibility.

[Young_Guns]

Brunt: NHL Can't Work In Arizona, But Also Skeptical Of Seattle & Quebec

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/b...eattle-quebec/

[CSharp]

Seattle, Hamilton, Quebec City - those will be huge markets. WTF's the NHL going into the desert for when ice is hard to come by. All of the NHL marketing staff should've been fired long ago. Cripes, it's a no brainer. I can see Las Vegas folding and move somewhere within 5 -10 years.

[Puppet Guy]

There's a new arena scheduled to be completed in Milwaukee next year. Just sayin'...

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Bingo

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

How much tax money has he helped bilk the taxpayers of Glendale out of at this point? How about his stupid questioning the future of Calgary, as a city, if we didn't dole out cash for a new arena?

I'm not sure why I'm just supposed to look past him being a weasel because the salary cap helped canadian teams.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

California teams for the most part has been a huge success and more Americans are playing hockey than ever before. I know it's a Canadian past time to bash US expansion but there's been more hits than misses and you can argue the US is right up there with Canada now as a hockey super power which is something you could never say 20 years ago. No sport ever hits a home run with al their expansion teams but the NHL has done a pretty good job overall.

I would argue that Nashville and Tampa have been major successes as well.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by nik-

How much tax money has he helped bilk the taxpayers of Glendale out of at this point?

None, actually. The taxpayers of Glendale got stiffed because local politicians fell for the ‘Westgate City Center’ scheme cooked up by Steve Ellman – the real-life equivalent of the Springfield monorail salesman.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

None, actually. The taxpayers of Glendale got stiffed because local politicians fell for the ‘Westgate City Center’ scheme cooked up by Steve Ellman – the real-life equivalent of the Springfield monorail salesman.

You don't think Bettman was helping sell the vision? You think he just all of a sudden realized that the arena location was a problem this week and not that he knew the whole time he was likely helping that deal go through?

You have more faith in his ethics than I.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by nik-

...How about his stupid questioning the future of Calgary, as a city, if we didn't dole out cash for a new arena?

This is a part of his job description. His job is to secure the owners' interests, and some of this will require him to take optically poor public positions. I can tolerate these sorts of drawbacks in large part because of his impressive track record as a league commissioner. There is a good reason why he continues to get his contract renewed with big salary increases.

I'm not sure why I'm just supposed to look past him being a weasel because the salary cap helped canadian teams.

I suspect that most people have a problem with Gary Bettman because he is short, dumpy, has a big nose, and talks like an arrogant New York lawyer with a thick, Brooklyn accent. In truth there was no bigger champion of Canadian NHL franchises than Gary Bettman during the late nineties and early 2000s, at a time when the future of NHL hockey in much of Canada was most vulnerable.

[nik-]

I'm aware it's his job description. I'm not sure if that negates thinking what he does is unethical.

Also, I think he's a weasel because he's smug and condescending. Not because of his looks or his accent.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by nik-

I'm aware it's his job description. I'm not sure if that negates thinking what he does is unethical.

Also, I think he's a weasel because he's smug and condescending. Not because of his looks or his accent.

Yeah, I said that, and I don't think it is enough to justify the amount of vitriol that many fans direct towards him. Unless you have met him and have had poor experiences dealing with him, then this is pretty meaningless.

I find Brian Burke to be an obnoxious blowhard, but that doesn't detract from the fact that he is an excellent hockey executive and an extremely generous person.

[the_only_turek_fan]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Bettman's job is the same as Goodell's job, and it was David Stern's and Bud Selig's job too: Make the owners as much money as possible. Curiously all became extremely hated by the fans of the sport, yet I cannot imagine they have (or had in Stern and Selig's cases) anything but 100% approval from the owners, who are kind of their bosses.

One can argue that Bettman can make the owners (and players) more money with a team in Quebec than Phoenix.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Swapping America's sixth largest city for Canada's seventh largest doesn't help the US TV deal, and has minimal impact on the Canadian TV deal. Keeping Phoenix and expanding into Quebec is how Bettman can make the most money for the owners. He also doesn't care about the players making money either, come CBA time his job is to win for the owners, not to maximize player earnings.

[gunnner]

Speaking of awful arena locations, is Ottawa's new downtown arena a done deal or work to be done still?

[cannon7]

Originally Posted by CSharp

Seattle, Hamilton, Quebec City - those will be huge markets. WTF's the NHL going into the desert for when ice is hard to come by. All of the NHL marketing staff should've been fired long ago. Cripes, it's a no brainer. I can see Las Vegas folding and move somewhere within 5 -10 years.

Only reason I disagree is that LV is a sports starved city. If two other major league franchises move in then, yes, that could happen. But until then, hockey will be the main event. They also don't have the same geographic issues that Phoenix and Atlanta do. The arena is in a near perfect location for the city.