Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
|
Think about the tone that Hotchkiss has with his comments here:
Quote:
"We're not guaranteeing that," said Hotchkiss when asked if the Flames had officially put away their for-sale sign. "We feel we're going down a road that's going to get us there [toward stability]. . . There is no move to sell the team. I don't believe that will happen. I don't think [the lease and lottery negotiations]will be a deal breaker but I can't prejudge that."
"The fan support had to be first," Hotchkiss said. "If that wasn't there we had nothing to talk about. We made it clear from the start that the 14,000 season tickets were important to us but that there were other things we have to solve."
|
The point being made is that Hotchkiss was realistic in his message to fans: please show us you want to us to stay, if you don't, we won't have any choice but to sell. And after that commitment was made there were other pieces of the puzzle that needed to be worked on, but first and foremost - the fan commitment needed to be there.
That's a lot different than the tone taken by King and co. Who flat out refuse to talk about it, basically just idly threatening through Bettman or Francis that if the city doesn't bend the knee they're going to pull up stakes. To which my response, is what are you waiting for? What's the difference between putting the team up for sale tomorrow versus 2 - 5 years from now? Why even bother saying you'll play out your string here? Just go or don't.
Not to mention the lackadaisical effort put forth by the team this season not helping their cause for sympathy. It's like a spoiled child asking for a new toy - throwing a tantrum when the parents say no because they have a used one they treat like garbage.