The Ongoing Coyotes Sale Thread

[troutman]

Scott Taylor:
http://www.rivercitysportsblog.com/

My problem with that is four-fold. There are only four things I have heard that people in the NHL or people involved with the deal will put their names to:

a) That the alleged deal in the desert is not done and that the NHL will continue to be patient and attempt to make the bond sale work (from NHL assistant commissioner Bill Daly).

b) That time is certainly running out on the City of Glendale, Ariz., but there is no deadline. The only deadline the NHL set was Dec. 31, 2010 and it was ignored (from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman).

c) That the NHL has brought high-powered Arizona lawyer John Kaites back onto the scene in hopes that he can fix the political mess in the desert (from John Kaites).

d) That potential owner, Matthew Hulsizer says he hasn’t backed down, will still honor his original agreement and if the city can sell the bonds, he’ll assume ownership of the team (from Matthew Hulsizer).

It seems everyone is convinced the Coyotes will be moving to Winnipeg soon, but no one at the executive level of the NHL, no one close to the potential ownership group in Winnipeg (that one I certainly understand) and no one in Arizona will put their names to that claim.

[troutman]

Scott Taylor

Is Winnipeg's Return to the NHL Days Away?
http://www4.fantrax.com/newsColumn.g...vm9nk3gmnfuyjr

While NHL executive Jim Devellano, vice-president of the Detroit Red Wings, has said frankly that the American owners would prefer not to move back to Winnipeg, the league probably has no choice. The optics are dreadful and frankly, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should resign if he has to re-locate the Coyotes -- the team he personally moved from Winnipeg to Phoenix -- to the city it once left behind. The American owners hate the idea of moving back to a city that it left a decade and a half ago, because it would have to admit that its expansion into non-traditional U.S. hockey markets was failing.And be sure, Phoenix isn’t the only failure. Atlanta, Florida, Columbus and Nashville are all struggling. Dallas’s ownership situation is a mess. St. Louis is looking for a new ownership arrangement. Colorado doesn’t sell enough tickets anymore. Tampa has a great owner, but a lot of empty seats. And the Islanders are just a money pit. From a competitive standpoint, the NHL has the best hockey league on the planet. From a business perspective, the league is a mess.


Barring a miracle, it seems pretty clear that despite its own wishes, the NHL has only two alternatives — continue to own the team in Phoenix, a team that will lose between $30 million and $40 million this season, or sell it to a very rich man representing Winnipeg.

Both options are not ideal from the league’s point of view. If the move to Winnipeg seemed like a good idea, it would have been done last year. Now, however, it might be the only idea.

Many people in the know (mostly Toronto media stars) are convinced that as early as Wednesday, the day the Coyotes could be eliminated from the playoffs, the NHL will begin negotiating with Thomson and Chipman and that sooner, not later, the NHL could be heading to Winnipeg, a city of 700,000 on the cold Canadian prairie with no five-star hotels, a tiny airport that is only accessible from a few American cities, has very few major corporate head offices, has one of the smallest per capita household incomes of all the major Canadian cities (60th in Canada) and a 15,000-seat arena, the smallest in the NHL.

[troutman]

Phoenix Coyotes fans bracing for the worst
Coyotes fans frustrated by franchise's uncertain future

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyo...ing-worst.html

Most of them came wearing white, but deep down, they all felt like they probably should have been dressed in black.

With so much uncertainty hanging over their NHL franchise and mounting speculation it will shortly be relocating back to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Coyotes fans were angry, confused and sullenly preparing for the worst.

"I think it's the beginning of the last games we'll see in this building, and I'm extremely upset," said season-ticket holder Tim Kaminski, 28, of Phoenix. "I've been following this team since it started in 1996, and I've got a commemorative puck from that very first game on Oct. 10 vs. the Sharks.

"Lord knows I feel like burning the arena down if they have to leave. I'm not going to, but that's how I feel."

[burn_baby_burn]

If the team does move from Glendale to Winnipeg. You really have to feel for the players.

[PegCityFlamesFan]

Scott Taylor is Winnipeg's version of Eric Francis, maybe even worse.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

If the team does move from Glendale to Winnipeg. You really have to feel for the players.

Yeah, poor players and their millions of dollars and trophy wives.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by PegCityFlamesFan

Scott Taylor is Winnipeg's version of Eric Francis, maybe even worse.

His reporting on this topic seems very balanced to me.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

You really have to feel for the players.

No kidding. No golf courses open for 7 months, and suddenly they'll be popular and recognized in public places. Tough life.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by troutman

Yeah, poor players and their millions of dollars and trophy wives.

Yeah sure, however, I don't think there is a person alive who wouldn't be pissed at being transfered from Arizona to Winnipeg for a winter job. Regardless of profession.

Edmonton thinks they have a tough time attracting players. Who the hell is going to want to play in Winnipeg?

[Table 5]

I'm not saying Winnipeg is ideal either, but I would hate to be transfered to Phoenix. Suburban wasteland in the middle of nowhere thats hot as hell almost all the time (It's April and it's already in the 30s right now)....no thanks.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Yeah sure, however, I don't think there is a person alive who wouldn't be pissed at being transfered from Arizona to Winnipeg for a winter job. Regardless of profession.

Edmonton thinks they have a tough time attracting players. Who the hell is going to want to play in Winnipeg?

To clarify, when Edmonton was a top team and really successful they had no problems attracting players....

Its totally miss-leading, when the Oilers start to win again. UFAs will want to sign with the Oilers etc....

Same thing with Winnipeg if they get a team, if they are viewed as a "good organization" players will sign there....

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I'm not saying Winnipeg is ideal either, but I would hate to be transfered to Phoenix. Suburban wasteland in the middle of nowhere thats hot as hell almost all the time (It's April and it's already in the 30s right now)....no thanks.

They were commenting on TSN last night how the ice at the arena was pretty slushy, since it was 32 degrees and all. I always wondered what the cooling bill for the arena would look like this time of year.

[Yasa]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Yeah sure, however, I don't think there is a person alive who wouldn't be pissed at being transfered from Arizona to Winnipeg for a winter job. Regardless of profession.

Edmonton thinks they have a tough time attracting players. Who the hell is going to want to play in Winnipeg?

True, but when your weekly paycheques are more than the average persons yearly salaries, I think they can "suck it up", for lack of a better term.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

suddenly they'll be popular and recognized in public places. Tough life.

I would imagine that's actually going to be a big selling feature. You look at how many guys enjoy playing football in Regina for that reason. When nobody else in their right mind would want to live there...

[PackersFan]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

They were commenting on TSN last night how the ice at the arena was pretty slushy, since it was 32 degrees and all. I always wondered what the cooling bill for the arena would look like this time of year.

I was watching the Tampa/Pitts game on a side TV with no sound, but I saw they were pumping in A/C from a portable source. Just another reason why hockey shouldn't be played in the sunbelt.

Side note, any thoughts on the NHL starting the season a month earlier to:
1)Avoid this happening with the hot weather for the first 2 rounds
2) Avoid conflict with the start of the NBA playoffs.
3)Even as a Canadian, unless my team is in the finals, I would prefer to be outside in June, than watching the Stanley Cup Finals

[Underdog]

If only Boots would've stayed out of jail, the NHL could've avoided this whole dilemma.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I would imagine that's actually going to be a big selling feature. You look at how many guys enjoy playing football in Regina for that reason. When nobody else in their right mind would want to live there...

I thought that was a reason some players did not want to play in Canadian markets? They can make the same money and still go to the mall or go to McDonald's with their families. Things that we take for granted that somebody like Iggy can only dream of in Calgary.

[kipperfan]

Originally Posted by flambers

To clarify, when Edmonton was a top team and really successful they had no problems attracting players....

Its totally miss-leading, when the Oilers start to win again. UFAs will want to sign with the Oilers etc....

Same thing with Winnipeg if they get a team, if they are viewed as a "good organization" players will sign there....

By players I assume you mean crappy players...? When have the Oilers ever attracted top flight free agents?

http://oilfans.com/allTimeSignings.php

Here is a list of their all time signings, personally I am not seeing much to write home about in the last 32 years. Calgary is not much better mind you, though I think we have brought in a few more big names over the years then the Oil.

The point being though, if in an average UFA's eyes Calgary isn't great, and Edmonton is worse then Winnipeg will very likely have the worst time of any team with regards to attracting and keeping decent players.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

I thought that was a reason some players did not want to play in Canadian markets? They can make the same money and still go to the mall or go to McDonald's with their families. Things that we take for granted that somebody like Iggy can only dream of in Calgary.

I believe this was cited as one of the reasons S. Niedermayer went to Anaheim, rather than Calgary or Vancouver - he wanted his privacy off the ice.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Yeah sure, however, I don't think there is a person alive who wouldn't be pissed at being transfered from Arizona to Winnipeg for a winter job. Regardless of profession.

Edmonton thinks they have a tough time attracting players. Who the hell is going to want to play in Winnipeg?

How many European players stay in the cities they played Hockey in?

There are a lot of people that were the face of the franchise while they played there:

Sundin? Naslund? Salming? Loob? Kurri?


Thomas Steen with millions in the bank could choose to live anywhere in the world and he ended up in Winnipeg??

Every place has some reason to live there.



Calgary is the best city in the world....

other than Jim Peplinski (Renfew Ont) and Fluery (Oxbow, SK) who has played in Calgary that was born outside of Alberta that stayed on in Calgary after NHL pay checks stopped rolling in?