General Ongoing Coyotes saga thread

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

I'd say for good reason no?

I agree, hard for that to get out when they don't exist.

[oldschoolcalgary]

this season, imo, is the litmus test of whether hockey can ever work in Phoenix....

3rd (or 4th) consecutive year in the playoffs, including a deep run in the playoffs...let's see if this has any measurable effect on attendance in Glendale.

I am thinking they won't crack 14k in average attendance.

[Jordan!]

Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary

this season, imo, is the litmus test of whether hockey can ever work in Phoenix....

3rd (or 4th) consecutive year in the playoffs, including a deep run in the playoffs...let's see if this has any measurable effect on attendance in Glendale.

I am thinking they won't crack 14k in average attendance.

There will be zero improvement if the status quo remains without an owner.. the rides have been fun but it's still hard to buy into it all emotionally.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

There will be zero improvement if the status quo remains without an owner.. the rides have been fun but it's still hard to buy into it all emotionally.

That strikes me as a cop out though. You have a team that has played well and shown great promise. Fans will either support that or not; having an owner is really irrelevant when it comes to fans and the community backing a successful franchise.

[Resolute 14]

Having a future is relevant, and in order to have a future, Phoenix needs an owner.

Bouw is right in this case - Next season is no litmus test at all. Now, if Jamison's group does come into control of the team, I would say 2013-14 would be the true litmus test.

[Slava]

Why? The fans aren't there to see the owner. The fans are there because they enjoy the product and want to go to a hockey game. The fact is that this is a team that had a good playoff run and has shown success over the past couple of years. I was at one of those games and they've really done everything they can to encourage a good experience at the games. As a hockey fan we really had a great time! I can tell you that no thought was given to who owned the team or anything like that. It wasn't a "qualified" good time because it was owned by the NHL and the team wasn't making money. Just an enjoyable experience.

If there are games this year and everything proceeds as normal, there really is no excuse for no community/fan support to me. About the only thing that could improve upon this would be a Stanley Cup and if that is what's necessary to get a buy-in then it might take 40 years or more.

[Resolute 14]

Because people aren't going to dedicate themselves to a team with no future. See also: Winnipeg's last year in 1995-96.

Keep in mind that you were an outsider. Your attendance was a one-off, and all you would care about is the production value of that individual game. But what the Coyotes need are more people dedicated to the team. People who care about them the way you care about the Flames. But you can't ask people to open themselves up to the potential heartbreak of caring about the team only to lose it. It just is not going to happen.

[PegCityFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Because people aren't going to dedicate themselves to a team with no future. See also: Winnipeg's last year in 1995-96.

Keep in mind that you were an outsider. Your attendance was a one-off, and all you would care about is the production value of that individual game. But what the Coyotes need are more people dedicated to the team. People who care about them the way you care about the Flames. But you can't ask people to open themselves up to the potential heartbreak of caring about the team only to lose it. It just is not going to happen.

The team was already sold then, and the fans knew they were leaving. Phoenix has had many chances to show they want/care about the team, playoffs for the past 3 years and yet that place is a ghostown.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Because people aren't going to dedicate themselves to a team with no future. See also: Winnipeg's last year in 1995-96.

Keep in mind that you were an outsider. Your attendance was a one-off, and all you would care about is the production value of that individual game. But what the Coyotes need are more people dedicated to the team. People who care about them the way you care about the Flames. But you can't ask people to open themselves up to the potential heartbreak of caring about the team only to lose it. It just is not going to happen.

Fair enough, people aren't going to buy 5 years of seasons tickets in advance or anything crazy, but the situation is that if people want to go to a hockey game because they like hockey then they'll go. If the Flames (or any other hockey market team) were in a precarious position I think you would see a full building more often than not, just because people would want to see games before they weren't able.

My point about the production value is more obvious though. I can only assume that every game was as fun and entertaining as that one; in that case they've had years of fun and entertaining hockey there and haven't made a dime. That is why things will look bleak going forward.

[troutman]

Nicolas Poulin ‏@NicolasPoulin Discussions entre Gary Bettman et Patrick Roy à Pittsburgh http://25stanley.com/?p=54868 #Coyotes #Nordiques #LNH


Bettman had breakfast with Patrick Roy. What would they be discussing?

[getbak]

When there is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over a team, people will be reluctant to invest the time, money, and energy into supporting the team. Being in Phoenix for a couple of days and going to a game is one thing, but the life-blood of any team is the locals, the season ticket holders.

There's also the marketing side of things. There are very few teams who can sell out every game without advertising. Even though the NHL has owned the team, they haven't been investing in the team or the community. All you have to do is look at the difference in the Nashville market since they've had locally focused ownership.

Arguably, five years ago, the Predators were in worse shape than the Coyotes. Now, they're one of the bright spots in the league. They're not Toronto or Montreal, but they're solid and stable.

To be successful, you need a good building, stable ownership, and a competitive team. The Coyotes have never had all three at the same time since they moved to Arizona.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by getbak

When there is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over a team, people will be reluctant to invest the time, money, and energy into supporting the team. Being in Phoenix for a couple of days and going to a game is one thing, but the life-blood of any team is the locals, the season ticket holders.

There's also the marketing side of things. There are very few teams who can sell out every game without advertising. Even though the NHL has owned the team, they haven't been investing in the team or the community. All you have to do is look at the difference in the Nashville market since they've had locally focused ownership.

Arguably, five years ago, the Predators were in worse shape than the Coyotes. Now, they're one of the bright spots in the league. They're not Toronto or Montreal, but they're solid and stable.

To be successful, you need a good building, stable ownership, and a competitive team. The Coyotes have never had all three at the same time since they moved to Arizona.

I admit having a stable ownership isn't good for ticket sales just as having a poor economy isn't either, but there were five years where they had a good building, a good economy and stable ownership from 2003 to 2008. They didn't have a great team but a lot of franchises have to deal with that and don't end up going through bankruptcy. If every losing team used that as an excuse, there would be lot more teams going bankrupt and threatening to move.

If their were enough hockey fans in Phoenix, they wouldn't have a problem finding a legitimate owner.

[afc wimbledon]

Having a lousy (or non existant) owner is pretty much the same as having a lousy team, a market should be able to survive either for a reasonable amount of time if it is viable, if the conditions necersary for the yotes to survive are good ownership and a playoff team then you may as well take that hound out behind the wood shed with the 12 gauge.

A playoff team for 3 years in a row should be able to draw a reasonable crowd regardless of the ownership situation.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by troutman

Bettman had breakfast with Patrick Roy. What would they be discussing?

Probably just a friendly breakfast with one of his league's all-time great goaltenders.

Perhaps Gary asked Patrick if his hearing has gotten better since the surgery to remove the Stanley Cup rings from his ears.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

There will be zero improvement if the status quo remains without an owner.. the rides have been fun but it's still hard to buy into it all emotionally.

classic catch 22.

If the fans came out in droves to support the club, there would be more potential suitors. Right now, you'd have to think that there is reluctance to buy the team because it hasn't performed (financially speaking)

If the supporters of the team stay away, it would not give me, as a hypothetical buyer, any motivation to purchase, knowing that.

Not supporting the team, or the status qou as you put it, certainly hasn't created the climate for stable ownership and there's no reason to think continuing that track will induce a stable owner rather than the more tenuous buyers that have been kicking the tires.

[Northendzone]

It will be nice to see this saga finally settled on Monday!!!!

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

It will be nice to see this saga finally settled on Monday!!!!

Did I miss something? What happens on Monday?

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Did I miss something? What happens on Monday?

Someone is going to make an offer to purchase.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Someone is going to make an offer to purchase.

The thread is entitled "offer to purchase coyotes on Monday"....

[TorqueDog]

Wow, how did I miss that? Heh.