Coyotes Tempe Entertainment District/Arena photos

[dissentowner]

Gary Bettman is such a stubborn ass. Watching what he is saying at the all Star game presser makes it clear he needs to be gone.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by WCW Nitro

I wonder if the demographics of the two cities might be an explanation as to why the NHL prefers Phoenix over Houston, I believe the visible minority percentage in Houston is much higher than in Phoenix and maybe the league feels that you can't simply look at total population in Houston as a determinant if hockey would work there.

If the NHL doesn't want to expand to areas with more visible minorities then that would be the worst possible leadership decision they could make.

The NHL needs to be trying to open up the game to be more accessible for minorities, not just focus on places with higher white populations.

[Strange Brew]

Read some excerpts from Bettman's remarks. He is all in on Tempe and the ASU arena in the interim.

I imagine that's partly because no one is lining up to offer to buy and move them.

[Beatle17]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Read some excerpts from Bettman's remarks. He is all in on Tempe and the ASU arena in the interim.

I imagine that's partly because no one is lining up to offer to buy and move them.

Bettman's comment about Glendale demanding a 20 year lease and then kicking the team out when they said no was interesting. I think I wouldn't pay the taxes in that case either. instead of working on a short term deal they said get lost so the owner said OK. Maybe there needs to be better actual reporting/investigation done instead of just running with the shabby headlines in Arizona.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Beatle17

Bettman's comment about Glendale demanding a 20 year lease and then kicking the team out when they said no was interesting. I think I wouldn't pay the taxes in that case either. instead of working on a short term deal they said get lost so the owner said OK. Maybe there needs to be better actual reporting/investigation done instead of just running with the shabby headlines in Arizona.

The taxes are their legal obligation though, they should be paid. Glendale may have been difficult to deal with but they weren’t obligated to agree on a new lease with a tenant that has been a financial problem for them.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Read some excerpts from Bettman's remarks. He is all in on Tempe and the ASU arena in the interim.

I imagine that's partly because no one is lining up to offer to buy and move them.

Quebec City would totally buy them and move them tmrw if Bettman allowed it. There is zero doubt about that.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Read some excerpts from Bettman's remarks. He is all in on Tempe and the ASU arena in the interim.

I imagine that's partly because no one is lining up to offer to buy and move them.

Possible. Or he's bluffing to maximize the sale price and keep some degree of hope alive among the Coyotes fan.

Originally Posted by Beatle17

Bettman's comment about Glendale demanding a 20 year lease and then kicking the team out when they said no was interesting. I think I wouldn't pay the taxes in that case either. instead of working on a short term deal they said get lost so the owner said OK. Maybe there needs to be better actual reporting/investigation done instead of just running with the shabby headlines in Arizona.

Or maybe the truth is somewhere closer to the middle than either the Bettman or Glendale version. Whatever the case, it still seems to me that one side played hardball and the other went nuclear by bilking their obligations.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Quebec City would totally buy them and move them tmrw if Bettman allowed it. There is zero doubt about that.

Who is the buyer though and how much are they willing to pay?

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Possible. Or he's bluffing to maximize the sale price and keep some degree of hope alive among the Coyotes fan.

For sure there is some gamesmanship here. Scarcity is what promotes franchise value.

[getbak]

Bettman is never going to say something that undermines what an owner is trying to negotiate. If he does the tough guy act against a city, it's because that's what that owner wants him to say. If he softballs it and talks about how great a market is, that's what that owner wants him to say.

I don't think he ever hinted that the Thrashers could move until the day the move was announced.

I'm sure different things are being said behind the scenes to the Coyotes ownership. A couple of months ago, there were rumours of a possible sale and relocation to Houston that was quickly dismissed. I have no doubt those reports were absolutely true.

There is almost-certainly a drop-dead date for Tempe to make progress on the new building or they'll have to do something else. The question is when that date is. If it's going to cost $20-30 million just to build facilities at the university for the Coyotes' temporary use, they're not going to want to spend that money unless there's some level of certainty that a deal can get done and the new building built quickly.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Who is the buyer though and how much are they willing to pay?

I read a recent article that it is the province that wants to own the team and we're offering the NHL one billion dollars to make it happen. That was the number they threw at the NHL when they met with them recently. The league's response is they have no interest in a franchise in Quebec City right now. I am pretty sure the province could have offered any amount under the sun and Bettman would say no.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I read a recent article that it is the province that wants to own the team and we're offering the NHL one billion dollars to make it happen. That was the number they threw at the NHL when they met with them recently. The league's response is they have no interest in a franchise in Quebec City right now. I am pretty sure the province could have offered any amount under the sun and Bettman would say no.

Yes, because it's all about Bettman, and not the 32 NHL owners as a collective who are his boss.

[SeanCharles]

They need to relocate this train wreck of a franchise.

It blows me away how hard they are trying to keep a failing business there.

It’s Mickey Mouse.

The difficulty with moving to QC is who would be moved into the western conference?

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by SeanCharles

They need to relocate this train wreck of a franchise.

It blows me away how hard they are trying to keep a failing business there.

It’s Mickey Mouse.

The difficulty with moving to QC is who would be moved into the western conference?

CBJ eventually, but even if it's QC staying in the central for a year or two it's actually not a big deal for most teams...only mildly inconvenient for COL, DAL, and the PAC teams, which can be mitigated through scheduling

Spoiler!

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Yes, because it's all about Bettman, and not the 32 NHL owners as a collective who are his boss.

If it went to a vote you don't think the owners would ok a relocation of a team that will never turn a profit to a dedicated hockey market for a billion dollars? They absolutely would, the problem is it will never get that far. The majority of owners are against the Coyotes playing in a 5000 seat arena for years and don't think they should be part of revenue sharing and yet Bettman doesn't listen to them on that. I think you are underestimating how much power Bettman actually has.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I read a recent article that it is the province that wants to own the team and we're offering the NHL one billion dollars to make it happen. That was the number they threw at the NHL when they met with them recently. The league's response is they have no interest in a franchise in Quebec City right now. I am pretty sure the province could have offered any amount under the sun and Bettman would say no.

Anything's possible, but the provincial government offering $1 billion? Holy cow. I guess that might be CAD but still.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by getbak

Bettman is never going to say something that undermines what an owner is trying to negotiate. If he does the tough guy act against a city, it's because that's what that owner wants him to say. If he softballs it and talks about how great a market is, that's what that owner wants him to say.

I don't think he ever hinted that the Thrashers could move until the day the move was announced.

I'm sure different things are being said behind the scenes to the Coyotes ownership. A couple of months ago, there were rumours of a possible sale and relocation to Houston that was quickly dismissed. I have no doubt those reports were absolutely true.

There is almost-certainly a drop-dead date for Tempe to make progress on the new building or they'll have to do something else. The question is when that date is. If it's going to cost $20-30 million just to build facilities at the university for the Coyotes' temporary use, they're not going to want to spend that money unless there's some level of certainty that a deal can get done and the new building built quickly.

100% this. Although I really don't believe the Houston rumors.

Difference with Atlanta was that True North was a loud player the whole time. QC only one making any noise at the moment and that seems to be coming from the provincial government. Fertitta and Houston have been invisible in last two expansions.

Fertitta only interested if gets them at a discount.

[GioforPM]

^^ way back during the initial Phoenix issues, people kept complaining “Bettman is lying” when he’d say Phoenix was going OK and wasn’t moving. I always thought “what’s he supposed to do - if you’re selling a car you don’t go on about how much gas it guzzles”.

[getbak]

Based on the rumour, it sounded like it wasn't Fertitta who was interested because they were talking about a new building.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1466400530528354304

Obviously, that would create a similar problem as Arizona for where they'd play in the meantime as I doubt Fertitta would want to make it easier for someone to build a rival to the Toyota Center.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Anything's possible, but the provincial government offering $1 billion? Holy cow. I guess that might be CAD but still.

Not to go too political here, but...

...with some of that PQ money undoubtedly interwoven with the broken system of transfer payments, Albertans will be helping to funding teams in other provinces to get off the ground, while one of our team's squabbles and raises questions about it's viability because of ~$30M for rink over runs?