General Ongoing Coyotes saga thread

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I just don't get it. The NHL could be just saying the right things while the season is in progress but history says they are serious. Does Glendale have dirty pictures of Bettman or what?

What else are they supposed to say today? They can't publicly say that since there's nearly a zero chance of this team being sold and kept in Phoenix we're going to ride out the season willy nilly. Then relocate it to a market that they've already done due diligence on as a prudent backup plan that also has an owner waiting quietly in the wings for it to reach that point.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I just don't get it. The NHL could be just saying the right things while the season is in progress but history says they are serious. Does Glendale have dirty pictures of Bettman or what?

History says nothing; this is a whole new ballgame now, with a City Council that wants nothing to do with this albatross of an agreement and refuses to extend it any further than the now-expired deadline.

This is the NHL trying to keep the revenue coming in. They aren't going to come out and say "Yeah, the team is moving" until such time as the Coyotes season is over / the 'drop-dead' date for keeping the team in Phoenix passes (whenever that is).

Expect things to get very interesting from here on in. Previously, we've seen a city council that seemed to stop at nothing to try and get a deal done. Now we see a mayor and city council that will only play ball on their terms and not at the expense of Glendale taxpayers.

[Stay Golden]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

History says nothing; this is a whole new ballgame now, with a City Council that wants nothing to do with this albatross of an agreement and refuses to extend it any further than the now-expired deadline.

This is the NHL trying to keep the revenue coming in. They aren't going to come out and say "Yeah, the team is moving" until such time as the Coyotes season is over / the 'drop-dead' date for keeping the team in Phoenix passes (whenever that is).

Expect things to get very interesting from here on in. Previously, we've seen a city council that seemed to stop at nothing to try and get a deal done. Now we see a mayor and city council that will only play ball on their terms and not at the expense of Glendale taxpayers.

hence a new mayor and council is in place. Bettman its your move. I can't see all the other NHL owner want to continue to support this madness.

[seattleflamer]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The first real admittance by the league that their relocation plan is already in motion.

Which is why it won't be Seattle. It would be irresponsible of the NHL to put a franchise in a city that has an arena deal that is still in the Environmental Impact phase, dependent on the sale of an NBA franchise, and several lawsuits pending. Too many stars to align in too short a timeframe.

[jayswin]

So for us that haven't really been following this too closely, what does this mean? Is this basically the end of the coyotes in Phoenix, but they don't want to come out and say it because that would officially make the Coyotes a lame duck team for teh rest of the season? Or is there a legitimate chance the team could stay in Phoenix with a new owner?

[Jordan!]

http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/02/0...61&feedID=3702

GIMME DAT OIL MONEY

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

It needs to be sooner than that. Late May or early June at the latest. See the Winnipeg timeline.

If it's Seattle, I would argue that it needs to be even earlier as you probably would need more time to sell tickets and sponsorship.

Time is short - 30 days (?) to negotiate a new lease agreement, and have COG vote on it. Then, another 30 day waiting period for the filing of a possible referendum. That gets us into April.

[Northendzone]

the recent developments mean, that jamison does not have the money together to buy the Yotes, and even if he did, he would have to negotiate a lease agreement with the CoG.

the team remains for sale, and the NHL primary goal is to sell it to someone who wants to keep the team in the CoG.

other than that, only Bettman and Bill Daly know for sure.

the reality is that they have been looking for about 3 years for someone to buy the team and keep it in the CoG - it is likely getting time to open up the selling to whoever has real money and just get on the show.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/02/0...61&feedID=3702

GIMME DAT OIL MONEY

Nothing is known of what sort of lease agreement with Glendale might emerge, but if Gallacher is part of a new ownership group, it would raise the possibility of an opt-out clause.

Portland has an NHL-ready arena in the Rose Garden

I think any new deal would have to have an opt out clause. Who would commit to 10-20 years if things may not improve?

[troutman]

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers: I'm confident Coyotes will stay in the Valley

http://www.arizonasports.com/43/1606....HwxXlwtW.dpuf

"Not on our taxpayers back and not at the risk of losing public safety," said Weiers. "When someone calls 911 they don't want a Zamboni to show up. They want a fire truck or a police car to show up."

[troutman]

Keeping Coyotes in Phoenix is proving tough sell


http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/opin...ough-sell.html

I flipped through the Jobing.com "Arena Calendar" for 2013. Guess how many events are booked in the arena that have nothing to do with the Coyotes? No peeking! Ready?

Nine.

That's five days of the Arizona high school basketball championships, two nights of Taylor Swift, one night of Bon Jovi and one night of The Who.

According to the website, there is not one event booked in the facility from May 30 until January 31, 2014. Even if this is some kind of formatting error, I've been told Glendale is not exactly a hot concert stop.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by valo403

You are aware that this whole discussion started with you comparing this situation to Atlanta, correct?

Swing and a miss. Mentioned that it seemed like Atlanta didn't have as many chances as Phoenix, and that was pretty much it. That wasn't even my point - it was about the optics of the situations to the casual fan. Any furfher discussion was perpetuated by your propensity to argue, which isn't surprising in the least. You seem to like to get the last word in on everything, it may be some kind of sick message board fetish.

Case in point: here comes an unecessary response in 3...2...

[valo403]

Originally Posted by troutman

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers: I'm confident Coyotes will stay in the Valley

http://www.arizonasports.com/43/1606....HwxXlwtW.dpuf

"Not on our taxpayers back and not at the risk of losing public safety," said Weiers. "When someone calls 911 they don't want a Zamboni to show up. They want a fire truck or a police car to show up."

Actually, that would be pretty awesome

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/02/0...61&feedID=3702

GIMME DAT OIL MONEY

I've been wondering why Portland hasn't been mentioned in the conversation.

They've done an amazing job turning around the Winterhawks, and the big stumbling block for the NHL there has always been the lack of a willing owner since Paul Allen doesn't want to have anything to do with hockey.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by getbak

I've been wondering why Portland hasn't been mentioned in the conversation.

They've done an amazing job turning around the Winterhawks, and the big stumbling block for the NHL there has always been the lack of a willing owner since Paul Allen doesn't want to have anything to do with hockey.

Which is likely why it's never mentioned, absent a willing owner in the market the rest of it really doesn't matter, and I've never heard a word about anyone wanting a team there. Seems like a market that could work though, so it's certainly surprising the interest hasn't appeared.

[Jordan!]

I thought Paul Allen was all over it when The Flames were close to moving in 2000? Or was that someone else?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

I thought Paul Allen was all over it when The Flames were close to moving in 2000? Or was that someone else?

Allen was pretty vocal on the idea of the NHL being a bad investment back then. He was right too.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Expect things to get very interesting from here on in. Previously, we've seen a city council that seemed to stop at nothing to try and get a deal done. Now we see a mayor and city council that will only play ball on their terms and not at the expense of Glendale taxpayers.

It isn't that simple, actually. Since Glendale is stuck with the costs of an underutilized facility, they don't hold the hammer either. There's no chance that the deal just expired gets renewed, but the choice for the Glendale council has always been between the lesser of two evils.

As Troutman pointed out in that one story link, take away the Coyotes and you've got a big empty building used barely a handful of times a year. If a(nother) serious bidder arrives, they will have to negotiate a lease deal generous enough to close the deal, but which costs less than an empty arena.

[troutman]

NHL not ready to expand to Ontario, Quebec: Daly on HNIC Radio


http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/...c-ontario.html

“You do have to look at the marketplace over a much longer period of time,” he said. “You’re right, our Canadian teams in particular are thriving right now and have been probably for the last five to ten years.

“We [also] went through a decade [with concerns about] the Canadian dollar but for other reasons as well the Canadian franchises weren’t thriving. I think you have to factor in a long-term view whenever you make these types of decisions.

“Once you’ve made a decision to be in a market you should give that market a fighting chance to be successful before you pull the plug on it. That’s our philosophy and I think it’s [the philosophy] of most professional sports leagues.”

[Coach]

Originally Posted by troutman

NHL not ready to expand to Ontario, Quebec: Daly on HNIC Radio

“Once you’ve made a decision to be in a market you should give that market a fighting chance to be successful before you pull the plug on it. That’s our philosophy and I think it’s [the philosophy] of most professional sports leagues.”

The Coyotes have had almost 20 years to have a "fighting chance" I think that's enough. And as for the potential long-term economics of having teams in Canada...I'll take my chances up here versus the mess that is happening down there.