7th Canadian NHL team « Psycho Lady Hockey

7th Canadian NHL team Category

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Thumbs down, everyone!

If it wasn’t bad enough that those pesky Penguins won the Stanley Cup and ruined my Red Wings playoff prediction (grrr), my victory lap in Vegas was soured by the rejection of Balsillie’s bid to relocate the Phoenix Coyotes to my backyard. Surprisingly, I wasn’t overly disappointed. I’m still in the middle of my off season re-evaluation, and so I haven’t quite decided what I’m planning to do for the 2009-10 season as of yet. It’s entirely possible that I will not support the Phoenix Coyotes next year or their Steel Town equivalent.

Balsillie claims that his fight is not over, and maybe it’s not, but let’s face it, there won’t be NHL hockey in Hamilton next season (I haven’t forgotten about you, Bulldogs). The Coyotes have until September 15th to find a viable owner; this shouldn’t be a problem as the League has alleged several offers from parties with Glendale’s best interests at heart. However, should these offers be yet another Bettman bluff, then come September 15th who knows what will go down. If the League has to fund the losses for the club for yet another season (an estimated $45M in 09-10), then the Coyotes will likely pack up and head North to Winnipeg, the location with the League’s supposed stamp of approval.

For the short term, keeping the Coyotes in their Jobing.com desert oasis for another season is likely the best option for all parties involved. The Southern Ontarian fan base has had a massive publicity showcase for the last several weeks, and Balsillie’s Make It Seven campaign has rallied support from nearly 200K Canucks including major Canadian brands such as Labatt, Home Hardware, First Ontario Credit Union, and DeWalt Tools. With the 416/905 in the spotlight, the League would be crazy not to put the Golden Horseshoe at the top of the NHL expansion list.

In terms of benefiting the League, not only do they win this initial case on relocation, but they also save face. Now the League is free to determine for themselves that the Coyotes cannot survive in the desert, and they can, thus, relocate them when, where, and how they see fit. After all, this was about a “respect for the rules!” The League doesn’t want to be told that their teams are in trouble especially not by some richie rich tech billionaire, they want to come to this realization on their own. Unfortunately, the League is likely to be soured on giving the Coyotes to Hamilton – that would be too close to a Balsillie victory – but don’t be surprised if the Winnipeg Jets take a reunion flight by 2011!

Unfortunately, the loser in all of this legal and financial mess is the pocket-sized hockey fan base in Arizona. These few but prouds are likely to be basking in the glow of their temporary victory. If they were smart they would do their part to rally as much support for the Coyotes as possible to ensure a large enough peak in sales to keep the creditors at bay. Unfortunately, the Phoenix fans are asking people to part with their hard earned money at times of economic tight fisting – a battle that even the Detroit powerhouse is losing! Hopefully, in the interest of the Phoenix faithful, the close call this summer will help to boost sales and save the desert dogs, but don’t be surprised if it has had the opposite effect (who wants to invest in unstable stock ). Remember, Phoenix: the League is not your friend; they only had your back this round. When all is said and done, the NHL is a business, and the Phoenix office is the red year after year. Enjoy this hockey season, Arizona – it might be your last.

Posted in 7th Canadian NHL team, National Hockey League, Phoenix Coyotes, Phoenix., hockey fans, jim balsillie | No Comments »

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

June 9th: The biggest day in hockey…or not.

Today was supposed to be the most important day of the 2008-09 season for the National Hockey League and quite possibly in the entire world of sport. Not only was this afternoon to witness the verdict on potential relocation for the Phoenix Coyotes, which will consequentially influence the way all professional league sports operate in the future, but it was also supposed to be the presentation of hockey’s holy grail, the Stanley Cup, to the Detroit Red Wings for a second straight year!

The hockey community and fans alike were expecting an impressive fireworks display in Phoenix today, but early this afternoon, Judge Redfield T. Baum cancelled Christmas and announced that he would not be ruling on relocation just yet. Luckily, Canadians will not have to wait as long for any word on progress toward the acquisition of our seventh NHL team, as Baum claims we will have a ruling by the end of the week. Unfortunately, this means a few more sleepless nights for me. I need a vacation!

The second disappointment came this evening, when the Detroit Red Wings were unable to secure a Stanley Cup victory during game six in Pittsburgh. Wouldn’t you know that Teenstache would be the player to foil my playoff predictions (Wings in six)! Must be karma or something, but, come on, he had a teenstache, what was I supposed to do, NOT point it out? (Re: Everybody gets one) At least for the faithful Pens fans, they were able to witness a home victory for their final home game of the season.

And don’t get me wrong, I love a good game seven as much as the next diehard fan, but the 08-09 season saw the multiplication, intensification, and expansion of my crazy misadventures in hockey, and truthfully, I’m actually looking forward to having a few months off! I can’t believe I just said that, but I need some time to regroup and rethink some of the choices I made this season. Also, a part of my heart is still in Philadelphia, and so Pittsburgh is the last team I want to see winning the cup! Booo!

So, June 9th, the day hyped up to be the most important day in the world of hockey, turned out to be a dud, and the fireworks didn’t even fizzle! Hopefully Friday will be a far more exciting day with victories for both Southern Ontarians and our neighbours over the Ambassador Bridge! Go Wings Go!

Watch: Make It Seven by the GMOs!

Posted in 7th Canadian NHL team, Detroit Red Wings, NHL playoffs, NHL relocation, Phoenix Coyotes, Phoenix., Pittsburgh Penguins, hamilton, jim balsillie | No Comments »

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Mid Mayhem Update!

For the first time in my life the Stanley Cup playoffs have mattered little. The suspense surrounding the future of the Phoenix Coyotes has been too much of a distraction. I’m not sure if I have even watched a full playoff game since Jim Balsillie made his $212.5M bid to purchase and relocate my foster children to Hamilton. I have even been too distracted to update my blog! So since it has been nearly two weeks since my last entry, this entry will act as an overall summary of current affairs in the hockey world.

Since my last entry on May 19th, Judge Redfield T. Baum ordered both parties (the National Hockey League and Jerry Moyes) into mediation to determine ownership of the Phoenix Coyotes. When the court reconvened on May 27th, Judge Baum placed the ‘Yotes legally into the hands of Jerry Moyes! Ding, ding, ding! And Round 1 goes to Jim Balsillie! Also, Baum ordered that the relocation hearing be moved up from June 22nd to June 9th in keeping with Balsillie’s June 30th expiration date on his generous offer.

Since my last entry on May 19th, both sides have been busy rallying support from big name factions. The League has turned out support from the other three major leagues: NBA, MLB, and NFL. Naturally, the other major leagues would be concerned with a respect for the “rules” and would want full control of who owns and moves their teams, and thus, a Balsillie victory would surely make them soil their panties. On the other side of the spectrum, the Balsillie camp has rallied support from two major Canadian household heavy weights, Labatt Breweries and Home Hardware. Within days of announcing support for MakeItSeven.ca, Labatt released television commercials promoting the website.

Since my last entry on May 19th, Bettman and the League have maintained that their resistance of the Hamilton relocation is not out of spite or stubbornness, but out of a defense of the principles and rules involved. The League has also thrown clichéd contradictions toward the media suggesting on the one hand that Phoenix was not in trouble, and on the other that they are in trouble, but that the team is fixable. The League has thus decided to ignore the fact that the Coyotes have never won a playoff series, have not made the playoffs in seven straight seasons, and that the new talent is not the caliber to suggest a major turnaround in the upcoming season. So, financially, the team will not be relying on the players to turn attendance around. Gretzky, the “Great One” (he gets quotation marks around his nickname as he has fallen out of favour with me since he announced support of the bid to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix), wasn’t even enough of a draw to bring fans to the fabulous Jobing.com Arena. If Gretzky and free booze and $9 tickets can’t do it, nothing can.

Since my last entry on May 19th, the Phoenix Coyotes’ sometimes-fans have maintained that they exist, although Sportsnet has reported that at no time during the court proceedings did a Coyotes jersey make an appearance around the courthouse. I remember thinking to myself, if this happened in Toronto, there would be riots! A sea of blue and white would be blocking all entry points to the courthouse and anarchy would surely ensue, but then I thought, “Oh, wait a minute, this would never happen in Toronto because we actually support our hockey team through thick and thin!” Furthermore, since the bid on May 5th, season ticket renewals for the Coyotes have dropped from $1.5M to $20K! So instead of feeling that sense of urgency to get up and support their team now more than ever, the Coyotes fans have decided to wait and see if they still have a team to support even when their lack of support is the root of the problem. They are practically saying “Oh we don’t really care about the team, we just care about losing our money!” You’d get a refund, duh! The worst part is, if these proceedings are dragged out through the summer with appeals and all of that, then the Coyotes will have even fewer supporters by the time September rolls around, not more!

Since my last entry on May 19th, the Balsillie camp has moved forward with plans for the $150M total facelift of Copps Coliseum…and it will look niiiiice! Not only will the exterior be beautified, the interior will be upgraded with restaurants, suites, and a higher seating capacity! However, Balsillie has maintained that he is willing to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix for one more year if the scheduling conflict is too much for the League to handle. However, the League will also have to agree to reimburse Balsillie for the losses the team will incur in Glendale in 09-10 – an estimated $45M!

Since my last entry on May 19th, news reporters, sportscasters , and town drunks alike have all argued to death why and why not the Coyotes will work in Hamilton. This is probably the reason I haven’t updated in so long. We KNOW! We know the facts! We know it will work! And we KNOW it’s a long shot! Men are sooo funny, it’s so easy to regurgitate information and it’s so easy to bet against the underdog! But if you haven’t noticed, upsets exist, and when they do happen the payout is sweet!

Since my last entry on May 19th, the NHL playoffs have continued and Detroit and Pittsburgh are meeting in the Cup finals for the second straight year! I need to pause a moment to say, “Neener, neener, neener, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!” My pre-playoff predictions listed a Wings/Pens rematch in the finals (even though at the time I even said, noooo, that can’t be!) So, take THAT, all of you smelly boys with your Bostons and your San Joses! Yesssssss! Too bad I didn’t bet money on it! Oh well, live and learn.

P.S. I predicted the Red Wings in six!

Picture: An artist’s rendering of the New Copps Coliseum!

Posted in 7th Canadian NHL team, NHL playoffs, NHL relocation, Phoenix Coyotes, jim balsillie | No Comments »

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Memories of Copps Coliseum & how I celebrated my graduation.

I was asked what I had planned to do to celebrate finishing my last exam ever at U of T on Wednesday. Truthfully, I hadn’t thought of anything. There was more important business afoot! Surprise, surprise; the major bombshell that Jim Balsillie had made a formal bid for the purchase and relocation of my newly beloved Phoenix Coyotes to, essentially, my backyard hit on the night before my final exam. How much studying do you think I did that night? None. That’s right. Actually none. If the NHL playoffs weren’t enough of a distraction, then the excitement of this news definitely put me over the edge. I stayed up the entire night just sitting and thinking about the future of the Coyotes. This was what I wanted. I had formed online communities a week earlier trying to rally hockey fans to start considering another Canadian team. Was I going to be getting my wish? Was this all a part of the mystical Arizona prophecy that led me to turn my life completely upside down at the trade deadline?

When I walked away from Jobing.com Arena after the Coyotes final game of the 2008-09 season, I was troubled to be facing the six long months of the off season without any clue as to what to do next in my quest to find my supposed destiny with “the Arizona connection.” I thought about what would happen if I just walked away. If I gave up on following some prediction blindly and had a reality check. School is over. Now the real world begins. Real jobs, real responsibilities, real clips on my wings. My traveling road show would surely suffer. Things would have to be different and I knew I would have to spend the off season figuring out what to do next. If hockey was a part of this “higher plan,” I thought, then if I walked away mountains would move. The team would be relocated to Hamilton. (Yes, I actually said that to some of my friends after the game in Anaheim in March). Was this the off season epiphany that I was hoping for? Were the mountains moving?

I will admit I had an internal struggle coming to terms with being a Phoenix fan for the last two months of the season. Mostly because I knew why I was there. I knew that I had decided to take a huge personal and financial risk and blindly follow two years worth of psychic predictions to various ports in the continental U.S . I felt crazy even by my standards, and I didn’t like the feeling. However, when I started hearing things about the real financial situation in Phoenix, I realized that this really was my team, and I wanted them here at all costs!

So, when I finished writing my final exam Wednesday night, and “Don’t Stop Believing” finally stop playing in my head, I thought about doing something to celebrate my domination of U of T in true Psycho Lady fashion. I decided I would drive over to Copps Coliseum and do some positive “visualization.” I’m not going to lie, I drove out to the 427/7 a couple times last week (the site of the purposed Vaughan arena should an NHL team move there). I’ve already proven that I believe in one form of crazy, so why not just go all out and go “The Secret” on the ass of the Coyotes. It’s the most I can do anyway. Stay positive that is. I won’t even talk to anyone who wants to argue the negative side of this situation!

As I drove to Hamilton I was reminded of all the times I had ventured to Copps Coliseum. This first time was during the lockout of 2004-05. I was 19 years old and a wreck at the loss of my beloved NHL. I had two options: huddle in a corner until the NHL was restored or explore a brand new league. I felt a little old for the OHL, so the AHL was the next best thing. At that time the Toronto Marlies still called St. John’s home, so the nearest team was the Hamilton Bulldogs. At the time I was still a die-hard Leafs fan, so the fact that the Bulldogs were affiliated with Montreal didn’t sit well with me as a loyal servant of the blue and white.

The first game was against the Cleveland Barons, the former AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks. The Bulldogs were wearing their Hamilton Ti-cats jersey. I remember thinking that this was their actual jersey and how ugly and bizarre it was. The following year I would go to Cleveland for four games. The drive home was impossible. We drove around downtown Hamilton for probably close to an hour. The one way streets confused me and I couldn’t find my way back to the 403. It was funny that this time around I still had the same Tim Horton’s navigational marker.

During the lockout, the St. John’s Maple Leafs played special games at the ACC. I would go to those games too, but I also went to see them make an appearance at Copps. The arena was packed and if you squinted your eyes, it looked just like the heated Toronto/Montreal rivalry of old! These preliminary games ultimately led me to the beginning of my road trips. Eventually, I turned to the Milwaukee Admirals, the, then, defending Calder Cup champions. Over the next three seasons I would return to the Chiclet coloured seats of Copps Coliseum for every Admirals road game. But by the second half of 2006-07, I moved up to the big leagues and that’s where I’ve stayed.

My final trip to Copps was in the off season after the 2006-07 season. The Flyers didn’t make playoffs, so now I was in baseball mode. My friend and I went to the Jays game wearing matching Red Wings jerseys. The fans and Ace (the Blue Jays’ mascot) were not impressed with us. We decided to flee to Hamilton because Grand Rapids (Detroit’s farm team) was in town for a playoff game. However, by the time we arrived at Copps, we were greeted by an amusing McDonald’s employee who regaled us with the tale of his latest antiquing adventure. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the game.

I’m sure the correlation between my Phoenix “magic” and the news that the team could possibly be moving to Hamilton hasn’t been lost on my readers, but aside from this coincidence, the 2008-09 season has been one of coming full circle. This season witnessed a shift in my fan allegiance as well as my return to brunette-dom, Detroit (the site of my first solo NHL trip in 06-07), and Team Canada (the WJC being the subplot to the events of my senior year in high school, which ultimately led to me writing my book and becoming an even bigger hockey nut. It’s worth noting that this season was also a graduation year for me as well). So, will the movement of the Coyotes to Hamilton be a return to the rink that started it all? Is this to be the end of my traveling road show? Truthfully it would be nice to settle down as a season ticket holder, root for my home team, and become a (somewhat more) normal girl. Besides, I’d love nothing more than a 40+ game season! Anyway, a girl can dream, can’t she? Here’s to the future! http://makeitseven.ca

Picture 1: My last game at Copps Coliseum in Decemeber 2006. Milwaukee Admirals @ Hamilton Bulldogs. Still a blonde! (I’m the one in the black!)

Picture 2: My friend, Ace, and I at Skydome (Rogers Centre) before my last trip to Copps Coliseum in April 2007! Ace isn’t a Red Wings fan.

Posted in 7th Canadian NHL team, NHL relocation, Phoenix Coyotes, copps coliseum, hamilton | No Comments »

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Message in Canadian film lost on Commissioner Bettman.

Sources tell me that Gary Bettman reportedly claims that his favourite movie is Canadian action-comedy Bon Cop, Bad Cop. Is this actually his favourite movie? Unlikely. Bettman is the type of guy that passive aggressively asserts his authority when confronted with any noun (both proper and non) that questions decisions or mistakes he has made in the past. Ask this guy a question about any entrepreneurial misadventure that he has supported and he literally huffs and puffs on his precious radio show in a weak attempt to save face. Come on, could this man really love a movie that so well articulated the Canadian experience of all that is Bettman? The man who has taken away not one, but two of our beloved franchises, and refuses to give them back even when the economy is screaming, “Make it seven in Canada or die?!” The man who has stopped our beloved game from being played on three separate occasions, and for an entire season in his most recent tyrannical campaign!?

For those of you unaware of this cinematic masterpiece, Bon Cop, Bad Cop is about a crazed Montreal hockey fan that resorts to killing a series of members of the “mock” NHL community after commissioner Harry Buttman endeavours to relocate the Montreal franchise to the United States. Maybe the motive behind the creation of this fictional scenario was lost on this man of certified intelligence. Maybe he wasn’t aware that the key messages were A) Canadians love hockey enough to kill for it, and B) the whole world believes that Bettman hates Canada and will stop at nothing until Canada loses its game for good.

Once again, business mogul and patron saint and savior of Canadian hockey, Jim Balsillie has reached deep into his pockets to rescue a formerly Canadian hockey club from complete destruction. Balsillie offered to buy the Phoenix Coyotes for $212.5M (book value $143M). However, the man is not a fool. Hockey has failed in the desert, no, it has gone beyond failed. Who in their right mind would throw hundreds of millions of dollars at a team that is:

1) Losing $20M a year.

2) Losing fans because the team hasn’t made the playoffs in seven years.

3) Losing fans despite building new fabulous arena because location was an inconvenient 20 minutes from town. (I know my fellow Canadians are laughing at this statement!)

4) Attracting minimal fans based on star power of head coach alone. A coach that has failed to bring the team to playoffs during entire stint as supreme bench boss. A coach that would have been removed if he wasn’t Wayne Gretzky. A coach that will eventually step down, and then what? The Coyotes run out of shiny assets,

just to keep it on barren soil? No, doesn’t make sense does it?

Of course, Bettman viewed Basillie’s attempt to rescue a struggling club from bankruptcy and move it to a market which will surely prosper (in other words his attempt to rescue the league) as a personal attack on his manhood. Bettman is like the hard headed male who would rather drive around for hours than stop at the nearest gas station and ask for directions. It’s like he would rather the league lose more money (let’s not forget he allowed the league to lose $1.8B over 10 years) than admit he made a mistake with one of the franchises born under his vision! This is why he chooses, even now during the current recession, to pursue the idea of expanding the league to even more inhospitable markets than admitting to a mistake (even if it means that terminal clubs burn holes in the league until the league is beyond repair)!

Would Bettman have come to a decision to relocate to southern Ontario on his own? Maybe eventually, but ONLY if he came to the decision ENTIRELY on his own. The fact that Bettman feels that his authority is being undermined, and that he didn’t come up with the idea for the move on his own is the very root of the problem. Much like the smoke he has blown on the southern Ontario market (stating the market was only a ‘probable’ success) and the Coyotes’ strong financial stability in Phoenix only mere weeks ago, Bettman huffed on the Balsillie situation, “This is not about whether or not we want a franchise in southern Ontario and whether or not Mr. Balsillie would make a suitable owner that the (NHL) owners would approve.” Really? Because I thought that was exactly what it was about? Let the league suffer just to keep all the Bettman pawns in play. Bettman likes to pick and choose when the issue is business and when it isn’t. If this is about business, then why isn’t there another team in southern Ontario already? If he’s concerned with the financial security and prosperity of the league, then why isn’t he exploiting markets which will bring home the bacon? The issue is simply, “I don’t want a team in southern Ontario and I don’t want Jim Balsillie as an owner because he will prove just how wrong I was about hockey in the desert!.” It’s not about business, it’s about pride.

The few, the proud, the Arizona based Coyotes fans, don’t be fooled. Bettman is not resisting Balsillie in your best interests. If he wins this battle, the team is not safe. Eventually he will realize that nothing can be done with your club and the team will be moved. Except the team will not be moved where the team will be loved; it will be moved to somewhere like Vegas or Kansas City where they will, once again, be neglected and will eventually have to fold. (The only good thing about this is that Bettman would likely lose his job if he caused all this drama for no greater good in the long run.) If you love your team, then set it free. Let your hometown heroes flourish within the league, instead of condemning them to unemployment. Remember, they were our team first. We will take good care of them.

In the world of Canadian cinema, the evil Commissioner learns his lesson after being kidnapped by our beloved Montreal based hockey fan and serial killer. He retracts his decision to relocate Montreal and implements a clause to keep all Canadian teams in Canada stating that he has realized that we Canadians really, really, love our hockey. It’s a shame Bettman didn’t heed this lesson because this ongoing protest against a seventh Canadian club is becoming, not only a petty battle with a billionaire tycoon, but a full blown war with a nation.

Support Jim Balsillie’s move to rescue the Canadian born Phoenix Coyotes and relocate them to southern Ontario! MakeItSeven.ca

Posted in 7th Canadian NHL team, Bon Cop Bad Cop, NHL relocation, Phoenix Coyotes | No Comments »

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