NHL relocation « Psycho Lady Hockey

NHL relocation Category

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

The Phoenix saga continues…

The Coyotes situation has exploded again and I’ve decided to weigh in simply because I wanted to post this sweet cartoon a die-hard Yotes fan sent me! So, rumour around the proverbial water cooler is that Balsillie’s $212.5M bid to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes will now be considered at the team’s auction on September 10th along with other bidders both for and against relocation.

OK, for the purpose of this entry, let’s assume that Balsillie’s bid is accepted, and that his legal team is able to override the NHL’s recent vote against his suitability as an owner on the grounds that they have approved of him as such back in 2006. Let’s assume that a suitable owner cannot be found to both appease creditors and keep the team in Arizona. Let’s assume that relocation to Hamilton is the probable outcome of the Coyotes’ saga. Suddenly, $212.5M looks like chump change.

Earlier on in the court drama that is the future of the desert dogs, Bettman made a public statement that Balsillie’s bid is not as much as it seems. Well, he’s right. What do you think would happen if a billionaire business mogul waltzed into the Air Canada Centre and announced that he was buying the Toronto Maple Leafs for *Dr. Evil voice,* ”Two hundred and twelve MIIIIIIIIILLION dollars mwahahhahaha!!” Well, after MLSE staff and executives regained their composure from guaranteed hysterical laughter, the likely outcome would involve Richard Peddie grabbing his trusted two barrel shotgun and yelling, “Git outta maaaa office!”

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the money makers of the National Hockey League. It is suggested that an NHL club located thirty minutes west of the ACC would pull in similar financial figures, which means that the Hamilton Coyotes have the potential to clear between $400M and $600M a season. A team with that kind of value will not go for a steal – and $212.5M is a blow out sale!

If relocation is a real possibility, then potential buyers willing to move the team to the open arms of Copps Coliseum will have to view the price of the Coyotes as a team with southern Ontario value instead of small scale sunbelt earning potential. Likely this fact will bring previously uninterested buyer groups out of the woodwork, and an all out bidding war will ensue on September 10th. Fortunately, for Jim Balsillie, if anyone is in the position to up the ante, it’s him. However, Balsillie didn’t get nauseatingly rich by investing in projects he was unsure of. He has already proven in the past that he doesn’t want to get locked into a possible money losing venture. According to the Canadian TV show, Power Play (a show revolving around the dealings of a mock NHL team, the Hamilton Steelheads), Hamilton is a small hockey market. Not sure what the writers of that show were on, but perhaps, as history suggests, Jim Balsillie will be cautious about raising his bid should it come to that.

Here’s to what promises to be an entertaining September.

Posted in NHL relocation, Phoenix Coyotes, copps coliseum, hamilton, 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 »

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Judgment Day: Man-up, Toronto, Look out, Bettman!

It’s 11AM in Southern Ontario, where hockey fans and Hamiltonians are eagerly anticipating the outcome of the NHL vs. Jerry Moyes in a bankruptcy court down in sunny Arizona. Of course, it’s only 8AM on the battlefield, and so we will have to keep our breath held for just a little longer. Will the NHL thwart yet another attempt by Jim Balsillie to return hockey to its rightful home? Some feel, and with good reason, that if the NHL is victorious this will be Balsillie’s last foray into the National Hockey League. Or will the Moyes-Balsillie camp live to see another day?

I’ve weighed in on several issues including the future of Gary Bettman in the NHL should he win this case. Once more, Bettman feels that the Balsillie bid was a personal attack on him. A lack of “respect for the rules” he says, but what are rules, when they can be altered or changed at the discretion of the National Hockey League. We have heard countless falsehoods from the NHL, including one of the dirtiest tricks (I think) the NHL has pulled on us yet. The NHL claimed that they were favouring moving the Coyotes back to Winnipeg, and that they wanted Southern Ontario to have an expansion team in a few years – RIGHT! Playing on the sympathies of the twelve year heartache in Winterpeg. The interesting thing about this statement (lie) is that Bettman had said earlier this year that Winnipeg and Quebec City were failed markets because no one wanted to own a team there. What’s changed?

Also, and only a couple months ago, Bettman told a local radio show that Hamilton and Southern Ontario weren’t fit for the NHL because no one had been studying the market, and we can’t give Ontario another team based on “probability.” This latest PR stunt was obviously an attempt to put the fire out on the anger and hatred Canadians are beginning to feel for both Bettman and the National Hockey League. But, I’m sure that if the League wins today, then we will get squat. This latest carrot being tossed to us is surely a plastic one.

From lying to backtracking and name calling, the League has shown us an ugly and desperate side over the last two weeks. Another hotly debated non-issue is the League playing white knight to the Leafs territorial rights. It is my understanding (though I could be wrong) that the Leafs never formally commented on this non-issue. They were being tightlipped for good reason. It is my opinion that the Hamilton franchise could only help them. The Leafs would not lose season ticket holders, in fact they likely wouldn’t even lose waitlisted fans even if said fans successfully acquired Hamilton tickets. Why? Because the Leafs are still the Leafs and fans associate history and original six-ed-ness with prestige. Sure, Hamilton had a team in the twenties, but it’s really not the same thing.

Also the Leafs only make new revenue through non-ticket ventures in avenues like media and merchandise. The Leafs and Coyotes would obviously have to come to some sort of compromise with CBC and TSN, which means fewer Leafs games on basic cable. Maybe this seems like a bad thing, but for Maple Leaf Sports, the owner of LeafsTV, a channel already showing twelve regular season Leafs games exclusively, will suddenly be televising additional games on their terms and maximizing profit. This also means more true blue fans will have to purchase the Leafs TV package if they haven’t done so already. Plus, nothing promotes a hike in merchandise sales like a little competition and provincial rivalry.

I am not denying the disaster that will ensue in Buffalo as a result of this team, and neither is the Sabres organization, they have been just as vocal as the league in smearing the Balsillie camp. Of course the reason the Sabres are in danger is because a majority of their season seats are owned by hockey starved SOUTHERN ONTARIANS! Sure, they will lose much of the Golden Horseshoe, but only if the Coyotes tickets prove to be more cost effective. The Sabres tickets don’t break the bank, and likely the Coyotes will be valued higher than Buffalo, but slightly lower than Toronto.

And speaking of territorial rights, who was there to defend the Rangers territory when the Islanders moved in, and again when the Devils moved in? How can the Rangers function with two teams each twenty minutes from them? Seems Bettman and the League are either (once again) lying to us about our own market, or somehow trying to tell us that New Yorkers are better hockey fans than us? I think I hear the sound of Canadian blood boiling!

If Bettman and the League win today, then they will be facing serious problems down the road. Hockey is, for the most part, an unmarketable commodity. People either want it or they don’t. Phoenix has proven that all but a weak few do not want to see hockey in the desert. A new owner that has to keep the team in AZ will not do any better than the last. Should this go down, the League will be stuck with Phoenix. If they try to move the team a couple years down the road as the debt accumulates (the 2009-10 season projects a $45M loss in Glendale), then no one will stand for it after the major blemish that the Moyes battle will be on the face of the NHL. Surely, Bettman will be removed from his position, and neither Canadians nor Arizonians will ever forgive the NHL.

Make no mistake, fellow Southern Ontarians, the League has no intention to act in our best interests. Our only savior is Jim Balsillie. Our thoughts, hopes, and wishes are with him and Jerry Moyes today. If everything goes well today, then let us pray that the NHL governors will look kindly on us and write a new page in the ongoing history of hockey by bringing the game back to Hamilton.

Posted in NHL relocation, Phoenix Coyotes, hamilton, jerry moyes, jim balsillie | No Comments »

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Reading Between the Lines: thoughts on the showdown at the Arizona bankruptcy court.

The NHL is maintaining that Coyotes’ majority owner Jerry Moyes was not in control of the team at the time that he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (the move which led to Jim Balsillie’s bid for purchase and relocation of the team), and thus that the filing is not valid (which makes you wonder why Moyes would proceed in the first place). I’m not a lawyer or anything, but that seems pretty black and white. If this document exists then the filing wasn’t legit, and the NHL will win on May 19th. You would think that the league would be happy or at least confident in knowing that they possessed such a valuable document; but that’s not the case. Instead, Bill Daly and Gary Bettman have mounted a full on campaign to villanize Jim Balsillie which seems to be geared towards turning the other 29 NHL owners against him. Why bother you ask? After all, if the filing wasn’t legit then the process will not even get to the owners vote on relocation.

On the other side we have Jim Balsillie who has continued progress toward prepping Hamilton for the arrival of the desert dogs. While the league has been scrambling like the Republican party of the Obama/McCain faceoff last fall, Balsillie has been working out agreements with the city of Hamilton for the permanent use of Copps Coliseum. Both parties seem to be working towards the same event, an event that occurs well after these bankruptcy proceedings – and that is the vote on relocation. Sounds like the league doesn’t have an ace up their sleeve after all. Don’t be surprised if, much like in the Obama/McCain election, Phoenix will lose.

As for the owners, perhaps the league is trying to cast a negative spotlight on Jim Balsillie as a way to confuse them from questioning their actions regarding Jerry Moyes. Bill Daly has been putting words into the mouths of the other 29 owners, stating that he doesn’t believe that they will take too kindly to the way Mr. Balsillie has gone about acquiring his hockey club. The truth of the matter is Balsillie made a bid, and with that bid he has stated that he is willing to pay a lot of money for the Coyotes franchise but only on the condition that the team be moved to a viable market. If this doesn’t fly with the league, then they don’t get his money plain and simple. This isn’t a charity venture it’s a business venture. There is no gun being held to the proverbial head of the National Hockey League.

It’s my feeling that the owners should be more concerned with the behaviour of the league in how they have dealt with both Balsillie and Moyes. The league apparently has the right to strip owners of their authority when they do something that the league doesn’t like. As an owner investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a team I would not feel secure in that role any longer. I would also not feel secure in a league that cries about enforcing the “rules” when they change the rules as it suits them. I would not want to do business with an organization that feels they can “insert clauses” as they see fit and blow smoke up the behinds of fans and owners alike.

I’m not sure why anyone would listen to Bettman’s radio show. You can’t trust anything coming out of the mouth of the league. After all, only a matter of weeks ago Bettman was in Phoenix claiming that everything was fine and that Jerry Moyes was controlling team! They seem to be lying to us worse than a politician desperate for votes. Trust no one. http://makeitseven.ca

Posted in NHL relocation, National Hockey League, Phoenix Coyotes, jerry moyes, jim balsillie, nhl owners | No Comments »

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