Broke Yotes!!

[tyler289]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

I am really excited to see what happens. Really interesting situation.

[Money99]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

Wow man!

Thanks for all the info!

It seems like this could become a great move, yet I'm not too sure about it.

I know that the Yotes are loosing money and need to sell, but there is still some pluses to having the team in Phoenix.

Also, It may be hard to set up a new franchise and get a fan base considering that, throughout the six Canadian teams, most Canadians have a team that they are loyal too.

Hopefully this will work out for the best but it will be interesting to follow this situation.

No problem at all.

I think the Coyotes would have been better off if they kept the arena in Scottsdale. But since moving the team to Glendale they moved the team 2 hours away from their deepest fan base. So with a losing team, it's a lot easier skipping a 2-3 hour commute.

But with Hamilton, there'll be no problems selling tickets. The GTA (Greater Toronto Area) is rabid for NHL action.
A few years back when Hamilton put in a bid for an NHL expansion team it sold 15,000 seasons tickets in less than 48 hours.

Not only that, but people in the area have said you could put a 2nd team in the Air Canada Centre where the Maple Leafs play and both teams would sell out easily.

The area is probably the biggest hotbed for hockey - similar to Texas and football and NY with baseball. Maybe even more so.

The NHL knows this and that's why they're ticked at Ballsillie trying to move a team to Hamilton. They know they could sell an expansion franchise in that area for $500M and the deal would be done in a heartbeat.
Instead, they might be forced to watch a team get relocated to the area for a pittance in comparison. That's where this issue really lies - money. The owners know they could fill their pockets with 8 digits worth of $$$ with an expansion team in Toronto. With Ballsillie potentially taking that free money away (which the NHLPA can't touch as part of the CBA), he's not making any fans among the board of governors.

[mercalnd]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

This will also set a precedent of whether or not the courts can decide if professional sports teams can be relocated without the need for league approval.

Actually there have been precedents already. Some ESPN legal analyst detailed them on McCown's show during the first court date of this whole Phoenix fiasco.

I don't remember all of the cases but a lot were in the NFL. The league tried to stop Al Davis from moving to LA and then they tried to stop him from moving back to Oakland (both of which were violating another team's territorial rights as the Rams were in LA back then and obviously the Niners were in SF). He also mentionned the NFL trying to stop the Rams from being moved to St-Louis.

Those are the cases I remember (there were others that escape me now) but he also said that every time one of the 4 major pro leagues in North America have tried to stop a team from being moved they have failed.

[Donovan]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

Balsillie is an underdog at this point I think, but like most hockey fans I hope he winds up getting lucky and getting his team, even if its to keep the team in Phoenix for a set amount of time before he's allowed to move it. Having a billionaire owner who actually loves the game is always good for a team.

[ChrisHero]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

Talk of the Coyotes situation has been all over sports radio here in Arizona.

Wait, scratch that. I've heard nothing of it. Please Canada, take this team away from it's 19 actual fans.

[Money99]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

Talk of the Coyotes situation has been all over sports radio here in Arizona.

Wait, scratch that. I've heard nothing of it. Please Canada, take this team away from it's 19 actual fans.

LOL.
Dozens of Coyotes fans are angry with you over this post.

[Perceptor]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

Wow man!

Thanks for all the info!

It seems like this could become a great move, yet I'm not too sure about it.

I know that the Yotes are loosing money and need to sell, but there is still some pluses to having the team in Phoenix.

Also, It may be hard to set up a new franchise and get a fan base considering that, throughout the six Canadian teams, most Canadians have a team that they are loyal too.

Hopefully this will work out for the best but it will be interesting to follow this situation.

Well TBH, I always thought the team should have stayed in Winnipeg, but obviously, the NHL was so different then. And like Money said, having another Canadian team would not hurt at all. Hamilton would support that team and have wait lists for tickets.

Since the lockout, all 6 Canadian teams routinely sell out games and tickets are hard to come by. I've been trying to get season tickets for the Flames but no can do. It also doesn't hep that after the Cup run 5 years ago, everyone and their dog was a Flames fan....

I hope Balsillie wins because he would be good for the game despite what Bettman says. He obviously cares about his team and I'd love to see a 7th Canadian team

[Money99]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

Well TBH, I always thought the team should have stayed in Winnipeg, but obviously, the NHL was so different then. And like Money said, having another Canadian team would not hurt at all. Hamilton would support that team and have wait lists for tickets.

Since the lockout, all 6 Canadian teams routinely sell out games and tickets are hard to come by. I've been trying to get season tickets for the Flames but no can do. It also doesn't hep that after the Cup run 5 years ago, everyone and their dog was a Flames fan....

I hope Balsillie wins because he would be good for the game despite what Bettman says. He obviously cares about his team and I'd love to see a 7th Canadian team

Doubling up on what Perceptor has said, there was a guy that called into XM Home Ice yesterday afternoon complaining about how hard it is to get tickets to Leafs games.

He said it ended up being cheaper for him to fly to Tampa Bay, buy a ticket vs the Leafs, stay the night at a hotel and then fly back the next day.

Many others have said if there was a 2nd team in the area they'd have no problems going to Hamilton instead. But I have a feeling that Hamilton would be able to charge the same amount and have a long waiting list for seasons tickets as well.

Former Leafs GM, Gord Stellick, said that the Leafs pay off their entire salary using the money given to them in the summer from those wanting to be on the waiting list.
What they do is ask for the money up front, invest it, and if the customer doesn't get tickets they pay them back in October. But over those 4-6 months, they get so much money, and invest it wisely that they're able to pay off their $50M salary. So every penny that comes through the ACC's doors is in the pockets of ownership.

That's how much money there is in the GTA. I don't think it's a stretch to believe it could support 3-4 teams before you'd see empty seats anywhere.

[Bolts_26]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

ha.

Well then yea, you gotta move the team.

Pheniox does not have a great fan base.

14,850, that puts them only in front of Atlanta and the poor islanders.
Check out the website--HERE

Chicago was number 1, In case you were wondering.

I think this move should be made, after hearing all the information.

[tyler289]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/bettmans-sunbelt-strategy-hits-a-rut/article1161216/

[CarryTheWeight]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

Those are the cases I remember (there were others that escape me now) but he also said that every time one of the 4 major pro leagues in North America have tried to stop a team from being moved they have failed.

I think something similar happened back in the early part of the decade with the Sabres ownership fiasco, when Paul Allen wanted to get a bid to buy the team and move it to Portland but Bettman blocked him from doing so and eventually set up Golisano's ownership. Nothing ever went to court, mind you, but Bettman would only allow the sale of the Sabres to a owner who would keep them in Buffalo.

[SPTO]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

I heard an interview with Tom Wright (former commish of the CFL) who filled out the application for relocation for Balsille. This guy didn't fall off of a turnip truck so when he says he looked at the Coyotes financials and doesn't see how the Coyotes could be viable in PHX then I think that's pretty clear cut.

Wright also explained the NHL's rules for relocation etc etc by talking about the guidelines that are supposed to be met and basically the Balsillie group meets that criteria to a tee.

[Money99]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

I heard an interview with Tom Wright (former commish of the CFL) who filled out the application for relocation for Balsille. This guy didn't fall off of a turnip truck so when he says he looked at the Coyotes financials and doesn't see how the Coyotes could be viable in PHX then I think that's pretty clear cut.

Wright also explained the NHL's rules for relocation etc etc by talking about the guidelines that are supposed to be met and basically the Balsillie group meets that criteria to a tee.

Did you listen to that on XM? I heard this too and found it very interesting.
It's going to make the NHL's denial of this request even harder to swallow. Which is why I think Ballsillie has a strong case against the NHL if he pursues an Anti-Trust lawsuit.

All the numbers and facts are there. I'm not sure how the judge couldn't grant the right to relocation as the facts certainly show that Phoenix is a terrible hockey market and it wouldn't do anyone, including the creditors, any good to lose it's one and only bid for purchase.

If Ballsillie wins, those BOG meetings are going to be very interesting. People might actually forget that Lowe and Burke hate each other.

[SPTO]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

Sorry for the tardy reply money. I heard him both on McCown and Farraway's (sp) shows on the FAN.

Anywho the story has taken another weird arse turn.

PHOENIX -- The owners of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts are among four potential buyers that have expressed an interest in purchasing the Coyotes and keeping them in Phoenix, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a court filing.

Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon have sent the league one of the four preliminary applications to buy the troubled club, and each has "indicated an interest in operating the franchise in Phoenix," according to Bettman's declaration filed with an Arizona bankruptcy court.

The other applicants are: Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and John Kaites; Coyotes minority owner John Breslow; and a Phoenix businessman who requested anonymity pending the NHL's due diligence.

I have NO CLUE why the Argos owners want to do this? I guess they like losing their shirts?

Here's the full story: TSN.CA

[Bolts_26]

Re: Broke Yotes!!

On June 9th we shall find out, correct?