Broke Yotes!!

[Bolts_26]

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.

[tyler289]

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

[Money99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bolts_26

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]

Quote: Originally Posted by Money99

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]

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]

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]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChrisHero

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]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bolts_26

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