Broke Yotes!!

[tyler289]

Quote: Originally Posted by mercalnd

Phoenix is not an expansion franchise. They were the Winnipeg Jets before moving to Phoenix.

Well yea, but moving a team to Phoenix was part of the expansion to the West Coast and South.

[mgoblue]

Quote: Originally Posted by Vince

It's pretty clear Bettman doesn't want any more Canadian teams, so Balsillie really has no choice but to try and force his way into the NHL.

I guess I just remember the whole Penguins situation where he 100% wanted to move the team from a city that was at least trying to work with things...Yeah, they had major issues going on, but it's not like the city had given up, but you knew that he'd move the team immediately.

I dunno, just left a bad taste in my mouth concerning him...maybe it's a bad rap, I dunno. I just think that if he was truly above board that the BOG would gladly welcome him in and give him a team to move...

[RealmK]

Bettman either resigning or being forced out would prolly be the best thing to happen for the NHL in a long time. The man clearly doesn't know what he's doing, nor seems to care about the sport very much to begin with.

[Money99]

On the Hotstove segment last night on HNIC, Pierre Labrun revealed that an NHL Governor told him he was softening on letting Ballsillie into the league and was in the process of getting support for him from other BOG's. The plan was to begin softening Bettman's ear to finally let this guy in. Then this whole fiasco dropped. Now this particular Governor said all bets are off. Everyone's ticked at him again.

I think the biggest reason Bettman and the BOG's are pissed about this is because they know if they expand they can slap a team in south Ontario for a cool $300M expansion fee. That's $10M to each owner.
That disappears if Ballsillie gets to move this team to Hamilton.

Like most things in sports, this is a lot more about money than it is anything else.

I'm starting to believe that Ballsillie is not going to win this battle. Listening to XM the other day, the judge can take a look at the other bids and if he/she believes that those bids are better for all creditors (including the city of Glendale that has a big empty rink to get a tenant for) then Ballsillie is out.
But even if the judge takes JB's offer, it sounds very suspect that he/she can force the NHL to accept the relocation clause.

Bettman needs to take a hard look at himself because he created this mess. He helped coordinate the deal to move the team from Scottsdale to Glendale and effectively cut off half of the valley where the majority of Yotes fans come from.

Also, during the HNIC telecast many brought up the point that it was only 3 years ago that Pittsburgh and Washington were nearly bankrupt and in danger of moving. The difference with those cities were that they have a history of having great fan support and in Pittsburgh's case they were desperate for a new arena.
The same could be said for Buffalo and Ottawa.

I'm still not convinced that Phoenix would be a success at anytime. It might take the drafting of the next Crosby AND Ovechkin to save this sinking ship.

[Matteh]

Quote: Originally Posted by buzzguy

Man, the whiteouts started in Winnipeg, where the team was originally moved from.

Oh I'm well aware. I never said Phoenix started it, just saying it was cool to watch their playoff games in the late 90's with the whiteouts. It was nice they kept that tradition going.

[SPTO]

This story gets more and more complicated and interesting. Apparently Moyes gave up control of the team for $38M BUT Moyes claims he only gave up his votes on league matters

Here's the article and the part in bold should be read if you don't feel like reading the whole thing.

Quote:

Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes gave NHL commissioner Gary Bettman an "irrevocable proxy" to control his franchise on Nov. 14 in exchange for $38 million (U.S.) in league money to stay afloat, according to court documents. "As a condition to providing this support, the league required Mr. Moyes ... to execute proxies in favour of the commissioner of the NHL to control the equity and operation of the (club)," the NHL argues in its objection to the bankruptcy proceedings "Moyes asked that he be allowed to retain his titles to avoid public embarrassment, and the league so agreed, but with the express understanding that he had no authority ... to take any action outside the normal course of business, including filing for bankruptcy." The Coyotes have countered by saying the proxy amounts to nothing more than giving the league a right to vote on certain matters, and taking the team into bankruptcy is not a voting matter. Stickhandling through the courts is just one of the ways billionaire Jim Balsillie's power play to purchase the Coyotes and move them to Hamilton will heat up this week. First, a minor hurdle was cleared over the weekend when the Atlanta Thrashers were dismissed as a potential rival looking to relocate to Copps Coliseum. Thrashers executive VP and GM Don Waddell said there was no truth to rumours that developer Tom Gaglardi was interested in the team. "We are not a movable franchise," Waddell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I have talked to our owners, and no one has had contact with any group." Second is a matter of getting a lease for the city-owned Copps Coliseum, a matter that may be dealt with by city council at its meeting Wednesday. "Our main focus is and continues to be Mr. Balsillie," Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger told the Hamilton Spectator yesterday. "We intend to follow through and create an agreement with him that services his interest and the city of Hamilton. Any other discussions are, at this point, content." Thirdly, though, is the bigger matter of wading through the legal minefield of a U.S. federal bankruptcy court. There was no sign of an agreement over the weekend. The NHL maintains it's been in control of the franchise and has until Wednesday to file arguments to further its case beyond its objections it filed last week. "We're busy preparing our papers for submission on May 13," deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Star in an email. "Franchises are assigned territories for a reason. No club owner (much less a new purchaser) has an inherent right to pull up stakes and move to a different location that they may deem more desirable. That's not what they bought when entering the league. Decisions on franchise location are left to the discretion of the 30 member clubs acting as a league in accordance with well-established rules and criteria." The league's argument that it holds that irrevocable proxy is its strongest case. But the Coyotes, who have until Friday to respond to the NHL's case, have already issued a counteroffensive on the proxy. "The NHL apparently believes that its commissioner controls (the franchise) by virtue of certain voting proxies," reads Moyes' statement as a debtor. "What the NHL and the commissioner fail to recognize (or simply ignore) is the fact that the voting rights that were granted to the commissioner under the proxies are expressly limited to only matters, if any, that actually require a vote." And taking the team into bankruptcy is not a matter that requires a vote, says the statement. It is in fact a right guaranteed by the league to Moyes when he bought the team, citing Article 6 of the Hockey Operating Agreement.

[Money99]

Thanks SPTO. That's an interesting article.
I guess we should know the answer to the first hurdle on the 19th - hopefully.

I wonder who has the stronger proof of control? If Moyes has it, then the bankruptcy proceedings continue.

Part of me believes the NHL is really trying to win this battle in the 1st round, because if Moyes wins this argument, then there's a good chance Ballsillie gets his way.

Stay tuned!

[Donovan]

That articke makes me think Moyes has less and less of a case here, and that the NHLs case might be the stronger one.