artmonkforHOF Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I would suspect most of the posters on here are unaware of what's happening in Phoenix right now, but the Coyotes are going through Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, and have an offer from Jim Ballsile (co founder of RIM-the Blackberry manufacturer) to buy the team and move it to my hometown of Hamilton Ontario. the hearing is today at 4pm EST and people around here are buzzing. Just do a google news search on Phoenix coyotes, and there will be over 1300 articles written on the subject, with less than 100 being generated from US sources ( I counted 12 articles from Arizona), most of the articles are from papers in Canada and Soutern Ontario to be more specific. NHL Commish Gary Bettman is trying to stop the hearing, saying the owner's filing for chapter 11 violates the leagues own by laws, but when is Bettman going to get his head out of his a** on this issue? no one in Phoenix cares about hockey, at least not to the point where the team can make a profit (said to be losing $30mill/year). Heck the team is about to move, and it is hardly getting any media coverage in area where the team is now. Now Hamilton does not have a large population, (500k), nor are the people that wealthy (some call Hamilton-a steel town, the Pittsburgh of Canada, Im not sure if that is meant ot be a compliment or not) but the surronding areas have wealthy people and most families have no issue in getting up at 4:30am so they can drive their kid to a rink 45 minutes away for 20 minutes of ice time. I could easily see people driving from up to 1 1/2 hours away just to see NHL hockey (I know that must sound weird to you guys, even though you do support your caps) Bottom line is people around here are nuts about hockey, and they would support a franchise, even a bad one. Phoenix, Atlanta, Miami and Nashville might have larger cities, more people with disposable income, and better arenas, which would make them look attractive to someone who wants to put a sports team there, but they lack the one thing this area is full with: rabid hockey fans. And Gary Bettman wants to keep the team in Phoenix, for what reason I can not figure out. Maybe Gary is holding out in hopes that he can expand again, and a Soutehrn Ontario city would have to pay expansion fees that gets shared among the current owners, but that is a pipe dream. Reports are 6 or 7 US teams are in serious trouble (read losing $10mill or more/ year), yet Gary won't admit it, saying evrything is fine even after he loaned the Coyotes over $1.5 mill to meet payroll. Enough is enough Gary, put a team in an area where it can make money. US tv outlets do not pay a dime for NHL team coverage since no one watchesi t, but here, you would have 3 major networks plus some local affliates killing each other with multi million dollar bids just to get the rights to air NHL hockey in this market. What is the ES'ers hockey fans take on the state of the NHL and the potential move to Hamilton, a hockey hotbed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsHokieFan Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 It is in the best interests of the NHL to make US based teams like the Coyotes work Clearly it won't work in Phoenix. It did for part of the 90s when they were good, but they suck real bad now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsBry Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 :secret: I wouldn't mention the name Pittsburgh in a thread on this board these days. The natives tend to get restless. I have no problem with the team moving to Canada. If it keeps the team alive and there are fans that'll support the team, I'm all for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbs Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I've never, ever understood the migration of teams away from Canada and into to the southern US. Seems like a trend that should be reversed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Wasn't Phoenix involved in something like 6 trade deadline deals? Sent away all their good players in return for picks and young kids? Could be a team on the rise in 5 years. I agree though, Canada needs more teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dictator Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I can't stand Bettman. He did a good job with the NBA, but the NHL is a different animal all together. his major accomplishments so far are work stoppages, over expansion, and removal of history from the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artmonkforHOF Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 Wasn't Phoenix involved in something like 6 trade deadline deals? Sent away all their good players in return for picks and young kids? Could be a team on the rise in 5 years.I agree though, Canada needs more teams. or salary dumping. The owner is tired of losing money. Bettman keeps talking like there is a buyer who wants to keep it in Phoenix, but how? $30mill loss per YEAR. they would have to fill the building and raise ticket prices just to get close to breaking even. Bettman is the only commish of a sports league who said the economy is not affecting his leauge and all his team are "fine". I just don't get Bettman's stance on these issues, denying how bad of a state his league is in. I don't even like hockey, but I knwo a ton about this issue since 20 out of the 35 main articels in my morning paper where about the team PONTENTIALLY moving here. When Ballsie triesto get Nashville, he had a season tickets sale in Hamilton before his purchase went through, and he got over 15,000 deposits of between $500-$1500. Think about that for a second, the city doesn't even ahve a team and 15,000 people laid out cash os they could be first in line to watch hockey. this market is overdue for a NHL franchise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattFancy Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I agree that it would be in the NHL's best interest to grow the game in the US, but if that US city isn't supporting the team and the team is losing money, then why keep it there? If they really are losing $30M/yr, what good is keeping them in Phoenix? If you really want to keep them in the US what about a city like Kansas City or Indianpolis? Cities that could have a bigger market for hockey. Plus, I don't understand what would be so bad about putting another team in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 The NHL probably needs to contract 4 teams and move at least 2 teams to Canada. The rapid expansion to the Sun Belt just killed the league and is dragging the other teams down with it. If it was a largely NorthEast and Canadian League, you could probably get a better, more specific cable deal, you would get more and better home games for the remaining teams, and you wouldn't have the competitive balance all out of whack. I just don't see how the NHL manages to survive as it is currently constructed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 It is in the best interests of the NHL to make US based teams like the Coyotes workClearly it won't work in Phoenix. It did for part of the 90s when they were good, but they suck real bad now Remember, the Coyotes were the Winnepeg Jets. Send the team back to Canada. They got better things to do in Phoenix, like look at cactus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bay Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I'd support a move to Hamilton. I never understood the move to the south, or at least the rapid expansion to the south. Phoenix has probably never seen an icecube, so having a hockey team seems odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidenreich Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Betteman is an idiot. Always has been. He's holding this up, because he wants the owners to agree to a sale to a certain guy (whoever it is), so they can make some scratch off of it. The fact that Ballsile went about it without going through the NHL is what is making Betteman act stupider than usual. Fixing the NHL is easy, actually. 1)- Forget about attracting casual fans. The only way you draw casual fans in is by winning. (See the Caps thread on ES! ) 2)- Contract or move the following teams. Florida, Phoenix, Columbus, Nashville, Atlanta 3)- Put more teams back in Canada. 4)- Most importantly, bring back the Whale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I'd support a move to Hamilton. I never understood the move to the south, or at least the rapid expansion to the south. Phoenix has probably never seen an icecube, so having a hockey team seems odd. The economies of the respective countries. The U.S. ecomony was booming when teams started moving south, while the Canadian economy was not doing well. In retrospect, maybe the Canadian economy was realistic. Now, the U.S. economy is not so hot and the Canada is stable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 4)- Most importantly, bring back the Whale. I could not agree more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjah Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I'd propose a multi-league deal in which Hamilton gets the Coyotes, but Toronto has to take the Bills. Both leagues win. The CFL loses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_Pressure Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 The existence and especially the name of the following NHL teams confuses me: -Anaheim Ducks -Atlanta Thrashers -Florida Panthers -Minnesota Wild -Nashville Predators -Phoenix Coyotes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattFancy Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 The existence and especially the name of the following NHL teams confuses me:-Anaheim Ducks -Atlanta Thrashers -Florida Panthers -Minnesota Wild -Nashville Predators -Phoenix Coyotes Everyone knows the Ducks are around from the Mighty Ducks movies! I understand the Minnesota Wild's existence, maybe not the team name. But the 4 I have no explanation for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyholetsgogrant Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Kansas City, portland, and maybe hartford. Kansas City has been on record as wanting a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panel Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Hamilton? You are 30 miles from Buffallo, and 30 miles from Toronto, I don't see how that small of an area can support 3 teams, sure, if there was only one team in the area, I can see it working, but if Buffallo and Toronto suddenly feild good teams, and Hamilton sucks, no one will switch to become a Hamilton fan, and they will fail too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stophovr6 Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Woot, bring back the Whalers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 The existence and especially the name of the following NHL teams confuses me:-Anaheim Ducks -Atlanta Thrashers -Florida Panthers -Minnesota Wild -Nashville Predators -Phoenix Coyotes Everyone knows the Ducks are around from the Mighty Ducks movies! I understand the Minnesota Wild's existence, maybe not the team name. But the 4 I have no explanation for. Atlanta- State Bird is the Thrasher Florida- There are Panthers (believe it or not) in the everglades. Brown in color, not black Nashville- Nashville is known for country music and the Titans (they have a replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, hence the name Titans), so Predators is just a generic name Phoenix- You guys are kidding right? Tons of Coyotes in Arizona. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stophovr6 Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 The existence and especially the name of the following NHL teams confuses me:-Anaheim Ducks -Atlanta Thrashers -Florida Panthers -Minnesota Wild -Nashville Predators -Phoenix Coyotes Existence, can't answer. Names, all 1000 times better and more appropriate than Washington Wizards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 The Winnipeg Jets should have never left Canadia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_Pressure Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Everyone knows the Ducks are around from the Mighty Ducks movies! I understand the Minnesota Wild's existence, maybe not the team name. But the 4 I have no explanation for. I understand the Wild's existence, Minnesota probably has a high demand for hockey, that one was 100% of the team name, and it brings me to a point I've been meaning to rant about for a while... :rant::soapbox: What is this bull**** about naming a sports team an adjective? The Minnesota Wild, The Miami Heat, The Orlando Magic, etc. My understanding of the way team names work is, the team is called something (a noun- person place or thing) for example the Redskins are a thing or persons, therefore all of the members of the Redskins team are Redskins individually. A player can say I'm a Redskin or I'm a Cowboy or I'm a Giant, I'm an Eagle and while they may not literally be the walking embodiment of those things, it is at least a thing and people can be things. People can not be ideas or descriptions. What is a Heat? I'm a Heat, they are Heats. Heat describes a temperature. They are temperatures? It isn't a thing a person can be. What is a Wild? The name in it's current form doesn't mean wilderness...if it did it would have to be wilderness to be correct grammatically, so it must be an adjective like "Wow that team sure is wild". Individuals can be wild but individuals cannot be "a" wild. What is a wild? It isn't a thing. A Magic isn't a thing. A Steeler isn't a thing. It drives me nuts, and I'm sure I am the only one but still.:rant: Existence, can't answer. Names, all 1000 times better and more appropriate than Washington Wizards. Agreed 100% hell 1,000,000,000% they are the Bullets, they should never have changed their name and the Wizards are an awful team with an even more awful name. I hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattFancy Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Atlanta- State Bird is the ThrasherFlorida- There are Panthers (believe it or not) in the everglades. Brown in color, not black Nashville- Nashville is known for country music and the Titans (they have a replica of the Parthenon in Nashville, hence the name Titans), so Predators is just a generic name Phoenix- You guys are kidding right? Tons of Coyotes in Arizona. Ok I get the names. But why does Florida need 2 hockey teams? I think my problem was I don't know why those cities have hockey teams. When you think of hockey, you think of Canada and the North/Northeast US. Cities like Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Ft. Luaderdale don't exactly come to mind when thinking hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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