next city to get NHL franchise (Sharks, sport, Islanders, fans)

[jfre81]

Please, let's not go that route. There's a perfectly good political forum for all that.

It also has nothing to do with it. There are simply larger markets in the US, and in the 90s when the Jets and Nordiques moved south, there was a large difference in value between US and Canadian currency. It put Canadian teams at a disadvantage, because their revenue was in Canadian dollars but they were paying salaries in US dollars.

[Head coach]

Originally Posted by MN55

Does anybody got any good links that show how likely this actually is?

Here you go!
Source: City, Ice Edge near lease deal for Coyotes - National Hockey League - fresnobee.com (http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/05/08/1926293_source-city-ice-edge-near-lease.html - broken link)

[Finger Laker]

yep - many forget that the NHL had to put in a plan to subsidize the canadian teams during those times as they were getting killed financially ..... the shift in economics along with better league revenue control has changed the landscape quite a bit though

also nothing will be decided tuesday aside from the question of how much (if any) of the losses the city of glendale will be willing to cover if the NHL still owns the team next year

basically if the coyotes remain in glendale is up to the city of glendale .... it's a matter of how incompetant they want to be

the fact they dismissed ice edge the 1st go around just so they could try some backroom deal with their buddy reinsdorf shows that they very well could be incompetant enough to blow this

if they come to the realization that making some concessions and keeping the anchor tenant at westgate is better than making no concessions, losing the anchor tenant, devaluing the business and land around the area and over taking complete facility management of an arena that just lost 50+ dates a year then the team will remain in AZ

if they want to get too cute with the whole thing then they will move

at this point though it's 100% up to the city of glendale

[Head coach]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

if they come to the realization that making some concessions and keeping the anchor tenant at westgate is better than making no concessions, losing the anchor tenant, devaluing the business and land around the area and over taking complete facility management of an arena that just lost 50+ dates a year then the team will remain in AZ if they want to get too cute with the whole thing then they will move at this point though it's 100% up to the city of glendale

Well, you may know this and maybe not, when the team moved down from Winnepeg, the city of Scottsdale, asked the voters of Scottsdale to pony up via a bond to build this large complex in down town south Scottsdale.

All of the voters voted...YES! However, just after the grounds got cleard to build this complex, the City Council asked the builder to show them their finacial books.

The builder told them NO! So, the city council rejected all of the building permits to build the complex. So, they went shopping. This is the day that I wish I owned a fire arm.

All of the players and owners of the team lived and practiced in Scottsdale. This is where the money is...not in Glendale. They built this complex out in the middle of no where where it takes people from Scottsdale 45 mins to go see the game with NO traffic.

All of the stuff around the complex was built to take advantage of all of the people coming to the games. But, with a complex so far away with crazy driving problems, people in Scottsdale would rather stay home.

Now, I am not speaking for everyone in Scottsdale, it just that most companies do expensive demographics and generally the rule of thumb is...location, location, location.

No, this is not Baseball in Iowa where if you build it, they will come. The Coyotes would have been more successful if they would have stayed in Scottsdale. But that's all due to the City Council....thanks for screwing up a good thing.

[Finger Laker]

i know scottsdale screwed it up

the first mistake was bettman moving the team here with flimsy ownership and a horrible arena for hockey

his second mistake was not providing an ounce of stewardship in the ownership transfer and the new arena being built

for as much as selig gets busted on, this is one area he has done a tremendous job with in MLB

I think the glendale location is fine - not ideal - but fine ..... if you live west of the airport you really can't claim location ..... scottsdale would of been more central though for sure and it would help some

the #1 thing though is winning ...... especially out here ..... there are good hockey markets like chicago & st. louis where people quit showing up because lack of wins ..... out here they need to be in the playoffs at least every 4 out of 5 years and in one of those 4 they will need to make at least a little bit of a run

it's hard to build any excitement or fan base when you haven't won a playoff series in over 20 years

[ThroatGuzzler]

PHOENIX—A person close to the talks says Ice Edge Holdings is nearing agreement on a memorandum of understanding that gives the group exclusive negotiating rights with the city of Glendale on a new lease agreement for the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes.

The agreement, a necessary step toward purchase of the franchise if it is to stay in Arizona, is expected to be finalized next week, said the person who asked for anonymity because a formal agreement had not been reached.

Meanwhile, the NHL is asking the city for an unspecified amount of money, probably the $20 million to $25 million (U.S.) the franchise lost this year, to cover losses while the sale of the team is completed. The council is to act on the request at its Tuesday night meeting.

Approval of the Ice Edge memorandum, which is not on the Tuesday agenda, would confirm reports that would-be buyer Jerry Reinsdorf is out of the picture.
Ice Edge appears to be the last chance for a buyer to keep the team in Glendale.

The NHL bought the franchise out of bankruptcy last September with the stated intention of selling the team to a buyer that would keep the team in Arizona. If the Ice Edge plan falls through or the city doesn’t meet the league’s demands, the Coyotes could be sold to a buyer who would move the team. The most likely destination is Winnipeg, where the franchise was before moving to the desert in 1996.

On April 13, the city council approved a memorandum of understanding with a group headed by Reinsdorf, owner of Chicago’s White Sox and Bulls, but rejected the Ice Edge agreement. No one was talking publicly about what went sour between Reinsdorf and the city, but Glendale officials approached Ice Edge recently to ask if they could try again. The memorandum would have to be approved by the city council and is not a legally binding document.

The city council is being asked Tuesday to give city manager Ed Beasley authority to sign agreements that would give the NHL the money the league says is required to keep the team in Glendale.
“The NHL has expressed its intention to keep the team in Glendale,” the agenda item reads, “but has established deadlines and imposed requirements that require certain immediate financial commitments and assurances” by the city.

The item says the money would not come from the city coffers but from arena operations and the special taxing district that is to be established as part of the sale of the team and the new lease agreement.
Glendale faces the prospect of giving the NHL what it wants or finding itself with an empty arena the city built specifically for the Coyotes.

Ice Edge investors, who say they would buy the team with a combination of their money and bank financing, describe themselves as avid hockey fans and say they would not seek an out-clause in the lease agreement. Ice Edge even took out a full page ad in The Arizona Republic before the city council vote.

“Ice Edge continues to believe in the future of hockey in the valley,” the group said in a statement released Saturday. “We have held several discussions with the city of Glendale over the past few days, and those discussions continue through the weekend.”

There's the current situation.

[Finger Laker]

Pretty much - there is some talk that the Ice Edge proposal may be a late addition to Tuesdays agenda - but that it isn't at this time

they were the strongest proposal the 1st time around and seem like a really smart potential ownership group ..... glendale running them off this last go 'round was pretty dumb

[jfre81]

NHL On The Move?

An interesting breakdown of several potential NHL markets.

The biggest problem I still see with Winnipeg and Hamilton is facilities. Both have relatively new buildings but both are small, in overall capacity and luxury suites which bring in a lot of money.

This is a chance to see one of the Canadian teams that bolted in the 90s go back home, but the economics here are a little iffy. Part of why the Jets moved is because even though their small market supported them, the building they played in was simply not competitive with the rest of the league, and that would remain the same if the Coyotes go back to Manitoba.

Failing that, Houston would be a good fit. There would be no need for realignment as the Coyotes are already in the same division as the Stars. Unlike the situation in Phoenix, the team would play in a downtown arena that is accessible to all parts of the Houston metro area. Houston was not as affected by the housing bust and the recession in general as Phoenix as well. This is not as much a lateral move as some might think, just going on it being a move from one Sun Belt market to another.

[beenhereandthere]

I could see both sides of the "more Canadian teams" arguement for certain. However, Winnpeg's biggest problem is what the previous post mentioned. Why would you go back there again, with an arena that has the same capcity.
I like Don Cherry, but get sick of his lies about the Coyotes (claimed on coaches corner, during the playoffs that even late in the season they were only getting 9k a game). The NHL would make a big mistake moving back to Winnipeg.
I don't have an issue with Hamilton, but reality bites and the Leafs would never, ever permit that (same thing with moving a team to Toronto).
Quebec City may work out this time around, but same issues as before, Anglophone players are not going to care that much, generally speaking for playing there, that's why the Nords eventually sucked as time went on.
The French Canadian talent pool is not as strong now, compared to even 15 years ago. Therefore, you'd probably would have to have a 1/2 european roster, to be successful in Quebec.
Therefore, makes more sense to move them to another US market. My dream choice would be Seattle, but reality bites there (arena issues). I would also LOVE to see the NHL come to Portland, but dunno if the market is big enough to get corporate dollars, when the Blazers are already entrenched with that community. The most logical choices as far as success and which is less painful, would be Houston (which has some hockey history and almost 5 million people) or Las Vegas (would be the only game in town and the MGM Grand seats almost 17k).
Don't have anything against them staying in Phoenix, but if it doesn't work out, well, just throwing my 2 cents.

[jambo101]

Next city to get NHL franchise?

Winnipeg