2008/2009 Hockey Thread v2.0

[Jerichoholic23]

I can only cheer for Chicago. Detroit and Carolina both a won the cup recently and like most of you I can't cheer for Crosby. Though it pains me to cheer for the Canes, I kinda have to for the conference finals.

[Lowerdeck]

Right, but Bettman's also said consistently that teams won't move if there's somebody willing to buy the team and keep them in their current location - Winnipeg couldn't raise the money, neither could Quebec. Phoenix maybe can if Reinsdorf's interested.

Hartford's the only exception I can come up with.

Might be a while before Hartford gets a team again. They need a new arena pretty badly, and might not get one for 5-10 years. The state is running big deficits, the city is chaos. I can only think of 1-2 people who could bring a team to HFD, and anything would be dependent on replacing the Civic Center.

[TGWL]

I'll settle for any team but the penguines. I can't stand them and it's not all because of crosby.

I'm rooting for the Wings. But I dont want to see them and the penguine in the finals together.

[jase12881]

I, on the other hand, would love to see Pittsburgh/Detroit II. People here (in Pittsburgh) already look at me with great disgust when I tell them I'm a Red Wings fan (Hey, I'm from Michigan, what do you expect?), but if the Wings beat them again, I just may be even more unpopular at work.

I would enjoy Detroit winning another cup no matter who they play, but I could also get behind a Chicago/Pittsbugh finals (Just like old times!), but I also can't wait for Detroit/Chicago. It's gonna have an old school feel, even with the youth of Chicago.

I am just glad we didn't lose to Anaheim again. If we lose to Chicago, I won't be happy, but I could live with it. I couldn't live down losing to Anaheim again.

[Gabriel]

The Bankruptcy Court has determined that Balsillie's bid of $212 million is in the best interest of the club. So, Jim Balsillie... welcome to the NHL.

Now, they're forcing the NHL to take a vote on the relocation of the franchise. If 16 of the 29 other owners vote in favor, then we will have a team in Hamilton come September. If not, then the sale doesn't go through, and the team goes to the next highest bidder.

How many teams would vote no? The four teams in the Pacific Division, because of the travel issues that would arise on such short notice, and/or the idea of the league having to change who's in what division. Hamilton would almost have to be a Central Division or Northeast Division team, which means a few teams would have to change divisions.

Then there's Toronto and Buffalo, who are afraid of losing territory... so, that's 6 of 29 off the top of my head... I think this has a pretty good shot of going through.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

The other Canadian teams will probably vote no on the grounds of having to give up some of their TV revenue. All it takes is a little bit of influence exerting, and the BOG will vote this thing down.

[Clawson]

And where did you read this? I can't find it anywhere.

[Gabriel]

Dave Hodge talks about it in his latest blog at TSN.ca

I think... a lot of teams are going to vote in favor, simply because it takes away a team that's not producing revenue, and it puts them in a market where they're likely to start being successful financially. For revenue sharing purposes, it makes sense to vote yes.

Of course, you're right, the canadian teams do get most of their money from TV, so I'm not sure how they'll vote.

Still though, that's only 11 of the 29 other teams accounted for... which gives Big Jim his 16 in favor.

I really hope this goes through... not just for Canadian hockey, but for the NHL as a whole. I remember reading an article on TSN's website that talked about how if the 6 Canadian teams pulled out, the league would tank. Times are tough, and if you can add a 7th successful Canadian team to the league, revenue WILL increase.

[Evil Chase K]

Clearly the only possible choice for a Final is Penguins/Blackhawks so that Jean-Claude Van Damme can save Mellon Arena from a terrorist attack by dressing up Marc-Andre Fleury.

[SeanDMan]

I think that it takes 8 votes to give Bettman veto powers on anything. When you factor in the six Canadian teams, plus Buffalo, plus the Pacific division, that's his mandate.

[Gabriel]

I think that it takes 8 votes to give Bettman veto powers on anything. When you factor in the six Canadian teams, plus Buffalo, plus the Pacific division, that's his mandate.

Then what's all this talk about their needing to be 14 No votes to deny Relocation? Doesn't giving Bettman the authority to veto it kind of ruin the very same process that he's been hard at work trying to convince everyone he's trying to uphold the integrity of?

I'm not so sure that all the Canadian teams would vote against it. They'll be losing TV Revenue, but probably not right away, and if Hamilton sells as many tickets as I'm expecting and has spiffy jerseys to sell, the Revenue Sharing will go up.

Or is the Revenue Sharing only a "Take from the Strong, Give to the Weak" kind of program?

[SeanDMan]

Talk is talk. The only people who know for sure how many votes are needed are the Board of Governers, and none of them are talking. Everything else is speculation but I remember hearing that during CBA negotiations, a vote of 8 owners in support of Bettman was all it took to shoot down proposals, so I figure if he had the veto on that he'd have the veto on this as well.

[Gabriel]

I can understand the NHL not wanting to pull a team out of a city anymore. They made their mistakes when it comes to that, and they won't do it again... but the problem here is... Jim Balsillie can afford to keep a money losing team in operation. I don't know much about the other bids to buy the Coyotes... but none of the numbers I've seen tell me that the people in question can afford to operate the team if it doesn't do a complete 180 financially in the next two years.

And that means, that we'll be right back at this very same spot again in a year or two. The new owner will have to sell because it's a money pit, and there's always the possibility that the team will just end up collapsing, leaving the league with 29 teams instead of the 30 they could have if they just let Balsillie take the team to Hamilton.

Worst case scenario: The team doesn't make much money, but it's owned by a Canadian Hockey Fan who just happens to be loaded and willing to pour money into the team, provided it is in Canada. I really don't see how that could possibly be worse than the Coyotes potentially just folding when no one wants to inherit what's looking more every day like a guaranteed money loss.

[SeanDMan]

Your whole scenario is based on the certainty that Phoenix remains a profit loss operation, which I am not sure is the case.

[Gabriel]

Your whole scenario is based on the certainty that Phoenix remains a profit loss operation, which I am not sure is the case.

I'm not saying it's a certainty. Other clubs have lost money for awhile, and then bounced back. Hell, look at Chicago.

What I am saying though... is that it's a very dangerous line to be walking. The club has lost so much money, that Jerry Moyes, right or wrong, filed for bankruptcy. It can happen again, and there's no one stepping up, wanting to keep the team in Phoenix, who can guarantee that they can operate the team for any substantial length of time.

If someone could walk in and throw down some numbers and show everyone that if this season's numbers repeat for the next five years, that he could keep the team operating in Phoenix... then I'm all for keeping the team there.

But the only person with that kind of money who's stepped up, is Balsillie, and he's not interested in Arizona at all.

I think, for the safety of the league, the team, the management and personnel, and the players... Hamilton and Balsillie is the only logical option.

Phoenix could still work out... it's just... a very, very dangerous line.

[SeanDMan]

Chicago is the closest parallel I can point to in terms of the talent level of the team.

[NobBe Nobbs]

Somebody recommend me some interesting hockey blogs. I read Lowetide, so something like that would be awesome, but not like mudcrutch because I don't like the relentless math-hammering.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Down Goes Brown is literally the only hockey blog I read.

[Gabriel]

This has been a really good game so far, but fucking NBC needs to turn down the crowd mics and/or turn up the volume on the announcers. I've had a hard time hearing the announcers on NBC broadcasts all season long.

[Maxx]

The difference with Chicago and Phoenix is that Chicago, like Boston has a ridiculously devoted and passionate fan base that was just beaten to death by years of average play and losing seasons. Both those cities are returning to hockey in a big way with the youth movement both teams have undergone. Phoenix is still trying to establish its fan base, but hockey has its niche and its well north of Arizona. Its a much smarter move to find an area that will embrace the team regardless of its roster or records. Hamilton or even Seattle would be good choices. If it hasn't caught on after 10 years, I'm not sure it will. The Coyotes to me seem just like the Florida Panthers, a team being wasted in a market thats just not receptive to hockey. The way the economy is, its much more responsible to move the team somewhere it can make money, rather than holding out in a bad market in hopes that one day your dream of a strong souther hockey market will magically come true.