Phoenix Coyotes

[mpare]

While I have not been following the bankruptcy proceedings too closely, my sense of the essence of the NHL's argument to the Court is as follows: Forget about protecting all of the creditors. Forget about Jim Balsillie's offer, eventhough his bid is the only one that would cover all of the creditors. We don't like him. He'll never be asked into our inner circle. And don't ask us to cover all of the creditors. Let them some of them fend for themselves. After all, we have rules and Jim doesn't play by them. Oh, and please forget that you ever heard that we were prepared to consent to the team being moved out of Phoenix at some later date. That lower bid, with all of those sought-after tax concessions, was made by someone whom we do like. Finally, don't you dare inquire into our how we run our business affairs, eventhough they impact directly on the fate of the creditors. Do I have this right? If so, aren't they over-playing their hand just a wee bit?

[fundonny]

Mike, you summed it nicely. I'm very disappointed in the NHL.

[jeffc]

look at it from this perspective. Balsillie has tried 3 times to skirt the NHL rules and piss of the league and owners. Would you like it if someone from the outside told you how to run your business? All that being said, Southern Ontario is prime for a second team and if they let Balsillie move the team there for nothing, the owners will miss out on a sweet little expansion fee to the tune of about $5M each.

[Baxter]

mpare...I think you nailed it......and Jeff I also agree about the expansion fee...That has to be one of the reason for not wanting the team to move....I would bet the NHL thinks a Team in Southern Ontario is worth a lot more than the $150m
Than you have Gary's HUGE ego that would have to say "We/ I / NHL was 100% wrong with thinking Hockey would work in AZ" That just might be the largest part to get past.

Cheers,
Dave

[moochie]

Gary Buttman in pro-american

[Kiwi]

Never really trusted Bettman before this, but don't know if it is him leading the pack, or the pack saying we don't want JB, and he is just the spokesman. I vote for the former. Whatever the case I think it is time that someone officially looked into the NHL goings-on. Don't know if this is in the realm of monopoly, anti-trust or what but I'm sure there is some American law that can be used to shake these guys up. Bettman, and his back-room buddies have something to hide... it cannot be all financial... although that is a good enough reason most of the time. Have a read number of articles in the media recently detailing the goings-on of the NHL elite owners and their criminal dealings, JB cannot be that bad.

[3Jack]

Gary Buttman in pro-american

There wouldn't be a team in Ottawa if this were true.

[mpare]

Even if he were pro-American (which I do not know), one would think he would be smart enough to keep Canada's politicos on-side. Having a team in the national capital would be a good way to do that.

There wouldn't be a team in Ottawa if this were true.

[mpare]

This game of smoke and mirrors gets more intriguing every day. After swearing that there were plenty of other parties (other than Blackberry's founder) interested in bidding on the Coyotes, it appears that someone may have erred. Why else would the NHL be putting in a bid to buy the team? If they succeed in persuading the bankruptcy judge to accept their offer, then it will be interesting to see what commitment they extract from the subsequent owner to keep the team in Phoenix ... probably about as long as it takes to move Mr. B of Hamilton out of the way and put this hearing behind them.

[jonf]

Reisendorf out, NHL in. This gets fishier and fishier. Clearly Bettman doesn't want to be overshadowed by another, taller bald man with more business sense than him.

[LobWedge]

The main reason the NHL is putting in a bid is because this whole issue has become a referendum on Bettman's future as Commissioner. If he loses to Balsillie on this deal he will surely be ousted by the BOG. He's trying everything he can think of to keep his job.

[sillywilly]

If jb puts in the best offer doewsnt the judge have to make the NHL accept it? Once he is in, doesn't the NHL have the power to black list him so that no team deals with him?

[jeffc]

so let me get this straight. No one other than JB wants to buy them so now the NHL puts in a bid. The NHL will bid on them and likely overpay in an attempt to outbid JB and then try to find another buyer who will probably pay less than what the NHL paid for this team (much less would be my thinking). In the meantime, the other NHL teams will pay the difference between the two, including a bunch of teams that can ill afford to do so.. And they think someone else is going to want to buy a team that lost $60M last year alone in Phoenix? Well I am no genius (but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night) but this makes no sense.

[spackler]

If they are able to do this, and then auction an expansion GTA franchise, they would still come out ahead. I think the thing that annoys the NHL owners the most is that $200M is a very cheap price for a second team in the GTA, and they would share in none of it if Balsillie gets to buy and relocate the Coyotes.

[jeffc]

assuming they would auction a team in Hamilton any time soon.

[spackler]

Maybe, maybe not, but I can't see them just giving away that territory either. I don't agree with what they're doing, but I can understand it. The thing is, they better act to protect themselves because there is no way the courts will do it for them.

[Hacker]

I'm certainly no lawyer and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I'd love to know if the NHL is getting any where near the line of Anti-trust in all of this. To me this is clearly Gary versus Blackberry and Gary has a classic case of Napoleon syndrome (Short Man's Syndrome) and he can't bear to be overshadowed by a larger than life figure like JB

[mpare]

We're not the only one's who have seen through Bettman's and the League owners' deception. This morning's Globe and Mail article by Stephen Brunt makes that abundantly clear: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1265993/

[jeffc]

and it gets better, the NHL's bid does not require them to keep the team in Glendale.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1265984/

[fundonny]

Theatre of the absurd.

[mpare]

You have to think that one of the first questions that the judge will ask counsel for the league is why he should believe anything that his client says. At the same time, the question needs be asked of them whether they propose to indemnify all of the creditors, which their bid, unlike Mr B's, does not do.

[spackler]

The NHL is definitely going to have to go higher than $140M if they want to win it. The only thing they have going for them if they choose to fight Balsillie in court is that he seems to have little patience, constantly setting deadlines, etc. The NFL example is that you can move franchises around no matter what the league prefers (Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, Oakland to LA to Oakland Raiders...) Once Balsillie is awarded the franchise, he'll be able to do what he wants.

[jeffc]

and what's stopping Balsillie from upping his bid? If JB decides he can spend another $50M or whatever it takes (he is a billionaire afterall) and the economics are such that he'll make his $ back, then why wouldn't he. I think this might be his last chance to get a franchise so he might as well go all out. Not sure the league would be willing to foot the bill for say $250M and then try to find a buyer.

[Hacker]

and what's stopping Balsillie from upping his bid? If JB decides he can spend another $50M or whatever it takes (he is a billionaire afterall) and the economics are such that he'll make his $ back, then why wouldn't he. I think this might be his last chance to get a franchise so he might as well go all out. Not sure the league would be willing to foot the bill for say $250M and then try to find a buyer.

Unless the league bids $250M, moves the team to Hamilton themselves and then sells it for what? $500M? $600M - that's the angle that I'd be taking if I was the BoG.

Don't think for a second that this is just about the B vs. B confrontation......the other owners want to get paid and the rights to a second team in the Golden Horseshoe is the biggest prize available and the owners all want their cut

[jeffc]

don't forget about the league's credibility and ultimately Bettman's job. The NHL has gone from "there is not problem in Phoenix" to "we're funding the team currently" to "we'd like to find a buyer that will keep the team in Phoenix since that is a viable market" to "a bid that does not include the clause that it must remain in Phoenix". If the league moves this team to the GTA, they will be the laughing stock of the sports world. Bettman is a clown and the owners aren't much better. The league wasn't even considering the GTA as a market, they would likely move it to Kansas City of Las Vegas. And I would what will happen to that team in 5 years?

[mpare]

But that would be a problem for someone else's watch.

... And I would what will happen to that team in 5 years?

[LobWedge]

don't forget about the league's credibility and ultimately Bettman's job. The NHL has gone from "there is not problem in Phoenix" to "we're funding the team currently" to "we'd like to find a buyer that will keep the team in Phoenix since that is a viable market" to "a bid that does not include the clause that it must remain in Phoenix". If the league moves this team to the GTA, they will be the laughing stock of the sports world. Bettman is a clown and the owners aren't much better. The league wasn't even considering the GTA as a market, they would likely move it to Kansas City of Las Vegas. And I would what will happen to that team in 5 years?

KC already had a franchise, and it failed. Vegas can barely support an ECHL team. Why not another team in Ontario? California has 3 teams. The New York metro area has 3, and 4 in NY state overall. Ontario is the largest hockey market on the planet.

[mpare]

The Commissioner never sees the obvious until it runs over him.

KC already had a franchise, and it failed. Vegas can barely support an ECHL team. Why not another team in Ontario? California has 3 teams. The New York metro area has 3, and 4 in NY state overall. Ontario is the largest hockey market on the planet.

[Hacker]

The Commissioner never sees the obvious until it runs over him.

That's because he is so short.........thus my Napoleon Complex argument

[justsomeguy]

I think this move just shows how desperate Bettman and the NHL is about the situation. They will do ANYTHING - including exposing their hypocrisy and lack of credibility for all to see - just to keep Balsillie from moving the team.

I don't think Judge Baum can be very happy with the NHL right now. They were obviously lying through their teeth (under oath) when they stated there were numerous suitors for the club just waiting in the wings. Of course all these phantom bidders wanted to keep the team in Phoenix - yeah right. Even their own bid has a relocation clause.

They also went on and on about the process of moving a franchise - they need to approve the owner, settle on a relocation fee, work out "compensation", etc, etc. and the judge was cutting them a lot of slack on that. Well now Baum can throw all that crap out the window (including that sham of an 26-0 owners vote against Balsillie) because of the obvious conflict-of-interest. It is so ridiculous to contend that Balsillie, Ice Edge or anyone else who steps up to the plate must be approved by one of the other competitive bidders that I can't even see Bettman being stupid enough keep pursuing this argument.

And to top it all off the NHL submits the lowest bid. In fact because the NHL is also one of the secured creditors, then their actual bid price is probably lower than what was reported - since they would be paying some of that money to themselves! What a joke!

BTW if the NHL wins then next summer they'll introduce the proud new owner of Phoenix Coyotes as none other than (drumroll please) Jerry Reinsdorf - who with the blessing of Emperor Bettman will promptly relocate the team to Anywhere-but-Canada, USA for the 2010/2011 season. You heard it here first, folks!