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Call for Calm and Rational Thoughts Does anyone else get a bit tongue tied when someone asks about what a hockey fan does during the off-season? Let’s get real here; I buy into XM’s description of the tides of hockey: pre-season, season, post-season and the off-season. In other words, even when nothing is going on the actual ice, the game and the passion I crave does not dissipate merely because the players and the game have the audacity to take a vacation…egad!
Admittedly, this is my first off-season on letsgokings.com. Nonetheless, it sure feels like there must be some major withdrawals being experienced judging by the number of threads talking about the team moving. It is a staggering amount of angst to me when I have yet to see any actual evidence this is a legitimate concern.
Anger over the lack of payroll next season? Check.
Anxiety over the AHL quality and veterans set for defense? Check.
Questions regarding the coaching carousel? Check.
Concerns over the lack of an established NHL goaltender? Check.
Issues regarding price increases? Check.
Paranoia regarding the Kings’ moving? This is where my disconnect begins and ends. In fairness, if the team ever relocates, I would be more than happy to issue a public mea culpa should that day ever come. What I plain do not get is where this fear comes from now. Why now? Why not earlier? Here are my best guesses:
• AEG owned building in Kansas City with no anchor tenant
I am waiting to see something to this other than the fact AEG owns another building. I watch other teams – that does not make me change my loyalties. Anschutz at one time owned near every team in the MLS league. AEG likes to own sports teams is not the same as AEG therefore moves the teams they own.
• Kings are losing money in Los Angeles
This has been a fact forever. What makes this year different than any other when the Kings losing money is as sure a bet as that the sky is blue, money is green and the team has no NHL established goaltender?
• AEG is selling a minority ownership interest
Surely, if AEG is selling any interest in the team coupled with the essential fire sale of any Kings with material salary dollars means the team is being ready for a sale. Right? I am happy to concede that this is a potential smoke screen for a sale of the team. That is not the functional equivalent of the team relocating elsewhere. Rather, that just means there will be a new owner to scream about and burn in effigy when fans become so motivated.
Other teams that have been sold recently did not move. They just got fresh blood, new cash, and sometimes new delusional owners who have the biggest toy ever to play with and some in fact that then spend irrationally everywhere and anywhere. Examples: Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Anaheim, Nashville, Minnesota and Edmonton.
In fairness, the spending like a drunken sailor phase is solely being witnessed in Tampa Bay where the mullet named Melrose returns thankfully elsewhere. The other teams, O.K. Nashville only , have their share of headlines one involving the Kings’ owner, Anschutz. Regardless of what sanction is due Anschutz and Leopold now of the Wild is irrelevant for fans’ purposes. Why? Because not one of these teams mentioned moved from their original spot including Nashville who has far more attendance problems than the Kings.
Bettman has a lot of scrutiny on him right now because of the actions of Leopold and Anschutz, two of his staunchest supporters, since they provided the questionably legitimate financing for the Predators’ sale without notice to the league. Oops!! Only they know why they neglected to tell their closest ally about this pesky financing detail of theirs.
No doubt, this situation puts a stain on Bettman since the Predators’ sale should never have gone threw without full disclosure of the financial bonifides of Del Biaggo. I really thought the day of creative financing was a past bygone after the fiasco with John Spano and the Islanders which went down in the last decade. Apparently not!
My point?
Bettman isn’t going to be doing Anschutz any favors and allow him to relocate a team solely because he chose to make a business decision and build a building without an anchor tenant. Does anyone really think Bettman is going to allow the Board of Governors to approve moving the Kings who enjoy a new state of the art building solely because Anschutz made a premature business decision on a stadium? Really… huh?
Moving the Kings could only be seen as an economic move for Anschutz and a PR disaster for Bettman. The commissioner has put the kibosh on every other current attempt to move an existing team. He just has. This includes both Nashville and Pittsburgh. That is the recent history of Bettman on the relocation of teams. Why would Bettman do any favors for Anschutz right now? I know in his shoes, I would pass.
Do I have proof or a link for this?
No, and I would never suggest otherwise. Nonetheless, I am not changing my opinion on the Kings finding a new zip code solely because others’ emotions suggest this to be the case.
Those who are so quick to join the fray of believers who think the team is moving, I ask you this: What is the possibility that secretly you want the team to move so you can give up this addictive fix on a team that is more known for disappointing you and tugging on your heart strings? Not only that, no doubt that pain is accompanied by an increased liquor tab to survive the never-ending losing.
Besides, who rationally believes, when panicked especially , that Lombardi’s claims that this rebuild is different than all the prior ones before it. The truth or non-truth of this has yet to play out on the ice. I do get that. As to next season, those who get paid to provide their opinion near universally believe the Kings may have a bright future but they have a bleak present now. That is the real angst of all of this when you think about it.
Carla Muller
Carla.hockeygal@att.net
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Dr. Naysay
Originally Posted by CarlaMuller 
