Thread: Phoenix Coyotes seem to be staying in Phoenix.

I don't think this deal will end up happening.
Here is a pretty scathing piece from SportsNet in Canada on it.
Grange on Coyotes: Bettman's Bill of Goods
Little excerpt

The city of Glendale has to agree to the deal being sought by the Jamison group, and then a city with a $35-million budget shortfall has to figure out how to pay for it -- no easy task given homeowners are already going to be hit with a 30 per cent property tax hike in August that will likely come with a layoff of city employees. There's also the matter of the watchdog Goldwater Institute deciding whether or not the deal is enough of an affront to taxpayers to make it worthwhile opposing through litigation.

From what I read...the NHL is dealing the team. There is a temporary 'stay' order. But once the deal clears it's incumbent on the new owners/Phoenix to play nice while the NHL walks away. Then again I am a cynical bastard. I want Phoenix to stay in Phoenix...but if they can't fill their house then i wish them bon voyage. If Phoenix has not responded to this magical run, well...they do not deserve a team. The Desert Dogs, they already have a more storied history then the team did in Winnipeg.

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

From what I read...the NHL is dealing the team. There is a temporary 'stay' order. But once the deal clears it's incumbent on the new owners/Phoenix to play nice while the NHL walks away. Then again I am a cynical bastard. I want Phoenix to stay in Phoenix...but if they can't fill their house then i wish them bon voyage. If Phoenix has not responded to this magical run, well...they do not deserve a team. The Desert Dogs, they already have a more storied history then the team did in Winnipeg.

You are right on. NHL's sale of the team has little to do with the lease of the arena owned by Glendale, it will up to the new ownership group to re-negotiate how much of the city owned arena will cost to maintain throughout the year. The sale of the team is a huge hurdle that seems to be done with, but it's just one hurdle out of 3, and the City of Glendale hurdle may be the biggest.

Although I think the city counsel is filled with idiots, I understand that it is hard to justify paying 10 mil per year to run the arena. They are in a bad spot. City is very much in debt. Problem is that if the Coyotes leave, Westgate damn near shuts down and lots of business' will have to close. The city will still be stuck with an arena that will cost them millions to maintain, and wont have an anchor tenant to occupy it for half the year. If the city decides to keep the Coyotes, it will cost them more to maintain the building, they will need a tax increase for their residents, and that could hurt small business' in the long run. So they are stuck with a large bill regardless... the bill is just larger in the short term if the Coyotes stay.

It basically comes down to whether or not the Glendale city counsel believes with Jamison running the team that they can break even on the arena in the next few years. And like you said, Coyotes fans need to step up now if this sale goes through and Glendale approves a new lease. With the recent success of the team, the probability of relocation gone, and a bit of a night life around the arena, if the Coyotes cant increase attendance by a good margin then they deserve to be moved. I know the most popular excuse out here is the location of Jobing.com, and it is a legit complaint, but it is what it is and Coyotes fans will have to suck it up and deal with it if we want the NHL in town.

That being said, if Jobing.com Arena was built downtown, we probably sell out 20-30 games per season and relocation is never an issue.

O-well!!!

Originally Posted by Noble Savage

I don't think this deal will end up happening.
Here is a pretty scathing piece from SportsNet in Canada on it.
Grange on Coyotes: Bettman's Bill of Goods
Little excerpt

No offense if your Canadian, but I've had to stop reading the Canadian media stories on anything to do with the Coyotes. It's been so slanted and had so many lies/rumors that have spread like wildfire that it has become very difficult to take seriously. Much like any media market I suppose, it reports what it readers want to hear. Much of the numbers that story reported are facts. It just fails to mention the negative impact moving the team could cost Glendale. Job losses, millions in retail/restaurant sales, area business' closing, and the money Glendale is still on the hook for whether the team stays or goes. Having a concert once a month and the occasional monster truck event is not going to pay for Jobing.com Arena.

Glendale is screwed regardless of how this shakes out and they only have themselves to blame.

Is Glendale in the middle of nowhere? I really don't know (but I want to!!)

Originally Posted by orpheus

Is Glendale in the middle of nowhere? I really don't know (but I want to!!)

Glendale is on the Western side of greater Phoenix. Most of the afluent population lives on the Eastern side near Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, etc including most of the ice rinks and the players. Jobing.Com Arena and Football Stadium are on the Western side of Glendale just off the 101. It's just a PIA to get there.

Wile E. the big point I got from that article is that the only chance for Glendale to make money is to get a Co Like AEG to run the building thus paying for rights. But they only way to get this is with out an anchor team like the building on Kansas City.