Boom go the Coyotes

[jstewismybastardson]

The Fan 590 in Toronto is reporting that the $100M public bond issue which was a requirement to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix has failed

those damn Canadian lobbyists lol


A source familiar with the Coyotes deal who asked not to be identified, said he is confident Glendale will soon sell the bonds and be able to finalize the Hulsizer deal. But the same source acknowledged a possible lawsuit from Goldwater Institute over Glendale payments to Hulsizer could trip up bond sales.

The libertarian Goldwater has said the $197 million deal violates the Arizona Constitution’s gift clause, which prohibits governments from giving money to businesses.

Goldwater has yet to file a suit, which leaves bond markets more open to the Glendale financing, the source said.

In case the Hulsizer deal melts down, the NHL has a backup plan with an ownership group in Canada. That could result in the Coyotes moving back to Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996 becoming the Coyotes.

”Winnipeg is gunning to get this moved out of Arizona and up there quickly. They have hired consultants who are behind the scenes trying to quietly promote a suit by the Goldwater Institute,” the source said.

Goldwater attorney Carrie Ann Sitren said her group is being encouraged by local critics of the Glendale-Hulsizer-Coyotes deal but she was not aware of Canadian influence.



Read more: Canadian influence could derail Phoenix Coyotes deal | Phoenix Business Journal

 

[Ho_Brah]

Sorry for Phoenix, but that team has to move.

 

[dash]

Dozens of Coyotes fans are devastated by this development...

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Dozens of Coyotes fans are devastated by this development...

Dozens seems a bit high. When the GO OILERS GO!! chant can be heard throughout the arena over anything else you know you've got a problem with ticket sales.

 

[mattola]

SHOCKING..... maybe the cartoon this weekend will save them. they need their desert guardian

 

[jstewismybastardson]

SHOCKING..... maybe the cartoon this weekend will save them. they need their desert guardian

i thought their hero was already revealed ... his name was bill and he has apparently already been defeated



/surprising since he is very big

 

[Comeds]

What?!? On the eve of their 15th anniversary too....

 

[SLY]

Dozens of Coyotes fans are devastated by this development...

Thats all their fans.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

What?!? On the eve of their 15th anniversary too....

on wayne gretzkys birthday

poetic justice lol

 

[KennyBanyeah]

Dozens of Coyotes fans are devastated by this development...

Seems high, but after making the playoffs last year, being quite good this year and a recent publicity drive, they seem to be headed in the right direction.

As least that's what my creepy uncle Gary tells me.

 

[Destroydacre]

Hulsizer was in this just for the free money he was gonna get from the city. If he can't get it, there will be no resistance to moving this team to Winnipeg, which I really hope happens. Even if it is 3 years late. I do feel badly for the few hardcore hockey fans in Ponicks, but there's just not enough of them. They never should have moved the team there to begin with.

 

[buffhockey]

Dozens seems a bit high. When the GO OILERS GO!! chant can be heard throughout the arena over anything else you know you've got a problem with ticket sales.

I drove down to Glendale to see the Sabres back on Jan 8th and almost 14K fans at that game. Seems like about 4K higher than average attendance.

Let go Buff-a-lo chants were VERY loud!

It's too bad, nice arena with several restaurants, bars right there, but not enough attendance to support that team. With over 4 million people (and a lot of transplants) around Phoenix you think attendance would be better.

 

[ForkEmBucky]

Dozens of Coyotes fans are devastated by this development...

LOL

 

[Ties5o11]

I dont know what the legality of the public bond is, which seems to be the major factor on whether this team will stay or not, but I certainly do not think this team should move back to Canada.

Canada has a smaller population than the state of California. California supports baseball very well, and has 5 Major League Baseball franchises. Being a lifelong resident of the state, I can tell you this state is saturated with baseball teams and does not need any more. Canada already has 6 NHL franchises, and while I understand the obvious difference in geography, the population simply is not there.

Whether or not Phoenix is the right place is past me. If not Phoenix, I would like to see a team in a market like Milwaukee (Wisconsin could use a team), Seattle, Portland, Kansas City (a city with a ready arena that has proven it can support pro sports), or even Vegas (hey, why not?). Before that move, I think the city should be given one chance to ride its current young team out. Don't forget this team has had rumors swirling for the last few years, and other than one #4 seed, has been a cellar-dweller for most of the last decade. Give the city a chance (at least 1-2 more years) to support the team as a competitive franchise.

The only franchise I would advocate moving is the Islanders. They have a terrible arena, low attendance, and share a market with two other NHL teams. Of the 3, only 1 gets well supported, meaning the NY area does not need 3 NHL teams. Relocate that team first, and then worry about a team like Phoenix (or Florida or Nashville, etc). I know Bettman's Southern strategy gets a lot of flack around here, but growing up near San Jose, and living in LA now, I can tell you first hand what the three California franchises have done in terms of NHL awareness and fans. Without these three teams, the NHL would barely be a blip on the radar in this state. Instead, the state has 3 fairly successful teams with solid fan-bases.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

I dont know what the legality of the public bond is, which seems to be the major factor on whether this team will stay or not, but I certainly do not think this team should move back to Canada.

Canada has a smaller population than the state of California. California supports baseball very well, and has 5 Major League Baseball franchises. Being a lifelong resident of the state, I can tell you this state is saturated with baseball teams and does not need any more. Canada already has 6 NHL franchises, and while I understand the obvious difference in geography, the population simply is not there.

Whether or not Phoenix is the right place is past me. If not Phoenix, I would like to see a team in a market like Milwaukee (Wisconsin could use a team), Seattle, Portland, Kansas City (a city with a ready arena that has proven it can support pro sports), or even Vegas (hey, why not?). Before that move, I think the city should be given one chance to ride its current young team out. Don't forget this team has had rumors swirling for the last few years, and other than one #4 seed, has been a cellar-dweller for most of the last decade. Give the city a chance (at least 1-2 more years) to support the team as a competitive franchise.

The only franchise I would advocate moving is the Islanders. They have a terrible arena, low attendance, and share a market with two other NHL teams. Of the 3, only 1 gets well supported, meaning the NY area does not need 3 NHL teams. Relocate that team first, and then worry about a team like Phoenix (or Florida or Nashville, etc). I know Bettman's Southern strategy gets a lot of flack around here, but growing up near San Jose, and living in LA now, I can tell you first hand what the three California franchises have done in terms of NHL awareness and fans. Without these three teams, the NHL would barely be a blip on the radar in this state. Instead, the state has 3 fairly successful teams with solid fan-bases.

LOL... It is not just geography. Once an NHL team moves to a Canadian city, they dominate the sports scene and will ALWAYS draw better than Phoenix, win or lose.

The population numbers you state are fine, but you have to look at demographics. The number of people that are hockey fans, first and foremost, in Canada outnumbers the amount of hockey fans in California, New York State, Texas and Florida combined.

 

[maddogmark25]

What will all these fans do with their spare time!?

 

[AzDuckFan70]

It is always funny when the Canadian media makes crap up. The bond issues are fine and the Yotes will be in Phx longer then the Thrashers will be in Atl.

Yes as a fan it is disappointing when we only have 8 - 10 k in attendance, but the building will fill the closer we get to the playoffs. I know a winning team should have at least 15k every night, but with so much to do here, the extremely bad economy in the state, and the ownership issue that has lingered for nearly 2 years has really hurt the attendance. I know the economy is piss poor everywhere, but the Phx area is in the top 5 areaes in the nation for unemployment and so people just don't have money for games. Hell even the Suns are haveing issues filling the building downtown. Part of that is there play or lack there of, but the economy has hit them as well.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

It is always funny when the Canadian media makes crap up. The bond issues are fine and the Yotes will be in Phx longer then the Thrashers will be in Atl.

Yes as a fan it is disappointing when we only have 8 - 10 k in attendance, but the building will fill the closer we get to the playoffs. I know a winning team should have at least 15k every night, but with so much to do here, the extremely bad economy in the state, and the ownership issue that has lingered for nearly 2 years has really hurt the attendance. I know the economy is piss poor everywhere, but the Phx area is in the top 5 areaes in the nation for unemployment and so people just don't have money for games. Hell even the Suns are haveing issues filling the building downtown. Part of that is there play or lack there of, but the economy has hit them as well.

yah it was funny when the cdn media made that crap up about the Coyotes losing money hand over fist ... and that the league was running the team ... and then Daly came out and said the media was fabricating stuff (much like he said yesterday) ... and then 2 months later everything blew up

if anything the "cdn media" is like the national enquirer ... 2 months ahead of the curve

 

[dash]

I don't know very much about the Goldwater Institute, but it seems quite a few people in Arizona don't like the idea of public money going to support a private sports enterprise. All I know for sure is that the lawyers will get paid.

From the Phoenix Business Journal on Wednesday, news that the most vocal local opponent to any Coyotes deal could be prompted to act:

The libertarian Goldwater has said the $197 million deal violates the Arizona Constitution's gift clause, which prohibits governments from giving money to businesses.

Goldwater has yet to file a suit, which leaves bond markets more open to the Glendale financing, the source said.

In case the Hulsizer deal melts down, the NHL has a backup plan with an ownership group in Canada. That could result in the Coyotes moving back to Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996 becoming the Coyotes.

"Winnipeg is gunning to get this moved out of Arizona and up there quickly. They have hired consultants who are behind the scenes trying to quietly promote a suit by the Goldwater Institute," the source said.

Goldwater attorney Carrie Ann Sitren said her group is being encouraged by local critics of the Glendale-Hulsizer-Coyotes deal but she was not aware of Canadian influence. "We get inquiries from the Canadian media, but we aren't really hearing from Canadian citizens. We do, however, receive e-mails and phone calls from Glendale residents every day asking us to investigate and file a lawsuit," Sitren said.

 

[hckyfn15]

JStew-

I'll try to ignore you lack of general command of the English language and simply point out nearly everything you've said here is wrong. As a Coyote fan, I am so tired of everyone shitting on us because we are a "small market team." Guess what? Our team is having financial trouble- wow congrats, you poke fun at our small crowds, brilliant. Guess who else had relocation issues and attendance issues as recently as 2006-2007- THE FUCKING PENGUINS. But I bet they packed up their shit and moved to Winnipeg.

The Canadian media has been continually wrong about the story. The only person with any credibility is Jim Gintonio, the Coyotes beat writer. He has been 100% correct about EVERY aspect of the story, even though he is continually badgered with every "Eh, my cousin's brother's moose heard that this guy down from Saskatchewan might possibly buy the team eh" story every week. The Canadian muckrakers are worthless.

So sure, you are right, poke fun at our crowds. It doesn't make it easier on any of us fans who sit there night after night wishing we could get the electricity back from the early 2000 WhiteOuts. But at least we have fucking faith.

Answer me this: Is it easier to be a Vancouver fan relishing in victory after victory and sold out crowds high fiving each other or among the Coyote faithful who sit and wait hopefully and praying each day to read "Hulsizer deal completed, competent President/CEO installed."

- A loyal Coyote Fan