Phoenix Coyotes and Jim Balsillie fiasco

[johnnybluenose]

Who owns the Yotes?

The NHL claim they do, simply as a last ditch effort, in my opinion, to block Balsillie from joining their "club"

By Moyes claiming chapter 11 for bankruptcy protection he opened a door for Balsillie. Balsillie can enter a bid, and the State judge is, by law, obligated to award the team and operation to the highest bidder. He bid 212.5 million from what I have read, and for someone to one up him they would nee to bid 5 million more- Do you think anyone in their right mind would bid that for a team and lease that loses up to 30 million USD a year!?

The NHL say they own the Team, yet bankruptcy law states that any shareholder can force a chapter 11 filing to protect their losses...Moyes being the largest at over 200 million, the NHL at only 25-25 depending on who's story you read.

Now, he wants to move the team, and his bid is dependant on this.

The NHL's protectionist laws on territories have no bearing on the Laws of USA and Canada. We have a NAFTA and Anti-trust/combines act legisilation that would MAKE the NHL allow Balsillie to enter any region based on that. Monopolies are illegal.

The NHL could, if they so chose, to rescind the Franchise and effectively kill it and distribute the players, but surely the NHL's fans would see this as cutting off their nose to spite their face. Then you are left with an uneven number of teams, a dispersal draft, a lowering of league wide revenues that will surely piss off the NHLPA, and a black mark on the league anyways.

Bettman is clearly doing his damndest to do everything he can to avoid having, finally, one of his pet projects be held up as abject failure. The dream of NHL Teams in all major markets and hijacking the NHL and turning it into the NBA in chase of a major american network TV Deal has clearly failed, everyone knows it.... But Bettman isn't willing to admit it. he can go on HNIC and anywhere else that will let him talk and lie to us that everything is fine in the non hockey markets like Nashville, atlanta, Miami, etc etc etc, we all know the truth.

Are the owners finally going to mutiny on him!? He allows "Boots" Del Baggio to buy a team and then go to jail, yet he won't allow a fabulously rich hockey fan to buy a team and move it to a guaranteed Money making market. I'd imagine all the profitable owners in the NHL (save MLSE) like Acquillini, the Wurtz's, Jacobsens, Illich's, Kates, etc are going to start pressuring Bettman to allow some movement as they surely are tired of sending their hard earned profits via welfare checks to the ill-gotten franchises in the sun belts.

What do you figure? Are the Yotes in Phoenix next year? Are you tired of Balsillie's stealth tactics? Do you think Bettman and Daly have it right?

 

[hammerhead]

I think there is a bit of ego involved in this, but I think they are also fighting the precedents that could be set here. Like Offering $$ for a crappy bankrupt franchise, then moving it wherever you want. They (the NHL) do not want that to happen.

I think the legal BS will last well into next year, so the Coyotes wont be in Hamilton unitl at least 2011-12

 

[trece verde]

Like Offering $$ for a crappy bankrupt franchise, then moving it wherever you want.

Winnipeg to Phoenix.
Quebec to Denver.
Minneapolis to Dallas.
Hartford to Carolina.
Atlanta to Calgary.

What precedent? Or did the NHL just not really exist before Gary Bettman?

 

[johnnybluenose]

exactly trece. Good Point.

it is worth noting that Bettman had no problem with the Peg to Arizona and the Nords to denver early in his stint as commish.

Now he swears no team will move, yet uses it as a bargaining chip for guys like Charles Wang, so he can build a mega shopping and entertainment district, while he doesn't give a toss about the Isles.

Bettman uses re-location as a chip to get more for owners that shouldn't be there, yet says it won't happen under his watch.

Ridiculous.

 

[hammerhead]

The difference is that the NHL approved all those moves before they went.
If this move happens without the NHL's OK, what power will the NHL have to stop any other potential franchise moves?

 

[johnnybluenose]

It doesn't matter hammerhead. Precedent has been set by the NFL, with Al Davis moving the Raiders twice, infringing on the once LA Rams when the first move happened, and then again back to the Bay area infringing on the 49'ers territory.

Then the cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore, and the Redskins fought it to US Supreme court, and US anti-trust and anti-competition laws prevailed, and thus the Ravens infringed on league policy/law territorial rights of the Redskins...

It hasn't happened in other sports because either the sale was never approved by the league's BoG (Which has no bearing on a Bankruptcy Proceedings, goes to the highest bidder) and because ownership transactions were never attempted to move, or were approved to Move (Grizzlies to Memphis, seattle to Oklahoma city, charlotte to New orleans etc)

In the NFL now, the owners have all rights to move as they please, with or without BoG approval... If Allen wanted to move the Seahawks to Columus he could do so no problem, as if the Cleveland Browns or Cinci Bengals said they are infringing on their "territory" he coudl simply have the US Govt hear a case based on Monolpoly law (Anti-trust law in the states, Combines Act in Canada)

 

[italian_stallion21]

I hate Gary Bettman. The man is ruining hockey. If I'm an owner I'm thankful for the CBA slammed down the player's throat, but now I'm pissed that I'm propping up these dead franchises with my revenue. Now he's claiming there's multiple offers on the table for Phoenix who want to keep them there? Fat chance. He irritates me to no end.

 

[johnnybluenose]

Really? Who won in the CBA argument!? Certainly not the owners. Ask the owners of Nashville, Atlanta, Islanders, if they like being forced to spend a certain amount on salary's in order to receive "relief" from profitable NHL teams. Ask MSG, MLS&E, and Canucks Sports & Entertainment if they like being capped at what they can spend because some owners hire retards to run their business into the ground. Honestly. The Players, while the escrow side of the coin has yet to rear it's ungly head, have clearly won thus far.

The NHLPA is making more money today on average, per player, than they were in the year prior to the lockout. The only difference is parity amongst the teams, and even that is debatable with certain teams ahead of the mendoza line and others chronically below it.

Gary Bettman has been bad for Hockey full stop. Nothing he has done has been a success that someone else couldn't have accomplished.

He is a david Stern wanna-be and now that some of the elder owners are stepping back and dying (Wurtz, Jacobs, etc) and two are jailed (Samuelli and "Boots") The NHL BoG cannot be too far away from Hanging Bettman by his shoelaces in times square.

 

[johnnybluenose]

As a sidenote, I was just thinking and seem to remember that when the Expos moved to Washington, The Orioles were attempting to block the move for the now Nationals, and the Washington ownership paid an obscene amount of cash to settle them prior to heading to court where they would have won anyways...

 

[johnnybluenose]

Adding to Butthead Bettman's Woes

MELVILLE, N.Y. -- New York Islanders owner Charles Wang says he regrets buying the money-losing NHL team nine years ago.

"If I had the chance I wouldn't do it again," Wang told Newsday.

Citing the team's annual audited financial reports, Newsday reported Saturday on its Web site that Wang has spent $208.8 million -- an average of $23 million per year -- to keep the team operating. He also spent $74.2 million when he and Sanjay Kumar bought the club and assumed $97 million in liabilities.

"His numbers are real," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Newsday. "Yes, we're aware the Islanders lose money, a significant amount of money. And it goes back to the team's need for a new arena."

Wang said he initially assumed Nassau Coliseum would either be refurbished or replaced within a few years, but his proposed $3.7 billion Lighthouse Project has been held up and is still under review by the Town of Hempstead.

"Never in my life, would I have anticipated this thing could be dragged out for seven, eight years," said Wang, the founder of Computer Associates.

An NHL-worst 26-47-9 this season, the Islanders will play a preseason game in September in Kansas City, Mo., prompting speculation about a move. Officials in Willets Point in Queens also have expressed interest in the team.

"I'm not saying I'll move," Wang said. "I'm saying I'll explore all my options."

Wang and Kumar, the former Computer Associates chief executive, bought the Islanders in 2000 for about $190 million. Wang bought out Kumar -- serving a 12-year prison term for a $400 million accounting fraud scandal -- in 2004.


Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

 

[johnnybluenose]

So now in times of Economic Turmoil in the NHL we have:
-The Islanders in the hands of a regretful owner who bailed out a now-imprisoned former business partner.
-The Bolts in the hands of a partnership of two guys (koules and barry) heavily leveraged to buy the club
-The Ducks owned by a Man convicted of SEC charges
-The Preds group headed by William "Boots" Delbiaggio who is in HOT legal trouble
-The Yotes and NHL fighting over who owns the team and whether the Chp 11 filing was legal
-The Habs up for sale because George Hicks' debts could be called any moment for his stake in Liverpool FC
-Minnesota's owner has been involved in two seperate fiasco's from selling his team under the dark of night/Bettman to Boots and promised the Wild as the cherry for blocking Balsillie, then joining forces with Phil Anschutz, the Kings owner and owner of AEG, in loaning money to Boots to keep him afloat without notifying Bettman or Daly

and yet someone wants to buy a team in cash, without financing, and move it to a guaranteed no miss.

Also keep your eyes out for Alex Medvedev, who owns the KHL, and wants to buy an NHL team.

Am I missing something?

 

[Dude]

You missed the steroid problem. Oh, it's coming Skippy. Just you watch.

 

[hammerhead]

I think the fact that there has been precedents set in other sports doesnt mean that the NHL isnt going to still fight the fight, just that they may well lose. They cant take this lying down. If Ballsilie is this mauch of a pain in the ass now, whats he going to be like when he's a full fledged member of the club....

As for Wang, I always got the impression that the only reason he bought the Isles was so he could get first crack at redevelopment of the arena area. He had no interest in the team or the sport, the move was just a means to an end. His inability to advance that agenda is noones fault but his own. The guy is a hockey moron and has been a laughing stock more often than not.

 

[italian_stallion21]

Excerpt from an interview with Jim Daly

NHL.com - News: Daly says NHL controls Coyotes - 05/08/2009

I still find it hard to believe there are possible owners drinking Bettman's piss in one city that would be willing to buy the franchise to keep it in Phoenix.

 

[italian_stallion21]

Make it Seven /

Balsillie's website to gauge fan support for a seventh Canadian franchise in Hamilton. Over 100,000 have signed up in a week, I'd say the NHL would be right stupid to deny a struggling team (be it Phoenix, Atlanta, Tampa, et al) to be moved there. But we are talking about Gary "I hate Canada" Bettman.

 

[hammerhead]

I must admit Id really enjoy a new team moving to southern Ontario and winning a cup before the leafs.....

 

[italian_stallion21]

I must admit Id really enjoy a new team moving to southern Ontario and winning a cup before the leafs.....

Even I would cheer for that

 

[johnnybluenose]

Hilarious:

Inspired by Phoenix bankruptcy judge Redfield T. Baum's call to find a mediated solution to the Coyotes' mess, we wondered what might happen if Gary Bettman and Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie decided to take the hint and try to sort this out by telephone.

(Ring)

Gary: Hello? This is Gary Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League, and the man unequivocally in charge.

Jim: Hello, Gary. It's Jim Balsillie.

Gary: Hello, Mr. Bal-Silly. How are you today?

Jim: Fine, Gary, but it's Ball-silee, the accent is on the first syllable.

Gary: Oh, Balls-illy. Well, that makes some sense, doesn't it? Don't you think so, Bill?

Bill: Yes, sir!

Jim: Bill Daly's on the line?

Gary: Oh, yes. Bill's my right-hand man. Wherever I go, Bill goes too. Am I right Bill?

Bill: Yes, sir!

Gary: So, how can I help you, Mr. Balls-illy?

Jim: (Sigh). Call me Jim, Gary, how about that?

Gary: Fine, fine. Oh, by the way, thank you for that Raspberry you sent me from Phoenix last month.

Jim: It's called a Blackberry, Gary. We make them here at RIM, in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Gary: Kitchener? Never heard of it. Well, anyway, I love it! All these buttons to push. I love pushing all the buttons, don't I Bill?

Bill: Yes, sir!

Gary: This is the third one, too. You sent me a Raspberry from Pittsburgh and another one from Nashville, and now this.

Jim: Well, I'm glad you like them Gary. Can we get down to business?

Gary: Absolutely. What would you like to talk about?

Jim: Phoenix.

Gary: Phoenix! I love Phoenix! We're doing well in Phoenix! Our numbers are almost incredibly strong there.

Jim: Gary, the team's bankrupt.

Gary: No, no. That's what Jerry Moyes said. And he was wrong. That's a fine market. Big TV audience there. NBC is very impressed by that.

Jim: But Gary, you're drawing 8,000 homes a game on some of the Coyotes telecasts.

Gary: And it's growing, up 100 per cent!

Jim: And you told the judge you're going to keep them in bankruptcy if he says the NHL is in charge.

Gary: I said that? Did I say that, Bill?

Bill: Yes, sir!

Gary: Well … quite frankly that's different from Jerry Moyes saying it. We have to look after the footprint …

Jim: I don't quite follow …

Gary: And frankly, down the road we may have to move the franchise but we haven't discussed any list. And we're not looking at moving the franchise. That's unequivocal.

Jim: Umm … well, that's what I wanted to discuss with you. Moving it.

Gary: Moving it?

Jim: Yes. The purpose of my offer is for southern Ontario. We think it's the biggest, unserved market for pro hockey in the world.

Gary: Kansas City? Oh, yes. I love Kansas City. Good location.

Jim: No, Gary. Hamilton.

Gary: Yes. Kansas City. Everything's up to date there, I'm told. You'll love it there. Fit right in. Oh … I made a good joke. Wasn't that a good joke, Bill? Everything's up to date there?

Bill: Yes, sir!

Jim: We're talking about Hamilton here, Gary. I'm willing to pay $212.5 million. That's U.S. dollars.

Gary: U.S. dollars? Oh, yes. We can talk U.S. dollars. Quite frankly, I can put you into Kansas City …

Jim: Hamilton …

Gary: Yes, Kansas City, for a reasonable franchise fee.

Jim: And what's that?

Gary: $400 million. In U.S. dollars.

(Pause)

Gary: Mr. Ball-silly? Are you there?

Jim: I think I'm being had.

Gary: Well, if in fact, and the fact is, that it is what it is.

Jim: You know, Gary. I think I may have to send you another Raspberry.

Gary: But you've already sent me one from Phoenix.

Jim: Oh, but you don't have one from this place.

Gary: Where's that?

Jim: Atlanta.

(Click)

 

[Dude]

Downright uproarious!

That's right- uproarious.

 

[johnnybluenose]

Quick Update on today's proceedings