Categories: Need to know

Winnipeg's NHL dreams dashed again

Glendale, Ariz. council votes to cover Coyotes’ losses

by macleans.ca on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 11:28am - 29 Comments

Hopes that Winnipeg could once again host an NHL team took yet another blow yesterday, as councillors in Glendale, Ariz. voted to cover the Phoenix Coyotes losses up to $25 million. The resolution means the team will stay put through the 2010-11 season, while councillors surprised observers with the revelation that the exurb remains in negotiations with two potential buyers of the team—Jerry Reinsdorf and Ice Edge Holdings. This contradicts earlier reports that both parties had thrown in the towel on purchasing the Coyotes. The news had raised optimism in Winnipeg that the club would be coming back to the city after heading south in 1995. The Coyotes are currently under league ownership. But the NHL is said to have an offer on the table backed by billionaire David Thomson that would see the team moved back to the ‘Peg, where it was known as the Jets.

Arizona Central

Jamie G

People need to stop listening to rumours and NHL rhetoric…. the NHL will not allow a team to move to Canada — not Winnepeg, not Quebec City, not Hamilton, not Kitchener — it does not further their strategy to get US network contracts which would make a new Canadian team's profits pale in comparison. Vegas will get a team before any Canadian city.

desolatechair

The thing is – and I'm not disagreeing with you – but even US hockey fans realize it would be a better league with Winnipeg, Quebec City, etc.

Kyle

You do realize that 3 of the top 5 teams making the most revenue are Canadian?…….

http://intensedebate.com/people/Ottawa_Centrist Ottawa_Centrist

And all the Canadian teams have been in the black for some time now…

Pete Kennedy

Gary Bettman is turning the NHL into a joke. Why would the nhl allow Phoenix to even try to make a go of it. They had 14 years to try to make it work and averaged 30 million dollars in debt every year. All this is doing is prolonging the eventual move. It is really hard to believe that a guy who's tried so hard to take NHL to another level has actually messed it up so bad that around 8 teams are looking at bankruptsy. What is it going to take for the owners to realize that they need to fire Gary Betman. Trust me anyone can do better. By the way Winnipeg will get a team eventually it is just a matter of time. It will probable happen the day after Betman is gone.

Mr Mike

I would say… Get rid of Bettman. The next logical move would be to appoint No. 99 or Steve Yzerman as commissioner. You need someone who is hockey minded. You can always hire a marketing person to make suggestions, but the person at the top needs to be from hockey! Short of that… the Canadian teams should pull out of the NHL and form our own league like the CFL is to the NFL. Because our dollar is at par we can compete with contracts and hopefully draw our Canadian players back to Canada.

Barry

Any chance the Leafs can go to Winnipeg Phoenix go to Toronto?
Mark

Did anyone catch Bettman's interview with Scott Oake yesterday during the 2nd intermission of the Canucks game? I just want to punch Bettman in the face. He's pretty smug for a guy running a league with as many ownership problems as it has.

Then again, he has managed to hang onto his job for the better part of 15 years, so maybe I'm the idiot.

Tonehenge

Bettman IS the poster boy for the Peter Principle. Not a doubt about it. His level of malicious incompetence is simply breathtaking. That also says plenty about the owners that support his tenure…. If there ever was a time to set up an alternate league, perhaps this is it… but I do love the history of the NHL…

clp

Jamie G, you're absolutely right, Winnipeg may be able to afford the team, and maybe pack the stands regularly, but the profit wouldn't be there. Profit comes from very large cities becoming fans and 14 year olds buying lots of paraphenilia, but more importantly the US television audience is 10X larger, thus the advertising contracts are 10X more lucrative.

Although Nashville for instance is only a city of 650,000 people same as Winnipeg, it's commercial footprint area is 2 million versus Winnipeg at 1 million, and then the TV coverage goes out to 10X the viewers…..it's a no-brainer.

RCY

clp…. the metric is not necessarily market size but ratings. Ad dollars are generated on rating points in markets. Nashville may have a larger media footprint but likely much lower local viewer-ship for hockey. Winnipeg may have a market area half the size of Nashville but I would estimate 50%+ of the market would watch hockey on TV, making Winnipeg a more valuable media market for hockey..

insanity_plea

This is great. I'm sure the tax payers of Glendale are super-excited to be footing the bill for a money losing team. I know I'd be ecstatic!!! The councillors of Glendale should all be fired for such an irresponsible act. The residents should voice their opinions, I'm sure the majority would be against this. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Anon Y. Mauz

Kyle – everyone realizes that, except Bettman.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Tridus Tridus

How can a city of 250,000 afford this much corporate welfare? Enjoy your $100/head hockey tax, Glendale.
Tyler

Another example of the US Government's poor fiscal responsibility. The City of Glendale is $14.5M in the hole and they have just agreed to pony up $20-$25M to pay for athletes million dollar salaries. I'm sure the people in Arizona who lost their homes to foreclosure appreciate this irresponsible use of tax payer money. The city councilors should be ashamed of themselves.
N/WofVan

N/Wof Van says this I say. The $8 million Bettman is an extension of his ego and should be paid in Parker Bros Monopoly $ only. As for Glendales citizens they should have taken J Bassillie`s offer last year. Now let them subsidize Bettmans Folly and lets watch some other NHL owners panic. The sooner the NHL "Bored of Guvs" fire Bettman the better for the NHL and none too soon.
Craig O

What a comedy of errors…

A US city spending money they don't have (and wouldn't be their's in the first place) on things they don't need (or seem to want), while depriving Canadians of something they do want and can afford. Welcome to Arizona, where the government is hard at work making sure everyone loses…
mikeyyyyyy

this is a joke betman is the biggest asshole ever, he talks like a fricken penguin
Guest

I wonder why I don't read Maclean's all that often? Could be they can't fact check – the Jets left in 1996, not '95 as reported in the story.
That said, Winnipeg is nothing more than a pawn. If there was a legitimate owner, playing by league accepted (i.e. old boys, our way or the highway = not Balsillie) for anywhere BUT Winnipeg, the team would have been gone Monday. Bettman allowed Glendale to have an extension because he couldn't bear the egg on his face from the team going to Winnipeg. I don't think he's wholly opposed to a team in Winnipeg but do believe he's wholly opposed to Phoenix going BACK to Winnipeg because of the embarassment factor. So Glendale agreeing buys time for someone in Arizona or elsewhere to pony up the cash.
Thompson fits as an owner and Winnipeg will get a team in time, quite possibly Atlanta, but never Phoenix.
Ron

Why on earth would the NHL put a team back in that frozen hell hole? Why would any player want to move his family there? The cold, the suicide rate, the car thefts, the floods, the giant blackflies. Somebody help me out.__

geo

ron are you gay?

islanders8083

OK, enough is enough here Bett…I love hockey and am passionate about it. I see why the NHL wants Phoenix with television revenue, division alignment, american team, more markets – but this is a business and this business has not made money, having lost millions, with the Great One still being owed money, and being backed by taxpayers money from Glendale council. NHL owning Pheonix and losing millions is not goood business. Even Gillette got out of hockey-the habs…If I was a resident, i'd be definitely upset if my tax dollars was going to back an nhl team. Yes, it has economic benefits, but this is not the way to go about it Glendale Council.
islanders8083

The NHL Owners with their CEO are ruining the NHL. It is one big monopoly working together with the owners giving direction to Bettman.

It is a business and should be treated as such. NHL not allowing Billionaire Blackberry to own a team in Hamilton because they did not like him is ludricus. He is a business owner and wants an NHL team and has the means to do it-he has passion and wants what everybody else dreams of, to be an owner of a Stanley Cup Champion. Successful Business owners will make an NHL team work as well; The NHL Owners do not respect the players anymore-look at the headshots leading to concussions and the injuries on touch icings, these are the owners employees, they should be protecting them and they are NOT – eliminate the touch icings; Hockey Canada has a preset number of games for repeat offenders of the rules, so if it is your 1st offence 1 game, next 3 games, 5 games, 10 games, 20 games-be consistent and everybody knows what is coming, the players know, the teams know and the people that pay the money knows-us the fans.
islanders8083

Hockey canada has a 2 min or 5 min plus a game for hitting from behind-lets get rid of this cowardly act in the NHL and have the same (More if repeat offender).

Hit to the heads are similar, but comes with a 10 min misconduct; lets get rid of this/head shots and concussions and protect our players and the owners employees-we all missed Sid the last months of the season, it was just not the same – it all started with Big E, but the owners did not go to bat for their employees (Bobby Clarke & Lindros Split). Hit to the head: 2 or 5, plus a game (If repeat, more). The blackhawks were given new life and reason to win after Seaboyer was hit to the head with no penalty/suspension vs the Canucks. That hit receiving no suspension is another example of the NHL not reacting and not protecting the employees, no respect-farce.
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islanders8083

Let's open it up players, no salary cap – puts limits and keeps this tight knit group of owners and their dictator Bett dictating the state of the game (Has Bettman ever put on a pair of skates, I don't think so), this way we'll have teams where the employer wants them as owners because it is their money, if it doesn't work (KC Scouts, California Golden Seals, Atlanta Flames, Quebec Nordiques, Hartford Whalers, Winnipeg Jets) they leave, they like other businesses, go out of business, but with a new owner like Ballsille who wants to own a team to make it work in Hamitlon, so be it, if it doesn't work the 1st time (Nordiques, Jets) but things change in that market, they return
islanders8083

Ron MacLean and CBC tries to make Bettman accountable, but you know what, us fans are like a coach before being fired – what you say now goes in one ear and out the other.

It is time for the players to stand-up for their own health, rights and us the fans to change the status quo. Consistent suspensions, no touch icing, games for hit to the heads and from behind, teams folding if not paying the bills, no salary cap, Bettman and his immediate team replaced – it is the time now, it's a great game, I love it – but supporting a team losing millions and being stingy and waisting precious energy that could go towards bettering the game or another market about it has a snowball effect to what else is happening in the NHL and it is starting to smell like fertilizer on the crop in spring…Let Phoenix go!

Don Cherry was right about equipment being too big and hard a long time GO and he is right about the touchicings – improve our game, and it starts with respecting your players, fans, and owners that know how to run an NHL team
Michael

I very glad that the NHL is not coming to Winnipeg. It would only be a matter of time before public dollars would be needed to support an NHL team here, and to be honest we have more important things to spend our civic and provincial dollars on.
Guest

Not making any excuses for Phoenix, but the Jets(and Nordiques) moved to due to economic reasons. The Can Buck was low worth only .65 cents and they could not survive due to high costs of expenses ie salaries paid in USD. Currently both dollars are close to parity. What happens when the US economy rebounds and the US Dollar soars versus the Loonie?
James

if you don't know what you are speaking about then don't speak……David Thompson is worth 19 billion dollars……he owns the mts center, he would own the team, he would own the land…there would be no public dollars of any sort……thats what makes it so great…plus mts center is the third most active building in north america….which means he makes all the money off kids shows, concerts or anything else at the mts center……once again know your facts before you blog……