So That's That

There's still time for a Hail Mary pass.

Then again, 99 per cent of Hail Mary passes aren't completed.

So while Gary Bettman and Matthew Hulsizer could come up with some 11th hour deal to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix - and clearly, that's still what Bettman wants - it seems unlikely.

But when will we know? That's not clear either.

What we do know is that the Coyotes season ended Wednesday night in the desert, with a 6-3 loss to Detroit putting Phoenix out in four straight games, a result Coyotes captain Shane Doan called embarrassing. Last year, after all, the Coyotes were able to extend Detroit to seven games.

A 3-3 tie in the third was broken open by a bad angle goal by Dan Cleary past Ilya Bryzgalov to put an end to a wild night of NHL post-season action that featured a pair of double OT games and, of course, possibly the last game ever played by this franchise, at least, in Arizona.

Tears were shed in the crowd at Jobing.com Arena, and the fans chanted "Thank You Coyotes," but it was all rather empty given the tepid support the team has received in recent years. That a team that was heisted out of Winnipeg 15 years ago and never won a playoff series as the Coyotes may be ripped out of the desert and sent right back north to Manitoba is hardly an unfair event. In some ways, it's poetic justice.

In various media interviews on Wednesday, a combative Bettman sought to assure the hockey world that he and Hulsizer were still committed to saving the Coyotes for the City of Glendale, but at the same time Bettman offered no guarantees and gave no details. He certainly didn't deny that talks were already well along to send the Phoenix franchise back to Winnipeg.

But really, the NHL has done anything but give straight answers since taking over the franchise in late 2009, as one prospective owner after another has shown up, then faded away. Bettman now wants to make the Goldwater Institute the bad guy for holding up the public bonds issue, but this is a sale arrangement to Hulsizer that stinks to high heaven, a cooked up transaction in which Glendale quite probably gets hosed again.

Unless somebody, Hulsizer or somebody else, wants to buy the Coyotes with their own money and make a private investment in this team that doesn't require hundreds of milliions of taxpayer dollars, they need to let this team go and let Glendale get on with the process of digging itself out of the hole in which it placed itself by doing business with former owner Steve Ellman in the first place.

Bettman, meanwhile, has a tricky political wire to walk now. If this team ends up in Winnipeg he wants to be seen as champion of that effort, not as the executive who did everything to make sure it didn't happen. Pretending that a team on life support has a fabulous future in Arizona may end up being a costly process for the NHL commissioner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[leafslover95]

honestly damian, who the hell do you think you are? on a larger note, what are you canadians as a whole smoking? you guys are laughing hysterically at the potential leaving of a major sports franchise from a city, just as they started to become successful. certainly there have been problems with the team being in phoenix, and everything has not gone off smoothly over the past several years for the coyotes, but the team is in a market that is nearly ten times the size of winnipeg, with major television contracts in place and expanding, and the highest percent increase in attendance out of any team in the nhl over the past 2 years, jumping from 8000 average to nearly 13000 average. winnipeg doesnt have a regulation size arena, or television contracts in place, and players have stated explicitly that they have no desire to move to a frozen hellhole like winnipeg. the only reason that this deal hasnt been done yet is because of goldwater group exploiting a tragic loophole in the bond-sales process. tell me this, if it made so much goddamn sense to keep the team in winnipeg, why did they move and why is bettman so reluctant to send them back? plain and simple, because it failed once and its destined to fail again.

[Lance]

Bettman NEVER put in this extensive effort, when the team was to leave Winnipeg. THAT will always be remembered - no matter how he 'spins' it.

[maxwelledison]

Merely another Bettman face-save smoke and mirror trick.

This time the Pinball Wizard is suspended in super slo-mo... while wiping egg off the NHL's collective faces.

In addition to his own.

[jeff]

"...So while Gary Bettman and Matthew Hulsizer could come up with some 11th hour deal to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix - and clearly, that's still what Bettman wants - it seems unlikely."

All I can ask is WHY BOTHER?

[BKS]

Bettman will fight until the bitter end to keep the team in Phoenix where they don't belong. Moving the team back to Winnipeg would be a huge kick in the teeth for him and having to admit he was wrong. It's what needs to be done as obviously, hockey in the desert just isn't working but Bettman and the NHL have a major problem with admitting they are wrong.

[robert hunt]

Hockey in the desert???? Bettman--what a moroon!!!!

[robert hunt]

I think they should move Bettman to the cheap seats and have a good look at the game.

[YngCdn]

I am not really a hockey fan so here is my unbiased comment. Winnipeg has the MTS centre with 15000 seats and 46 luxury boxes (all sold). They have a regional population of 700,000 people who are very hockey-centric. The team owners would also own the arena and are backed by one of the richest men in Canada. The last time they played there it was in an older building with no salary cap and that has all changed now. They would be the only team in Manitoba/Northern Ontario so marketing and TV would come fairly easily. I wish that southern ontario (KW/Hamilton/London) would get a team but for some reason Bettman does not like RIM, maybe he is a Steve Jobs fanboy.

[Peter]

leafslover95 a couple points: 1) Phoenix had 15 years to support this team, don't make it sound like they just got the franchise 5 years ago. 2) 13000 fans is still pathetic. 3) During the run-up to the playoffs this season there were many games that were half empty. 4) The franchise has lost money EVERY year since moving to Phoenix.

With all that to consider it's pretty obvious the people of Arizona don't really care all that much about the Coyotes. So I won't make a case for Winnipeg (even though they have a brand new arena and a TV contract is easy to get) but I will make a case against Arizona. And to be honest the Goldwater Institute is doing a favour to the people of Glendale. This really is a scam of a deal and if I was a taxpayer I'd be pissed if it went through.

[Jeremy]

Leafslover, you have posted the most nonsensical gibberish I've ever seen in defence of having the Coyotes in Phoenix. Is your name Gary? What increase from 8000 to 13000 in the last two season??? Here are the numbers from this season working backwards: 12200, 12000, 14800, 14800, 15000! All of these numbers, by the way, are BELOW Winnipeg's capacity. The arena can also be renovated to fit more, if necessary. It certainly IS regulation size, it just happens to seat less than other NHL arenas, while still seating more people than ticket sales of 7 NHL clubs. It DIDN'T make sense to keep the team in Winnipeg in the 90s because of these things that have changed: a new arena with new revenue streams, a new profit sharing and bargaining agreement in the NHL, a much stronger Canadian economy, AND a much, much stronger Canadian dollar, which was in the 60 cent range back then but is now at $1.05 USD. And what is so great about television contracts being in place, you get those ONCE THE TEAM MOVES! It isn't an issue in Canada, the TV contracts are a given! Where the players want to play is pretty irrelevant, somehow Edmonton gets people to play there and the climate isn't that different. So what were you saying about people smoking things? It's time you get busy if you want to keep believing that hockey team belongs in the desert instead of in a legitimate market in Canada.

[Ken Baumgartner]

@Leafslover95. Winnipeg left when the Canadian dollar was 63 cent US. That doesn't mean much to you but the team will now make 40 cents more for every dollar they bring in. That is significant. Clearly you don't remember the circumstances when they left but Bettman made a fraction of the effort to keep Winnipeg there compared to the effort he made for Pheonix. He was horny to get a team in Pheonix so he let Winnipeg fail so he could move it. The new Winnipeg owners have very deep pockets so it won't be moving any time soon.
Oh, and 13000 fan is still a lousy crowd especially when it costs less than an ice cream cone to go to the game.Where was / is the great outcry of devotee fann saying don't go. Ok you count as one. Ther must be tens of you.

[ClevelandHockey]

The Canadian dollar becoming weak is not the same as no one showing up for the games. Phoenix is going to get what's coming to them if not this year than the next. It is impossible for an intelligent human being to justify a failing sports club in a place they are obviously not appreciated.

[The Old Boys]

Too bad Bettman is in charge because the best place for this franchise is in Canada, especially Hamilton. Nothing against Winnipeg, but steel town is the best and most profitable place for the team, place, anf league. And Jim Balsille would make a great owner. Too bad Bettman have a feud with Balsille. If Bettman really know and love hockey, Hamilton is the place to be.

[Johnny Canucklehead]

I'm baffled as to why the media seems obsessed with the Yotes situation. I think most hockey fans could care less. Move, stay as no matter where the team is based they are extremely non-descript.

Other than the WHA Jets what exactly is this team's identity been in the NHL?

[Ron]

Gary Bettman the ultimate spinmaster. Just a few short years ago he claimed the NHL had 30 healthy franchises when in fact at least three of them were on life support and a couple of more were headed in that direction. He is now in an interesting position as I suspect he sold NBC the fantasy that all is well in the league. It seems that Mr Bettman believes all the hooey he spouts.

[Hockeyfacts]

You have to admire the passion of hockey fans, even from the tiny few who are hardcore in Phoenix.

No matter what you say, the Coyotes were still second last in average attendance (not hard to have huge gains when you are still that poor) and leaking cash.

The team is going somewhere, or it should.

[PK]

I don't understand how one can take the position that Phoenix is a viable hockey market, when the franchise hasn't pulled a profit since it was moved there.

Likewise it baffles me why anyone would have any interest in purchasing the team if it were to stay in a market like Phoenix. I don't know about you but I sure don't like losing money and the Coyotes have a pretty solid 15 year track record of not making a nickel.

Seems like the Coyotes have become Bettman's baby, through all the drama and publicity surrounding the franchise in the past 2 years and it will be quite a magic trick for Bettman to save face on this one.

[lg toronto]

wow, @leafslover95, so many things wrong with what you wrote:
- Winnipeg DOES have an NHL-ready rink in the MTS Centre, which did not exist when the Jets left.
- the Jets originally left because they suffered the same problem as other small-market teams in the pre-cap era of the NHL. would not be a problem now.
- television contract? do you honestly think that would be a problem to secure? TSN and Sportsnet would be jumping over each other to ink that deal, and CBC would certainly love to have another Canadian team on HNIC.

get your facts straight next time...

[prize maple]

"But really, the NHL has done anything but give straight answers", SINCE BETTMAN BECAME COMMISIONER. His idea of a successful franchise is anything in the United States. The fact that the stands are close to being empty in many US markets for the duration of the regular season doesn't seem to faze him one bit. How good does that look on the cameras with that big TV deal Gary?

[Conn Smythe]

leafslover95, what are you smoking? 'just as they started to become successful' Successful at what? What have the Coyotes been successful at (besides their play in the NHL the last 2 years). Damien is right, no one wants to buy this team with their OWN money and keep them in Phoenix. I wonder why? And another poster nailed it - Bettman certainly didn't fight this hard when the Jets (or the Nordiques) were leaving Canada. I love hockey, but the NHL as it is being run now (with the whole Phoenix fiasco and the ever changing rules on what is/isn't a legal hit which vary day by day, week by week) is a joke.

[Joe Ritz]

Frozen hellhole in winipeg? no T.V. Contracts? 13,000 in attendance? does the first guy even know what he's talking about, yes it's cold up there It's Hockey though and have you seen edmonton or montreal...this is 15 years later sunshine, Winnipeg will not fail, TSN and Rogers are so big now and have so much contractual rights for Hockey. They will suceed and do great, you'll see if they are granted a franchise...They keep Atlanta that's fine but 15 years they have never turn a profit in the desert, even though Winnipeg is small they always made money there and you don't realize how great the market truly is and if you want proof go to a Maintoba Moose Game, go to one of the WHL teams in the province...your a joke for even thinking that it will would never work and you should go share a hot tub with Gary Bettman and please take your negative attidude with you...Go Winnipeg Go

P.S. kind of ironic they lost to Detroit, that happen 15 years ago too...

[KWood19]

@ leafslover95
In all honesty, I don't think the players have much say over where their team plays, whether it stays or moves. That is up to the league and the owners.
Winnipeg has a 15,000 seat arena, and while that may not be as large as some, like TD Garden in boston or the ACC in Toronto, 15,000 fans inside a building versus 12,000 fans inside a building is still 3000 fans more in Winnipeg than in Phoenix. I imagine ticket prices would be higher in Winnipeg than in Phoenix, as fans in Winnipeg would be willing pay large amounts to see NHL hockey back in their building.

Damien, what do you think of the possibility that the Manitoba Moose move down to Phoenix to replace the Yotes if they do move to Winnipeg? Jobing would have a team to play in it, albeit AHL hockey? I have no idea if that is even being considered, but what do you think the NHL would say to that possibility?

[flamesfan]

@leafslover95 Give your head a shake. If Phoenix market is that huge, why can it only pull in an average of 13,000 fans? Let's see, in a market of 6 million that accounts for .002%. Also, have you ever even been to a game in Phoenix? We go down to watch our favortite teams because we get our tickets for $20 and on most nights we can get our beers for $1!

Also, what difference does it make if a hockey player doesn't like playing a winter sport in a city that's cold in the winter? Most of the players come from small town canada and grew up with winter. If a player chooses his team based on what the night life is like and how often he can hit the golf course, then he's probably not a winner. Based upon your narrow view of professional sports, I don't think Brett Favre played in Greenbay because he liked the nightlife there. He played there because he wanted to win and the paycheck was nice.

[mike]

Please, Please let this be the last straw which ends Bettman's tenure as absolutely the worst honcho the NHL has ever had, including the one(s) who spent time in prison. I wish to God I had never heard the little weasel's name in my life. And don't think I wouldn't say it to the jerk's face if ever I had the chance.
Mike in Toronto, hoping for a Canadian NHL President

[moe green]

Who cares. Phoenix could blow up tomorrow and no one short of a few desert fans and Winnipeggers would give a damn. Let's just play hockey. If I hear the word "market" again in the context of the NHL I am gonna spew. Markets and consumers - is that all it is? Sad world. I repeat: Who cares! Let's talk hockey not the (ugh) business of hockey.