The volume of information in the Toronto Globe & Mail and other Canadian press about the Bettman VS. Balsillie battle for the Phoenix Coyotes franchise is staggering.
If you want to know what is going on with this situation, don’t go to the Phoenix paper, go to the Toronto papers.
Why should we in Kansas City care about this battle? As was mentioned in the Kansas City Star, there is no chance of the Coyotes moving to KC. The Star mentioned it once and then moved on.
THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS WHY WE SHOULD CARE!!!
Because it shows just how astronomically difficult it will be for AEG to wrench a franchise away from a current city. It may be nearly impossible. I’d be willing to say “imposssible”.
Why impossible?
-No owner has shown any interest in purchasing an NHL(or NBA) team and moving them to KC (expect Mr. Cut-and-paste)
-We have no idea what kind of lease AEG will offer? Is it better than the lease that other cities/buildings currently offer?
-Even if AEG offers a favorable lease deal, is it so good that the current building/city couldn’t match it?
-What if the franchise has a standing lease in their current building? Could that lease be broken? By the Coyotes situation we are finding that even filing for bankruptcy may not get a team out of a lease.
-Is Kansas City still a viable market in these tough economic times? Our biggest corporations and employers have all struggled through this economy.
-What kind of fight would the current market create? Would the potential relocation get tied up in a court fight? I think we’re seeing how ugly a court battle can be. It’s bad PR for the NHL.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, does Gary Bettman WANT a franchise in KC? Not does he THINK KC is a viable NHL market (of course it is)? Does he actually WANT KC to be a passenger on his ship?
-Gary Bettman has protected all of the current franchises homes. He proved that with the moves he made to keep the Predators in Nashville. Those moves included not putting in the due diligence about Boots Del Biaggio. He built this 30-team ship, and he is proving in this battle with Balsillie, that he is willing to go down with his ship.
Canada is the lifeblood of this league. The country still provides the lion’s share of the players and has the six franchises with the most loyal fan bases.
Here is an interesting stat. If you add up the attendance figures of the six Canadian franchises you get 4.68M fannies in seats.
You can take six American franchises and add them together and get more than 4.8M, but only if you use the Chicago Blackhawks’ unbelievable resurgence and having more than 900,000 fans through the turnstiles at their giant building in 2009. Throw out Chicago and you can’t find six American franchises that can top 4.68M.
Try it.
Go to this site NHL attendance
As said, Canada is the lifeblood of this league and Bettman is taking an absolute beating in the Canadian press. This is a PR fight that Bettman will never, ever win and from which he may never recover. In Canada, he has become the anti-Canadian Commissioner who just wants to protect non-traditional NHL markets at the expense of the NHL’s revenue and reputation. Even if the bankruptcy judge rules that the Balsillie bid is valid, the creditors are best served by a sale to Balsillie and that Balsillie can move the franchise Al Davis-style to Southern Ontario, Bettman will still take a beating for fighting Balsillie so hard.
Is Bettman willing to go through this kind of fight again so Atlanta or Florida or whichever franchise struggles next can move to Kansas City? A medium-sized Midwestern market?
No way.
With the current economic climate, the league is not going to expand.
Why weren’t these questions asked during the vote for Sprint Center’s funding when an NHL or NBA franchise was practically promised? Why aren’t these questions being asked now?
It’s time to pursue the AHL and be happy with what we can get. With the proper marketing and promotion, maybe KC could top the AHL in attendance. Averaging more than 8,900 per game is not out of the question.
Here is a list of links. I especially like the first one and recommend anyone with an interest in this situation read it.
Coyotes could be tough sell for NHL owners
Coyotes can’t be sold to Balsillie, Arizona city says
`WE’RE THE SOURCE OF THE GAME’ Balsillie comes out swinging
Hockey’s bonfire of the bankruptcies
NHL keeps Reinsdorf’s bid under wraps
NHL to ask court to dismiss Coyotes bankruptcy
‘Confusion’ over league powers could weaken NHL’s Coyotes case
NHL court filings unload on Balsillie, Moyes
