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charlene · 10-01-2009, 03:43 PM

Putting the team in Hamilton would mean butts in the seats, a new (or refurbished) arena and a great rivalry..not gonna happen tho.

from Mr. Balsillie:

To all Make It Seven supporters:
From the beginning, my attempt to relocate the Coyotes to Hamilton has been about Canadian hockey fans and Canadian hockey. It was a chance to realize a dream. All I wanted was a fair chance to bring a seventh NHL team to Canada, to serve the best unserved hockey fans in the world. I believe I got that chance. I respect the court's decision, and I will not be putting forward an appeal.
Nobody can deny that we are now a big step closer to having a seventh NHL team in Canada. It doesn't matter who owns that team. When that day comes, I will be the first in line to buy a ticket to the home opener.
I want to take this opportunity to thank my family for all their love and support. I also want to thank the more than 200,000 fans who supported the bid online and the countless others who contacted me personally to show their support. This bid always was about the game we all love.
Thank you,
Jim Balsillie

latest:
Phoenix Coyotes to Stay at Least One More Year, the 29 Fans Left Stand and Cheer by Mark Ritter
Mark RitterScribe
79 articles written
377 comments written
26 fans
View Profile
Send a Message

.
Scribe Written on October 01, 2009
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Vote Now! - Author Poll
Did the judge make the right decsion?

Yes No Maybe vote to see results The battle between Jim Balsillie, the NHL and, more specifically Gary Bettman, has finally come to a close.

In the end, Judge Redfield T. Baum, who had been taking his sweet-ass time ruling on the bankruptcy case, turned down bids by the National Hockey League and Research In Motion Tycoon Balsillie on Wednesday.

The decision to exclude both bids hardly comes as shock, but Balsillie’s decision not to appeal the matter did come as a shock to some.

In an emailed statement to those that supported Balsillie’s “Make it Seven” campaign, Balsillie stated, “All I wanted was a fair chance to bring a seventh NHL team to Canada, to serve the best unserved hockey fans in the world. I believe I got that chance. I respect the court's decision, and I will not be putting forward an appeal.”

Balsillie showed a lot of class in not choosing to drag the matter out in the courts any longer.

In the end, Balsillie doesn’t care who owns the team, (although with the amount of time and resources Balsillie invested I am sure he would have loved the opportunity), he just wanted to open the eyes of the NHL and its fans to the huge untapped market in Hamilton drooling at the prospect of bringing an NHL franchise to its city.

So, Where Are We Now?

The projected losses for the Phoenix Coyotes have been set around $70 million for the 2009-10 season.

Clearly, after losing over $390 million since the team was moved from Winnipeg to Phoenix, the NHL will have little choice but to move the team to another market, which is all Balsillie was trying to do in the first place—albeit in a rather aggressive manner.

For now, the NHL, which contends has had control of the Coyotes' franchise since November of 2008, will continue to support the franchise, which means the 29 other NHL owners will be on the hook for a good chunk of “quan."

To say that the NHL and its cronies have bumbled this situation from day one is an understatement.

The NHL may—in its minds, anyway—have “saved face,” but the reality is fans in Phoenix will not be showing up anytime soon and, for the most part, the NHL has come out of this with a reputation as a Mickey Mouse League.

In the end, we are right back where we started from.

The NHL and its owners will have to absorb some very big losses, there is no ownership group stepping up to purchase the Coyotes, and there is a pile of debt swirling over the Phoenix franchise and the city of Glendale.

Clearly, there are no winners here, just losers—especially the city of Glendale, the NHL, and the Phoenix Coyotes fans.

There is no way in hell that the Coyotes can survive in the desert. Relocation is the only option and I suspect they will be on the move at the conclusion of the 2009-10 season.

If the NHL thinks it can make a go of it in Phoenix, they are on a lot of non-prescription medication.

Fact is, the ship has already sunk and now it’s all about recovery. The players, the city of Glendale, the Coyotes fans, the arena staff, and the team itself will all be left for the circling vultures to dismember.

The Coyotes were 36-39-7 last season and finished 13th in the Western Conference.

I suspect the team will continue to struggle this season...mehhh, no matter—nobody will be in the stands anyways, right?

10-01-2009, 03:43 PM	#11
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	Re: Will this finally be Maple Leafs' year? Putting the team in Hamilton would mean butts in the seats, a new (or refurbished) arena and a great rivalry..not gonna happen tho. from Mr. Balsillie: To all Make It Seven supporters: From the beginning, my attempt to relocate the Coyotes to Hamilton has been about Canadian hockey fans and Canadian hockey. It was a chance to realize a dream. All I wanted was a fair chance to bring a seventh NHL team to Canada, to serve the best unserved hockey fans in the world. I believe I got that chance. I respect the court's decision, and I will not be putting forward an appeal. Nobody can deny that we are now a big step closer to having a seventh NHL team in Canada. It doesn't matter who owns that team. When that day comes, I will be the first in line to buy a ticket to the home opener. I want to take this opportunity to thank my family for all their love and support. I also want to thank the more than 200,000 fans who supported the bid online and the countless others who contacted me personally to show their support. This bid always was about the game we all love. Thank you, Jim Balsillie latest: Phoenix Coyotes to Stay at Least One More Year, the 29 Fans Left Stand and Cheer by Mark Ritter Mark RitterScribe 79 articles written 377 comments written 26 fans View Profile Send a Message . Scribe Written on October 01, 2009 (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Vote Now! - Author Poll Did the judge make the right decsion? Yes No Maybe vote to see results The battle between Jim Balsillie, the NHL and, more specifically Gary Bettman, has finally come to a close. In the end, Judge Redfield T. Baum, who had been taking his sweet-ass time ruling on the bankruptcy case, turned down bids by the National Hockey League and Research In Motion Tycoon Balsillie on Wednesday. The decision to exclude both bids hardly comes as shock, but Balsillie’s decision not to appeal the matter did come as a shock to some. In an emailed statement to those that supported Balsillie’s “Make it Seven” campaign, Balsillie stated, “All I wanted was a fair chance to bring a seventh NHL team to Canada, to serve the best unserved hockey fans in the world. I believe I got that chance. I respect the court's decision, and I will not be putting forward an appeal.” Balsillie showed a lot of class in not choosing to drag the matter out in the courts any longer. In the end, Balsillie doesn’t care who owns the team, (although with the amount of time and resources Balsillie invested I am sure he would have loved the opportunity), he just wanted to open the eyes of the NHL and its fans to the huge untapped market in Hamilton drooling at the prospect of bringing an NHL franchise to its city. So, Where Are We Now? The projected losses for the Phoenix Coyotes have been set around $70 million for the 2009-10 season. Clearly, after losing over $390 million since the team was moved from Winnipeg to Phoenix, the NHL will have little choice but to move the team to another market, which is all Balsillie was trying to do in the first place—albeit in a rather aggressive manner. For now, the NHL, which contends has had control of the Coyotes' franchise since November of 2008, will continue to support the franchise, which means the 29 other NHL owners will be on the hook for a good chunk of “quan." To say that the NHL and its cronies have bumbled this situation from day one is an understatement. The NHL may—in its minds, anyway—have “saved face,” but the reality is fans in Phoenix will not be showing up anytime soon and, for the most part, the NHL has come out of this with a reputation as a Mickey Mouse League. In the end, we are right back where we started from. The NHL and its owners will have to absorb some very big losses, there is no ownership group stepping up to purchase the Coyotes, and there is a pile of debt swirling over the Phoenix franchise and the city of Glendale. Clearly, there are no winners here, just losers—especially the city of Glendale, the NHL, and the Phoenix Coyotes fans. There is no way in hell that the Coyotes can survive in the desert. Relocation is the only option and I suspect they will be on the move at the conclusion of the 2009-10 season. If the NHL thinks it can make a go of it in Phoenix, they are on a lot of non-prescription medication. Fact is, the ship has already sunk and now it’s all about recovery. The players, the city of Glendale, the Coyotes fans, the arena staff, and the team itself will all be left for the circling vultures to dismember. The Coyotes were 36-39-7 last season and finished 13th in the Western Conference. I suspect the team will continue to struggle this season...mehhh, no matter—nobody will be in the stands anyways, right?