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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, the City of Glendale and Hulsizer have all blamed the Goldwater Institute's threat of a lawsuit for the failure of the bonds to sell.
Anyone who opposes the Goldwater stance on this issue is either an idiot or a crook who wants a hand in the taxpayer's cookie jar. Yes this includes Shane Doan.
This is a BAD deal for the taxpayer. Who cares if the arena loses a tenant like the Coyotes, its a better option than slithering further down the spiral into hundreds of millions of financial hell. NHL hockey cannot make a go of it in Arizona, let alone a town the population of Glendale in the middle of nowhere beside some mall. Time to cut bait and move this team to a city that actually notices them and has a pulse. ENOUGH Bettman!
So what happens if the NHL does not put PHX or ATL or any team there........
The media should be held accountable as well as the NHL for all the BS that is going on.
Dragging all this hope through the mud.
I don't see the NHL back in the 'Peg...its not Bettmans model.
I hope it happens but knowing the NHL never seems to do anything right....
I would say that the PHX & ATL stay where they are.
Now that Bettman has his hook into Thompson?? he will want the expansion fee..not the free transfer team
Now I heard on the radio that Thompson may make a move for the expansion team in ONT....
Smart guy...why would you pay expansion money in the 'Peg when you can have a real team in ONT
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.
-- Winston Churchill
Winnipeg capital region population: ~750,000 (730,000 in 2006)
Edmonton capital region population: 1,035,000 (2006)
GVRD population: 2,116,000 (2006)
As much as I'd love to see the Jets back in the 'Peg, perhaps they are better off with the Moose. I don't see Winnipeg having any better luck attracting or keeping talent than the Oilers, they have an even smaller population base, and no big oil corporate money. Isn't it better to have a well-supported, successful, AHL franchise than an NHL team that struggles to compete?
Whats better, more corporate support or a sold-out arena? Who cares what the numbers are, if the arena is full it will attract more corporate support and provide a better PRODUCT that will make the league look better...and thus grow the game. Phoenix, Atlanta & Florida isn't good for anyone. Vancouver is only a million and probably alone could barely support the Canucks (attendance wise) its the Fraser Valley that fills that puts the numbers over the top. So its not just Winnipeg but surrounding areas as well.
You start with real hockey markets and move from there.
I think Puck has some very good points. Winnipeg's big plus is the ownership group. Deep pockets will give the team a chance to take some losses until they become competitive. On the flip side is everything Puck points out. The population is lacking, Manitoba isn't going to attract any quality free agents, and Winnipeg isn't a great corporate or media-heavy city. The local population is very keen on hockey, but as we've seen (in reverse) attendance alone doesn't make an NHL team viable.
I think they'll be moving a franchise there at some point, but I wouldn't expect them to compete for much, and if they do it will be short-lived because it will almost certainly be a team playing near the cap floor (after the owners get sick of losing money).
Winnipeg will also be getting revenue sharing. And i don't understand the they won't be able to compete... look at their roster right now. If Tippet comes with the team. They are competitive. And the idea that hockey is back in Winnipeg may attract some canadian players or whom ever at the idea of playing in a canadian market, just as it may work against them for being in a "bad winter" city.
I think its fair to agree with Clam and say a full building or very close to is much more desired, and as he also said im sure businesses will want to be a part of that.
I agree the peg might not be big enough, but as said before, because it is a "hockey market" more fans would likely come out as opposed to a non market with roughly the same population.
I really hope this goes through and this summer. I like the idea of the coyotes staying, Maybe a team like Atlanta or my beloved Panthers to move up north instead. but the team has struggled in the past and the uncertainty of there being a team there has really hurt their fan support. I wouldn't want to waste my money on something that may be gone soon.
Here's hoping a day comes again soon when the white towels will be battling the white out in the playoffs again. Brings back early memories for me being a canucks fan.
ClamRussel wrote:Whats better, more corporate support or a sold-out arena? Who cares what the numbers are, if the arena is full it will attract more corporate support and provide a better PRODUCT that will make the league look better...and thus grow the game. Phoenix, Atlanta & Florida isn't good for anyone. Vancouver is only a million and probably alone could barely support the Canucks (attendance wise) its the Fraser Valley that fills that puts the numbers over the top. So its not just Winnipeg but surrounding areas as well.
You start with real hockey markets and move from there.
Clam, you need to re-read my post. You'll note that I quoted regional numbers for Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. So, I did include the surrounding areas. And I never said that hockey belonged in Phoenix, Atlanta and Florida... I was only arguing that a very successful Moose team might be a better fit than a possibly anemic Jets v2.