Scottie Upshall asks...

"We're here. We're not going anywhere," winger Scottie Upshall said referring to his embattled Phoenix Coyotes. "If we're winning games, why not come support a winning club?"

Answer: Because you're the Phoenix Coyotes.

In all seriousness, if I were one of the team's few fans last year, I probably wouldn't be back right now.

The summer shenanigans of "we're here", "we're gone", "we're in court", "okay the NHL is buying us", "oh wait, the NHL is buying us but has said they're going to move us next year", "maybe", would leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth.

Add in the fact Phoenix is already a fickle market, and most people in the desert would probably rather play golf then shell out for a hockey game -- you've got yourself a losing combination.

The summer's uncertainty and long, dragged out court battle has left fans saying "see ya, and good riddance"... and that means it's pretty much already signed and delivered that this team will not survive in this location. This isn't a fan base that is going to rally together and scoop up season tickets in record numbers to save the team (see: Calgary Flames 1990s).

Good.

Too... much... going... on.

It's been a busy week, especially with the extremely complicated, convoluted, and unfortunate story that broke yesterday afternoon.

Also spent much of my day preparing for tonight's Mooseheads game against the Rimouski Oceanic.

But most importantly...



TONIGHT IS THE FREAKIN NIGHT!

There's four games opening the NHL season tonight. And not a moment too soon.

Washington vs. Habs at 8pm AST

Leafs and Habs at 8pm AST

later tonight, San Jose v Colorado and Canucks take on the Flames.

Oh yah, then there's this other stuff happening:

Brendan Shanahan.

Weird story... apparently the New Jersey Devils and Brendan Shanahan have "mutually decided" to part ways. I'm thinking he was cut. But whatever.

I don't even know what to say about this. Actually it's kind of weird. I was reading an Olympic story the other day and it was talking about Steve Yzerman, which led me to think about Brendan Shanahan. And I did that... "Is Shanny still playing?"

Guess he was.

Sergei Kostitsyn.

Is apparently asking for a trade after being sent down to the minors by the Montreal Canadiens. There are also rumours that the younger Kostitsyn brother wants to play in the KHL.

I'm sort of hanging out on the fence on this one. On one hand he is getting demoted to the AHL, just days before the opening of the NHL season. Then there's the fact that he's being a whiny little....[insert name here]... And the Kostitsyn brothers were one of many off-ice distractions last season with their... random Russian mafia connections.... something about And one of the few distractions that are actually left on the team after the summer clearout.

In keeping with the teams cleaning house motto... might as well send Kostitsyn packing. Just start the hell over.

On the upside the team was on a "team bonding" trip for the past week, and the players are all praising new coach Jacques Martin and his system.

I'm mildy optimistic...



COYOTES SAGA



Well that was a whole lot about nothing. Judge Baum said neither children can have the candy. er... Judge Baum said neither the NHL or Jim Balsillie can have the Phoenix Coyotes.


really?


Come on man, don't you get it, sagas need endings eventually. I'm sick of this one. This is possibly longer than the famous Sundin Saga of 2008.


I won't bore with the details, (because quite frankly i don't understand a lot of this freaking crazy arse legal story) but JimBalls is saying he is not appealing.

But I doubt that will be the end of JimBalls... there are plenty of teams in the NHL that has no fans. See: 24 teams located in the United States. So I reckon he'll be after another team before 2010.

I'm now accepting bets on his next victim.


Avalanche retire Joe Sakic's #19.

thumbs up.


Michael Landsberg.

Okay so this is just frikkin bizarre. I really do think that Lansberg possibly took the good pills before yesterday's broadcast.

"So I'm going to lay it out here. Being a hockey captain is similar to leading the Jews from slavery and persecution in that they have one ultimate common goal: get to the promised land."

WHAT?! That's nothing like that at all. Are you serious? I'm speechless.

URGENT!!! URGENT!!!

Okay, so i'm frikkin dead. I'm creeping up on a 12 hours shift. Spent the day chasing random local stories... then over to the moose practice.... then to the film festival red carpet. I'm in the newsroom filing my stories and an urgent comes over the wire. Oh yah and i work at 8am... and there's a mooseheads game tomorrow so i will not be out of here till about this time tomorrow again...

So at this point I'm thinking it might be time to do this shit Hunter S. Thompson style... I have no way to decipher whether this is actually important... but here it is:

URGENT-NHL-Coyotes-Bankruptcy,
INDEX:Sports
Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes wants NHL ordered to mediation

PHOENIX - Beleaguered Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes has asked
a federal bankruptcy judge for an emergency hearing to order the NHL
to mediate the `key sale issues' in the complicated case.
The request was made Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court by the
lawyers who filed for Chapter 11 protection on behalf of Moyes on
May 5.
The proposal came as Judge Redfield T. Baum considers whether to
award the team to the NHL or to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie,
who would move the team as soon as possible to Hamilton, over the
vehement objection of the league.
The filing says the NHL rejected mediation in an email to Moyes'
lawyers on Wednesday.
(The Associated Press)<

All signs point to JimBalls?

Over the duration of the Pheonix Coyotes ownership saga, Jim Balsillie has taken some lumps. And for a while there it wasn't looking good for JimBalls. It's clear Gary Bettman really hates the guy, so that doesn't help. The league's board of governors recently unanimously rejected Balsillie as a prospective owner.

But things have started to go his way.

Yesterday Ice Edge Holdings, the third party about to take part in Thursday's auction for the Pheonix Coyotes, has dropped out of the mix. That leaves Jim Balsillie's $242.5 million bid up against the NHL's bid of just $140 million.

There is the obvious reason Balsillie may get favourited by the judge. The judge has to choose the bid that is best for the owner Jerry Moyes -- who's lost millions during his time with the Coyotes.

I would say millions of dollars extra, are better for him.

Moyes has publically said the NHL needs to come to its senses in terms of their bid. He's says the NHL needs to add $80 million to their bid to bring it in line with Balsillie's original bid of $212.5 million.

Balsillie has put concessions in his bid package that gives $50 million to the city of Glendale, Arizona for losses incurred by the loss of the team.

Moyes is so outraged by the possibility of having to accept the NHL bid that his lawyers filed a motion to have the NHL's bid thrown out.

Another thing that should push the bidding in Balsillie's favour, is that the NHL, who despite arguing against Balsillie because he wanted to move the team, is willing to move the team themselves at the end of the 2009-10 season if the team is not making money.

I can't guarentee much. But I can pretty much guarentee that the Pheonix Coyotes will not make money this season.

I can't wait until Thursday and Friday to see what comes out of the process.

You've got to be frikkin kidding me

In a follow up to my last post... I have become even more incredulous in trying to figure out why the NHL won't just let JimBalls have the Pheonix Coyotes.

This is from a Peter James filing on Canada.com:

The National Hockey League's plan to buy the Phoenix Coyotes will only ensure the team will remain in the desert for at least one season, according to court documents.

The league submitted a $140-million (all figures US) bid on Tuesday for the bankrupt team but in a court filing released Wednesday the league said it will be open to relocating the franchise if local buyers aren't found within a year.

You're willing to relocate the team? Isn't that what you were trying to avoid? Please excuse the fans if they're confused about this entire debacle. Although should the NHL purchase it's own franchise, it should prove to be a brilliantly stupid saga... Bring it on.

Short and Simple

Why does the NHL want to buy the Phoenix Coyotes. It's already losing money. Why are they so stupid?

Moreover, where was this attitude by the NHL with Quebec and Winnipeg?

I feel like punching someone in the head -- probably Gary Bettman -- but really anyone at this point would do.

Oh my god, Gary, please just let him have a team.

This joke is getting kinda old.

Will someone please just let Jim Balsillie have a team. You realize the guy owns Crackberry. He's just going to get richer. And so he's just going to keep on trying. So really, just give up. (See, the Maritime defeatist attitude is good for something.)


I mean, look at him, he even wore a bowtie.

But in all seriousness: The team is bankrupt... and it's not like the "Pittsburgh Penguins... we had some bad management but there's lots of history here so if we rally the fans then we'll be okay" kinda bankruptcy. It's the "Phoenix Coyotes. You have a hockey team... in the desert. You moved it there... from Winnipeg. Why? Why does this exist. The fans in Phoenix don't care. Why are you propping up a failing team with transfer payments from the other teams and a massive NHL line of credit." kinda bankruptcy.

Gary Bettman, you're crazy. And you're delusional.

Give the team to Balsillie. How many people want a team that badly? How many people that want a team that badly have $212 mil to just drop down in suitcases of cash at NHL headquarters. Seriously. Just let him buy the team. Quit your grudge holding Bettman.

The NHLs main argument has to do with Balsillie's desire to move the team to Southern Ontario saying that there isn't enough population and that it will encroach on the Leafs and the Sabres. Wrong.

People who live in Southern Ontario outside of Toronto don't want to drive on the crazy Southern Ontario highways for over an hour and then pay for parking in ridiculously expensive Downtown Toronto and then have to buy food. Did I mention they have to drive in Toronto? I think i'd rather play with rusty razors.

Oh yah, and then there's the tickets. The Toronto Maple Leafs have no problem selling out their games even at the cost beginning at 35$ to stand in the nosebleeds. (Compared to tickets that start at 5$ in Tampa Bay). And usually unless you bought the tickets at the beginning of the season, they're impossible to get and you're stuck buying from scalpers, who sell tickets for a premium (Unlike in Tampa Bay). Tell me how the little guy living in Waterloo, Kitchener or Hamilton can afford that? But would they go to a game in Waterloo, Kitchener or Hamilton?

You bet ya.