CXLVIII - Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo had 'productive' meeting with Phoenix mayor

[joelef]

Looks like tsn is bashing Salt Lake City Looks like Utah is going to be in the crosshairs of the Canadian media

 

[Brodie]

I will say that for years and years and years on this board, Salt Lake was one of those cities that would come up as obvious potential homes for an NHL franchise if there was only an arena. It was right there with Seattle and Milwaukee in that zone. So it’s weird to me that people are acting like it’s a terrible idea or came out of nowhere.

ETA: also crapping on Columbus… It used to be just about sun belt teams but clearly now unless every city in Canada has a franchise no city in the US should get one

 

[Devils 3silverones]

Good lord. They coyotes boards are a bunch of fans shooting out stuff just because.. after all this, they are gonna give the screws to SEG?

HF boards team site has the big scoop? Not Elliot or James, or lol, craig....
You guys/gals are better than this.

 

[Killer Orcas]

I will say that for years and years and years on this board, Salt Lake was one of those cities that would come up as obvious potential homes for an NHL franchise if there was only an arena. It was right there with Seattle and Milwaukee in that zone. So it’s weird to me that people are acting like it’s a terrible idea or came out of nowhere.

Population 208.000 is what stands out to me and no they are not some hockey hot bed that I know.

 

[Brodie]

Population 208.000 is what stands out to me and no they are not some hockey hot bed that I know.

Metro area population is in the top 50 in the US, CSA population is 22nd in the US. The former is about 1.5 times the size of Quebec City’s metro and the latter is about three times the size.

It’s not a hockey hot bed but it is a cold weather city, which used to be the criteria that people would complain about but clearly now there needs to be 20 NHL teams in Canada

 

[GKJ]

Looks like tsn is bashing Salt Lake City Looks like Utah is going to be in the crosshairs of the Canadian media

Well they may not be able to bury Arizona for a while, so may as well get started

 

[Stumbledore]

If I were to tin foil this , Meruelo will take that billion

If you really believe Meruelo is getting that billion, you're already well protected under a double coating of aluminum foil.

but clearly now there needs to be 20 NHL teams in Canada

but clearly now unless every city in Canada has a franchise no city in the US should get one

But clearly now, you're just so upset that you're just making shit up or just having a tantrum?

 

[Brodie]

But clearly now, you're just so upset that you're just making shit up or just having a tantrum?

I’m tired of the whining from Canadians that they need more NHL teams when every substantial market in the country already has one. Put a team in QC and see how long it takes before somebody’s saying what about Saskatoon or Halifax?

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

Half the posters here stalk and read the discussion the team board so a lot of them know by now.

Seriously… word is Matt Ishiba… owner of the Phoenix Suns has entered the chat. Has met with Bettman within the past 24-48 hours.

I can’t place much serious in this though.

Yeah, I don't buy that. Seems like massive wish-casting from 'yotes fans.

EDIT: Not that I blame them, lol.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Jeremy Jacobs is not getting enough crap for this. He needs to resign as head of the board.

 

[joelef]

I’m tired of the whining from Canadians that they need more NHL teams when every substantial market in the country already has one. Put a team in QC and see how long it takes before somebody’s saying what about Saskatoon or Halifax?

Don’t forget bashing the fanbases .

 

[Melrose Munch]

Looks like tsn is bashing Salt Lake City Looks like Utah is going to be in the crosshairs of the Canadian media

If players didn't have NTC/NMC's with all Canadian teams besides Toronto/Vancouver then this would not be an issue.

Taxes
Media
Weather

Pick one.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

The only other potential NHL market in Canada IMO is QC, and this particular NHL BoG very obviously does not want to be there. There's no point in whining about "Canada not getting an NHL team" because there's really no appealing market outside of QC -

Oh, and of course a second team in the GTA - I'm actually sure the NHL would love a second GTA team, but the payout to the leafs/MLSE makes this all but impossible. The only way it's happening is if the Rogers/Bell MLSE alliance falls, and as part of that fallout there's an agreement to allow a second team in the area.

Personally, I'd love for someone to take a crack at a Maritime team, but that ain't happening - They can't even get their shit together for a CFL team, and that league would LOVE to get to 10 teams.

Victoria - no chance

Alberta - no chance of a third team there

Saskatchewan - 1 per cent chance if the relocation dominos fell PERFECTLY

Then you're into the ONT-QUE-Maritime sequence that I already commented on.

 

[Brodie]

If players didn't have NTC/NMC's with all Canadian teams besides Toronto/Vancouver then this would not be an issue.

Taxes
Media
Weather

Pick one.

especially with Winnipeg having very frank conversations about how a down economy and the new team smells starting to wear off is impacting their long-term viability, why are we talking about more small market Canadian teams again?

 

[joelef]

especially with Winnipeg having very frank conversations about how a down economy and the new team smells starting to wear off is impacting their long-term viability, why are we talking about more small market Canadian teams again?

That’s defeat the narrative of “ small Canadian teams alway will sell out no matter what” so we can’t talk about that.

 

[Puckrobber]

One thing that I haven't heard many outlets mention is the fact that Utah (probably) will be getting the Olympics. That alone, I think, will give the NHL team a boost in interest from fans visiting, or watching from home.

 

[Headshot77]

What a dagger for Coyotes fans though. See the team move and right away they are a better team than at any time in their history in Phoenix.

The crazy thing too is that most likely this SLC franchise will go from a cap floor team to a cap ceiling team overnight. They can legit spend $50mil on free agents this off-season. They can trade their hoarde of picks for good value players and make big splashes at free agency. Stamkos maybe?

What I'm trying to say is SLC will probably be good year one.

 

[GKJ]

Good lord. They coyotes boards are a bunch of fans shooting out stuff just because.. after all this, they are gonna give the screws to SEG?

HF boards team site has the big scoop? Not Elliot or James, or lol, craig....
You guys/gals are better than this.

Can’t blame them for desperately clinging to hope.

 

[joelef]

Can’t blame them for desperately clinging to hope.

Still not as bad as Quebec fans

 

[Killer Orcas]

Metro area population is in the top 50 in the US, CSA population is 22nd in the US. The former is about 1.5 times the size of Quebec City’s metro and the latter is about three times the size.

It’s not a hockey hot bed but it is a cold weather city, which used to be the criteria that people would complain about but clearly now there needs to be 20 NHL teams in Canada

Google did me dirty said way less. 20 eh haha I don't think so but another 1 in Quebec wouldn't hurt.

 

[Brodie]

I know people out west drive more and distance is all relative, would Salt Lake City be considered relatively close to Phoenix in those terms?

 

[Llama19]

I know people out west drive more and distance is all relative, would Salt Lake City be considered relatively close to Phoenix in those terms?

Only if you fly...as it is a 720 mi (1,159 km) drive with a time of 10 hrs...in normal traffic...

 

[Edenjung]

This is a vampire franchise. Even after you've killed it, it might be coming back.

Those are zombies.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Yeah, my brain works like "creative problem solving" more than "let's fight." Based on how the possibility of an NHL team in Houston has been reported over the decades; everyone has basically said an NHL team would have to be owned by first Les Alexander and now Fertitta, and tossed words like "monopoly" around...

... and even if the HCHSA wasn't legally prohibited, that doesn't even mean they WOULD approve a competing venue.

We saw it with the expansion bids in the 1990s, the HCHSA serves Houston and waited to see whom they'd have to work with on a new arena; they didn't pick sides.

Because they lost out in the 1990s, it's way more plausible that the HCHSA goes to Fertitta and says "Houston should be a Big Four sports city. If you owned an NHL team, a sweetheart deal on the NEXT arena is far more likely than if you only own the Rockets."




I agree, but half of this thread is also assuming the positions of the NHL or AM suddenly changed; which is why I'm hung up on "SLC expansion/franchise swap."

I agree 1000 percent and I think this is what happened. It's one think for just Dallas to have an NHL, but Dallas and Atlanta like last time? And no Houston? That wasn't going to sit well with the city, the county or the other major businesses (Greater Houston chamber of commerce).

 

[TheLegend]

Whatever it is, somebody better have told Bill Armstrong

Armstrong’s line for that has been (paraphrasing) “I don’t build arenas, I build teams.”

He’s really been doing a great job rebuilding the roster.