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

[Brodie]

I figure the broadcast would say something, or at least it would become obvious that they know

They asked Doan about being addressed just now and he gave a very vague answer to a very vaguely worded question

 

[HeHateMeFrisbee]

Sounded like they're going to talk about it here after this set of commercials

 

[GKJ]

 

[TheLegend]

If Meruelo is actually tagged as the owner who will resurrect the Yotes in Arizona, then nobody has learned much from this long saga. A credible, trustworthy owner has been one of the main missing ingredients all along. The NHL needs to wipe the slate clean. My guess is that they have very little confidence in Meruelo at this point, and they'll find a way to kick him out of the process and start afresh with a new ownership group.

If you’re referring to the five year window he gets to revive the team…..

That is more than likely something the league had to offer to get this sale to happen.

I don’t think the league believes he’ll pull it off. We’ll know for sure come June 27th.

The market will at least need that much time to heal… maybe even a little longer.

 

[GKJ]

If Meruelo is actually tagged as the owner who will resurrect the Yotes in Arizona, then nobody has learned much from this long saga. A credible, trustworthy owner has been one of the main missing ingredients all along. The NHL needs to wipe the slate clean. My guess is that they have very little confidence in Meruelo at this point, and they'll find a way to kick him out of the process and start afresh with a new ownership group.

I think we’ll find out over time that it isn’t their real plan to have him be the guy, but they’re kind of backed into giving him a chance.

They have to find someone with local credibility.

 

[Brodie]

This sounds much less ironclad than what had previously been suggested

 

[wpgallday1960]

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.

I have no doubt Hamilton along with golden triangle could support a team. However territorial rights for Leafs and Sabres would quash it. Only remaining feasible cdn markets would be QC and a 2nd GTA team. QChas the only reasonable chance right now.

 

[Tawnos]

Just wanted to pop back in and express my sympathy to all the Coyotes fans here on all sides of the verbal BoH battles we’ve had over the years. This totally sucks. I absolutely cannot imagine what it’s like to lose a team.

The whole thing is fascinating purely from the BoH perspective, but at the end of the day it just plain sucks. I hope you get a team back relatively soon.

 

[Shwan]

I made some not-insignificant investments relating to this possibility way back in October when the Scripps TV deal the Team made included the SLC market. It'll definitely offset the ~$10k in signed theme jerseys in my Closet

I hope the news of the Roadrunners coming to Mullet are true though I'll totally throw down on season tickets.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

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?

Because ... nostalgia. The same reason people want a team in Hartford: nostalgia. The uniform colors. Certainly not the shitty arena, which isn't getting replaced any time soon.

Of course, with the exchange rate currently at almost $1.38 and not having been better than $1.31 in the last year and not above even $1.25 since November 2021 and no sign we're going back to that level any time soon, ... makes dropping a team in a small market in Canada a really dicey proposition. But, people want to try it on hope and dreams and ... nostalgia.

 

[LPHabsFan]

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?

I mean if you want we can talk about Atlanta 3.0, Florida, San Jose, Anaheim, Columbus, Nashville, or Dallas if you want to talk about questionable long term viability when looking at the numbers in comparison to Winnipeg. It would be my pleasure.

 

[joelef]

I mean if you want we can talk about Atlanta 3.0, Florida, San Jose, Anaheim, Columbus, Nashville, or Dallas if you want to talk about questionable long term viability when looking at the numbers in comparison to Winnipeg. It would be my pleasure.

Yeah but can you do it with out looking like a hypocrite though?

 

[GindyDraws]

Man, where was all the optimism about Meruleo, guys?

 

[LPHabsFan]

Yeah but can you do it with out looking like a hypocrite though?

Maybe?

 

[madhi19]

The fans at least get a chance to say goodbye. I'm pretty sure the initial plan was to leave in the middle of the night after the last game of the season.

 

[Skip To My Lou]

Seeing how much Utah gets behind the Jazz, I can definitely see a big following for the hockey team.

I feel terrible for Coyotes fans, but they've been toyed around with too much. Not to mention, it doesn't seem like the Phoenix area and government cares much for having a hockey team. It's a shame because I know the fans can show up and support.

I understand the NHL wants to go back to Arizona, but enough is enough. To make this work, you need both parties to agree, and there always seem to be some sort of backfire.

 

[GindyDraws]

Seeing how much Utah gets behind the Jazz, I can definitely see a big following for the hockey team.

I feel terrible for Coyotes fans, but they've been toyed around with too much. Not to mention, it doesn't seem like the Phoenix area and government cares much for having a hockey team. It's a shame because I know the fans can show up and support.

I understand the NHL wants to go back to Arizona, but enough is enough. To make this work, you need both parties to agree, and there always seem to be some sort of backfire.

Despite my... extremely negative stance on the Coyotes, Arizona is definitely a hockey market.

They just don't like the Coyotes dysfunction and the insistence that you need an arena in order to have a good team when we saw that an arena WAS built... but the team still stunk and needed the NHL to bail them out. That's why if you want Arizona to work, you have to have the right people. Arizona has never had the right people for a prolonged period of time, in all honesty. You gotta put the horse before the cart. It's why they're moving to Utah and there's interest in expanding to Atlanta and Houston.

 

[sneakytitz]

I mean if you want we can talk about Atlanta 3.0, Florida, San Jose, Anaheim, Columbus, Nashville, or Dallas if you want to talk about questionable long term viability when looking at the numbers in comparison to Winnipeg. It would be my pleasure.

Oh stop.

Atlanta 3.0 is going to blast everything in Canada but Montreal and Toronto, and Edmonton is going to get a run for it's money.

16 SIXTEEN Fortune 500 companies are within 30 minutes of Krause's proposed arena and 0 ZERO of them are NHL sponsors. Watch how quick that changes when Atlanta gets 3.0. 15,004 per game? Ha!

 

[Brodie]

I will say that unlike literally every market that has joined the NHL over the past 15 years and several that haven’t, I have never seen a Utah fan posting on this board

 

[LPHabsFan]

Oh stop.

Atlanta 3.0 is going to blast everything in Canada but Montreal and Toronto, and Edmonton is going to get a run for it's money.

16 SIXTEEN Fortune 500 companies are within 30 minutes of Krause's proposed arena and 0 ZERO of them are NHL sponsors. Watch how quick that changes when Atlanta gets 3.0. 15,004 per game? Ha!

How about no, I will not stop. I have no doubt that like all new and shiny things, they will get the interest in the first 4 or 5 years. But there are reasons the market failed twice, there are numerous reasons, the Coyotes failed, there are reasons that other markets are middling. Can they stay afloat? Maybe. But you're trying to put a niche, foreign sport, in a decidedly not niche area with tons of competition and a history of failure. Good luck with that.

 

[Brodie]

I think Atlanta could work, but it really requires investment. I think it’s a much better market than Florida.

 

[Ernie]

How about no, I will not stop. I have no doubt that like all new and shiny things, they will get the interest in the first 4 or 5 years. But there are reasons the market failed twice, there are numerous reasons, the Coyotes failed, there are reasons that other markets are middling. Can they stay afloat? Maybe. But you're trying to put a niche, foreign sport, in a decidedly not niche area with tons of competition and a history of failure. Good luck with that.

Dropping $1.8 billion Canadian for a team that will barely break even is not going to happen. Nobody is going to put up that kind of money and the NHL will not allow it. It's a pipe dream.

Quebec city could have worked when the price for a relocated franchise was a 1/10th that and the dollar was at par. There was really a very small window for this to work out and Winnipeg just happened to be in the right time and right place.

 

[LPHabsFan]

Dropping $1.8 billion Canadian for a team that will barely break even is not going to happen. Nobody is going to put up that kind of money and the NHL will not allow it. It's a pipe dream.

Quebec city could have worked when the price for a relocated franchise was a 1/10th that and the dollar was at par. There was really a very small window for this to work out and Winnipeg just happened to be in the right time and right place.

I was talking about Atlanta, not Quebec City....

 

[sneakytitz]

How about no, I will not stop. I have no doubt that like all new and shiny things, they will get the interest in the first 4 or 5 years. But there are reasons the market failed twice, there are numerous reasons, the Coyotes failed, there are reasons that other markets are middling. Can they stay afloat? Maybe. But you're trying to put a niche, foreign sport, in a decidedly not niche area with tons of competition and a history of failure. Good luck with that.

This ain't the Atlanta of '99 or 2011.

Atlanta is now the 6th biggest metro area in the U.S. and the state has gone from 13th in GDP to 8th since the Thrashers have left. Atlanta is now the 18th largest city economy in the entire world. And Krause is putting a team/arena not the city, but where all the money is.

You're crazy if you don't think this isn't still printing money a decade from now. Cast your aspersions elsewhere but Atlanta 3.0 ain't the target. We're about to knock it out of the park and the entire league is about to reap the benefits in the way of major sponsors.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Sad if this comes to fruition for the Arizona fans. I hope they get a team back soon, and am convinced they will be a big success, especially with ownership and a great new arena in place.

I'm convinced Utah will also be a big success, as it will grow significantly, and they are becoming a alternative destination for a lot of California tech corporations.

Canadian fans who take any pleasure in this should beware of Karma... Winnipeg and QC left mainly because of the Exchange Rate and we are not far off similar lows right now (with a Canadian economy far worse than the US economy).

With the kind of huge money being suddenly waived around I suspect someone, somewhere, someday could have their eye on Winnipeg and Ottawa. Everyone has their price. Bettman's trip to Winnipeg raises an eyebrow, as does Frietta's recent comment about "I'm working on it".

I'm also convinced Houston and Atlanta would be huge successes. Moving Winnipeg and Ottawa there is a scenario that opens the door to expansion back to Arizona and another Texas team for #33 & #34 (Texas is projected to have over 40 million people by 2035, and the Austin/San Antonio markets represent a huge opportunity for a 3rd team in the state - especially with the huge inlfux of tech and corporate HQs to the region). That would finally give the NHL a footprint that covers the markets that are huge and growing fast and have lots of money and potential for corporate support.


Be careful what you wish for when it comes to relocation.