Toggle sidebar

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

  • Work is still on-going to rebuild the site styling and features. Please report any issues you may experience so we can look into it. Click Here for Updates
Status
Not open for further replies.
Voight said:
Hubris is a helluva drug.



That can go either way. David Stern had no qualms about moving the Hornets, Grizzlies and Sonics when things got dicy and it want financially viable for them to stay where they were. Two of those teams were relocated within a year of each other.

Similarly Paul Tagliabue when it came to the Browns & Oilers. Or Goodell with the Chargers & Raiders. (I would include the Rams x2, but the league letting Georgia Frontiere move them was a huge mistake and should have never happened)
Click to expand...
Tagliabue had no choice with the Browns, Oilers, Raiders and Rams because none of those team were moved through an ownership change. Their owners had up and moved and league precedent from the 80’s Raiders to LA move was already set. The league did return to Cleveland and Houston in short order via expansion (though the Houston expansion was supposed to be a new LA team). And of course the league orcatrated the Rams and Chargers LA moves.

I don’t believe the Hornets or Sonics were immediately tied to ownership changes. The Sonics were bought with the intent to move but there was a gap. Once an owner is in the club it is difficult to dislodge them. Which is why there is likely an expansion clause in this sale to get Murelo to relent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stlwahoo
Stumbledore said:
That's why you should leave the drafting to your legal counsel.

(No, I'm not advertising - I'm long since retretired.
Click to expand...
this fails as a statement before I even get to the content.

All-caps is a nightmare to read, and leaving the cursor on the screen is just awful. I know a lot of PR people, working for organizations a lot less prominent than a frigging NHL team, and none of them would make those mistakes.

This entire organization has zero attention to detail.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Stumbledore
GKJ said:
Tempe was probably the last straw because the campaign for it was so poor. It’s clear they don’t trust the auction. And with another CBA upcoming, the conditions and standards of the arena and facilities stood to be an issue the league can only lose on with the PA.
Click to expand...

Tempe vote could have very well been the breaking point. But I doubt there was a worry to the NHL of playing in Mullett being a future CBA issue. Whether or not a new arena was under construction would have been long settled before the CBA expires in two and a half years.
 
mouser said:
Tempe vote could have very well been the breaking point. But I doubt there was a worry to the NHL of playing in Mullett being a future CBA issue. Whether a not a new arena was under construction would have been long settled before the CBA expires in two and a half years.
Click to expand...
My feeling the league’s breaking point with Muerelo was probably getting kicked out of Glendale and stories of unpaid bills and strong arming creditors (which hurts the leagues and other team’s business rep). But it is hard to just dislodge an owner, and had to go along with the Tempe vote and the temporary plan with Mullet. And if that would have been successful that would have made the team more sellable down the line. Once that vote went south they started working on the backup plan (or at least putting it in action). I don’t think the Atlanta expansion talk coming up at the same was a coincidence.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oknazevad, stlwahoo, rsteen and 1 other person
jkrdevil said:
My feeling the league’s breaking point with Muerelo was probably getting kicked out of Glendale and stories of unpaid bills and strong arming creditors (which hurts the leagues and other team’s business rep). But it is hard to just dislodge an owner, and had to go along with the Tempe vote and the temporary plan with Mullet. And if that would have been successful that would have made the team more sellable down the line. Once that vote went south they started working on the backup plan (or at least putting it in action). I don’t think the Atlanta expansion talk coming up at the same was a coincidence.
Click to expand...
Yep they did not get that kind of cash without a quiet auction between a couple of buyers taking place. It would not shock me if the NHL is a 34 teams league very soon.
 
madhi19 said:
Yep they did not get that kind of cash without a quiet auction between a couple of buyers taking place. It would not shock me if the NHL is a 34 teams league very soon.
Click to expand...
Well Atlanta couldn’t take them. But the league would need an expansion sibling for that to be the off ramp.

But once it became clear there were concrete plans in multiple cities for teams and another round of expansion was/is coming the exit ramp became obvious. Especially as the auction date timeline got pushed back. Every extra month now could mean an extra year down the road in Mullet which isn’t feasible for the league.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mike Louis and Tom ServoMST3K
Does anyone think Meruelo can get this done? The dude seems amateur sports owner that is penny pinching for hotels and didn't pay Glendale which ultimately cost them a suitable home in the short term. How is he going to pay billions to get a team back and the arena?

Im sure the NHL want a team in the Phoenix area but this guy seems like a bozo they promised so they didn't have to deal with litigation. Also, this has to slow down expansion for at least 5 years right? I can see this guy suing, in say year 4, when the NHL is looking to expand and he doesn't have his ducks in a row using the 5 year clause.

I feel bad for the yotes fans - like the expos after their original owners sold they had nothing but carny ownership that seemed to punch above their weight. This is definitely not on the fans or market it's on ownership for never really icing a good team that would have helped through thin times.
 
OG6ix said:
Does anyone think Meruelo can get this done? The dude seems amateur sports owner that is penny pinching for hotels and didn't pay Glendale which ultimately cost them a suitable home in the short term. How is he going to pay billions to get a team back?

Im sure the NHL want a team in the Phoenix area but this guy seems like a bozo they promised so they didn't have to deal with litigation. Also, this has to slow down expansion for at least 5 years right? I can see this guy using in year 4 when the NHL is looking to expand and he doesn't have his ducks in a row using the 5 year clause.
Click to expand...
The league could go with Atlanta and Houston earlier if those 2 places are ready.

But agreed I don't have much confidence in Meruelo either. This will delay a legitimate attempt by any other group to try and get back into Arizona for 5 years. They may need that time anywy7
 
I'm wondering if the next expansion will be presented as a "fan Redemption " expansion by the NHL. Teams 33 and 34 will be Phoenix and Atlanta . Would be too funny if that happens
 
You have to wonder how things would have played out if John Ziegler wasn't a completely incompetent idiot in telling Jerry Colangelo the league had no plans on ever going to Phoenix. Because of that America West Arena was built as a primarily basketball facility.
 
  • Like
Reactions: QuizGuy66
The reports of a League guided sale to Utah sound pretty serious.

I guess two years at ASU and no legitimate arena options was enough for the NHL boys to pull the trigger. I say no legit options - but I have skimmed through the State Land Department Auction Notice. That is a really long process and its completely uncertain at multiple levels. I think its understandable that the League now considers the situation so untenable that they'll execute a relocation option.

I'm pretty skeptical that Mr. Meruelo is receiving $1B, as reported - but we'll never know the real figures... unless we get another whacky Balsillie BK carnival. Wouldn't that be great? We go back to the start and repeat the entire MegaThread, like an awful Groundhog Day sequel...

To really put a wrap on the whole thing - it seems helpful that Utah state legislature already passed SB-272, which kicks something like $500M in tax money over to Ryan Smith for arena improvements if he can land an NHL team. Gary has always been fond of that kind of government assistance. All the pieces appear to fit for the final curtain dropping on this amazing saga...
 
  • Like
Reactions: AT14C, Boris Zubov, Devils 3silverones and 6 others
TheGreenTBer said:
Lmao

This guy is such a f***up. Not a single ounce of professionalism, integrity, class or ethics.
Click to expand...
Might as well have been written on (and packaged) with this

IMG_6141.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheGreenTBer, wpgallday1960 and Tom ServoMST3K
Bixby Snyder said:
You have to wonder how things would have played out if John Ziegler wasn't a completely incompetent idiot in telling Jerry Colangelo the league had no plans on ever going to Phoenix. Because of that America West Arena was built as a primarily basketball facility.
Click to expand...
What if the Molson's held strong through the boycott, and didn't let the franchise join the NHL in '72?
 
Friedman saying they’re hoping to announce this on Thursday or Friday, but the sale(s) is not completed yet.

PA felt this was coming since January 1

Meruelo wants to retain the business staff for the AHL operation.

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: dj4aces and Tom ServoMST3K
mouser said:
Tempe vote could have very well been the breaking point. But I doubt there was a worry to the NHL of playing in Mullett being a future CBA issue. Whether or not a new arena was under construction would have been long settled before the CBA expires in two and a half years.
Click to expand...

High possibility Meruelo would keep dragging things out and make very little progress on the new arena. He figured out how to play at Mullet and not lose cash while sucking up heaps of NHL revenues so there was no time pressure on him.

The only way to force him onto any kind of schedule was to remove the team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Voight and Tom ServoMST3K
Mightygoose said:
So if Meruelo loses the auction (or doesn't bid), I take it the exclusive 5 year window is still active?

We'll have half a decade of looking at multiple sites talk to look forward in that case:D
Click to expand...
There’s supposed to be benchmarks he has to attain.

He’s not going to be able to sit around for 4 years and 11 months and have nothing going on and then walk in the door and be like ‘hey guess what’
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tom ServoMST3K
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom