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

[aqib]

CBS Phoenix

Morgan blaming the NHL for not vetting the ownership groups? Those were the only groups willing to buy the team...

 

[awfulwaffle]

Economists divided on whether Coyotes’ departure will hurt Arizona economy, if you only ask two economists

To quote:

"Economists are actually very much in agreement on whether the Coyotes leaving will have a significant impact on the Arizona economy (LOL, no), except for the one guy who used to work for the Coyotes."

Source: www.fieldofschemes.com/2024/04/18/21313/economists-divided-on-whether-coyotes-departure-will-hurt-arizona-economy-if-you-only-ask-two-economists/

Did you not get enough responses the last time you linked this opinion piece?

 

[dj4aces]

Morgan blaming the NHL for not vetting the ownership groups? Those were the only groups willing to buy the team...

It's not exactly an unfounded place to direct at least some of the blame. Meruelo was clearly out of his depth.

Hindsight, as always, is 20/20.

 

[GKJ]

Watching some of PHNX’s postgame, Craig Morgan seems pretty eager to get to a point where he, or others, start truly burying Meruelo.

Does kind of allude that Meruelo ‘needs to have a piece of land’ by next April, so I wonder if winning the auction isn’t a requirement, but then what’s the avenue to getting it?

 

[dj4aces]

Watching some of PHNX’s postgame, Craig Morgan seems pretty eager to get to a point where he, or others, start truly burying Meruelo.

Does kind of allude that Meruelo ‘needs to have a piece of land’ by next April, so I wonder if winning the auction isn’t a requirement, but then what’s the avenue to getting it?

With the team moving to SLC, I don't think getting land is a top priority. The auction would be the quickest route to take, but if next April is the checkpoint, it at least affords him beyond a reasonable amount of time to make forward progress on building an arena.

 

[GKJ]

With the team moving to SLC, I don't think getting land is a top priority. The auction would be the quickest route to take, but if next April is the checkpoint, it at least affords him beyond a reasonable amount of time to make forward progress on building an arena.

He needs the land, though. It’s clear he has to buy it. Where’s he getting it from? They’ve publicly acknowledged there’s no other option.

 

[TheLegend]

Eh, if a team I liked moved to a different city, I’d be peeved at that city, too.

Granted, not as much as I’d be enraged at the owner and league.

Welcome to hockey fandom.

Tough leather skin required.

 

[dj4aces]

He needs the land, though. It’s clear he has to buy it. Where’s he getting it from? They’ve publicly acknowledged there’s no other option.

Was there not other parcels they were looking at? If the auction is truly the only avenue, IMO, April wouldn't be an option, nor would it be a checkpoint for Meruelo to meet.

 

[Roadrage]

I didn't hear any chants about Meruelo but did about SLC or am I mistaken? I would've directed my dissatisfaction towards him rather then SLC but that's me.

 

[TheLegend]

Watching some of PHNX’s postgame, Craig Morgan seems pretty eager to get to a point where he, or others, start truly burying Meruelo.

Does kind of allude that Meruelo ‘needs to have a piece of land’ by next April, so I wonder if winning the auction isn’t a requirement, but then what’s the avenue to getting it?

Apparently he’s been getting calls and texts from people from within the team offices.

Steve Peters was with the team for 20+ years and knows where a few skeletons are. Also has connections from within the franchise.

 

[LPHabsFan]

Watching some of PHNX’s postgame, Craig Morgan seems pretty eager to get to a point where he, or others, start truly burying Meruelo.

Does kind of allude that Meruelo ‘needs to have a piece of land’ by next April, so I wonder if winning the auction isn’t a requirement, but then what’s the avenue to getting it?

See, this is part of the problem. For the past 15 years, whether it be the media, NHL, or even the fans, they've glossed over or buried all of the bullshit that outside people were shouting from the rooftops. And rather than cover it up to lead to a happy ending, it only made it so that the situation was more drawn out than it ever should have been, which was known by everyone outside of Arizona and New York as there was only one way this was ever going to end.

So for everything that is going to come out over the next several months from those Coyotes, or NHL, media people, it's extremely disingenuous from them when they could have kept everyone grounded in reality rather than the pie in the sky delusions that a lot people have been in over the last 15 years.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

This didn't have to happen.

It didn't have to happen if they just ran a proper TED campaign and put as much effort and intensity into their campaign as the opposition did. This was the biggest red flag of all.

It didn't have to f***ing happen.

 

[cbcwpg]

Morgan blaming the NHL for not vetting the ownership groups? Those were the only groups willing to buy the team...

Throughout his tenure, Gary Bettman was willing to let anyone that could sign their name to a piece of paper, own an NHL franchise.... so you get what you get.

 

[TheLegend]

I didn't hear any chants about Meruelo but did about SLC or am I mistaken? I would've directed my dissatisfaction towards him rather then SLC but that's me.

Last night was about the team. They’ll get to ownership in good time.

 

[GKJ]

Was there not other parcels they were looking at? If the auction is truly the only avenue, IMO, April wouldn't be an option, nor would it be a checkpoint for Meruelo to meet.

There was, but XG said out loud in front of people that this one is the only option.

Apparently he’s been getting calls and texts from people from within the team offices.

Steve Peters was with the team for 20+ years and knows where a few skeletons are. Also has connections from within the franchise.

I’m eagerly anticipating the reveal.

See, this is part of the problem. For the past 15 years, whether it be the media, NHL, or even the fans, they've glossed over or buried all of the bullshit that outside people were shouting from the rooftops. And rather than cover it up to lead to a happy ending, it only made it so that the situation was more drawn out than it ever should have been, which was known by everyone outside of Arizona and New York as there was only one way this was ever going to end.

So for everything that is going to come out over the next several months from those Coyotes, or NHL, media people, it's extremely disingenuous from them when they could have kept everyone grounded in reality rather than the pie in the sky delusions that a lot people have been in over the last 15 years.

I don’t know what any of this is supposed to mean, we have 150 extensive threads here documenting it.

 

[dj4aces]

There was, but XG said out loud in front of people that this one is the only option.

Oh, I know that much. However, now seems to be a really odd time to take him at his word, dontcha think?

 

[TheLegend]

Throughout his tenure, Gary Bettman was willing to let anyone that could sign their name to a piece of paper, own an NHL franchise.... so you get what you get.

Of all of them…. only two groups had leaders with experience in pro sports.

Greg Jamison
Jerry Reinsdorf

The NHL turned one away and the other one walked away because someone outside kept meddling with negotiations.

 

[GKJ]

 

[Mightygoose]

This would be the first time to recent history that an owner will meet with the players/staff

 

[awfulwaffle]

This would be the first time to recent history that an owner will meet with the players/staff

Or that it's just the only one that's been advertised.

 

[Tawnos]

I really hope the Coyotes come back... and unfortunately the quickest path to that is Meruelo actually following through with the current arena plan. And that sucks.

 

[KevFu]

Eh, if a team I liked moved to a different city, I’d be peeved at that city, too.

Granted, not as much as I’d be enraged at the owner and league.

I think the overall summation on the "Salt Lake Sucks" chant is that's an easy chant at a game.

It's not like you can articulate that they never had an acceptable NHL arena which was accessible to the majority of the market or most of their owners were shysters or worse, or explain that they never had the holy trinity of owner, arena and lease at the same time...

... in three words. "Hockey the Hard Way" is probably the closest you can get to a succinct statement of what they've dealt with.

It's not really "fair" to Salt Lake to be the target of their anger, but nothing about this is really fair, and when you're that angry, sad, upset, pissed, crying and heartbroken... it's also unfair of us to judge their grieving process.

Again...slipshod operation too the bitter end

Nah. I think it's appropriate for AM to stay away. Last night was for the fans and their team, and his presence would change the dynamic from "We love this, and don't want it to leave" to basically "Blame" for why it's happening.

The timing is kind of quirky that my first comparison was "last night was a wake, and you don't want the person you believe is complicit in their death in the building" during the same week OJ Simpson died.

 

[BMN]

Of all of them…. only two groups had leaders with experience in pro sports.

Greg Jamison
Jerry Reinsdorf

The NHL turned one away and the other one walked away because someone outside kept meddling with negotiations.

100% this.

The past decade, Coyotes fans have been left to stump for charlatans because those charlatans were the only people preventing (although as it turns out, it was merely prolonging) relocation. You know the period of time when the league was running the team? That could have been the whole 28 years and there's no way it would have come out worse. It's crazy to realize that the only non-COVID time the team won a playoff round was when the league owned it!

Had I been a NHL owner in the 2010s, I would never have voted to approve IceArizona. Even above not believing in any of them (especially Anthony Leblanc who sounded like the perjorative term of a used car salesman the moment he opened his mouth), I would have just stood up and said "these guys don't have the money and won't have the money any time remotely soon for this to be an acceptable situation" and left it at that.

I think Reinsdorf was their best shot...and even typing that makes me go "woof" a little...

 

[GKJ]

I really hope the Coyotes come back... and unfortunately the quickest path to that is Meruelo actually following through with the current arena plan. And that sucks.

I think it’s him failing as soon as possible. Then you can get to work on finding the next owner instead of waiting 5 years.

 

[Tawnos]

I think it’s him failing as soon as possible. Then you can get to work on finding the next owner instead of waiting 5 years.

True. We haven't seen what the benchmarks are yet.