Sure, we can fast ferry our way to the arena.... lol...Meh, if Dubai can do this the Canucks can just terraform something in Burrard Inlet and put the arena there.
Official Francesco Aquilini Thread
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StickShift
In a pickle 🥒
RE: Practice Rink
Build a public practice rink and private team facilities into a floor of the vacated Nordstrom’s store at Pacific Centre. I don’t Cadillac Fairview is going to find a single tenant to fill that square footage.
It will help drive foot traffic to the mall and it is easily connected to public transit. The venue could be converted to event space when not in use.
There is precedent for this too. Seattle put their league-standard practice arena at the Northgate mall.
Build a public practice rink and private team facilities into a floor of the vacated Nordstrom’s store at Pacific Centre. I don’t Cadillac Fairview is going to find a single tenant to fill that square footage.
It will help drive foot traffic to the mall and it is easily connected to public transit. The venue could be converted to event space when not in use.
There is precedent for this too. Seattle put their league-standard practice arena at the Northgate mall.
- May 3, 2021
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I used to get dragged there every year on the way to or from the Blue Jays series.
I actually didn't know this and was going to ask what was on the site before, but I can see from Google Street View that the answer is Macy's.
One big difference is that parking is abundant/easy at Northgate, and only underground at Pacific Centre (and I assume more limited -- I don't think I've ever once parked there). Which, combined with downtown traffic, might be a lot more annoying for frequent use than the usual edge-of-town facilities.
Aphid Attraction
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- Jan 17, 2013
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Everything in that photo is reportedly sinking…Meh, if Dubai can do this the Canucks can just terraform something in Burrard Inlet and put the arena there.
StickShift
In a pickle 🥒
If there is enough parking for the mall, there is enough parking for a practice rink. And it is supported by all the downtown transit connections. I’m sure the Canucks staff would get their own entrance or parking somewhere. Being a large commercial building presumably there is enough space for the rink mechanicals too.
Essentially, it has all of the amenities that they would need. The big question is whether there would be a large enough pillar-less footprint for a rink.
Probably cost prohibitive. You need to support all of the floors above the rink. Might be possible but look at the extra cost for Seattle to keep that roof. Cost them like a quarter of a billion more than to simply blow it up and build brand new.
Since Aquilini rarely, if ever, gives media interviews, we never really know what he really thinks of the current state of his hockey team.
You'd think he'd be a little embarrassed by the on-ice product, particularly when down the I-5 the second year Seattle Kraken are looking like a threat to reach the conference finals.
But of course the Canucks are a license to print money; and the value of NHL franchises is ballooning every year. I mean if the Ottawa Senators are worth north of $1 billion, what are the Canucks worth?
So maybe he's not all that troubled by the fact that this team has made the playoffs just once since 2014.
You'd think he'd be a little embarrassed by the on-ice product, particularly when down the I-5 the second year Seattle Kraken are looking like a threat to reach the conference finals.
But of course the Canucks are a license to print money; and the value of NHL franchises is ballooning every year. I mean if the Ottawa Senators are worth north of $1 billion, what are the Canucks worth?
So maybe he's not all that troubled by the fact that this team has made the playoffs just once since 2014.
I don't get FA's logic of the team. Spends to the cap and above it in real dollars before Covid, only to miss the PO. After Covid, cuts costs. Now, he's back to spending to the cap and above it in real dollars with no PO still.
There is really no plan. We really haven't seen him since he fired Benning.
Last real interview he gave was before the 20-21 season where he said he should take the blame for the covid year and not spending, thus not blame Benning. Only to have to fire him 1/3 of the way through the season. Still remember his words in 2019 "The dark times are behind us".... Sure.....
EverTheCynic
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- May 26, 2022
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Francesco Aquilini is a moron who has never been told he's a moron because he's rich and people suck up to him.
EpochLink
Canucks and Jets fan
Im sure Aquaman could care less when he’s spending close to a million dollars on a f***ing truck in auctions. Guy needs cash to mend his CAINE habit.
Kevinsane
Kraken up.
THIS.
And it bothers me to no end that the casuals of the fan base are blissfully unaware what an irredeemable POS the owner of their favourite team is.
The Sens are getting a lot of bids, so if we are truly lucky and the Aquillini family decides to put the team up for sale, there should be a lot of bids and options. Just that not all bids will be local, but being local hasn't been good with this group.
theguardianII
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- Jan 30, 2020
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The Griffiths were great owner's at a time when the Canadian peso ruined most Canadian teams.
It was the NBA that made them sell the team, the lack of support from the NBA made Vancouver Grizzilie just that grizzly, horrible.
Forced the Griffiths into selling part then the whole of the team.
It was the Griffiths that started the arena downtown, a brilliant idea that the team would own the arena and surrounding lands.
It was the absentee owner that almost totally ruined this franchise McCaw an owner that was only interested in making a profit and spending the least amount possible. Never showed up hired and an accountant, a bean counter to run the team into the ground.
Only local ownership that had pride in the team has ever taken this team to 3 cup finals.
And do really think a different owner would allow this team to spend to the max when they can make as much or more spending to the minimum? All that would happen is they would do the exact same thing as now, sell fans on "next year" and the "young" 26 yr old player. I hope some fans did look at the bottom third of the league and realize many of those team won more than they lost near the end of the season, just like the Canucks the last two years.
An new owner will not change the fact that this team has cap issues and not enough really good top six prospects or even a replacement for a 2nd line center that will be necessary in 2 years.
Hit the post
I have your gold medal Zippy!
Easier to be spending 'daddy's money'.
People want to know what would've happened to the Corleone's had Fredo been made the "boss". Well take a look at the Canucks. Hyman Roth is Jeremy Jacobs. And Bettman is Johnny Ola.
I used to think that surely the Aquilini's must be miffed, that despite spending to the salary cap max every season, their team was was consistently buried in the lottery.
I mean when you look around the league, you could make a compelling argument that over the last decade no team in the NHL has spent more on its payroll and accomplished less on the ice than the Canucks. Surely, you say, the total absence of playoff revenue at Rogers every season has to tick him off.
But of course I'm not really convinced the owner cares all that much. Fans still fill the rink and buy merchandise. And the value of the franchise keeps climbing every year.
While Canuck fans are left crying in their beer, the owner is laughing all the way to the bank.
I mean when you look around the league, you could make a compelling argument that over the last decade no team in the NHL has spent more on its payroll and accomplished less on the ice than the Canucks. Surely, you say, the total absence of playoff revenue at Rogers every season has to tick him off.
But of course I'm not really convinced the owner cares all that much. Fans still fill the rink and buy merchandise. And the value of the franchise keeps climbing every year.
While Canuck fans are left crying in their beer, the owner is laughing all the way to the bank.
If the aquilinis put the Canucks up for sale tomorrow, it would fetch more than the Sens. Forbes had the Canucks valued higher than Nash and Pitt which were also recently sold.
So, unfortunately the on ice results won’t shake the valuation.
Washington commanders went for $6 bill. Also like Ottawa they need a new stadium. Denver went for less and have no stadium issues to deal with.
BrentSopelsHair
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- May 3, 2021
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RobertKron
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- Sep 1, 2007
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Oh my god, Bruce Allen went away, worked on his obvious insecurity-based attitude issues, and discovered HFboards.
PuckMunchkin
Very Nice, Very Evil!
Just were chatting with my little brother, whom I've unfortunately infected with Canuckitis in his youth.
First we were laughing that the Canucks won 50,000 in the draft lottery.
But then he just said that he does not think there is any reason to invest in to this team until the ownership changes. They will keep going for every short cut as long as Francesco runs the show. No long term plans will be implemented. We will be bad enough to draft a 2 or 3 good young players that are the reason to not be bad enough to actually build the foundations of a contender.
Analyzing team building aspects or who they are to draft etc. seems completely pointless.
First we were laughing that the Canucks won 50,000 in the draft lottery.
But then he just said that he does not think there is any reason to invest in to this team until the ownership changes. They will keep going for every short cut as long as Francesco runs the show. No long term plans will be implemented. We will be bad enough to draft a 2 or 3 good young players that are the reason to not be bad enough to actually build the foundations of a contender.
Analyzing team building aspects or who they are to draft etc. seems completely pointless.
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- May 3, 2021
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The yo-yo behaviour of spending on the Canucks makes me think there were off-ice financing issues with their other businesses that caused cashflow issues that might have gone away with COVID receding. A few reporters have alluded to as much.
Depends on who the new owner is; it's not unheard of for an owner to prioritize winning and a commitment to a long-term strategy and give permission for management to do what needs to be done and spend what needs to be spent, just not the ones we currently have.
RobertKron
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- Sep 1, 2007
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I mean, all of us, but OP's post reads like one of those Bruce Allen bits without the anger and the "how dare they" schtick.
