Per Friedman: Coyotes players told team moving to Utah starting next season (Mod warning post #50)

[Tawnos]

I have a dreadful feeling that Meruelo will spend the next 4 years going to the Board of Governors meeting and saying "We're not ready" and then in the final year of the agreement, flipping the rights to some new owner -- who will then apply for extension having just taken over the team. Wash, Repeat. The BoG won't care as long as they get paid, but in the meantime Arizona fans are left out in the cold.

Would almost be better if the team completely folded and they started anew with an expansion team from scratch.

There was a report today that Meruelo will not be allowed to sell the rights to the team. I personally think that’s a weird decision, but it’s apparently what they decided.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

There was a report today that Meruelo will not be allowed to sell the rights to the team. I personally think that’s a weird decision, but it’s apparently what they decided.

If they give him the ability to sell the rights to another franchise to someone else, it gives him an opportunity to further profit and I think they're trying to limit that.

Plus, I would imagine if the BoG were to allow him to sell those rights it would demand final say, lest he sell it to someone the league didn't want as an owner.

 

[Melrose Munch]

If they give him the ability to sell the rights to another franchise to someone else, it gives him an opportunity to further profit and I think they're trying to limit that.

Plus, I would imagine if the BoG were to allow him to sell those rights it would demand final say, lest he sell it to someone the league didn't want as an owner.

Maybe they should use their robust approval process??

Oh wait...

 

[hangman005]

Maybe they should use their robust approval process??

Oh wait...

I was saying on the BOH, it is somewhat surprising Spano wasn't part the coyotes saga.

 

[GKJ]

I have a dreadful feeling that Meruelo will spend the next 4 years going to the Board of Governors meeting and saying "We're not ready" and then in the final year of the agreement, flipping the rights to some new owner -- who will then apply for extension having just taken over the team. Wash, Repeat. The BoG won't care as long as they get paid, but in the meantime Arizona fans are left out in the cold.

Would almost be better if the team completely folded and they started anew with an expansion team from scratch.

He’s not going to be able to do that based on the deal he is making.

 

[Sentinel]

So -- one step closer to Canada? Next they'll go to Wyoming, then Montana...

 

[patnyrnyg]

When I watched Friedman Saturday and heard him mention the 5-year window, I shook my head and laughed. Then, realized it was probably the only way Murelo would agree. Then thought, they have Atlanta with a strong group and Fertita in Houston. So, if Murelo doesn't get it together, Atlanat joins the league with Houston in a few years. If he does, Atlanta, Houston, Arizona, and yes I will go there, Quebec join together. So, if you are a Quebec fan, root for Murelo to get it done. (Note: I am speculating/thinking out loud, have no evidence to back this up).

 

[Voight]

So wait, it's official?

It won't be official until the lawyers are done lawyering.

But it's a matter of when, not if.

 

[Osakahaus]

So -- one step closer to Canada? Next they'll go to Wyoming, then Montana...

Wyoming would be an awesome market if it worked btw

 

[Voight]

This is actually the interesting part to me. I was thinking that the expansion team would be guaranteed as long as Meruelo got the arena built, just as a way to get Meruelo to agree to the sale. The NHL BOG being able to tell him to go screw himself is something I wasn't expecting to see in the deal, the other owners must really hate him.

The more I read, the more I think the likely outcome here is that Meruelo pockets the money and just leaves the Phoenix/NHL market entirely.

Other owners hating him is key, because I believe the league would need 2/3 to vote him out. But it looks like they would have 31/32.

 

[Chileiceman]

Wyoming would be an awesome market if it worked btw

As someone with deep ties to the state, that would be awesome. However, having significantly fewer people than the City of Winnipeg in the entire state is a knock against that idea.

 

[Voight]

Wyoming would be an awesome market if it worked btw

Sorry what? There's less than 600,000 people in the entire state.

To put it into perspective, that's less than every other state, and Rhode Island for example has double the population.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Wyoming would be an awesome market if it worked btw

According to a quick google search, the population of Wyoming (as of 2022) was under 600,000.

There's a reason there's somewhat of a "dead zone" for pro sports in the US.....South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming combining for zero teams. There's just no appetite for it, I guess.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

According to a quick google search, the population of Wyoming (as of 2022) was under 600,000.

There's a reason there's somewhat of a "dead zone" for pro sports in the US.....South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming combining for zero teams. There's just no appetite for it, I guess.

not at the top level ie NHL.... BUT there are teams in Rapid City and Idaho

 

[cptjeff]

As someone with deep ties to the state, that would be awesome. However, having significantly fewer people than the City of Winnipeg in the entire state is a knock against that idea.

Yeah, that's insanity. Beautiful state and all, but cattle don't buy hockey tickets.

 

[Dr Pepper]

not at the top level ie NHL.... BUT there are teams in Rapid City and Idaho

Oh no doubt, and I'm sure college sports is still absolutely massive down there.

But I still don't think we'll ever see an expansion team in Cheyenne or Boise.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Oh no doubt, and I'm sure college sports is still absolutely massive down there.

But I still don't think we'll ever see an expansion team in Cheyenne or Boise.

OR anything close to a contract stipulation like what's been proposed.....

 

[Dr Pepper]

OR anything close to a contract stipulation like what's been proposed.....

Nope, probably not.

And they certainly wouldn't play out of a local college campus arena until they found a suitable NHL-sized site in the area, either.

 

[AslanRH]

Wyoming would be an awesome market if it worked btw

I wish this were true. I don't think an ECHL team could survive up here.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Wasn't the City of Glendale the ones that voided the lease in 2015 under conflict of interest laws being violated by the Coyotes? And the City was losing millions per year from Gila River arena due to the Coyotes having sub-optimal attendance?

No, they were not. They simply did not renew the lease.

Glendale did vote to opt out of their agreement in 2016, The Coyotes and Glendale then went on to agree to a year to year lease.

There were reports that AM did not pay taxes, rent, etc at the Arena, and that there was some delinquency, for sure. It was also said by Kevin Phelps that he did eventually become up to date with finances.

The lease in 2015 in fact was voided due to a conflict of interest clause invoked by the City of Glendale. A Glendale City attorney who worked on the arena negotiations wound up going to work for the Coyotes. The city council then voted 5-2 to void the lease....but more importantly it also canceled the $15M Arena Subsidy that was really important to the NHL. It fueled more speculation that the Ice Edge clowns were simply a front & the league were still the actual owners.

That incident fueled one of the more famous lines from Bettman during this saga which was repeated verbatim minutes later by Anthony LeBlanc....

"The citizens of Glendale should be very concerned about the government that they have leading them right now" or something to that effect. LOL

 

[Royale With Cheese]

After 28 years of shakiness, I've seen this threat so many times it has become sad. There has always been something that happens that winds up kicking the can down the road and the Coyotes stay.

It looks like this is really the end - wow. Coyotes fans must be just gutted after watching this drama play out all these years and they finally land with a thud in Utah.

 

[Volica]

It's unfortunate, but was always sort of bound to happen. The league has been keeping this team afloat for a long while now, and honestly the last straw to me was when they had to play in a college rink, it felt like the writing was on the wall.

Pretty clear the various cities/towns in the area had no interest in getting the Coyotes a permanent home; and it sucks for their fans.

SLC will be a great market, with that being said. The Jazz have essentially been sold out for the past few years and have always had great attendance. SLC is a wealthy city in the US, not in terms of those mega rich small cities for elites, but just a big clean city with a lot of middle class. That city loves a winner too, there was a period of about 20 years where the Jazz made the playoffs consecutively and in the meantime mid way through in 1991, Delta Center opened and that city has been putting 19,500 bodies in that arena nightly.

 

[cptjeff]

That city loves a winner too,

Everybody loves a winner, so nobody loves Phoe...nix?

 

[chaser17]

My guess is the NHL doesn't think AZ ownership will make any progress on a new arena and that everybody will just end up going their separate ways in 5 years with their hands wiped clean of Muerelo.

 

[Channelcat]

If someone handed me 1 billion dollars..... buying an expansion franchise in Arizona is the last thing I'd be doing.