Phoenix CXVIII: No Promises

[Boris Zubov]

^^^^^^ Ain't gonna happen boys and girls.


And with that....... the man speaks.... (video clip with article)

http://www.abc15.com/sports/sports-blogs-local/arizona-coyotes-co-owner-anthony-leblanc-provides-update-on-new-arena

Cue the "two weeks" jokes.........

Interesting quote from the text portion....



Was not mentioned or confirmed in the video interview, but if true they already have an extension in place.

Video keeps cutting out at the 31 second mark. Regardless, someone close to LeBluster reads this thread. He obviously knows he's the butt of many two week jokes.

According to the article, the timeline is now less than two weeks. 1/2 a fortnight?

"I know there's (people on) social media that joke about me, saying I sound like a contractor: 'It'll be ready in two weeks,'" LeBlanc said. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you a time, but I can tell people we will have something out on the market very soon."

But moments later, LeBlanc said an announcement on a location could coincide with the beginning of the NHL regular season.

"We are very hopeful and expect that we'll be able to (make an announcement) here in the next couple of weeks," he said.

Another thing the article mentions is a lease agreement expiring in 2019...Insider info or misinformed writer?

One thing is certain: The Coyotes don't expect to stay in Glendale beyond the 2018-19 season when arena contract with the city is set to expire.

 

[Fairview]

atta boy Tony..we now have a timeline that we can count on Only 2 weeks to go. Since no one will admit that they are in any way going into a partnership with IA up til now, no leaks, no rumours...it should be a very interesting announcement. Maybe an announcement about an upcoming announcement
I can't wait.

Wait...maybe that was ABC's way of making a joke about this whole situation?

There is no way that Tony would acknowledge that he is the butt of many 2 Week jokes, then immediately give another 2 week deadline. It's a joke in bad taste...RIGHT???

 

[Slot]

atta boy Tony..we now have a timeline that we can count on Only 2 weeks to go. Since no one will admit that they are in any way going into a partnership with IA up til now, no leaks, no rumours...it should be a very interesting announcement. Maybe an announcement about an upcoming announcement
I can't wait.

Wait...maybe that was ABC's way of making a joke about this whole situation?

There is no way that Tony would acknowledge that he is the butt of many 2 Week jokes, then immediately give another 2 week deadline. It's a joke in bad taste...RIGHT???

So in 2 weeks we get another superlative to add to super progressed and advanced?

Edit: What's the fastest an arena can reasonably be erected and furnished enough to play Hockey?

 

[Llama19]

Says he knows people make jokes about his "2 weeks" timelines - immediately gives a 2 week timeline.

atta boy Tony..we now have a timeline that we can count on Only 2 weeks to go...There is no way that Tony would acknowledge that he is the butt of many 2 Week jokes, then immediately give another 2 week deadline. It's a joke in bad taste...RIGHT???

So in 2 weeks we get another superlative to add to super progressed and advanced?

Video keeps cutting out at the 31 second mark. Regardless, someone close to LeBluster reads this thread. He obviously knows he's the butt of many two week jokes...

To quote from the article:

"But moments later, LeBlanc said an announcement on a location could coincide with the beginning of the NHL regular season."

The Coyotes Season Home Opener is Saturday, Oct 15, 10 days away...

NALA +15

 

[Slot]

To quote from the article:

"But moments later, LeBlanc said an announcement on a location could coincide with the beginning of the NHL regular season."

The Coyotes Season Home Opener is Saturday, Oct 15, 10 days away...

NALA +15

Season starts on the 12th so 7-10 days, Tony isn't giving himself much time.

 

[mesamonster]

Let me start by saying I sincerely doubt we will hear about a new venue in two weeks! The mouthpiece has been playing this song for how long? Each time another new supposed hurdle shows up to push his super progressed timeline to different date and then the countdown starts all over again!


But lets play along with Tony`s little deception and make a wild guess about location and then extrapolate from there. So its a partnership with ASU to build a new facility that will house Div. 1 hockey, basketball and the Coyotes. I presume that the building will be primarily financed with public dollars, I can`t see IA ponying up much, particularly because they are facing 2-3 years of large losses while waiting for their new facility.


How does this arrangement make the Coyotes profitable if once again they do not control the arena and its ancillary income streams? Secondly, college venues have far different needs than professional venues, the expense of costly suites and club level up charges are not part of the college needs! College patrons are a different fan base, less affluent and less interested in the up charge frills that professional venues need to entice corporate customers. The expense to build out these high end features is prodigious and yet necessary to compete for consumer dollars. Does IA have the wherewithal to put this in the budget? I don`t believe so, and ASU does not need such services to succeed.

Arena naming rights? Sorry IA, those will go to the University! Arena ad revenue? Split between ASU and the Coyotes! Control of dates, primarily Saturday evening. ASU hockey or basketball will be competing with the Coyotes for those times and dates. Who gets them, certainly they will all get a few, but not as many if they had sole control of the calendar. My point of all of this is that the Coyotes will once again be a tenant subject to the vagaries of the college and its needs. It does not make sense to overspend on an arena for college just to appease the professional partner. Finally cost? Does anyone have any idea how much such a multi use arena will cost to construct in this day and age? Has to be much more than when GRA was built, but how much more?

 

[powerstuck]

So in 2 weeks we get another superlative to add to super progressed and advanced?

Edit: What's the fastest an arena can reasonably be erected and furnished enough to play Hockey?

Rough estimate I would say 15-18 months.

And that's taking into account you do the concrete pouring during a colder season (in Arizona) because concrete doesn't cure well at 100F+

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Another thing the article mentions is a lease agreement expiring in 2019...Insider info or misinformed writer?

I saw that too and immediately thought "misinformed writer." If not, that means that IA and AEG have negotiated a two-year extension to the existing deal and just never announced it. I find that somewhat implausible.

Edit: What's the fastest an arena can reasonably be erected and furnished enough to play Hockey?

I'd say two years to get the thing built and fitted out for hockey if they started right now. Three seasons from now seems more realistic of a timeline if they announce a deal before the trade deadline.

But lets play along with Tony`s little deception and make a wild guess about location and then extrapolate from there. So its a partnership with ASU to build a new facility that will house Div. 1 hockey, basketball and the Coyotes.

Please, PLEASE keep in mind that the ASU supposition was the reporter's, not what LeBlanc actually said.

 

[Mightygoose]

I wonder if Mr. LeBlanc is mentioning these timelines just to gauge a reaction now.

In one breath he can't commit to a timeline and gives references to the jabbing of the 2 week thing (I'm certain he reads this forum), then gives a 2 week timeline....surely he can't be this clueless....can he?

One thing is certain: The Coyotes don't expect to stay in Glendale beyond the 2018-19 season when arena contract with the city is set to expire.

Sounds like guesswork on the writer's part. The contract with the city expires at the end of the 2016-17 season. If any extension is or has been done, it's done with AEG. He's probably referencing back to when Mr. LeBlanc mentioned 2 years to bridge the gap and hence came up with 2018/19.

We'll find out in a fortnight or so.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

Two thoughts about the piece.

1: I honestly think he didnt realize the parody that two weeks has become.

2: I assume any lease would require a resolution from the COG, right? As a cross the i's dot the t's sort of thing? Im not up 100% on the COG and AEG relationship on paper. Either way, lebluster would be yelling it from the rooftops if they had an extension, or if there was some reason it was a secret Morgan would let us know.

I think the reporter got played, but I dont blame them, considering the rabbit hole you have to go down to get good background info on this subject.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

2: I assume any lease would require a resolution from the COG, right? As a cross the i's dot the t's sort of thing? Im not up 100% on the COG and AEG relationship on paper.

I don't know for sure, but I don't think so. AEG is now the proxy for the City in all matters relating to booking tenants and acts and so forth, so it seems commonsensical to me that they would have the power and authority to negotiate leases with third parties (into which group the Coyotes now fall).

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

I don't know for sure, but I don't think so. AEG is now the proxy for the City in all matters relating to booking tenants and acts and so forth, so it seems commonsensical to me that they would have the power and authority to negotiate leases with third parties (into which group the Coyotes now fall).

Ok but the power and authority to negotiate, is different than signing a lease with the owners of the building. This is very technical and depends on the exact nature of the agreement between AEG and the city.

My thought is they have the authority to negotiate, and then bring a finished lease to the city to approve.

This is how it would work in the jurisdictions im very framiliar with.

 

[kihekah19*]

Couldn`t agree more! Lebluster needs to leave, he has caused more problems and issues than the franchise itself. Without his lies and and false innuendos the franchise on its face would look so much more professional than it does! he is the butt of all the jokes and negative impressions that have come to a crescendo in the last year. He alone has created the image that this is loser franchise, when EVERYONE knows that he is not genuine you have an enormous credibility problem with your fan base. Tony, do yourself a favor and pull the plug, we will all be better off if you show the courage to resign your ill fated position. Honestly, bring someone in who can inspire confidence and not the disdain that Tony has created!

What purpose would that serve when you constantly state that the entire situation is hopeless?

 

[Major4Boarding]

3.1(b)(xv)

negotiate, enter into, administer, amend and terminate all contracts relating to the use of Arena facilities and services, including the Coyotes Lease (provided that any amendment or restatement of the buyout provisions set forth therein shall be subject to the prior written approval of the City as set forth in Section 15.2(d)(ii)), any and all licenses, occupancy agreements, advertising agreements, concession agreements, supplier agreements, service contracts (including contracts for cleaning; decorating and set-up; general maintenance and maintenance and inspection of HVAC systems, elevators, stage equipment, fire control panel and other safety equipment; staffing and personnel needs, including guards and ushers; and other appropriate services), ticketing agreements, parking agreements, and all other contracts and agreements in connection with the Operation of the Arena, except that any such contract or agreement, or amendment thereto, that imposes specific obligations on the City shall be subject to the prior written approval of the City, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld;

15.2(d)

(d) Coyotes Lease.

(i) The City shall terminate Outgoing Manager’s management rights under the Coyotes Lease and amend the Coyotes Lease to reflect such termination before the Service Date. It is a condition precedent to Arena’s obligation to perform under this Agreement that the City comply with its obligations set forth in the immediately preceding sentence. Should the City fail to comply with such obligations, Arena Manager may terminate this Agreement immediately upon written notice to the City. The City and Arena Manager acknowledge and agree that Arena Manager has the exclusive right to negotiate, enter into, administer, amend and terminate the Coyotes Lease during the Term, provided that any amendment or restatement of the buyout provisions set forth therein shall be subject to the prior written approval of the City.

(ii) If the Coyotes Lease is amended or replaced at any time during the Term by Arena Manager, the City or an authorized agent of the City shall have the right, following written request made to Arena Manager therefor, to review, in its entirety, the Coyotes Lease as amended or replaced. The City shall take all reasonable and necessary steps, in accordance with Applicable Law, to protect any information contained in the Coyotes Lease that is identified by Arena Manager as confidential and proprietary information. If there is any Action related to the City's efforts to protect from disclosure the confidential or propriety information of Arena Manager, Arena Manager shall assume the defense of such Action.

(iii) Arena Manager and the City shall perform their respective obligations and enforce their respective rights under the Coyotes Lease throughout the Term, and shall comply with all reasonable requests by the other Party with respect to the same.

(iv) The City represents and warrants that, as of the date of the Effective Date and as of the Service Date, the Coyotes Lease is (or will be) in full force and effect, a true and correct copy of the Coyotes Lease has been provided by the City to Arena Manager, that there exists no default by either party under the Coyotes Lease, and that no notice of termination has been delivered or received by the City with respect to the Coyotes Lease (except any notice from the City to Outgoing Manager terminating Outgoing Manager’s management rights under the Coyotes Lease).

 

[mesamonster]

TFP, if it isn`t ASU and i doubt the downtown option with the Suns will materialize. That leaves the Tribes, i can`t begin to understand their pro forma modeling involving an IA partnership? What other options are out there that allow for a venue to be built with limited IA capital?

 

[Killion]

^^^ What is this all in aid of M4B? The question of termination date that ABC has listed as 17/18 in the text of that interview with LeBlanc?

 

[Major4Boarding]

^^^ What is this all in aid of M4B? The question of termination date that ABC has listed as 17/18 in the text of that interview with LeBlanc?

All the above

Tom Servo's post and TFP's

Perhaps the ABC reporter had remembered the original lease date of 07/13 and the 5 year out?

 

[cbcwpg]

Going into this season there is something that can be said about the Coyotes that has never been said in the past....

For the 1st time ever, since the NHL introduced the salary cap, the Coyotes are now considered to officially be a " Cap Team * ".

The * of course refers to having $20,000,000 in players that will only ever see ice in their drinks, but congrats anyways.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

TFP, if it isn`t ASU and i doubt the downtown option with the Suns will materialize. That leaves the Tribes, i can`t begin to understand their pro forma modeling involving an IA partnership? What other options are out there that allow for a venue to be built with limited IA capital?

I don't know exactly how the tribe option would work. I've been told that various tribal groups own separate parcels of land on the reservation, and that there is limited oversight about how it can be developed. What I don't know is whether there is an analogue for the taxing district idea that IA floated around the Phoenix and Tempe legislatures last year, and if there is, how it would work.

I've heard that there are at least two, maybe three, tribal groups who at one point or another have been at least in talks with IA about being part of a proposed commercial development on their respective parcels. I don't know where things stand with any of those at this date. I believe at one point the Talking Stick group - the ones who own and operate the Salt River Fields baseball/shopping/hotel complex up in Scottsdale - were interested at one point but are no longer involved, but I don't have confirmation for that particular rumor.

All of that said, if we're talking progression (not "super progression," but ACTUAL progression), the sense I get is that things are further down the road with the tribe groups than ASU, and certainly much more developed than anything to do with downtown Phoenix. My intel could be wrong, though. The grapevine around here is not the sturdiest, after all.

TL;DR - we'll find out when IA decides to tell us, and no sooner... because I doubt anyone in Phoenix media has anything other than supposition to work from.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

Thanks M4B. There was a time I would get mad at media for not going hard on this issue, but ive relaxed, now that i work for the so called dark side

 

[Whileee]

Prediction... sometime in the next few weeks LeBlanc will announce something inconclusive like they are working towards a plan with ASU, but they need to work out important issues (mainly, where the money comes from).

 

[Llama19]

...Sounds like guesswork on the writer's part. The contract with the city expires at the end of the 2016-17 season. If any extension is or has been done, it's done with AEG. He's probably referencing back to when Mr. LeBlanc mentioned 2 years to bridge the gap and hence came up with 2018/19..

^^^ What is this all in aid of M4B? The question of termination date that ABC has listed as 17/18 in the text of that interview with LeBlanc?

All the above

Tom Servo's post and TFP's

Perhaps the ABC reporter had remembered the original lease date of 07/13 and the 5 year out?

To use TFP's terminology, I've heard that there has been no extension of the lease by AEG with the Coyotes, beyond the current Glendale lease, which expires on June 30, 2017...

 

[Headshot77]

To use TFP's terminology, I've heard that there has been no extension of the lease by AEG with the Coyotes, beyond the current Glendale lease, which expires on June 30, 2017...

Perhaps instead of counting up from the lack of an arena announcement, it would be more apt to count down until the current lease ends!

268 Days Remain

 

[mesamonster]

Prediction... sometime in the next few weeks LeBlanc will announce something inconclusive like they are working towards a plan with ASU, but they need to work out important issues (mainly, where the money comes from).

Easiest explanation that will not require the mouthpiece to have to elaborate on why they do not have a definitive announcement. Dealing with ASU involves a number of government entities and we know the wheels turn very slowly when it comes to making large decisions like this one. That narrative will allow him to string this deception along well into the season, each time blaming the process. Certainly, Tony will proclaim that IA is ready and willing to do the deal! yeah right!

What i am most interested in hearing in two weeks is who the supposed other side is to this deal. Should Tony say that they are not able to reveal their partner just yet, then we will all know it is another of his little lies regarding the future of the Coyotes!

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

Perhaps instead of counting up from the lack of an arena announcement, it would be more apt to count down until the current lease ends!

268 Days Remain

Everybody loves a countdown!