Why should Jim Balsillie be allowed to bring another NHL team to Southern Ontario?

[sholi2000]

If Balsille has the money and the investors, why not give him the team. His business is making a BOATLOAD of money. He is going to move a team out of a terrible market and put them in a market where hockey is #1. A majority of Americans dont care for hockey? Why? Because the NHL's marketing SUCKS. They cant watch it on a national level like the NBA, NFL, MLB. Sure its on Versus and the playoffs are on NBC on a random Sunday, but they dont have the TV deals like the NFL does and never will.

Hockey in America: probably 5th most popular sport
Hockey in Canada: most popular

TV Exposure in USA: Poor
TV Exposure in Canada: Daily basis

With Basille owning the Coyotes, it will give the other NHL teams needed relief in revenue sharing. The other 20+ teams wont have to keep this team on life support. Im sure sponsorship will be pretty easy to attain in Canada.

My only question: What venue are they going to play at?

There is some info in this article.

 

[sholi2000]

brado8236 -

Hopeless, they can't see the forest for the trees.

Can't make them understand that if one billionaire wants to move a team - then you can't stop the next billionaire from doing it the next time. They want to boil it down to what makes sense and not about the can of worms it opens for the future of team movements throughout the league.

But I can ASSURE you of this:
If it were one of their teams being swooped in and bought out due to financial problems - and being moved out of Canada (Jets??/ Nordiques???) - than they would be screaming from the mountaintops!!!!

Just because what Balsillie wants to do would make economic sense, especially if he were to under-write a venue (rather than make the municipality do so), they think it is a good idea. The heck with future ramifications - the heck with franchise rights......this 'feels' right! I just do not want to hear the arguments when some crazy billionaire wants to swoop in and take the Habs to Hawaii. Just because this billionaire has 'the best interest for Canada in mind" - does not mean that the next one will...........


bruce

This topic is about why, not why not. I am pretty sure we all know that what Balisillie is doing is wrong. After all that's all you here from Buttman.

 

[fly4apuckguy]

brado8236 -

Hopeless, they can't see the forest for the trees.

Can't make them understand that if one billionaire wants to move a team - then you can't stop the next billionaire from doing it the next time. They want to boil it down to what makes sense and not about the can of worms it opens for the future of team movements throughout the league.

But I can ASSURE you of this:
If it were one of their teams being swooped in and bought out due to financial problems - and being moved out of Canada (Jets??/ Nordiques???) - than they would be screaming from the mountaintops!!!!

Just because what Balsillie wants to do would make economic sense, especially if he were to under-write a venue (rather than make the municipality do so), they think it is a good idea. The heck with future ramifications - the heck with franchise rights......this 'feels' right! I just do not want to hear the arguments when some crazy billionaire wants to swoop in and take the Habs to Hawaii. Just because this billionaire has 'the best interest for Canada in mind" - does not mean that the next one will...........


bruce

One thing I have learned from this thread, it does not matter what a person writes, there will always be someone rude enough to reply in a way that disregards valid points in favor of being condescending.

Sorry about the thread, OP. It could have been a good discussion.

 

[HelloDestiny]

One thing I have learned from this thread, it does not matter what a person writes, there will always be someone rude enough to reply in a way that disregards valid points in favor of being condescending.

Sorry about the thread, OP. It could have been a good discussion.

what do you mean? clearly if Ballsillie moves the yotes to Ontario, that means the Habs are movin to Hawaii, and the Oilers are moving to Iraq... were they will still be called.. the oilers..

everyone on here who disagrees with the way he is doing business, say "I", oh, and show me your bank stub showing your billions..

 

[yakacack]

Save Our Coyotes

This is a rally

Damn that brings back memories!:beer:

Not good

Why do I get the feeling that you just turned a great conversation into we vs they. I know that's not what I had in mind and was enjoying the conversation until now.

Oh well, the sun is shining and the it's time to get outside and have some fun. Who's with me?

Just making sure I read this right...you were enjoying yourself when you were making posts such as the first one, but then a few people argue against what essentially was mindless poking fun coming from your fingertips and now its time to go outside?

Aye.

 

[sholi2000]

Just making sure I read this right...you were enjoying yourself when you were making posts such as the first one, but then a few people argue against what essentially was mindless poking fun coming from your fingertips and now its time to go outside?

Aye.

You're wrong.

 

[stajan55]

Yikes...What was meant to be a small little thread to help out my essay turned into a huge yelling match...I don't understand why poeple come into a thread and say things that do not contribute to it. It's fine if you don't think that Mr. Basillie should own a team. Just don't come into a thread thats meant to about why he should and argue your case.

James

 

[ctbj]

Yikes...What was meant to be a small little thread to help out my essay turned into a huge yelling match...I don't understand why poeple come into a thread and say things that do not contribute to it. It's fine if you don't think that Mr. Basillie should own a team. Just don't come into a thread thats meant to about why he should and argue your case.

James

No worries bud, It has been a very good topic, and we all knew this was going to be heated. It's going to suck because this is going to get locked before tommorow. BTW this has been a very good debate, I wish it could continue but some ego's are being hurt, Good topic bud and good luck on your essay:beer:

 

[sholi2000]

Yikes...What was meant to be a small little thread to help out my essay turned into a huge yelling match...I don't understand why poeple come into a thread and say things that do not contribute to it. It's fine if you don't think that Mr. Basillie should own a team. Just don't come into a thread thats meant to about why he should and argue your case.

James

I hope everything works out for you. There's some good discussion on why the team should move. Should be enough for a paper. What level are talking here? High School or university?

 

[stajan55]

I hope everything works out for you. There's some good discussion on why the team should move. Should be enough for a paper. What level are talking here? High School or university?

It is grade 11 high school English. It's great topic because it seems that everyone has their own opinions on whether or not the team should move.

James

 

[sholi2000]

It is grade 11 high school English. It's great topic because it seems that everyone has their own opinions on whether or not the team should move.

James

Pretty cool.

I wrote an paper once (1988). It was about what fifty cents/pound potatoes could do for a 15 year old lol! I got an "A"! That's PEI for you.

 

[GrimUSMC]

It is grade 11 high school English. It's great topic because it seems that everyone has their own opinions on whether or not the team should move.

James

I dont think anyone has ever said the team should nto be moved. People are more divided over the way Balsile is going about it and the way precedent is looked upon in the world. I see the point Trish and Bruce are making and they are right. You cant circumvent the rules to do this, because when 15-20 years from now a billionaire with a hair up his rear buys a Canadian team and tries to move them, the first thing he will do when it goes in front of a judge is point to this incident. Precedent is very critical in court rulings. This is not Canada V. US, this is not a matter of National Pride. This is a matter of the league defendings its rights to control franchise locations and the way the league operates. Like it or not it is necessary to prevent anarchy.

Now for those of you thinking its rediculous, its not. Teams go up for sale all the time, and these are toys to billionaires.

And lets not forget that Bettman works for the owners. If they were totally upset with his plan, he would have been ousted already dont you think? Dont you think that all the ownership groups have a say here? They want the team in the States for their reasons, and Bettman is their front guy.

I personally woudl love to see the return of the Jets, the Nords, and the Whalers, and the demise of the Panthers, Lightning, and the Coyotes to name a few. But the facts say that unless you roll back the finances to the days of the early 90's, including ALL players salries, then it will not happen. We all love AO, but do you think he would play here for $1.5 million when he could make much more at home? Probably not.

Personally I hope the league contracts and it goes back to the old days, in more ways then one, and I think having a team in Hamilton is a step in the right direction. I just am not convinced in this economic setup it would work, and No one wants to see a rogue owner doing as he pleases and shredding the leagues rights.

 

[penguinfan]

http://www.hobbyinsider.net/forum/showthread.php?t=198315

I certainly don't want to see them move...Perhaps the court should force the new owner make an effort to make the team viable and financially stable....if after a given period and proof is show of such efforts(with no avail) then the owner should be allow to move...I really don't know if that is even a possibility but there needs to be a middle ground....You don't want to see a market fail and you can't force an owner to continue losing money neither help the sport.

The Pens were pretty lucky...I mean if it was not for a lot of work by Lemieux, city officials and casinos coming to Pittsburgh I'd be cheering for Kansas City UGH!

Is the Coyotes arena part of the problem? Or are they in need of a miracle like getting a top tier player in the draft(ie someone like Crosby,Malkin or Ovechkin that can put the butts in seats). People will probably pay if the product being sold is solid.


One thing I will add...I don't want any team to move but if they do, why not put a team back in Canada?

 

[Stadium Sports]

I wish I had his probelms.... oh my.

 

[fly4apuckguy]

I just watched a segment on PrimeTime Sports with a guy names Mike Suunucks, who is a writer for the Phoenix Business Journal, and he said that people in Phoenix would "not shed a tear if the Coyotes leave", and that yesterday "the NHL did not leave court happy yesterday".

I don't know why this can't happen.

I understand the implications, but comparing the Phoenix Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens moving to Hawaii is just plain ridiculous. If there was a groundswell of support (or even a mole hill), there might be a reason to stand firm on the stance the NHL has chosen. This just seems futile.

 

[chadsexington]

I wrote an paper once (1988). It was about what fifty cents/pound potatoes could do for a 15 year old lol! I got an "A"! That's PEI for you.

HAHAHA I sat kind of stone faced reading this thread until this response which made me laugh my *** off...it brought back memories of the time I needed to write a creative short story in Grade 9 (one of those cases where I had 4 weeks to do a paper and left it till the night before) and I turned in a story that was an exact ripoff of the plot from Space Quest II with only the names changed. I took my A+ and ran like a bat out of hell when I realized my teacher had never played the game and thought I was legitimately creative.

Ohh back to the original post...I don't really want to get involved in the discussion...just laugh at Shane's post. Sorry for the hijack James

 

[SkyFire47]

I understand the implications, but comparing the Phoenix Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens moving to Hawaii is just plain ridiculous. If there was a groundswell of support (or even a mole hill), there might be a reason to stand firm on the stance the NHL has chosen. This just seems futile.

you said it right there. i could personally care less if Phoenix stays or goes but it's all about the precedent being set. you think the public support really has anything to do with the final decision and would actually count more than the league's own opinion? wanting the team to stay in phoenix is better than letting balsillie move the team as he pleases.

since Montreal has rumors of being up for sale, let's say a rich guy from Kansas wants in to the NHL as well and overbids all other competitors. if phoenix moves to hamilton in this manner, montreal could just as easily move to Kansas City in the same manner.

to stay on topic though, it's simple. Phoenix won't be as successful as Hamilton.

 

[fly4apuckguy]

since Montreal has rumors of being up for sale, let's say a rich guy from Kansas wants in to the NHL as well and overbids all other competitors. if phoenix moves to hamilton in this manner, montreal could just as easily move to Kansas City in the same manner.

See, I actually disagree here. I think if you were talking about Edmonton or Calgary, I'd agree. Or Ottawa and Vancouver. If you tried to move those teams, there would be a huge issue. People in those cities would go nuts. There would be petitions, demonstrations, maybe even some idle threats made. Leafs fans would go absolutely insane, too. It would be ugly. But I could see them still moving the team.

But not the Canadiens. If anyone ever tried to move them from Montreal, that person would be signing their own death warrant. That would be the end of them. Then people in Quebec would go to war with whatever city tried to take them out of Montreal, and burn it to the ground just for being smug.

These are people that rioted and looted their own city over a guy getting suspended, for God's sake.

Anyone insane enough to take the Habs out of Montreal would also be crazy enough to make the Yankees the "Las Vegas Yankees". The end result would be the same. There are some untouchables in this world, and the Habs are one of them. They will be in Montreal decades after my great-great-great-great grandkids have stopped cheering for the NHL's Mexico City Monsters.

Habs fans, don't take this as an insult. On the contrary, I love the passion, even if it does border on insanity now and then.

 

[sholi2000]

I guess if the NHL was bailing out the Montreal Canadiens for the last 5-10 years then I could understand a multimillionaire wanting to move to a city with the hopes of success. However moving a successful team from a city is just crazy talk and hardly a good example of this Phoenix situation.

 

[sholi2000]

Ohh back to the original post...I don't really want to get involved in the discussion...just laugh at Shane's post. Sorry for the hijack James

hehe I bought a bundle of Christians (my favorites at the time), One set of Cooper-All Shoulder pads, and a new girdle for my CG-1's lol!