04/17/24
May 11, 2011
Glendale Gives NHL $25 Million to Keep Coyotes: The Glendale City Council voted Tuesday to pay the National Hockey League up to an additional $25 million so the Phoenix Coyotes could continue stay another year at the $180 million city-owned Jobing.com Arena while new ownership is being secured. Glendale paid $25 million last year as the Coyotes lost $37 million, posting among the lowest attendance in the league. "There can't just be this bottomless pit of dollars to underwrite the Coyotes," resident Kurt Larson said.
The people of Glendale are unfortunately stuck with politicians who have wedged themselves between a rock and a hard place through absolutely ridiculous uses of public money.
I understand and even support the use of public funds to build sports stadiums where they're likely to create value. We can argue over where to define likely, but a ton of sensible people thought that hockey in the desert was a pipe dream based on a general sports value proposition:
- Phoenix has X number of people, X number of corporations, by that measure, even 1% of Phoenix being a hockey fan/supporter would be a success of $X.
When, in reality, had $100,000 in market research been done in 1995, they would've realized that outside of an initial flirt, the people of Phoenix were not, and are not, ready to settle down with an NHL team...especially in the old, crappy America West Arena. They fucked up even the honeymoon period by not building an arena capable of handling an NHL team, and by the time they did, it was too late.
They've had star players and the greatest ever in the desert and they can't make it work. I can't imagine why another owner would think it would, and I predict this time next year, there's going to be the same discussion in Glendale over forking over more money.
posted by dfleming at 05:25 PM on May 11, 2011
The NHL has fires burning in more places than just Glendale. Columbus Blue Jackets lost $25-million last season The United Van Line trucks may be warming up in Atlanta as well: Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?
posted by tommybiden at 05:28 PM on May 11, 2011
The United Van Line trucks may be warming up in Atlanta as well: Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?
If they do maybe the Wings could get moved to the Eastern Conference. It'd be nice to play the majority of the original six teams more often. And to avoid countless 10:00PM games on west coast trips and during the playoffs.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:25 PM on May 11, 2011
The Red Wings are the 1st team in line to move to the Eastern Conference, if such a situation arises.
What happens if the Coyotes (or another failed team i.e. Columbus, Florida) end up in Quebec City, Hamilton, or even Toronto in a year or two. Might Detroit have to move back to the Western Conference?
posted by tommybiden at 06:43 PM on May 11, 2011
I don't think the Blue Jackets are gonna last in Columbus. They've lost money every year even with decent ticket sales in years past. I think it has something to do with the arena deal they have.
posted by insomnyuk at 06:57 PM on May 11, 2011
Might Detroit have to move back to the Western Conference?
I'd expect so. They'd be the most logical team to move.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:29 PM on May 11, 2011
The Red Wings are the 1st team in line to move to the Eastern Conference, if such a situation arises.
The fact that the Red Wings play the Leafs once per year is one of the greatest tragedies of realignment/expansion. I miss the old home-and-home series of my youth. However, the Wings moving to the East and making this the same case with respect to the Blackhawks would also be a tragedy. Equitable scheduling/balanced schedule be damned; the league should find some way to ensure that the each of the original 6 teams play the others at least twice year and that other rivalry games are more frequent as well.
posted by holden at 11:38 AM on May 12, 2011
On one hand Larson is correct. On the other, $25M versus a $180M white elephant. SpoFi poll: Which do you think is more likely to get city councilcritters voted out sooner?