Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: NHL-Business-of-Hockey

Trying To Sell The Coyotes

by Paul on 11/18/09 at 07:35 AM ET
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from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,

Gary Bettman was in Phoenix the other day, spinning a few tales about the impending sale of the Coyotes.

Well, impending may be stretching things a tad, as the NHL commissioner is now saying he expects the sale to be completed by the end of the hockey season. And local fans shouldn’t worry about that Dec. 31 deadline the league established to give priority to buyers who will keep the team in its suburban Glendale arena. As Bettman told the Arizona Republic, “I’m not concerned about Dec. 31 or Jan. 1.”

Besides, the commish said, he has six potential buyers on the line. But as anyone selling real estate knows, a potential buyer is anyone who stops in front of your For Sale sign.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes, NHL Talk, NHL Business of Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

All Gary Bettman

by Paul on 11/17/09 at 12:30 PM ET
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An in-depth interview with Gary Bettman from MACLEANS,

Q: It’s been a tumultuous couple of years for you, at least publicly. Do you still enjoy your job?

A: I love the job. I’m passionate about the game, and the people around the game, the way we as a sport connect with our fans. Every job has challenges, things that make the job interesting. I’m not exactly sure, by the way, that I buy into your characterization of tumultuous. That seems to be a little dramatic, perhaps media-centric, as opposed to the reality. But every business has day-to-day challenges, and that’s part of what gets those of us who work going every day.

Q: We want to give you a chance to respond to the broad perception here in Canada that you feel the future of the game lies in the United States—and that the real reason the NHL was in court this summer was to keep Canada from getting more teams.

A: I’ve got to ask you a question about your question. Where does that perception come from? What is it based on? Give me any factual basis and I’ll answer the question.

continued

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All Those Numbers

by Paul on 11/12/09 at 02:46 PM ET
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James Mirtle of From The Rink breaks-down the numbers from the Forbes report that came out yesterday....

The average NHL team has increased its revenues by $20-million since 2003-04, but those on the low end of the scale have only marginally improved their bottom lines, getting a $9-million boost on average (including revenue sharing). Toronto, Montreal and the Rangers, meanwhile, have increased their revenues by an average of about $40-million the past five seasons.

more

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Can The NHL Get The Coyotes A New Lease?

by Paul on 11/10/09 at 07:39 PM ET
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from the CP via TSN,

The NHL is thinking about trying to renegotiate the contentions lease agreement between the Phoenix Coyotes and the city of Glendale.

The league recently paid US$140 million to purchase the team out of bankruptcy and is currently looking for a new buyer. The Coyotes have a 30-year lease with Glendale—the suburban city where Jobing.com Arena is located—that potential bidders will likely find troubling.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says the league is considering trying to negotiate a better lease to make the team more attractive.

“It’s one possibility of moving toward resolution whereas now all of the potential purchasers have this big elephant in the room,” said Daly. “What’s the lease going to look like?”

continued

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Pay Wayne

by Paul on 11/01/09 at 08:36 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

...the NHL does seem to be offering words in support of Gretzky, even if action speaks louder. The league at this point appears to be offering talk, which obviously is much cheaper than $8.2 million.

“The decision was made this summer when the League decided to make a bid to purchase that it couldn’t assume Wayne’s contract. That was discussed with Wayne and his people before we filed our bid and they understood the rationale,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an e-mail to Slap Shots on Friday night.

“That doesn’t mean he has to go it alone. We committed to him that we would do everything possible to get him paid outside the bankruptcy process,” Daly added. “We have suggested our willingness to pursue claims on his behalf and assist him in pursuing his own claims. And he remains able to seek recovery out of the pot of money that will be paid to the bankrupt estate.”

So the NHL claims it will assist the greatest assist man who ever has laced up a pair of skates but it will not guarantee he will get his money even after all of the untold revenue he produced for the league both directly and indirectly in the form of expansion fees from warm-weather markets made possible by Gretzky’s success in Los Angeles.

more

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 Tags: Wayne+Gretzky,

Paying Gretzky

by Paul on 10/30/09 at 11:16 PM ET
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from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

Right now, the NHL’s bid provides for between $11-$12 million to three potential creditors – Gretzky, Moyes and the city of Glendale. Gretzky isn’t thrilled that there is no certainty of collecting. Apparently, he is not asking for all of the money up front or in some lump payment, but an acknowledgement that, at some point, he will collect.

One league source says that will happen.

“We recognize that a lot of us have jobs because of what he’s done for a long time. What has happened this summer has been totally unfair to him, but, because he’s Wayne Gretzky, it all ends up on him ...This is important, and we realize it is important.”

That is 100 per cent the proper philosophy. But, there is one concern.

At this time, it was not possible to get the board of governors to vote on raising the purchase price from $140 million to $148 million. And, there may be slight resistance to doing so. Some of the governors are apparently unhappy with Gretzky’s public disappointment, and could let that affect their decision.

That is a ridiculous attitude.

more

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 Tags: Wayne+Gretzky,

NHL Looking Strong

by Paul on 10/26/09 at 01:37 PM ET
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NEW YORK (October 26, 2009) – The National Hockey League’s® strong business momentum from last season’s record-setting year continued through the first 100 games of the 2009-10 NHL® regular season. Fans are experiencing the NHL across League platforms in impressive numbers, with the League on-pace to set records in a number of areas.

Continue Reading »

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Evening Line

by Paul on 10/10/09 at 11:52 PM ET
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I think the club needs to continue to work to improve its performance ... but they should be OK. Barring something extraordinary that nobody anticipated and I’m not suggesting that’s going to happen, they should be fine.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman of the state of the Florida Panthers.  Much more from Bettman on the Panthers and the league by Sarah Talalay of the Sun-Sentinel. 

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Moneypuck- A Look At The Phoenix Coyotes

by Paul on 10/09/09 at 10:39 PM ET
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from Corey Pronman of Puck Prospectus,

The Phoenix Coyotes books were opened to the public’s eyes, and it wasn a fairly disturbing sight. Dozens of millions of dollars had been lost annually, with last season’s Net Operating Losses totalling over $53 million dollars. Not even five million dollars worth of local TV broadcast revenue were brought in and fewer than ten thousand viewers tuned in to the Coytoes on a nightly basis. Surely, the $6.5 million allocated to Gretzky’s coaching contract didn’t help either. The southwest franchise managed to collect $14 million dollars in revenue sharing as well, and still lost a massive amount of money. To illustrate the dire situation, if Phoenix hadn’t paid their players, coaches, trainers or hockey personnel any salary whatsoever with the revenue sharing, they would’ve simply broken even. Now that is what you call a terribly run fiscal entity.

These jaw-dropping numbers show a very extreme situation in the desert, which is no wonder why Reisendorf and Ice Edge Holdings backed off so quickly when things weren’t aligned perfectly for them with the lease, creditors and the numerous other factors. It’s also why Gretzky was forced to leave when it became apparent that nobody would want to take on a record expense for a coaching staff.

read on

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Bill Daly With Many Topics

by Paul on 10/09/09 at 01:01 PM ET
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from Fan590,

The number two man at the National Hockey League joins Hockeycentral @ Noon to discuss a variety of topics including: Updating the status regarding the running of the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes franchise; the league’s relationship with three-time failed NHL owner candidate Jim Balsillie; the potential of bringing the NHL to Hamilton; and Wayne Gretzky’s future with the league.

listen here and Bill also said the NHL has tried to help both Directv and Versus settle the dispute and the NHL hopes it gets settled soon.

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