I agree with SYF’s previous post that this has been quite the entertainment…  much better than any soap opera I’ve ever seen.

But I am confused about something.  I’m neither a high financier nor a politician, but why would the “leaked” information be confidential anyway?  Shouldn’t the citizens of Glendale have access to — and perhaps even some input on — the potential dealings of their fair city?

It has always seemed to me that public dealings carried on in the dark usually tend to take on a malodorous air.

Posted by BobTheZee on 08/03/09 at 04:45 PM ET

Shouldn’t the citizens of Glendale have access to — and perhaps even some input on — the potential dealings of their fair city?

You mean, they should have some information on what their officials plan on doing with their taxes, in case they plan on keeping a hockey team in town instead of fixing roads, or keeping after-school programs funded, or things like that?

Nice concept. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 08/03/09 at 05:15 PM ET

The representatives of the city (citizens) did know. It was revealed by Reinsdorf in the negotiations with them. He was stating his case and telling them how he would increase the team’s revenues. Obviously this was his angle and didn’t want competing bidders getting this information. When it was put on the website it was out there for every potential bidder to see and use thereby negating his edge, as he sees it. Reinsdorf has a very serious argument here. This information should be kept out of the public. The city’s lawyers (they represent the taxpayers) had this information.

It’s very obvious what’s going on here. Moyes wants to sell to Basillie because he’s offering more money (about $60m more) then Reinsdorf and couldn’t care less where the team ends up. The NHL wants the team in Arizona and Reinsdorf promised to keep it there if he gets the team. So Moyes’s lawyers had this info released to slow the process down and hope that Reinsdorf might back out. It halfed worked so far, because the judge postponed the auction.

Posted by Lindas1st on 08/03/09 at 06:12 PM ET

So, Linda, the city’s lawyers are the taxpayers’ representatives, and the fact that they know about Reinsdorf’s plans to pillage public revenues (and retain the right to move out of town) is enough? The taxpayers themselves don’t have a right to know what kind of deal their desperate elected officials might be willing to make, in order to salvage their original horrible arena deal?

Well, if I were a resident of Glendale, I’d want to know this kind of information. And for all Reinsdorf’s concerns about confidentiality, this information would almost certainly have to be made public at some point—say, before the city council voted to approve such a deal.

The real damage of this document release has nothing to do with competitive bidding. What it does is dramatically underscrore the non-viability of the Coyotes franchise in its current location. It’s obvious that the Reinsdorf doesn’t have a plan to make the Coyotes profitable as a hockey operation; instead, the only way he can make it work is to squeeze every last dollar out of public sources. Which again raises the question: why not just let the team move to an eager, willing market elsewhere?

Posted by jvwalt on 08/04/09 at 01:51 AM ET

BTW, told you so about people getting their pockets lined.  Just politics as usual.  Im just surprised this leaked out, usually we never find out about it.

Move the damn team already.

Posted by DrW from Royal Oak, MI on 08/04/09 at 05:28 AM ET

A)Yes.
B) If they don’t like how the elected officials handled the situation they can vote them out of office. I do beleive Glenndale is a republic.

DrW, I agree that Arizona seems to be a terrible NHL market . The team would probably do better in southern Ontario (Hamilton). I was just stating Reinsdorf’s complaint. It seemes valid to me.
Maybe the NHL should just let Moyes sell to Basillie and let the team re-locate. If there holding out on Hamilton for an expansion team they need to let that pipe dream die. The NHL is already OVER expanded. Just Sayin’.

Posted by Lindas1st on 08/04/09 at 11:56 AM ET