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Let The Bidding Begin, Again
by Paul on 08/05/09 at 06:20 PM ET
Comments (17)
via CBC,
Jim Balsillie’s attempt to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and relocate them to Hamilton, Ont., may not be dead yet.
An Arizona judge decided Wednesday to allow “any and all bidders” to be involved in a court ordered auction for the bankrupt National Hockey League team on Sept. 10.
Previously, only bidders who were willing to keep the club in the desert were to be involved.
added 7:45pm, from Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star,
Recognizing that his ruling has opened a contentious can of worms, the judge has also scheduled a hearing for Aug. 11 to examine all the issues surrounding the auction.
read on for reaction from the Balsille camp…
added 9:21pm,
NEW YORK (August 5, 2009)—National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly released the following statement regarding the Bankruptcy Court order issued in Phoenix:
“We are in receipt of and have reviewed the Court’s Order issued earlier tonight. Obviously, there is a lot to be done and possibly decided before September 10. We remain confident that the successful bidder will be one who is committed to continuing to operate the Coyotes in Glendale for the long term. We also remain confident that Mr. Balsillie’s bid for the team will never be approved by the Court for a variety of reasons, including that his application for ownership was overwhelmingly rejected by the NHL Board of Governors last week. We look forward to making significant steps toward resolution of this unfortunate situation over the next several weeks.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Phoenix Coyotes | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
So…if you played for the Coyotes…how would you feel right now?
Posted by mrfluffy from Cincy on 08/05/09 at 08:27 PM ET
like coyote poop. :(
Poor guys.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 08/05/09 at 07:45 PM ET
On the plus side, being a franchise that has sucked for about the last half decade has surely prepared those on the team to be laughingstocks.
Seriously though, I freaking love this story. I cannot get enough of it.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 08/05/09 at 08:03 PM ET
If following by email, added a statement by Bill Daly to the post.
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 08/05/09 at 08:24 PM ET
Go Jim Go!
Posted by dash_pinched from Rumour Mill Bay on 08/05/09 at 09:14 PM ET
Seriously though, I freaking love this story. I cannot get enough of it.
Same here.. I mean, one bid requires the team to play a couple of “home” games on the other side of the continent and expects the general public to believe that they will keep the team in arizona. The other bidder has ticked off everyone on the board of governors and wants to move the team to Canada, asap. The absurdity and outright arrogance of Reinsdorf’s bid is astonishing. He puts up no money, leaves the debt holders dry, possibly backrooms a deal with local politicians, and he proposes to soak the local businesses and tax payers with a special tax, during a bad recession mind you, and demands an annual payment of $15 million if the team is losing money. And this is the guy that Little Gary B. wants. Seriously, I’m just waiting for somebody to release a monkey during court proceedings.
Posted by UMFan from Colorado on 08/05/09 at 09:33 PM ET
We remain confident that the successful bidder will be one who is committed to continuing to operate the Coyotes in Glendale for the long term.
By “long term”, the NHL means “a couple of years until the Reisendorf escape clause” kicks in? Man, the BS is getting deep in here.
Posted by Slater on 08/05/09 at 10:36 PM ET
Same here.. I mean, one bid requires the team to play a couple of “home” games on the other side of the continent and expects the general public to believe that they will keep the team in arizona. The other bidder has ticked off everyone on the board of governors and wants to move the team to Canada, asap. The absurdity and outright arrogance of Reinsdorf’s bid is astonishing. He puts up no money, leaves the debt holders dry, possibly backrooms a deal with local politicians, and he proposes to soak the local businesses and tax payers with a special tax, during a bad recession mind you, and demands an annual payment of $15 million if the team is losing money. And this is the guy that Little Gary B. wants. Seriously, I’m just waiting for somebody to release a monkey during court proceedings.
It is pretty unbelievable, this whole situation. Bettman and Daly have both got to go. In the follow up statement Daly just basically said “we hate Jim Balsille because he has money. In fact, we like losing money so the worst bid is actually the best bid (did I do that right, O puppet master Gary?”. A franchise that loses money for every year of its existence? How much more obvious does the message “IT’S NOT WORKING” need to be? Franchises have relocated for less.
What is it about Bettman that the owners like? It still boggles my mind how this guy keeps his position.
Posted by Flames Fan on 08/06/09 at 05:14 AM ET
What is it about Bettman that the owners like?
Not all of ‘em like him. I seem to remember one shot last spring of Bettman being “forced” to sit with the common folk and pouting because an owner wouldn’t let him sit in his box. I still laugh.
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 08/06/09 at 06:47 AM ET
Well, if Baisillie wins the bid, this isn’t over by any shot. The league will sue, since they already had a vote saying he’s not an eligible owner. If that loses, I bet they sue again using the Canadian courts. Sure, he might be the rightful owner of the Coyotes in the US, but to move to Canada, where they have vigorously defended the boards right to approve/disapprove other owners/business partners - I just see it getting really messy quick.
Posted by Navarath on 08/06/09 at 07:24 AM ET
What is it about Bettman that the owners like? It still boggles my mind how this guy keeps his position.
Let me correct you—the BoG likes Little Gary, not necessarily the owners, as a whole. And that’s the big difference.
As far as I’m concerned, that doucher Jacobs up in Boston might very well be pulling the actual puppet strings connected to Little Gary’s manhood.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 08/06/09 at 08:50 AM ET
What If the NHL itself places a bid and wins over Balsillie? Basically takes over the team…
I don’t think the owners would want to loose money for very long in that situation, so Bettman would likely have to then try and sell the team at a loss….
Don’t know if that’s a possibility..
What a mess.
Posted by Yves on 08/06/09 at 09:08 AM ET
So…if you played for the Coyotes…how would you feel right now?
Posted by mrfluffy from Cincy on 08/05/09 at 08:27 PM ET
like coyote poop. :(
Poor guys.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 08/05/09 at 08:45 PM ET
I feel horrible for them. Shane Doan in particular honestly seems to feel that he has unfinished business in Phoenix, going by interviews he’s given over the summer. He’s invested 10+ years of his life into the Coyotes and he hates the idea that it could all come to nothing. I just hope he gets the chance to skate the Cup before he retires—the man has earned it. I’d really like to see him win gold in Vancouver this year.
Posted by Bio on 08/06/09 at 10:18 AM ET
What If the NHL itself places a bid and wins over Balsillie?
The reference you want is “Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals.” If you feel like real old-time baseball reading, look up “syndicate ownership” too.
Basically, the 29 other teams have no real interest in the team succeeding on the ice—so no taking on salary to get a good player, no investment in scouting/player development, etc. All that happened to the Nats…I would assume an NHL-owned Coyotes would be at the salary floor. The Nats did spend a bit once moved to DC, but that was seen as “look legitimate enough to drive up attendance and the resultant sales price.”
My guess is a league-owned team would hang out in Phoenix for a couple years, looking for the highest bidder elsewhere…KC or a Canadian city (Hamilton inclusive/Balsille exclusive, since they seem to have a vendetta)
Posted by Stevis on 08/06/09 at 10:48 AM ET
just becaus daly says that the BoG voted ‘no’ to balsillie doesn’t necessarily mean a majority of them said ‘no’. im sure there are some owners who think he should. who? i dont’ know, but it would be intriguing to spceulate who they are.
Posted by Jeebus on 08/07/09 at 04:29 AM ET
My guess is a league-owned team would hang out in Phoenix for a couple years, looking for the highest bidder elsewhere…KC or a Canadian city (Hamilton inclusive/Balsille exclusive, since they seem to have a vendetta)
Posted by Stevis on 08/06/09 at 11:48 AM ET
whyy not? the nhl had ownership of the ‘model franchise’ (per gary.ass bettman) pens in 1975 for a whole year during their first bankruptcy procedings.
Posted by Jeebus on 08/07/09 at 04:32 AM ET
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So…if you played for the Coyotes…how would you feel right now?
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 08/05/09 at 07:27 PM ET