***Official 2010-2011 Hockey Thread***

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Unleash_the_Phury

Winnipeg is going to get their team back next year, it's almost a certainty. The proposal to keep the coyotes in glendale involves giving Matthew hulsizer over 200 million in public money to finance his purchase of the team to keep it in town. This pretty much ignores the Arizona state constitution, and a group called the Goldwater institute is going to sue the city if the proposal goes through. That's one hurdle.

The next is hulsizer himself. He's worth about 280 million according to espn. Nothing to sneeze at, but the group looking for a team
In Winnipeg is headed by Dave thomson, the 17th richest man in the world. The group in Winnipeg also owns their arena outright and a few other facilities around town, so they receive every penny of revenue both the team and other events generate. So that negates the potential challenge of a building that only seats 15000 and change.

Hockey doesn't work in Phoenix. It never will. It costs more to go to a movie in lethbridge (where I live) than to sit in the club seats in Phoenix. That isn't a good business model for a league that has a 40 million dollar cap floor. Hulsizer doesn't have the money to lose on a team. He won't buy it if the city doesn't pay him to take it, and they aren't going to be able to.

Hockey is coming back to Winnipeg, and I'll be buying a jets jersey the first day they go on sale.

Winnipeg's arena has the minimum amount of seating that the NHL will allow, is that correct? And when is the Thrasher's lease up with Phillips Arena? I know their owner is selling the team because: 1.They really care more about the Hawks. 2. 2 of the people in the ownership group had to buy out about 30% of the team from someone, if that is correct. I know things in Phoenix are worse.

Quebec City doesn't have a facility at the moment. They're working on getting funding, and when that happens, you'll probably see the Thrashers move. Nobody wants them in ATL, that's for sure. They also don't have an owner, so Winnipeg is higher on the NHL pecking order than QC. But it's fair to say that both are ahead of markets like Houston, KC, Portland, Seattle etc. They're pretty much sure bets, and I don't think the NHL wants another money-losing debacle on their hands with a franchise relocation.

Who relocates after the Thrashers and Coyotes? Islanders?