NHL Hockey thread

[Barrister]

So voters on Long Island reject the new arena deal.

Are the Islanders on the move after 2015?  Phoenix is still not resolved as well...

[BuddhaRhubarb]

It'd be sad to see the Isles move. Nobody cares about Phoenix.

[Barrister]

It'd be sad to see the Isles move. Nobody cares about Phoenix.

So would I, but the situation in Long Island is a train wreck, and has been for years.  As bad as the Thrashers situation was, the Isles are absolutely dead last for attendance in the league.  The owner wishes he'd never bought the team in the first place.

[viper37]

The Islanders were ok before this owner, I believe.

[Grey Fox]

I'd think the New Nets arena is going to be the solution more then Quebec City.

[Barrister]

I'd think the New Nets arena is going to be the solution more then Quebec City.

Apparently it's not designed for hockey, would have a terrible max seating with ice...

[Neil]

I'd think the New Nets arena is going to be the solution more then Quebec City.

Apparently it's not designed for hockey, would have a terrible max seating with ice...

But that's alright, since not many people go to Islanders games anyways.

[Barrister]

Winnipeg Jets gear outselling Flames at Calgary stores
CBC News Posted: Aug 12, 2011 1:20 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 12, 2011 1:20 PM ET Read 6 comments6 Merchandise for the Winnipeg Jets has been hard to keep on the shelves, even in Calgary, stores report. Winnipeg Jets
With the start of the NHL hockey season around the corner, some Calgary merchants say more customers are getting outfitted in Winnipeg Jets hats and shirts than Flames gear.

And sales of the new team's colours are expected to be even better when the official Jets jerseys arrive this fall, said April Battenfelder at Jersey City in Market Mall.

"It's pretty crazy. Hats are gone. We can't seem to have them in the stores. As soon as we get them we're gone," she said.

"Men's shirts, we're getting more and more in all the time but they're just in and out -- it's like they're the national team now or something."

Battenfelder said Jets' merchandise is selling as well as Vancouver Canuck jerseys did during that team's Stanley Cup run last season. While many of the buyers are former Winnipeggers, some are from Calgary, like college hockey player Joe Babey.

"I think it's great for Canada, it's great to have another Canadian team. I think we need more," he said.

"I'll root for them, for sure. I don't know if I'd go as far as a jersey. We'll see how much the team grows on me. But a hat for sure."

The Jets seem to have an especially strong female following. Battenfelder said women are buying three times as much Winnipeg gear as men.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2011/08/12/calgary-jets-gear.html#ixzz1UqAGy6lb

I still gets tons of comments about my new Jets gear.  I know the nationwide enthusiasm will fade with time, but this is an awesome time to be a Jets fan.

[viper37]

Coyotes are moving... maybe, maybe not

Apparently a new deal is on the table for the Coyotes and the NHL would be close to approve it.  A Canadian group with plenty of cash would buy the franchise, with a "move" option on the contract, in case the Arizona market doesn't evolve within 7 years.

So.  Quebec city's arena won't be started until next spring at the earliest.  It will take 3-5 years to be completed, with all the infrastructure work around it (redesign of the highway, public transit options, a couple of old buildings razed to the ground, etc, etc).  We're awfully close to 7 years.

Let's start the rumor mill

[Barrister]

Coyotes are moving... maybe, maybe not

Apparently a new deal is on the table for the Coyotes and the NHL would be close to approve it.  A Canadian group with plenty of cash would buy the franchise, with a "move" option on the contract, in case the Arizona market doesn't evolve within 7 years.

So.  Quebec city's arena won't be started until next spring at the earliest.  It will take 3-5 years to be completed, with all the infrastructure work around it (redesign of the highway, public transit options, a couple of old buildings razed to the ground, etc, etc).  We're awfully close to 7 years.

Let's start the rumor mill

I dunno - the Yotes are burning in excess of $30 mil per year, every year.  If you have to wait seven years before being able to move the team, that's more than $200 mil.

[viper37]

They say the company has a minority interest in one of the canadian NHL franchise.

What I think is, if they want to move a team, anywhere in Canada, but let's assume it's Quebec city for now, they will have to play in an old arena or play where the franchise is currently.  There's no other option there, unless they want to wait for a future expansion, wich is far from a sure thing.

So, they could lose money in Canada, or lose money in the US.  But that's the price to pay for having an NHL team.
If their plan is to move the team, they may figure that, playing in the old arena in Quebec city will incurr the same losses as a well managed Pheonix Coyotes while the arena is built.

AFAIK, no Canadian city right now have an NHL-sized arena.  Either they upgrade an older one or they build a new one.

IF they buy the Yotes for 100M$, and half of it comes from the city of Glendale, that's a heck of a deal for a team.  Even if they were to losse 200M$ over 7 years, that still means they would have paid 250M$ for the franchise (actually less, as i haven't annualized the losses, and i figured the max loss).

[Barrister]

They say the company has a minority interest in one of the canadian NHL franchise.

What I think is, if they want to move a team, anywhere in Canada, but let's assume it's Quebec city for now, they will have to play in an old arena or play where the franchise is currently.  There's no other option there, unless they want to wait for a future expansion, wich is far from a sure thing.

So, they could lose money in Canada, or lose money in the US.  But that's the price to pay for having an NHL team.
If their plan is to move the team, they may figure that, playing in the old arena in Quebec city will incurr the same losses as a well managed Pheonix Coyotes while the arena is built.

AFAIK, no Canadian city right now have an NHL-sized arena.  Either they upgrade an older one or they build a new one.

IF they buy the Yotes for 100M$, and half of it comes from the city of Glendale, that's a heck of a deal for a team.  Even if they were to losse 200M$ over 7 years, that still means they would have paid 250M$ for the franchise (actually less, as i haven't annualized the losses, and i figured the max loss).

But the Thrashers were sold / relocated for $170 mil.  So even if you're right (and I think the losses would exceed $200mil over seven years), that's quite a jump in price.

If you want to buy a team to move, then do that.  It's not as if Glendale can keep spending $25 mil per year forever.  They'll have to sell to an out of town buyer sooner or later.

[Barrister]

The first truly sad news coming from the Winnipeg Jets.

Rick Rypien, formerly of the Vancouver Canucks (and the Manitoba Moose), who signed with the Jets as a free agent this summer, found dead in his Alberta home. 

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=373855

Unofficial reports say it was suicide, and that he battled depression last year (and missed most of the season).

[Valmy]

My heart goes out to the entire Rypien family.  I know when I am depressed I watch the tape of his cousin in Super Bowl XXVI.

[HVC]

The first truly sad news coming from the Winnipeg Jets.

Rick Rypien, formerly of the Vancouver Canucks (and the Manitoba Moose), who signed with the Jets as a free agent this summer, found dead in his Alberta home. 

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=373855

Unofficial reports say it was suicide, and that he battled depression last year (and missed most of the season).

there's a mean joke in there that i won't make. My condolences to his family. Suicide is always hard.