The Phoenix Coyotes have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO of Blackberry, has put in a bid of $212.5 million to purchase the club and move them to Southern Ontario. There has been a lot of talk about this online and I figured I'd throw in my two cents.
This is the third attempt that Balsillie has made to purchase an NHL team and I, for one, hope that he gets it this time. He seems to be passioniate about the game and I feel that he could rebuild this franchise the way Dave Checketts has rebuilt the Blues, but it will take a little bit of time. There are a few issues that have been raised, for instance:
1. How would this affect the teams in Buffalo, which is about 40 miles from Hamilton, Ontario, and in Toronto? I feel that this area can sustain another team and not affect either one of these teams. Toronto is to the NHL as Chicago, New York, and LA is to MLB and they should have a second team in the area.
2. How would this affect the schedule/divisions? If a team is moved to Hamilton, there isn't an easy way to fix the divisions. The only thing I could see happening to fix this issue is the Coyotes switching to the Northwest Division and Colorado going to the Pacific Division.
Personally, I think that the Coyotes should go wherever the franchise can be profitable because that is the point in running a business. The NHL knows this but Gary Bettman has been trying to expand into the "Sun Belt" with teams in Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, and Nashville. It would make sense for a seventh team to exist in Canada and I think it should be the Coyotes going to Southern Ontario.
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Good points. What I find hilarious is that Bettman was talking about how the NHL doesn't run out on cities. Tell that to Quebec, Winnipeg, and Hartford. The NHL's "Sun Belt" strategy has failed, and that's been obvious since 2000-2001...for everyone except Bettman apparently. I live in Virginia, and the only hockey fans here are northern transplants. It just doesn't catch on down here, not with football, baseball, basketball, Nascar, and golf to compete with.
Time to fold or relocate these superfluous teams in Florida, Atlanta, Nashville, Phoenix, and maybe even Carolina.
Nikolai
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