This is a done deal. Hamliton Tigers are back. :)

Move them to Calgary... whoa, a little d??j?? vu.

I am all for the "Back to Canada" movement.

Bettman and the NHL rolled the dice on a few lukewarm markets and though the ad money and merchandising might have been better, the gate numbers were pretty bad. The NHL is better off with a rabid Canadian fanbase in as many cities as possible over the long run.

Struggling teams in struggling markets do nothing to better the sport nor does it help the NHL's image. Unfortunately, the Poison Dwarf is too damn stupid to know that. Moving 1 or 2 teams back to Canada can only help this League.

Contracting 4, or 6, wouldn't hurt either. A 24 team league with a ratio of 15:9 wouldn't be so bad.

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 08:46 AM ET  05.11 by Metsfan07

This is a done deal. Hamliton Tigers are back. :)

A little bit of law 101 for you:
"The Coyotes lease with the city of Glendale has 26 years to go. Balsille can break it to move the team no problem, but the contract breach fee is $750 mil - or at least 1/2 of that to pay some serious lawyers to fight it in court - add another 1/2 yr to the transferof the team BTW! On top of the 220 mil or so he announced - and got Jerry Moyes crazed up enough to file for bankruptcy on a team whose ownership he transferred to the NHL in Jan 09 - that is a lot of money for an NHL franchise. At this price tag, I'd rather get myslef the Canadiens for $500-mil, no? I bet Balsille's blackberry did not tell him that, eh?

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 08:46 AM ET  05.11 by Metsfan07

This is a done deal. Hamliton Tigers are back. :)

Bettman is going to fight this with every fiber of his tiny being

QUOTE(#5):

Originally posted 09:59 AM ET  05.11 by Sports_Fan_19

Contracting 4, or 6, wouldn't hurt either. A 24 team league with a ratio of 15:9 wouldn't be so bad.

been on this for years now
24 or so really good teams is better from a business perspective

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 10:25 AM ET  05.11 by Spiny Norman

been on this for years now24 or so really good teams is better from a business perspective

So when are you going to be Commissioner?

Oh right, when I buy a team and vote for you?

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 10:20 AM ET  05.11 by Spiny Norman

Bettman is going to fight this with every fiber of his tiny being

Him and a battery of lawyers. And their recent decision vs. your beloved Rangers only strengthens their position.

QUOTE(#9):

Originally posted 10:38 AM ET  05.11 by Sports_Fan_19

So when are you going to be Commissioner?Oh right, when I buy a team and vote for you?

If nominated I WILL run
If elected I WILL serve

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 10:49 AM ET  05.11 by Hank Kingsley

Him and a battery of lawyers. And their recent decision vs. your beloved Rangers only strengthens their position.

I missed that..or are you referring to the whole web page fiasco?

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 08:46 AM ET  05.11 by Metsfan07

This is a done deal. Hamliton Tigers are back. :)

Wishful and premature thinking does not make this a "fait accompli" by any means.
There are several reasons that should give people pause for reflection on this issue.
Not the least of which, could be the legal precedent that would be set, not just in the NHL but all sporting leagues, which include the NFL, NBA & MLB.
Think about the ramifications of that scenerio for a minute.
This goes so far beyond, Balsille-vs-Bettman it's ridiculous.
An weathy unproven potential owner approaches some team owner, who may be a bad one, makes him an offer outside the approval process of the league involved and moves the team anywhere he thinks he can generate a buck for himself regardless of all the other factors or people & Cities involve...
There is also no real proof that a Team in Hamilton would, 'expand' interest in the NHL or grow the game at all. The Ontario market already is a hockey hotbed. The TML have a history and their success in other cities is based on their long history and draws people into the seats when they are visiting those Cities...
Could a new Hamilton based team boast the same success...not likely.
Then we should not be overly anxious to open our arms to another, radical, wealthy power hungry dictator into the NHL board rooms...See Harold Ballard, Bill Wirtz...and tell me how much 'on ice' success these two beauties had and that's at the helm of 2 of the original six.
Jim's intentions should not fool anyone on here either. Sure intitially he may offer up reasonable ticket prices etc to get this team off the ground...but how long is it before those same tickets would increase in price should there be a demand for them?
Lastly, GWG has said he would not accompany the team to Ontario and I don't doubt that. He has made his home in the U.S.A for 20 years.
I agree that there are better places for a team than Phoenix...but you also have to consider, that as anxious as we are for another team in Canada, all of them with the exception of the TML have had finacial problems historically.
There is strong business sense and logic recognizing that a Country with 300 million vs 30 million people is where the future of Hockey & the NHL will need to focus its effort to really grow this sport and 'attract' new fan following...Ontario does not offer that.
So how in the long run, would this truly help the NHL over-all?

I personally feel that if Jim were as altruistic as he would like Canadians to think he is...That he has both the money and opportunity to make an offer on a team and may do more good in Winnipeg...but of course, there is more risk involved in that.
If Jim simply wanted an NHL team he could have had the Penguins years ago...however, he refused to guarantee the NHL that he would not move that team in the final hour. Though many on here I'm sure, like the ring that The Hamilton Penguins would have had to it.
Clearly in hindsight, the Penguins are doing much more for popularity & long term growth of the NHL in PA., than anything that that they would have done in S. Ont.

QUOTE(#13):

Originally posted 12:00 PM ET  05.11 by Baun-ded=PUCKHEAD

If Jim simply wanted an NHL team he could have had the Penguins years ago...however, he refused to guarantee the NHL that he would not move that team in the final hour. Though many on here I'm sure, like the ring that The Hamilton Penguins would have had to it.Clearly in hindsight, the Penguins are doing much more for popularity & long term growth of the NHL in PA., than anything that that they would have done in S. Ont.

His unwillingness to keep the team here is one of the main reasons he did not get the team. This is a hockey mad town despite what some of the misinformed masses out there might think.

QUOTE(#14):

Originally posted 12:34 PM ET  05.11 by LGP: Stanley Cup Champs

His unwillingness to keep the team here is one of the main reasons he did not get the team. This is a hockey mad town despite what some of the misinformed masses out there might think.

I'm well aware of the 'loyalty'...that the Penguin fans have LGP...I can also assure you that had Balsillie gotten his way and bought that team...your fervor to see Sid the Kid would have to include a cable package with Canadian coverage...There in lies one of the problems of guys like Balsillie...He is not in it to grow the sport...he is simply in it to make a buck for himself.
Besides that, upsetting the balance of the NHL's flagship franchise in terms of value, may certainly not be in anyones interest...The TML pay out a lot of money each season through revenue sharing & that money has gone a long way to helping the weaker market teams...or rather...teams that were having finacial problems. There has been a great deal of success with this plan.
I don't like Bettman, but as much as we can hate him for many things...interfering with this bid is not something I hold against him. The U.S market is the future...hostile takeovers and League wide chaos is not...Bettman can be replaced after he and the NHL win this one...and I strongly believe that they will...there are simply too many legal questions and contracts in place for Jim's unapproved offer to succeed. Moyes on the other hand...he is trying to sell something that he doesn't even own never mind if he even had the right to bankrupt the team. The only reason the offer is 212 million is due to the location should Jim get the deal...Moyes...last time I looked...has no legal rights or commitment for this area. Then we of course will have the other issues...such as, U.S vs Canadian law...

QUOTE(#12):

Originally posted 10:52 AM ET  05.11 by Spiny Norman

I missed that..or are you referring to the whole web page fiasco?

Whatever the dust up the League had with New York a few months back was resolved and the league won. It showed they have the right to dictate what clubs do.

QUOTE(#5):

Originally posted 09:59 AM ET  05.11 by Sports_Fan_19

Contracting 4, or 6, wouldn't hurt either. A 24 team league with a ratio of 15:9 wouldn't be so bad.

NHLPA would never allow contraction.

QUOTE(#13):

Originally posted 12:00 PM ET  05.11 by Baun-ded=PUCKHEAD

There is also no real proof that a Team in Hamilton would, 'expand' interest in the NHL or grow the game at all.

Of course it wouldn't, and I'll be the first one to come right out and say it, I DO NOT CARE. I'm not interested in pandering to the uninterested, or borderline fans. I couldn't care less about expanding the game, or growing the game in non-hockey markets. That is nothing more than propaganda spewed by money hungry owners, players and agents, etc.

I'm perfectly happy being a fan of a niche sport, and not at all concerned with owners lining their pockets with expansion fees, except at the cost to the on ice product.

QUOTE(#17):

Originally posted 01:04 PM ET  05.11 by thegrinder

NHLPA would never allow contraction.

Umm, Thank you Captain Obvious! :P