Playoffs and relocation
Much been going on in the world of hockey over the last couple of days, and some of it is only partly due to the playoffs!
Playoff-wise, my Red Wings are down 2 games to 1 to the most HATED Ducks. I'm hoping this is but a blip in their game and that they solve the Ducks goaltender next game... but I'm nervous. There's nothing worse than a hot goaltender in the playoffs; they are what win series single-handedly.
Generally, I've thrown my fandom behind the remaining Original 6 teams, so am rooting for Boston over Carolina, Chicago over Vancouver and (as just mentioned) Detroit over Anaheim. I seem to be the only person outside of Chicago cheering for the 'Hawks though, it feels very lonely watching those games in my living room with my husband and my in-laws (who are basically cheering for teams that have Staals or some other Thunder Bay representative. How Homer can you get? ;) ) Of course, am also cheering for Washington just because Ovechkin is so much fun to watch and so you want him to go far. But they are now down 2-1 in their series against the Pengs.
The other hockey news right now is that Mr. RIM himself, Jim Balsillie is at it again in his efforts to aquire a team and move it to Southern Ontario. This time, he has his sights set on the now-bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes and has offered the outrageous (ie way over market value) sum of $212 million dollars for the team and to appease creditors. If the Coyotes get into bankruptcy court, the court will undoubtedly take this offer as they will take the offer that best serves the creditors. However, as usual, NHL Chief Troll (ok, Commissioner) Gary Bettman is going to do his best to block this, as he A) Doesn't want Balsillie to own a team and B) doesn't want another one in Canada, even though Southern Ontario would be a much more viable market than the middle of a fucking desert.
I think the most amazing thing I've read about this pertains to a Bettman quote where he says "We (meaning the NHL) prefers to fix it's problems ourselves, rather than just relocate teams." I love that he seems to have conviently forgotten that he's relocated teams from Quebec City (to Colorado) and Winnipeg (to the aforementioned Phoenix), plus a few others (Carolina, Dallas, etc.), so yeah, wee little hypocrite he is. If you look at this, it would seem he's all for relocating teams so long as they remain in the US. He wants to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix even though the team loses $20 million a year, the owner wants out and no one in Phoenix seems to even know they have a hockey team in the first place. It is not a viable market, and yet for some unfathomable reason (well, other than his own ego I guess), he wishes to keep it there.
I guess it's come down to that he'll fight Balsillie in court over this, but when it comes right down to it, it is the NHL governors (the other owners) who will call the final shot. And honestly, I cannot see them turning up their noses at having a pile of cash to divvy up amongst them (as the NHL is one of the Coyote's creditors). And, if the team locates to Southern Ontario and makes money (which yeah, it will), it means more profit sharing for the teams as well. For them, it is a win-win situation and I hope they go for it.
Playoff-wise, my Red Wings are down 2 games to 1 to the most HATED Ducks. I'm hoping this is but a blip in their game and that they solve the Ducks goaltender next game... but I'm nervous. There's nothing worse than a hot goaltender in the playoffs; they are what win series single-handedly.
Generally, I've thrown my fandom behind the remaining Original 6 teams, so am rooting for Boston over Carolina, Chicago over Vancouver and (as just mentioned) Detroit over Anaheim. I seem to be the only person outside of Chicago cheering for the 'Hawks though, it feels very lonely watching those games in my living room with my husband and my in-laws (who are basically cheering for teams that have Staals or some other Thunder Bay representative. How Homer can you get? ;) ) Of course, am also cheering for Washington just because Ovechkin is so much fun to watch and so you want him to go far. But they are now down 2-1 in their series against the Pengs.
The other hockey news right now is that Mr. RIM himself, Jim Balsillie is at it again in his efforts to aquire a team and move it to Southern Ontario. This time, he has his sights set on the now-bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes and has offered the outrageous (ie way over market value) sum of $212 million dollars for the team and to appease creditors. If the Coyotes get into bankruptcy court, the court will undoubtedly take this offer as they will take the offer that best serves the creditors. However, as usual, NHL Chief Troll (ok, Commissioner) Gary Bettman is going to do his best to block this, as he A) Doesn't want Balsillie to own a team and B) doesn't want another one in Canada, even though Southern Ontario would be a much more viable market than the middle of a fucking desert.
I think the most amazing thing I've read about this pertains to a Bettman quote where he says "We (meaning the NHL) prefers to fix it's problems ourselves, rather than just relocate teams." I love that he seems to have conviently forgotten that he's relocated teams from Quebec City (to Colorado) and Winnipeg (to the aforementioned Phoenix), plus a few others (Carolina, Dallas, etc.), so yeah, wee little hypocrite he is. If you look at this, it would seem he's all for relocating teams so long as they remain in the US. He wants to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix even though the team loses $20 million a year, the owner wants out and no one in Phoenix seems to even know they have a hockey team in the first place. It is not a viable market, and yet for some unfathomable reason (well, other than his own ego I guess), he wishes to keep it there.
I guess it's come down to that he'll fight Balsillie in court over this, but when it comes right down to it, it is the NHL governors (the other owners) who will call the final shot. And honestly, I cannot see them turning up their noses at having a pile of cash to divvy up amongst them (as the NHL is one of the Coyote's creditors). And, if the team locates to Southern Ontario and makes money (which yeah, it will), it means more profit sharing for the teams as well. For them, it is a win-win situation and I hope they go for it.