Sodboy13

I saw zpqw... er, Aaron, post this one on Twitter: Slava Voynov's been training at the Kings' facilitues during his jail term, and the Kings claim it's totally okay because it's a work release program. Send his ass to Russia on a rocket, and strap Dean Lombardi in along for the ride.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/kings/la-sp-0904-kings-voynov-20150904-story.html

It's also that the most vocal Coyotes fans have nearly always been out-of-town stereotypical teabaggers who don't want the gubmint overseeing or regulating any facet of their existence, but also demand that said gubmint barf up welfare to keep their hockey team afloat.

Carolina rumors swirling:

http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/08/26/carolina-hurricanes-sale-quebec-move

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/luke-decock/article32357781.html

Don Waddell is still allowed to be in charge of something hockey-related? Christ, once you're in this league, it really is an endless fall upward.

San Jose Snowflakes of the Silicon Valley would more apropos.

Only if there's a nebulous, overcapitalized tech company named Snowflake.

I'm perfectly fine with the AHL basically operating as two leagues until the Finals. It's the reality of it operating as three leagues, one of which gets its own set of rules that potentially has an adverse impact on one of the other two leagues, that burns my biscuits.

The Wolves have no interconference games, which, hey, that's perfectly fine! But they also have zero games against the Special Snowflakes, which means they're spending the entire season in a 10-team league.

Thirteen of the San Jose Barracuda's home games will be doubleheaders with the Sharks. Enjoy Broken Ankle Saturday Nights at SAP Center, Sharks fans!

You make excellent points that I hadn't considered regarding the TV money. Given the repeated articles I've read about the looming RSN bubble, it seems like you'd have to have a network ready and in place that you could grab your cash from, pronto. I think Cox has a presence in Vegas, and they run an RSN in New Orleans for the Pelicans, so maybe there could be a similar setup.

And given how the current state of affairs came about, I'm all for the NHL jacking up the admission fee for them as possible. Oh, you don't think charging US$800M when your dollar is worth only 75¢ is fair when we let Vegas in for only $500M?

I don't think you get how currency conversion works.

I do. That was my point. Fork over a billion loonies before the price goes up or your currency goes down, Quebecor. Or, you can try booking 250 nights of your new arena and charging NHL prices for Remparts games.

I just don't think they "deserve" an NHL team like they feel they do. Neither did Winnipeg, and they're still a more feasible outpost than QC in 2015. I'm sure they will do financially fine if awarded, but putting the NHL back in Quebec isn't righting some long-standing hockey injustice. And given how the current state of affairs came about, I'm all for the NHL jacking up the admission fee for them as possible. Oh, you don't think charging US$800M when your dollar is worth only 75¢ is fair when we let Vegas in for only $500M? Well, maybe you shouldn't have chased out the English and built a taxpayer-funded arena on spec.

Plus, as much as Winnipeg fans have tried to make Jets 2.0 The Cardinal Way of hockey (minus the banners), I get the impression Nordiques Nation would actually be worse.

Winnipeg was in the Southeast for two seasons. No one's saying Quebec would permanently be in the Ouest. More importantly, no one's saying Quebec is getting a franchise.

When asked if Quebec might have to start out in the Western Conference (because OINTDGNHL, this a legitimate question to ask)

In fairness, we had nearly a decade of an NFC West with San Francisco, St. Louis, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Carolina, plus a quarter-century of Cincinnati and Atlanta being NL West teams, despite there being 5 teams west of Cincinnati when this alignment was set.

Sports aren't always spot-on with the geography.

Also, let's all laugh at the Canadians extolling the virtues of a 32-team NHL completely rejiggered to feature an 8-team Canadian division, because finally, hockey's homeland could have a chance to make the Conference Final on a regular basis.

It's been determined to be a successful business model. Shut down for half a season, or even a full one, the players eventually agree to concessions (pro tip: add in a few demands you never expected to get to gjve the false appearance of compromise), and no matter how wise the fans and press get to your scheme (don't worry, most will still blame the players anyway!), you can expect record attendance and revenue on the other side.

Derek Stepan's new contract pays him $5 million in 2020-21. $3 million of it is structured as a signing bonus, designed as insurance against an expected lockout that season. Five years away, and everyone already knows.

Direwolves On Staten Island

Thankfully, they abandoned their original plan for "Girls Night", with the front of the jersey featuring the scene where Alison Williams receives analingus at the kitchen sink.

Honest-to-God fun fact I learned earlier this week: The current city manager and chief of police in Ferguson, Missouri came there from Glendale. Great to see that place on the right track!

You know whose fans were the "most loyal and ardent in the NHL?" Four teams come to mind...the Minnesota North Stars

Let me stop you right there for a second.

City of Glendale and IceArizona have reached a compromise, and will announce a deal to keep Pointless Coyotes Hockey at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar And Grill And Debt-Saddled Arena for two more dreadful seasons, as we all slog on to the inevitable ends of our respective barely-tolerable existences.

EDIT: Get a load of the Henry Clays in Glendale, giving up all arena revenue from Coyotes games *and* handing the team a guaranteed $6.5 million a year. Compromise!

http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/glendale-to-vote-on-amended-lease-agreement-with-coyotes-072315

Quebec is going to get screwed. I can feel it.

The arena's already been built under shady circumstances. Quebec has already been screwed; we are now merely awaiting confirmation of the extent of said screwing.

This is truly the most wonderful thing. And it's because the team put attention to detail into it and made a real identity, instead of just going "LOL TACOZ" and getting some dye-sublimated photographic pullover crap. Great work here.

Weren't the Grizzlies the ones who did "Price Is Right Night" and made the jerseys with TPiR nametags for each player?

So, if the Yotes indeed move to Vegas like the Post rumor indicated what will King Gary do with only Quebec on the expansion docket?

There will be a new expansion process announced, with a $5 million non-refundable application fee, and a $600 million expansion fee. Come on down, Seattle!

Well, scratch all your "Milwaukee for NHL expansion/relocation" talk. The Bucks got their blood money.

I looooove targeted marketing.

It's too hard to drive the bus up and down I-5 for eight more games?

It would totally ruin player development.

Also, I know I've said it before, but I can't help repeating that last season, the AHL was 6 divisions of 5 teams each. They move 5 teams to California, and rather than just giving them a division, they switch to a 4-division lineup *and* give the Special Snowflakes their wish for a shortened schedule, despite holding the rest of the league, including two teams in their division, the full 76. I am screaming from the rooftops for these entitled West Coast pissbabies to fail.

Also, has anyone thought about how three-point games factor into points percentage standings? Don't worry if you haven't; I'm sure the league hasn't, either!

The 'Topes had blue alternates when they were the Dodgers' affiliate, and I could not throw my money at them fast enough.

Well, there's a team that could be moved with negligible public outcry and almost no disruption of the taxpayer gravy train, isn't it?