Sodboy13

Jet fuel doesn't burn hot enough to melt parking lots.

Lee usually saves this line for Twitter DMs.

Oh, yes, Tom Stillman has plenty of money to keep an NHL team operating well into the future, I'm sure of it.

Oh, please share this story.

A multi-year affiliation agreement is about as iron-clad as those 12-year college coaching contracts. Teams can and do move affiliations when they want. Adirondack had a multi-year affiliation agreement with the Flames.

That's fantastic news. Wonder if the Avs slum it in Springfield for a year before setting up as the 6th Pacific team.

And his now-wife got herself out of doing TV commentary for CSN Chicago by Boynton' him.

Glens Falls. The answer is always Glens Falls.

That's embarrassing, even by roller hockey standards.

There's something coming down the pipe with Broward County in May, I believe, but I can't remember the specifics of it, nor can I remember if it would allow the Panthers to leave without paying the steep penalty that's supposed to keep them in Sunrise until 2028.

With a grimace on his face, teeth bared, a hunk of grass hanging out of his mouth.

Portland Pirates will continue to exist, and affiliate with the Florida Panthers. So, does that mean it's the Coyotes' turn to partner with San Antonio again?

I think Québec City's price tag was $400M (when the US and Canadian dollars were fairly equal), and I believe their arena is going to be slightly larger than the Vegas one, so it seems like the right price range.

It doesn't excuse the actions of the elected officials in deep with corporate interests, either, who basically told the voters, "Look, just look the other way on the sketchy dealings involved to get this publicly-funded money pit built for a few years, and you're going to have your Nordiques at the end of it." Ought to be some heads on pikes coming out of this if an NHL team doesn't materialize. Still better than Chicago, though, who basically did the same thing without ever promising more than DePaul Men's Basketball.

$400 million arena that will probably only host hockey performed by players earning a $50 weekly stipend. Maybe Québec should angle for the NCAA!

I think it's worth asking whether they could exempt that from their report to the city if they so chose, given that they're allowed to count the Ribeiro buyout as a loss. Mike Smith's got 4 years at $5.5M+ left; he'll fix everything if the team gets too close to black ink.

Funny you mentioned Coyotes numbers. Sarah McLellan of The Arizona Republic has the figures from IceArizona's 2013-14 season: Operating losses (without one-time charges): $16,458,000 Acquisition costs: $7,878,000 Buyout of Mike Ribeiro: $10,495,000 Total Coyotes losses reported to City of Glendale: $34,831,000. So, let's look at the official "Destination 2018: Anywhere Else" toteboard, and... Only $15,169,000 to go! I can't believe ownership gets to factor in the last two items in their loss reports to the city. Wait, of course I can, because Glendale's been happily playing along with this game of 3-card monte for five years now. Can the Coyotes lose $15 million more in four seasons? Well, Rocky Wirtz says he goes $20 million in the red on the Blackhawks every year, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Looks like the AHL Bulldogs are on their way out, while the OHL Belleville Bulls are getting sold and relocated to become the new Hamilton Bulldogs.

Plus the veteran rule would still apply even without an affiliation, right? So you'd be really strecthed for building a workable roster.

Wasn't there a story at the time of the Thrashers move that ownership had NHL Moose jersey prototypes ready to go? I wonder if anyone got to see those outside of the True North inner circle. If the Moose come back, they should go with what worked best last time: more or less recolor the Blues' template and become the best-looking team in the league.

We're now at 7,700 season ticket deposits for Las Vegas, which means we're about 6 weeks away from the NHL buying up the remainder and calling the trial balloon a complete success. Fun thing I learned from Chris Johnston's Vegas update on SportsNet: The ownership recruited 75 Vegas whales to each buy and resell 60 deposits. That's 4,500 total. Which means, in terms of real people who have expressed interest in going to hockey games, the Vegas bid has attracted 3,200 deposits. This is all starting to feel rather Oakland Seals-y.

Devils couldn't draw in their heyday when they weren't playing in Newark. You think they'll fill a barn now?

Anaheim should consider 7:30 starts if the transportation situation is that bad. The Kings start at 7:30, and so do the Blackhawks, after a 1-season experiment with 7:00 starts failed.

Yep, dammit, the Dodgeresque crowd threw me again. I forget that they're late-arrivers. What would it take to get the Anaheim crowd to show up on time? 8:00 starts? 8:30? A Teemu ceremony before every home game?

Anaheim just isn't a Wednesday hockey kind of town, apparently. Real Sunrise kinda vibe to Honda Center tonight. Again.