GDAWG

57 minutes ago, Sykotyk said:

Without trying to go explore it, this was one of the sites the Islanders were looking into building an arena, right? Or did they build one here nearby?

The Islanders are in nearby Nassau County.  

So apparently, the NYCFC Soccer stadium only needs the mayor to sign off before official groundbreaking.  That seems likely since he's in support of this stadium since the start.  

30 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

So you're saying you want him to lie.  Ok.

At least give the fans in Arizona some hope, so yes.  

32 minutes ago, bosrs1 said:

That’s an urban myth. The  Raley Field does not have major league caliber facilities under the grandstand nor can the upper deck support any kind of expansion. It would have to be completely demolished to be expanded. 

The thing is though is that Sutter Health Park only needs to do enough renovations to get the approval of the Players Association.  Sahlen Field in Buffalo had to undergo renovations before the MLBPA signed off on it as the temporary home of the Blue Jays due to travel restrictions.  

The fact that they have been completely silent about the A's move to Sacramento and yet they have been outspoken about the uniforms and the large amount of pitching injuries is interesting.   

1 hour ago, RyanMcD29 said:

Because this couldn't get more YOTES, this delayed statement STILL HAS THE CURSOR LEFT ON

The fact that he doesn't deny the rumors is telling.  What he should have said is "I am fully committed to keeping the NHL and the Coyotes in Arizona" but instead he dances around saying that he isn't allowed to make any public comments at this point.  

1 hour ago, gosioux76 said:

I think small markets are actually the way to go for the NHL. I don’t see the league getting more popular as time goes on. I think moving into markets where it’s No. 1 or 2 in the local sports hierarchy is the most logical move. 
 

Even with competent leadership, I’d bet a franchise would still suffer in sports-saturated Phoenix. Atlanta was (and could be again) a similar circumstance. Houston, too, for that matter. It doesn’t really matter if there’s a “hockey culture” there if the team gets lost in all the noise.

 

Places like SLC, Quebec City, or maybe even Omaha, stand a better chance at success. 
 

The league will always have the cornerstones of NewYork, LA, Boston and Chicago to offer the reach necessary for big TV contracts.

The likely rationale for Houston in the NHL is that "if hockey can work in Dallas, it can work in Houston" and the NHL wants that Dallas vs. Houston rivalry.   If that turns out to be the main reason for a team in Houston, it's a stupid and short-sighted reason.   One of the reasons the NHL worked in Dallas right away was because the team was competitive to start.  Were there seasons where they weren't great?  Yes there were, but they were never bad enough to where attendance was a disaster.  Their worst season was 1995-1996 when they won 26 games in a full season.  Otherwise, they've either been at .500 or a few games below it in their three decades.  

There's no guarantee Houston will be a success in the NHL as the Stars have been.  The success of the Stars have resulted in a state sanctioned high school hockey league in the DFW area and places known as StarCenters, which serve as community centers for ice skating and ice hockey.  It also led to the arrival of the Allen Americans of the ECHL, in the suburb of Allen, Texas.  

1 hour ago, PrimalCookie said:

Cities that tried to get the Coyotes but failed:

- Kansas City
- Hamilton

- Winnipeg

- Seattle

- Quebec City

- Houston

- Likely more that I’m forgetting/we don’t know about

The city that finally got them:

- Salt Lake City

 

I think Utah will be a pretty good hockey market, I’m just shocked they were the ones to get it done after so long. I really hate it for the the Coyotes fans… but it was time. It had been time for a while. Maybe they get a second chance down the road and make use of it, or not and they just become Atlanta 2.

 

Sucks, but it also doesn’t. Yknow?

Seattle and Winnipeg did eventually get NHL teams.  Salt Lake City out of the running gives Houston a legit shot for an expansion team.

And the Nordiques will probably be back whenever Atlanta 3 fails again after a decade.  

15 minutes ago, habsfan1 said:

Are there any Coyotes in Utah?

 

Still, Utah Coyotes and Salt Lake City Coyotes doesn't sound good. Relocation was inevitable. But getting their own identity would be better.

 

Even their basketball team took New Orleans' identity. Both of their big 4 pro sports teams have a brand that used to belong to someone else.

I heard on PHNX that Ryan Smith plans on rebranding the team once his purchase of the team is finalized.  

And this eliminates the state of Utah from MLB expansion.....I think.  

1 minute ago, mcj882000 said:

Same; as I've noted before Houston hasn't had any kind of hockey team since Les Alexander booted the Aeros out of Toyota Center and into Iowa in 2013. The only reason Houston's even up for consideration now is because Les finally sold the Rockets in 2017. 10 years is a long time for a market to go entirely unserved; even Phoenix still had the IHL's Roadrunners when the Coyotes came to town, IMO that's enough time for any local interest in the sport to wither away altogether.

Despite that I'm cautiously optimistic still; as long as they're owned by the Rockets' owner and playing at Toyota Center, it'll probably go fine, perhaps merely an unremarkable middle-of-the-road success, which would still be a huge step up from Phoenix. Yet I'm also wary that if the situation ever changed, if the Rockets sold the Houston NHLers and/or made them get a new home elsewhere in town, I actually think it could have the potential to be a bigger failure than the Coyotes have been.

My reason for skepticism from Houston is the mindset that "if the NHL can work in Dallas, it can work in Houston"

I am a little skeptical about Houston.  

11 hours ago, Germanshepherd said:

Also not for nothing, Cameron Brink said part of her decision to go to the WNBA was that she didn’t want to constantly take flights to ACC country during the school year. 

Brink made the right decision based on WNBA Mock Drafts which have her at 2 with the Los Angeles Sparks.  

I am indifferent about UConn, so I didn't mind that they repeated. 

It will probably be the last meaningful game Zach Edey will play because I don't see him amounting to anything other than a defensive stopper/close to the basket specialist off the bench in the NBA. 

1 hour ago, LMU said:

Points like this get lost in the A's/Coyotes comparisons.  The Coyotes had to downgrade to a gimmicky arena meant for college kids that they had to build a temporary annex to bring up to code.  The A's get an immense upgrade in atmosphere combined with functioning plumbing.

If Sutter Health Ballpark is a fantastic minor league ballpark, it might play a factor as to why the MLBPA has been completely silent about this move.  They have recently complained about the exorbitant amount of pitching injuries and yet still remain silent on the A's move to Sacramento.  

Attendance in DC isn't too bad if you consider the fact that they are playing at the MLS stadium Audi Field, which seats 20,000 people

Taco Charlton had three sacks in a game.....quite an unusual feat for him.