NHL Anti-Thread: Bad Business Decision Aggregator

[IceCap]

So if Phoenix finally goes bye bye who is the next team that steps into their shoes as the punching bag and butt of jokes?

I can't hate on Columbus, because their fanbase really does seem to care. They just have a terrible team.

I'd say Florida's next in line. If enough of us remember they exist at any given moment.

[Still MIGHTY]

In all fairness, Michelson (an ASU alum) shot a 60 today in Scottsdale and lipped out on 18 in the process. He should have gone 59, if not lower. There have only been five rounds of 59 in PGA Tour history. We've all known for months the cash was not there.

I just... *sigh*

Don't blame the 16th hole for outdrawing them on Saturday.

That wasn't what I was talking about dip

[Breakwood]

I'm watching Jets @ Panthers. There is virtually no one sitting in the lower bowl on the bench side between the blue lines, a/k/a the best seats in the house. I did some research and apparently it's become something called "Club Red," where you buy access to a brand-new super-swanky mega-suite for one-percenters, where you can hang out and be rich or go to the seats and watch the game. Which, clearly, no one does. So to the average viewer who isn't conversant with the ever-monetizing ways of Michael Yormark, it looks like no one can be bothered to go to Panthers games. What a way to run a railroad.

I mean, the hell is this? Don't they realize it looks really bad?

Looks like the ACC on a Saturday night

[dfwabel]

So if Phoenix finally goes bye bye who is the next team that steps into their shoes as the punching bag and butt of jokes?

I'd have to guess Columbus.

So if Phoenix finally goes bye bye who is the next team that steps into their shoes as the punching bag and butt of jokes?

I can't hate on Columbus, because their fanbase really does seem to care. They just have a terrible team.

I'd say Florida's next in line. If enough of us remember they exist at any given moment.

It's C-bus since the city council bought Nationwide Arena from Nationwide Insurance and did it under the condition they they were going to use projected casino revenue to pay for it. Those projected revenues have yet to come in.

"Smashville" is the other city who really has used/abused government funds to a large degree to stay afloat.

The Panthers operate the arena, so they can separate the team income from arena income so they can claim they the team loses money, but the operating corporation makes money.

[Sodboy13]

So if Phoenix finally goes bye bye who is the next team that steps into their shoes as the punching bag and butt of jokes?

I'd have to guess Columbus.

I can't hate on the Jackets. Their lease deal is more along the lines of your standard issue municipal handout, the fanbase is practically begging for anything to cheer for while enduring way too much front-office incompetence, with bad breaks piled atop that (losing the Yakupov lottery and the All-Star weekend.) That's some Thrashers-level stuff for a fanbase to endure, though at least fans of the Beej can take solace in knowing their ownership doesn't actively loathe hockey.

Plus, you didn't hear any stories during the lockout about bars in Phoenix or South Florida getting packed for NHL 13 simulations or Saturday morning World Juniors telecasts.

[Kevin W.]

Point taken.

[Sodboy13]

Per Craig Morgan, Greg Jamison has issued a statement. Try not to roll your eyes too hard, lest they fall out.

"We will not be able to complete our purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes today in time to meet our deadline with the city of Glendale. However, our journey to purchase the Coyotes will continue. We realize this will require additional conversations with the city of Glendale and the NHL. We still believe we can reach an agreement that satisfies everyone. We hope negotiations with the city proceed as smoothly as possible, as everyone involved wants the Coyotes to remain in Arizona.

"To the Arizona's sports and hockey fans, and the City of Glendale, we appreciate your patience and diligence. We wish everything was completed today as we worked extremely hard on the deal. However, we have taken significant steps to keep the Coyotes in Glendale for the long-term. I've seen first-hand the wonderful support Arizona hockey fans have provided the Coyotes and we will continue our efforts to keep the NHL in Arizona."

Pretty liberal use of the royal "we" there, Greggy.

[DaytonBlue]

If it's this hard to move the Coyotes, I think the Jackets, Panthers, and Preds are safe for awhile:

Jackets: county bought building, team has new lease, now they just need to have a little success

Preds: the "Hamilton Predators" debacle from 2007 lit a fire under their fanbase, 97% capacity last year

Panthers: Everyone knows their "loss leader" status

Odd thought about the Coyotes: A big complaint about their attendance is location of the Jobberdome. Since the Islanders have decided that having all seats with decent views is not the end of the world, would the Coyotes and Suns entertain becoming housemates again? Far fetched idea I know.

[Sodboy13]

If Suns ownership was interested in buying the Coyotes, I could see it happening. Tell Glendale to go pound sand (they've got plenty!) and go back to the awkwardly-shaped basketball barn where you drew well regardless.

You'd think, though, that if Suns ownership had an interest, they would have expressed it by now.

[STL FANATIC]

The Jackets may finally be trending upwards. I really think John Davidson is going to get that franchise going in the right direction.

[LMU]

Per Craig Morgan, Greg Jamison has issued a statement. Try not to roll your eyes too hard, lest they fall out.

"We will not be able to complete our purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes today in time to meet our deadline with the city of Glendale. However, our journey to purchase the Coyotes will continue. We realize this will require additional conversations with the city of Glendale and the NHL. We still believe we can reach an agreement that satisfies everyone. We hope negotiations with the city proceed as smoothly as possible, as everyone involved wants the Coyotes to remain in Arizona.

"To the Arizona's sports and hockey fans, and the City of Glendale, we appreciate your patience and diligence. We wish everything was completed today as we worked extremely hard on the deal. However, we have taken significant steps to keep the Coyotes in Glendale for the long-term. I've seen first-hand the wonderful support Arizona hockey fans have provided the Coyotes and we will continue our efforts to keep the NHL in Arizona."

Pretty liberal use of the royal "we" there, Greggy.

[dfwabel]

If it's this hard to move the Coyotes, I think the Jackets, Panthers, and Preds are safe for awhile:

Jackets: county bought building, team has new lease, now they just need to have a little success

Preds: the "Hamilton Predators" debacle from 2007 lit a fire under their fanbase, 97% capacity last year

Panthers: Everyone knows their "loss leader" status

Odd thought about the Coyotes: A big complaint about their attendance is location of the Jobberdome. Since the Islanders have decided that having all seats with decent views is not the end of the world, would the Coyotes and Suns entertain becoming housemates again? Far fetched idea I know.

Why buy a NHL team and assume that debt, when you can save that $150M and try your best to book those 40-50 arena dates for events and keep more of the proceeds rather than to pay the NHL team debt?

[dfwabel]

The Jackets may finally be trending upwards. I really think John Davidson is going to get that franchise going in the right direction.

I am not sure on how valid these numbers are.

From January 2012:

A confidential NHL report shows the Jackets have seen one of the worst ticket revenue declines in the league. The report obtained by the Toronto Star shows Jackets’ home game ticket sales declined more than 17 percent last season compared to the 2007-2008 season.

In 2007-2008, the Blue Jackets’ average game revenue was $800,000, last season it was $660,000. In the 2010-11 season ticket sales produced $2.7 million.

But Columbus did not see the worst declines; Atlanta and Tampa Bay saw more than 40 percent drops in ticket revenues. Atlanta, last year, moved to Winnipeg.

This story also included quotes from Marc Ganis, who is such a "question mark" in terms of sports business knowledge. Always quoted as an insider, yet he has never completed much in terms of major sport. Ganis is infamous in Tampa for his lack of success.

[The_Admiral]

The Jackets may finally be trending upwards. I really think John Davidson is going to get that franchise going in the right direction.

He could. After the way the organization bottomed out, I think you can only go up from there. They'll have a lot of good prospects coming through, and even though the bailout was bad policy for the city/county, it does put out the giant fire that was their financial situation. On the ice, they're already looking better this year without it being "Rick Nash and guys hanging out with Rick Nash."

Sadly, I'm not really a believer in Columbus. With the way Ohio State seems to monopolize the sports scene there, you have to worry about there being enough big bucks to go around for the Jackets as interest has dwindled (which I know has more to do with hockey ops than anything, but still). And while there's no objection to Columbus as a tropical paradise that can't grasp hockey, it probably wasn't the best idea for expansion on the aforementioned college-town basis. While their fans are passionate, you do get that sort of "15,000 fans and they're all at every game" vibe. It was a tenuous market to begin with and it's taken a lot of damage. That isn't the fans' fault so much as bad management and really bad luck.

[zpqmaowl]

Now what?

[IceCap]

Now what?

I suppose Jamison and his super secret mystery friends try to work out a new deal with the NHL and the city of Glendale. The city's not run by idiots this time though, so expect Jamison to not get anything close to the sweetheart deal he got before, which will probably lead to him walking away (as he has no money) and leaving the NHL without an ownership candidate open to keeping the team in town.

[Evil Doctor]

I hope the Leafs make the playoffs this year so that everyone west of Guelph can shut up about being an "underserved market" and put their old Mats Sundin sweaters back on with pride. The Passion That Unites Us All!

Not bloody likely...

[wildwing64]

Apparently, Bill Daly is no longer ruling out the possibility of the Coyotes being relocated.

inb4 The Final Countdo

...oh

[Gothamite]

I'm, biased, but I don't see how this can possibly be seen as anything other an a very large black eye for Gary Bettman and the NHL.

You have a major league team for sale. One of the "Big 4". And they can't find anybody willing to take it off their hands for a measly $170M? With a sweetheart lease deal from the city thrown in for good measure?

Looking around that BIg 4, do you think that Bud Selig, or Goodell or Stern, couldn't pick up the phone and find someone outside of the club to open their wallets and put Jamison over the top? Bettman has had four years, and can't come up with the money unless he makes the owners themselves pay it. Hell, the next MLS expansion fee is expected to get near $100M, and that doesn't even cover a single cost of building the team. $170M for a whole organization (and a good one) is peanuts.

That's a sign of a league in very deep trouble, when people with money don't actually want to be part of it.

[AJM]

If Suns ownership was interested in buying the Coyotes, I could see it happening. Tell Glendale to go pound sand (they've got plenty!) and go back to the awkwardly-shaped basketball barn where you drew well regardless.

You'd think, though, that if Suns ownership had an interest, they would have expressed it by now.

Just so Robert Sarver could ruin another Phoenix team...I'd rather see the Yotes intact in another city versus letting Sarver touch this team.