Think back to how fast the Winnipeg team was swept out from under the feet of the good people of Winnipeg. And let’s be clear, I am not one of those good people. I am not from Winnipeg. But, after all this time, I feel like a brother. I feel like the moment I cross the border into Manitoba, it will feel like going to a friend’s house, where his mom asks if you would like to stay for dinner, and although it’s Canada, there’s “an apple pie in the oven”, and boy does it smell good.
Matthew Hulsizer caught wind it would seem that the NHL may have a further trick up its sleeve to sell to someone, anyone, at drastically reduced prices, because although they need revenue to cover losses, they may not want to admit what might be the bigger kettle of fish facing them.
It may not be about getting value for a franchise as the facade being displayed to the hockey world. Something tells me that if the powers that be say hockey will remain at Jobing.com arena, the gods have spoken. Hockey will remain!
Those encumbrances were not part of the picture for Winnipeg way back when in 1996 (it was then, wasn’t it?). You can look up some old video on YouTube where a lady in a bar is seen saying why should the team take tax dollars away from the City of Winnipeg when we have starving homeless people on the street?
That’s just it, isn’t it? Why should a sports league demand a situation where cities are held hostage? Well, one might consider this: Is it the NHL that has taken on more than it can chew in Glendale with whomever holds those nasty Jobing.com bonds? Worth repeating, the lawyers for the City of Glendale mentioned in court that if they lost the team, another hockey team would have to replace it.
Okay, search everyone, search. Where’s the legal arrangement that is holding everyone hostage? It’s so bad, that things will become even more obvious.
What if there are a bunch of rich dudes in Abu Dhabi that are jumping up and down, adamant that this get fixed, or else!
Hulsizer is scratching his head. Hey, wait a minute, why would the NHL sell this team for less than what it offered it to me?, he might be thinking. Would he be then getting ripped off? What’s up with that?
Well, Mr. H should remember Jim Balsillie’s offer that was but wasn’t $212.5 million. Or was it higher? Eh, doesn’t matter really, because unless it was a bajillion dollars it would not satisfy the “sales tax” hound investors likely!
According to the Bet man, the offsets and credits would make it a much lesser number, but it didn’t matter. Probably it didn’t matter because it wasn’t a bajillion “walk away” dollars. It was probably about 87.5 % shy of breaking even to break out of the deal. How much cash is in the NHL vaults? Uh oh!
And unlike the Military Industrial Complex that can raise bucks by telling us all that a guy in a beard hiding in a well-ventilated cave is a threat, the Sports Industrial Complex has to do it by creating a “fear war” that a franchise is not viable if you don’t go along with taxpayer-buck-sucking developments fronted often by owners coming across as “good generous guys“. Oh my, they are so nice to make our city world class! Hurrah for the big complex that the Mayor is just wondering why there aren’t any details for – -hurray!! Find the money quick – - keep those investment savages happy – - hurry !
To admit the team must, by some agreement somewhere be kept in Glendale would suggest there are investors behind the scenes that didn’t exist in Winnipeg.
Things happened a whole lot differently where there were no incumbrances, eh?
That huge sucking sound was the arena and the team draining down the bathtub hole – — squish shoomp – - good to the last drop, get over it Winnipeg, pretend we never were here! I think I could see Gary and Bill in their overalls on the back of the moving truck attaching the sticker “Phoenix or bust”.
Okay the verdicts in — it’s BUST!
The next rabbit up the sleeve might be even more telling and embarrassing for the embattled Commissioner: What if he has to sell at any price to keep the team in Glendale because those investors won’t budge? What if those investors are going to get that sales tax related revenue by cracky or it’s going to get Coyote ugly for the NHL, and all the good boys that put this stinkin‘ deal together? Ouch!
Might lead to a very weary Commissioner feeling a little less than happy to have his job right about now. The house of cards, she’s a shakin’ no?
The option is “whatever someone might pay, right Mr. B?:
“I will not say today when the end is and I will not set a deadline. But at some point, we may have no choice but to begin pursuing our other alternatives,” he said. “We have options but I’m not going to discuss them.”
A rock bottom price might be negative $40 million.
That’s right, pay us $40 million a year and we will put our name on the ownership papers, because wasn’t that what the team lost on pure hockey operations this year?
And, let’s look at the parking thing.
Goldwater says that the City has rights to parking, and the City is saying the team does. Someone call Jerry Moyes…..“Jerry Moyes to the stand, the plaintiff calls Jerry Moyes”. “Mr. Moyes, did you know you had rights to parking even though you asked repeatedly, and the City of Glendale never returned your phone calls?”
That would mean Goldwater stayed awake during this two-year merry-go-round.
Let’s see, there was Jerry Moyes trying to hang on to the team asking for parking rights – - nope, City no talky to Jerry (Moyes that is, the other Jerry, different treatment).
Ellman wanted to dip into parking at some point too. Sorry Mr. E.
Reinsdorf came with concession list in hand like a kid at Christmas laying out the cookies and milk for Santa. Nope, not even the White Knight can pull it off. Bye Jerry, see ya buddy!
The “low-lying fruit” that Ice Edge had included in their thinking that would get this off the ground, including parking, we were not supposed to remember? Man, no wonder the NHL was so quick to want to get this resolved in court, but as soon as the case was over – - they put the brakes on, and went back in the huddle for a year and a half or so. Problemo amigo!
And, the rabbit that Glendale hopes is in the hat to solidify their case is parking?
They were hoping the Goldwater Group would not remember the charade of parking concessions paraded up and down every single offer as crucial to make the deals fly?
Is it any wonder Goldwater wants to do a joint press conference with Gary Bettman, but Bettman will not fight the losing battle?
So, if the last rabbit from the hat is Glendale cutting the bond offer, and the NHL will have to give away the ship because of the men in Abu Dhabi it would be so sweet poetic justice wouldn’t it?
It would mean the NHL and Glendale’s only other option would be to maybe pay those mystery men $720 million - – the lease break penalty and hope they go away. Then Glendale could sue the NHL, but then they would be up against every sport like football and basketball, and all other sports that tap into taxpayer dollars. Well maybe not basketball, Phoenix would have that problem.
Yeah, the Goldwater Group might just look at the Sports Industrial Complex and see it is just a means to separate people from their money. Is it a wonder so many hockey owners also run the horses and Casinos?
See – - nobody lies! They tell us exactly what it’s all about, we just choose not to see the monopoly of wealth suckers because they go by the title of sports owners, foreign investors, investment bankers, and on and on.
Don’t pay attention Goldwater to the fact that all the sports teams were behind keeping the Coyotes in Glendale. They were so nice to support a friend in the NHL. It makes us all warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? Yeah, they had no reason to support the location of a franchise built on land and urban planning, no. It was all just the “principle of the thing”. Mmmmm hmmm.
So Mr. Hulsizer, if you can find even a little cash on your own, here’s a hint, forget the bond offer, do us a favor and help us show just how desperate and helpless the NHL really is on this one.
And at that point, the jig will officially be up!
