The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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http://deadspin.com/the-coyotes-were-da ... 1643791488
In July 2013, the Glendale City Council voted—barely, by a 4-3 margin—to approve a complicated lease deal that was the last possible hope of keeping the Coyotes in Arizona. A new report from the Seattle Times reveals that the NHL had a contingency plan in place if the vote went the other way: moving trucks were literally standing by to relocate the team to Seattle.

Three sources with knowledge of negotiations confirm the Coyotes would have been bought by New York investment banker Ray Bartoszek and his partner Anthony Lanza and moved to Seattle as soon as the following day — playing up to three seasons at KeyArena — had the vote not passed.

"Most people don't realize how close we were to actually getting an NHL team,'' says former Seattle mayor Mike McGinn, who had been involved in the relocation talks.

The Bartoszek/Lanza group was mentioned as leading potential buyers at the time, as was a "framework" for a lease to see the Coyotes play at the KeyArena until a new arena could be financed a built, so this isn't out of left field. What is new is evidence that the NHL was ready to immediately pull the trigger on the sale and relocation if the Glendale vote had failed.

The league needed its 2013-14 schedule finalized and was serious about a firm deadline and no further negotiations.

"I understood that if Glendale didn't proceed, that we could get an NHL team,'' McGinn says.

That view is supported by an internal memo from the NHL Players Association dated June 27, 2013 — five days before the Glendale vote.

The memo, obtained by Forbes, told players unless the lease was approved, the NHL "would immediately pursue one of several backup alternatives which likely would entail a prompt relocation of the franchise. While there are several potential cities ... it appears that Seattle is the most likely."

Two sources with first-hand knowledge have confirmed New York investor Bartoszek had moving trucks on standby to relocate the team to Seattle. They say a Seattle financing specialist had helped Bartoszek line up local investors to own a small piece of the franchise.

To think the Coyotes were a single swing vote from loading its franchise onto a fleet of trucks in the middle of the night and abandoning the desert forever. (Perhaps incidentally, the Arizona Attorney General is investigating claims of irregularity in the Glendale City Council's voting process, specifically a secret negotiating session with the Coyotes that wasn't disclosed, in violation of state law.)

The Coyotes may not be too long for Arizona anyway, not with the NHL publicly and privately the value of a handful of potential new hockey markets. The lease that kept the Coyotes in Glendale contains an out clause: if the team loses $50 million over five years, the deal's off. According to the New York Post's Larry Brooks, the team claimed a $24 million loss last season alone.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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Too bad they didn't move. Phoenix never deserved a team. Seriously, hockey in the flipping southwest desert?
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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glen a richter wrote:Too bad they didn't move. Phoenix never deserved a team. Seriously, hockey in the flipping southwest desert?
Now they want to bring a team to Las Vegas...some people never learn.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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It seems like they're just delaying the inevitable. Are they going to have a big financial turnaround? I doubt it. Move them to Seattle already. I wouldn't mind another team that's somewhat close to me.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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They should have just ate the loss and moved the team back to Winnipeg years ago and moved the Thrashers to Quebec. That would have pretty much made up for all the wrong...okay, it wouldn't have, but at least it would have righted the wrongs. Winnipeg deserves alot better than the old Thrashers franchise.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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Oaklandblue wrote:They should have just ate the loss and moved the team back to Winnipeg years ago and moved the Thrashers to Quebec. That would have pretty much made up for all the wrong...okay, it wouldn't have, but at least it would have righted the wrongs. Winnipeg deserves alot better than the old Thrashers franchise.
They don't do that (or at least try their best not to) because they're trying their best to make hockey an American game on par with basketball. They've been trying to extend hockey's reach ever since Gretzky went to LA. Sure you could put franchises in Quebec, Hamilton, Saskatoon and other Canadian sites but WHO is going to watch a Saskatoon vs. Hamilton Cup final?? That would be lowest rated sports event in the history of NBC.

The American networks would even find a Phoenix/Atlanta Cup final a lot more palatable.

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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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JesusNEVERexisted wrote:
Oaklandblue wrote:They should have just ate the loss and moved the team back to Winnipeg years ago and moved the Thrashers to Quebec. That would have pretty much made up for all the wrong...okay, it wouldn't have, but at least it would have righted the wrongs. Winnipeg deserves alot better than the old Thrashers franchise.
They don't do that (or at least try their best not to) because they're trying their best to make hockey an American game on par with basketball. They've been trying to extend hockey's reach ever since Gretzky went to LA. Sure you could put franchises in Quebec, Hamilton, Saskatoon and other Canadian sites but WHO is going to watch a Saskatoon vs. Hamilton Cup final?? That would be lowest rated sports event in the history of NBC.

The American networks would even find a Phoenix/Atlanta Cup final a lot more palatable.
Wrong. An all Canadian final would be gobbled up by Canada (yes, I know Canadian ratings don't count in the US). If Arizona and Florida played in the Stanley Cup finals this year, I can almost guarantee you that it would be the lowest rated final ever.

Original Six and Canadian teams bring the attention to the NHL.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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Wrong. A Toronto/Vancouver final would bomb in the U.S.. A Hamilton/Saskatoon final would set the ratings in the U.S. for ratings futility.

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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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Wrong. Anything hockey related would bomb in the ratings anywhere because hockey is the least popular of the big 4 sports. Baseball, football and basketball are all much more popular. Those of us who love hockey are in the minority, as a representation of the entire population of America. As for Canada, perhaps not, but in America, yes.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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Wrong. I just wanted to be cool too.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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But in the Bettman post LA Gretzky era NHL it is very clear they want to be bigger stateside. And having a team in Saskatoon or Hamilton doesn't accomplish that.

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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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I wonder what the feasibility is of a team in Seattle though?

Way I see it, if you're a hockey fan in the state of Washington you're likely already a Canucks fan. But that's me...
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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WaukeeBlues wrote:I wonder what the feasibility is of a team in Seattle though?

Way I see it, if you're a hockey fan in the state of Washington you're likely already a Canucks fan. But that's me...
Sure, for now. But if they get their own team? Seattle has some great fans in every sport. As of now, the only fall/winter sport they have is football. You put a hockey team in there, you fill the gap left by the Sonics leaving. Really, in terms of American cities, Seattle is the best possible city for NHL expansion, in my opinion.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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dmiles2186 wrote:
WaukeeBlues wrote:I wonder what the feasibility is of a team in Seattle though?

Way I see it, if you're a hockey fan in the state of Washington you're likely already a Canucks fan. But that's me...
Sure, for now. But if they get their own team? Seattle has some great fans in every sport. As of now, the only fall/winter sport they have is football. You put a hockey team in there, you fill the gap left by the Sonics leaving. Really, in terms of American cities, Seattle is the best possible city for NHL expansion, in my opinion.
I agree, QC would be the only other one to me.
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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

Post by ecbm »

Seattle needs a building before it gets a team. Obviously. The only man who has rights to build an appropriate building has said he won't build until he has an NBA franchise as a tenant. Seattle won't be a realistic option for some years. Stubborn things, facts.

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Re: The Coyotes were THISCLOSE to moving to Seattle

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Seattle would still be problematic because of the Canucks being so close. Still, couldn't be worse than Glendale. I'd personally put a team in Honolulu. Can I be on the expansion committee?
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