A couple of quick quotes from Bill Daly, the Number Two at the NHL...
“There has been absolutely zero discussion at the league level of Thrashers to Winnipeg,” Daly told The Sun in an e-mail Wednesday night.
“There is no truth whatsoever to these rumours.”
And the whole idea of the Bettman visiting MTS Centre...?
"Gary (Bettman) did not visit Winnipeg earlier this week — or even earlier this year for that matter,” Daly said Wednesday.
Of course, that's what the league is going to say...
Scott Taylor was on the "Illegal Curve" radio program last night on Kick FM in Winnipeg to discuss what he knows and what he thinks may go down...
Taylor is under the impression that "Bettman has had it" with Atlanta Spirit as the owners of the Thrash- just as much as he's had it with the old Tampa duo of Oren Koules and Len Barrie. This is corroborated by the Bettman interview with Jeff Schultz of the AJC from February 7:
“Ultimately, the ownership situation has to be straightened out,” Bettman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s difficult to operate a franchise when owners aren’t getting along. It’s even more difficult in a recession climate. A team has to be at its very best. Issues have to be resolved and everybody has to be together so they can interact with fans. But that’s difficult when the owners aren’t together.”
Taylor thinks that if Thomson-Chipman/True North were to purchase any franchise, Thomson would also want to purchase the arena. If Spirit were to decline that idea, then Thomson would want to move the Thrashers. Winnipeg would be one of the first places he would look to relocate. His top three places for franchises are Western Ontario, Winnipeg, and Quebec City.
The main issue in Winnipeg is the corporate dollars and support. According to Taylor, Winnipeg businesses ((nationally based or otherwise)) are currently spending 2008 dollars in a 2010 environment. True North would not operate under the idea, according to Taylor, of operating a bottom line linked to a revenue sharing share. In a town of over 700-thousand, the franchise would need to be economically sound in what Taylor called a "boutique arena" in the MTS Centre ((pictured, thanks to the MTS Centre their ownselves)).
The HQ still thinks that True North is playing their cards right by denying everything and saying nothing where the possible relocation of the Thrashers is concerned. Jim Balsillie wanted a public forum where his interest in the Phoenix Coyotes was concerned. You see what that got him...
Bettman desperately wants Nashville, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Florida, and Columbus to work- it was his gambit to expand in that direction. The Preds and the New York Islanders are already floundering- Wang having lost over US$400M since he's bought in. The HQ still thinks that if Charles Wang doesn't get his Lighthouse Project approved, he's heading to Kansas City. And Bettman still believes that Canadian teams won't draw in US markets. The more Canadian teams his league has, the less attendance he feels will be involved overall.
The economy of all the aforementioned franchises, however, will eventually mean traditionally-served hockey markets will get the franchises anyway.
The HQ still thinks one of three things will happen- but not as immediately as everyone may think...
1) True North purchases the Thrashers under the impression that they would "give hockey a chance" in Atlanta. When attendance figures do not meet "expectation levels" set forth by the National Hockey League and True North, the team moves for the subsequent season- whichever one that is...
2) The Thrash will be bought and relocated for the 2010-2011 season and move to Winnipeg and the MTS Centre. The announcement will have to be made in a Thrashers off-season and before the schedule makers have their chance to create the '10-'11 work of art. Nashville and Atlanta would then switch positions in conferences- the Predators making the Southeast division a "truly" southeastern division. Winnipeg joins the Central Division with Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, and St. Louis.
3) The Thrash are sold to True North and renovations will be performed on the MTS Centre to add seating to the current 15,000 capacity. Atlanta will have a lame-duck season at their arena. Winnipeg gets a franchise for the 2011-2012 season.
Got all that...???
Figured what we'd do is show you what the current tenants look like...
Here's recent highlights of a full-line brawl between the Manitoba Moose and the Toronto Marlies from, about, a week ago...
((HT: American Hockey League))
No comments:
Post a Comment