Phil Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 I would like to see a couple of teams moved, and certainly Houston should have a team, but Bettman basically has instituted a no move policy in favor of endless expansion and dilution and the fees it generates. That said, Phoenix is too good of a market to leave. There are enough Minnesotans there to support a team if no one else came! You put an arena in a terrible location and field a team that is bad for decades on end and you aren't going to succeed no matter how good the market is. They should only be moved if they can't get an arena. I don't know the configurations of the arena the NBA team plays in in Scottsdale, but in our ridiculous age, these teams demand and get their own arenas with 100 percent rights to all of advertising and ancillary event revenue. Normally, I'd agree, but in this case, it's highly unlikely they could secure a new site build, because the Footprint Center (formerly America West Arena) was where the Coyotes played from '96 to '03, and it's utterly incompatible with hockey. From the Yotes' Wiki: "The floor was just barely large enough to fit a standard NHL rink, forcing the Coyotes to hastily reengineer it to accommodate the 200-foot rink. The configuration left a portion of one end of the upper deck hanging over the boards and ice, obscuring almost a third of the rink and one goal from several sections. As a result, listed capacity had to be cut down from over 18,000 seats to just over 16,000 – the second-smallest in the league at the time – after the first season." The odds on an embattled financial loser like the Coyotes getting taxpayer dollars to build a dedicated arena in Phoenix is has a snowball's chance in hell of happening. Relocation really feels like it looms here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindG1000 Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 Normally, I'd agree, but in this case, it's highly unlikely they could secure a new site build, because the Footprint Center (formerly America West Arena) was where the Coyotes played from '96 to '03, and it's utterly incompatible with hockey. From the Yotes' Wiki: "The floor was just barely large enough to fit a standard NHL rink, forcing the Coyotes to hastily reengineer it to accommodate the 200-foot rink. The configuration left a portion of one end of the upper deck hanging over the boards and ice, obscuring almost a third of the rink and one goal from several sections. As a result, listed capacity had to be cut down from over 18,000 seats to just over 16,000 – the second-smallest in the league at the time – after the first season." The odds on an embattled financial loser like the Coyotes getting taxpayer dollars to build a dedicated arena in Phoenix is has a snowball's chance in hell of happening. Relocation really feels like it looms here. Yeah. It's not happening, doubly so because the Suns just renovated that arena. It's time to think about some of the other options, and I'd guess Houston, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and maybe a few others are decently suitable future homes for the team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindG1000 Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 Houston makes a ton of sense. 1. First, and foremost, they have a billionaire owner who wants an NHL franchise in Tilman Fertitta 2. Currently the fourth-most populated city in the U.S. with approximately 2.4 million citizens. 3. Immediate access to an 18,300-seat arena (Toyota Center) which Fertitta is making "major upgrades" to over a four- or five-year span between 2019 and 2022/2023. 4. Massive corporate sponsorship opportunity. Seriously. Count the Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Houston. Unless they're ready to split Toronto and give them a second franchise, there's probably not a better North American city available to relocate the Coyotes to. Fertitta has admitted there are "southern" challenges to getting butts in seats, which would be exacerbated by inheriting the horrendous Coyotes' current roster, but that's likely more of a short-term loss rather than a long-term fear. Oh, I think wholeheartedly it should be Houston. As for the Coyotes' horrendous roster....what roster? Their whole team by the end of this season is Chychrun, Keller, and Dvorak...and Shane Wright I guess. The balance will be dealt by the deadline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted August 21, 2021 Author Share Posted August 21, 2021 Oh, I think wholeheartedly it should be Houston. As for the Coyotes' horrendous roster....what roster? Their whole team by the end of this season is Chychrun, Keller, and Dvorak...and Shane Wright I guess. The balance will be dealt by the deadline. They're selling hope harder than anyone and that's hard to get buy-in on. The first few years should be fine, but you need players to market locally to help drive ticket sales and jersey sales and interest in general. They have ... two. Chychun and whatever the hell Keller is. Dvorak will probably end up traded, too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindG1000 Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 They're selling hope harder than anyone and that's hard to get buy-in on. The first few years should be fine, but you need players to market locally to help drive ticket sales and jersey sales and interest in general. They have ... two. Chychun and whatever the hell Keller is. Dvorak will probably end up traded, too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Well...they're also going to have the cap space (and if in Houston, at least some desire to spend) to do whatever they want for a few seasons. They legitimately could end this season with almost 60 million dollars in cap space, and they probably debut five or six key rookies in 2022. Definitely selling hope, but reason to be hopeful and excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slobberknocker Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 wonder if they'd ever consider putting a team in europe. takes 6 hours to fly to the west coast. nfl has floated the idea consistently of putting a team in germany. was the only city the team ever did well in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted August 25, 2021 Author Share Posted August 25, 2021 wonder if they'd ever consider putting a team in europe. takes 6 hours to fly to the west coast. nfl has floated the idea consistently of putting a team in germany. was the only city the team ever did well in. Doubtful. NFL teams play once a week and don't play in playoff series. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsm7302 Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 Coyotes file bid for new arena in Tempe https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2194901 Ballsy but it seems they want to keep their base in Arizona. Not sure what would make them believe it would be more successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long live the King Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 Coyotes file bid for new arena in Tempe https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2194901 Ballsy but it seems they want to keep their base in Arizona. Not sure what would make them believe it would be more successful. The site in Tempe is right next to the ASU campus and would likely be shared by the ASU hockey team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThirtyONE Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 That area is just so insanely spread out, I honestly don't know if they can succeed anywhere. It's a niche sport in a town owned by football - which is easier to travel to once a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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