Report: NHL Coyotes will relocate to Winnipeg within days

Reliable sources, including TSN, CTV Sportsnet, and numerous Canadian media outlets, are now stating that after 15 long years, the NHL will likely return to Winnipeg.  According to numerous sources, the deal between Matt Hulsizer and the City of Glendale has fallen apart, and Gary Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors will likely announce the return of NHL hockey to Winnipeg upon the conclusion of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Of course, the NHL top brass are denying these reports, but that is to be expected.  In the rare event of the Coyotes making a run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the league does not want the relocation news leaking in fear that it could adversely affect ticket sales for the Coyotes remaining games.

With the return of the NHL, many local sports fans will wonder what will become of the AHL Manitoba Moose.   Apparently there have been plans made up to relocate the Moose to British Columbia (most likely to Abbotsford), in the event of the NHL returning to Winnipeg.  True North Sports Entertainment (TNSE) will own the Winnipeg based NHL team, and they will play at the MTS Centre beginning with the 2011-12 NHL season.

Coyotes move to Winnipeg could depend on playoff performance

According to the Phoenix Business Journal, the fate of the NHL Phoenix Coyotes will depend on how they fare in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The article states that "The longer the Coyotes are in the NHL playoffs, the more time Glendale has to find bond investors and NHL and prospective Coyotes owner Matthew Hulsizer will have to finalize a deal to keep the team in Arizona."

So in other words, if the Coyotes want to remain in Arizona, they will have to break what has come to be known as the "Curse of the Jets."  The Coyotes have never won a playoff round, since moving to the Arizona desert back in 1996.  In fact, you would have to go back to 1987 the last time the franchise was able to advance to the second round of the playoffs.  The Winnipeg Jets disposed of the Calgary Flames in six games that season, before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup winning champion Edmonton Oilers.

By the looks of the standings, this will be no easy feat.  The Coyotes are currently sitting in the #6 seed in the Western Conference, and if they want to move up in the standings, they will have to defeat the Kings and Sharks to close out the season.   The odds of that happening are fairly slim, so it's likely Phoenix will be forced to play either San Jose or Detroit in the opening round.

The San Jose Sharks have had the Coyotes number all season.  In fact, the Sharks have won all games against the Coyotes, dating back to last season.  On the other hand, the Coyotes may have to play the Detroit Red Wings in the first round.  Last season, despite having home ice advantage, the Wings disposed of the Coyotes in 7 games.  This year, Detroit has home ice advantage (although one can argue that every time the Wings play in Arizona, Detroit fans seem to outnumber Coyotes fans).

At any rate, the odds are against the Coyotes to go very far in the playoffs.  That happens to be great news for Winnipeg hockey fans.

Sale of Coyotes getting more bizarre with each passing day

Breaking News!

It looks as if Phoenix Coyotes prospective owner Matt Hulsizer has buckled under the pressure from the Goldwater Institute.  The Winnipeg Free Press has claimed that Hulsizer sent a letter to the Goldwater Institute, the taxpayer-watchdog group that has opposed his deal with the City of Glendale from the outset, informing them he’s going to guarantee $75 million of the bond proceeds that the city is fronting him.

I can just assume that if Hulsizer is planning on backing the bonds that need to be sold to keep the NHL club in Arizona, rather than the city itself, it will be easier to sell them on the market.  However, I am no legal expert, so I can just speculate on this.  Needless to say, this sale is seemingly becoming more bizarre each time there is a significant update to the Coyotes situation.

I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this seemingly never ending saga...

NHL: Goldwater Institute officially suing the City of Glendale over Coyotes Sale

It's official.

The Goldwater Institute, the independent Arizona government watchdog, has filed a lawsuit against the City of Glendale over the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer.  The Goldwater Institute claims the agreement violates two prohibitions of the Arizona Constitution, which requires that no Arizona government “shall ever give or loan its credit in aid of, or make any donation or grant, by subsidy or otherwise, to any individual, association, or corporation. . .” To read more about the Goldwater lawsuit, click here.

Among other things, the Goldwater Institute claims that the Phoenix Coyotes are "perennial money losers", and pose an enormous risk to the taxpayers of the Arizona city.  This could very well be the beginning of the end for NHL hockey in Arizona.

In other news, Dave Wheeler, columnist for the Winnipeg Sun claims that if the NHL returns to Winnipeg, the Jets name will not be used.  He claims to have "inside information" that a name, jersey, and logo have already been designed and are ready to go for when the NHL returns to Winnipeg.  I cannot say that I am the biggest fan of the name change, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.

Exclusive video of Gary Bettman reacting  to the news of the lawsuit. 

Bettman heads to Arizona, Hulsizer's offer "final."

Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly are in Glendale, Arizona today, presumingly doing all they can to save the Coyotes deal with Hulsizer.  This is truly a last ditch effort to keep the team in Arizona, despite sparse crowds, losing millions of dollars, and a slumping local economy.


Since the NHL bought the Coyotes a year ago, the club has lost in the neighborhood of  $30 million.  One wonders how much patience the NHL has left, regarding this seemingly never ending saga.  Meanwhile Hulsizer has gone on record saying his offer to buy the club is "final", and he will not accept a compromise from the NHL or the City of Glendale.


It will certainly be interesting to see what transpires in the coming days.  It has been reported that the Coyotes, the NHL, and the City of Glendale want to renegotiate the contract with Hulsizer, asking him to accept a reworked deal, with possible changes including: the City of Glendale reducing the amount it contributes through a bond sale, from $100 million to $70 million; the NHL reducing its $170-million asking price for the franchise; and Hulsizer increasing his contribution from its initial $70 million.


Meanwhile, the Goldwater Institute has stated that any meetings between the institute and the City of Glendale would have to be held publicly with members of the media invited as stipulated by CEO Darcy Olsen in a letter issued on Monday.  I will publish further updates when they become available.

It's just a matter of time...

The gong show in Arizona continues.  It appears the City of Glendale, where the Phoenix Coyotes play, is contemplating a lawsuit against the Goldwater Institute, an independent government watchdog for devaluing the price of bonds.  It appears the negative publicity has scared away many potential investors.

In response to the legal threat, the Goldwater Institute, in more words or less, told the Coyotes and the City of Glendale to go fuck themselves.  The prospect of the NHL returning to Winnipeg has never looked better. All we can do is sit and wait patiently.  It's not a question of "if", but "when" our beloved Jets return.  I'll be celebrating at Portage and Main when the inevitable announcement is made.

For more on the "Gongdale Show" click on the video below: