Panelists of TSN’s “The Reporters” confident Phoenix is Winnipeg bound..
By Racki, April 17, 2011 9:24 am
Will the franchise be returned to Winnipeg as early as this month?
So, many have been talking about the Coyotes potentially moving to Winnipeg. TSNs “The Reporters” addressed that topic today on the show. Here is what they had to say:
TSN panelist Dave Naylor said “I think they’re going to Winnipeg because the National Hockey League is continuing its efforts and looking at options. Unless someone puts money into this deal, how do the Coyotes stay? This deal is $100M short of closing. Who puts that money in? Matthew Hulsizer has said he won’t. The National Hockey League I don’t think is going to do that. And the city of Glendale can’t because they’ll get sued by (the) Goldwater (Institute). Where does the money come from to keep this deal alive in Phoenix? I think they’re going to Winnipeg.”
“Well the problem is too, this is the only issue in hockey that’s pulled in a former presidential contender. John McCain has to declare now that ‘I like hockey’,” laughed Toronto Star columnist Cathal Kelly. “You can’t tell me the taxes in Arizona.. I mean…this is just.. it’s done… it’s done.”
“If you’re in Winnipeg right now, start saving you’re money. The Coyotes are coming, and it’s going to be expensive,” Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons claimed. “It’s going to cost money to buy this stuff and build this stuff next year. You’re going to paying about $100 or so a ticket. But I believe it’s a done… it’s not a DONE deal, but it’s going to happen.”
Dave Naylor rhetorically asked “What’s the NHL going to say, we’re going back to Desert to lose another $40M next year?”
Dave Naylor suggested that the announcement that the Coyotes are being moved will be announced very shortly after the Coyotes playoff season ends (which didn’t face any argument from an of the other panelists).
So these are just 3 more guys who feel it is about to happen, but there seems to be a very overwhelming majority of opinion that the Coyotes are not only already done in Phoenix, but are headed to Winnipeg for the start of next season.
My only disappointment in all of this is that it sounds like they won’t be taking the “Jets” name back. Why wouldn’t you? It’s a quick way to gather a following, just from the nostalgia. In addition, Winnipeg Sun columnist Dave Wheeler believes that the team will also be named after Manitoba, not Winnipeg. He also stated “I have it under good authority, that a name, jersey scheme, and logo have already been designed and are ready to go for when the team makes our city its home.”
So the bad news.. “The Jets” won’t be playing in Winnipeg next year. But does it matter? In the end, probably not at all. I am sure there will still be many Jets jerseys in the crowd at a game, as well as the “Manitoba Whatevers” jerseys as well. My guess is that they just use it as a marketing ploy to earn more money… perhaps the Jets become a 3rd jersey.
Anyways, I’m now talking as though the deal is already done. But as Steve Simmonds put it, “it’s not a DONE deal, but it’s going to happen.”
- ted:
- Metal&Oil:
- Racki:
- hemmerlady:
- Trogdor:
- Steve-O:
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Themocracy
I look forward to another Canadian team in the NW division next year
If you want to let True North know that you would like to see the team named the “Winnipeg Jets”, please sign the petition at the following link:
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39649.html
Signed. Yeah, I guess the first thing you would want to do is to create buzz around the name. If True North were smart, they’d do a contest and have The Jets as one of the choices with an up to date jersey and logo with the old jerseys as a retro for the first couple years. I know it’s very similar colours to Columbus and NYR, but who cares.
On the division thing, I would have to think that perhaps they go into the central and Detroit moves out east. Detroit has been lobbying for this for years.
Thanks David, I signed the petition and I think I’ll send it to some FB friends when the time is better. I’d imagine you’ll need at least 10k in votes to be even considered valid? I think I’m gonna go on a hunt for that jersey scheme…
Now why wouldn’t they be named the Jets? I just find that silly. Anyway I’m glad that the failed project that was the yotes is going home where they belong. Now if we could just get Atlanta to move north too, things would be good. I’m just glad the NHL is going to fix an error by leaving the desert and going to a place where people actually care about hockey.
Chucker: Yah I posed the division question in the General Discussion a while back. I am not sure where they’d end up. There would definitely have to be some slight reorganization. But if the Red Wings moved out East, who moves to the West?
And if Winnipeg is central, how come Minnesota is still in the NW?
Just sayin’… they’d have to do some thinking on this.
Here’s a good map of the NHL cities:
http://oilersnation.com/uploads/old/2009/01/nhl-map.jpg
The cluster fuck of teams in that New York area (including Toronto, MTL, Pitts, etc.) makes it pretty tough to organize the divisions in a way that makes sense and reduces travel time.
If only Saskatchewan could get a team too. Wishful thinking, and I don’t see it ever happening, but it would make things easier to have a division made up of all Canadian teams (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan’s team, Winnipeg). Then there would be a SW division made of SJ, LA, Anaheim, Colorado, Dallas. And then a Central div of Minnesota, Chicago, St. Louis, Columbus, Detroit.
Out East would get an overhaul too. But seeing as how this is all moot because Saskatchewan won’t get a team anytime soon, I won’t even bother mentioning how I’d restructure that. It’s too bad that there is such a heavy bias of teams in the East, but it is what it is..
Anyways, more realistically, I think Winnipeg goes in the NW and Colorado goes to the Pacific division, and the rest stays the same.
Well I’ve searched with the jersey scheme and name and I found various things. I found quite a few reports stating, as Racki mentioned, that the team will be named after Manitoba, Manitoba “NAMEGOESHERE”. One article that keeps popping up all over the place is this one.
I guess we shouldn’t be counting our “Moose” before they hatch but it seems the new branding scheme is creating a small uproar with Jets fans.
I’d be all in for sending the Wings out east since it would make more sense geographically & would instantly raise the competition factor in that conference to nearly equal that of the west. I bet the Wings as an organization would love it too being they would have a chance to finish higher in the standings on a year to year basis out there lol. As for a Sask team, just wait a few more years because if they have the oil resources they claim they will be swamped by transplanted Easterners & disgruntled Albertans, thereby achieving a high enough population to get an NHL franchise there!
Get ready for the Manitoba Moose. I can’t see an AHL team and NHL team being supported in Winnipeg, I’m sure the AHL Moose will be gone and the name will pass over to the new NHL team. That name has come up in rumours long ago.
Zack: That makes a lot of sense. However, I think if they keep the Moose, they need to “NHL-ify” the logo, as the current logo (as nicely designed as it is.. it really is nicely done) definitely wreaks of amateur-league. Personally, I think a Moose is a silly logo anyways… but if they pumped all that money in…
Btw, that brings up another point. Of course the CURRENT Manitoba Moose (AHL affiliate for Vancouver Canucks) are holed up in MTS right now. I heard that if the Coyotes move to Winnipeg, then the Moose will be moved to another city (which makes sense why they’d want to hang on to the Moose-gear). I’m thinking that they probably have plans on using the Jets jersey as a third jersey and making extra profit that way…. they keep the Moose money train rolling in, and make money on the Jets jerseys. Best of both worlds. Assuming that is allowed.
edit: A little slow on my reply.. Raine beat me to it
Curious to know how a 15000 + seat arena is going to be competitive enough in this league. Rexall is right around 17000 seats and that apparently isn’t adequate. MTS centre was opened in 2004, I can’t see funding coming in to expand it this early in it’s life.
Why oh why do the Wings want to move out east? Sure it would make travel easier and less expensive but the wings have been dominant in that division for almost two decades now. Why mess with such a good thing? I don’t know but I have a feeling that if the Wings were to head out east then they would soon come to regret it.
What is the other icon for Manitoba other than a moose. The Sasquatch (Bigfoot) is all I can think of. There are always searches for Bigfoot in Manitoba, crazy as it is it’s true.
Manitoba Bigfoot or Manitoba Sasquatch doesn’t roll off the tongue all that well…although it would be a pretty cool logo and just think about the mascot they would have. I see that being a pretty awesome marketing ploy.
Make it 17500 seats
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/39788-Campbell-Coyotes-closing-in-on-move-to-Winnipeg.html
Rexall’s capacity is actually adequate as the new barn is supposed to only be marginally bigger seat wise. It is the rest of Rexall’s amenities that are inadequate.
Why would the Wings be moving out east? Phoenix is already in the western conference, this won’t have any bearing on Detroit.
Thanks for that link.
New arena is supppose to have 17,500 seats and 68 suites vs their current 16,000 seats and 68 suites. So not a huge bump in that department I suppose.
http://realoilfan.blogspot.com/2011/03/interview-with-patrick-laforge-part-i.html
Yeah what a dog’s breakfast when you look at that map. It’s really a mess as mentioned by all with several teams. Even if you move a team like Colorado, who should be central division, to the Pacific, then you add Winnipeg to NW, do you add a team like TO to the central and would they be willing? God I feel sorry for the guys and gals who have to organize all this scheduling and negotiating any time a team changes cities/expansion etc.
Looking at that map a few things really stick out to me in terms of spots that should/could support a team.
-Cleveland
-Hartford (new building and fan support was never really a terrible issue but likely just an AHL town now)
-Quebec City
-Seattle
-Houston
-San Antonio
-Portland
These are all locations that I think would be worth investigating to see if one or two of those SE teams need to move. Portland would be a natural I think as they have a long history with the Winter Hawks, Spokane might be a choice too but could be too small. Not sure. It would be nice to have another team on the west coast or close to it for re-alignment.
I brought up San Antonio and Houston as they seem natural spots for rivalries with Dallas, if they stay. Dallas needs a new owner and they have serious financial issues, but, I think most of that is because of missing the playoffs for years. When they were good, they got attendance.
They’ve been wanting to move out East for the last 15 years. Travel being the issue.
Hahaha, could you imagine…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL_SL73iNFE&feature=related
MANITOBA SAMSQUANCH
http://www.fansedge.com/Images/Product/41-17/41-17564-F.jpg
Just use the Avalanche A.Snowman foot, slap it on a jersey and your good to go.
Seriously though, I think Colorado has one of the best Jersey/Logo schemes in the NHL. Speaking of design, Racki did you try the new way of uploading yet?
Give it up guys.The team will not be called the Jets. Sorry, but we are starting fresh with a new name and it will be called the Manitoba ???? .
Manitoba Samsquanch /sarcasm
Where are my manners? Hey Mark and Raine, welcome to POTF. Just out of curiosity where are you guys from, other Oilers boards/blogs, Winnipeg boards/blogs, other?
Ideally the NHL should be a 28 team league and they should go back to something similar to the old divisional format(Smythe, Norres, Jack Adams & patrick divisions) 7 teams in each division with the top 4 in each reaching the post season.
Agreed. I hated the way Bettman tore down and pissed on all the historical parts of the game and dumbed it down for Americans. Sorry, but that’s what happened.
Been around these parts for a while but usually just read the articles and rarely comment.
I’m the owner of http://oilogosphere.com/.
(snipped by Racki)
Chucker / MO: I do agree with you guys too, but unfortunately this is likely how it will be and stay. Not much we can do about it. I’d like to see a few teams removed too, but I know Bettman would never let any teams go… it was hard enough for him to even let a failing franchise move, let along be wiped from the league.
Hmm… Seattle is one that interests me… that would help this whole imbalance, and I think they could handle a franchise there one day.
Just throwing a wild thought out there.. new pacific division: Vancouver, San Jose, Seattle, Anaheim, Los Angeles
Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Colorado stay as NW division.
Detroit then moves out East as Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Columbus, Nashville make up the Central.
Just a random thought on something that probably will never happen.
why is it that when people talk about a team moving to the eastern conference it always the wings? nashville and columbus are further east then the wings.
Those teams may be further east but the wings are much closer to the main pack of eastern conference teams
I didn’t mention it, but i did consider Nashville making up a SE division with Florida, TB, Atlanta and Carolina. I don’t think it’s set in stone that Detroit would move to the East if a team in the East moved to the West conference.
The NHL also has to bear in mind some existing rivalries if they move teams around divisions too (this part isn’t directed at phil… just a general comment). The reason the Leafs made it into the same Conference (let alone division) as Montreal had a lot to do with rivalry too.
Yeah it really boggles my mind that they do not have Atlanta and Nashville in the same division. Maybe if they were grouped together things would be a lil bit different in these markets right now especially in Atlanta as I personally think Nashville is a much better hockey market then ppl give it credit for. I mean come on now the distance between the 2 city’s is not much longer the Edmonton and Calgary for goodness sakes. With all the emphasis on Southern expansion that went on in the NHL the past decade or so you would think the NHL brass would clue in to this but no, epic fail to Bettman & Co. on that one.
I guess for Atlanta and Nashville to be in East together, that means you have to pull another team out of the cluster-fuck of East teams.
I hate the name Manitoba ?, It has to be called the Winnipeg Jets with the same jerseys they had in 1996, because if it worked before it will work again.
Hey brian, thanks for the post. It sounds like it will be Manitoba Moose, if it’s not the Winnipeg Jets… which it very likely won’t be. I wouldn’t say that there is a chance the “Jets” are back, by the sounds of things. And it doesn’t sound like there are any other considerations other than the Moose, and the reason they are doing it is to retain all the marketting / etc. that they put into the current Moose.
There is some speculation that the Yotes will survive and that Atlanta will be put up for immediate relocation. I am not surenwhat to think of this but it is rumored that Hulsizer is in the middle of finding new financing. Again, this is mostly speculation and mayor Katz’s comments are quite odd at this time in the saga fueling speculation that Atlanta will be the team to move.
With the new NBC deal and Phoenix being the 8th largest tv audience, this makes sense in some ways. Let the conspiracy theories begin!
Also, no iPad wallpapers?
Yah, M.O. mentioned that over in the General Discussion. I wouldn’t mind seeing that at all.. but I also want PHX to relocate too.
Agreed. I just wonder if the NBC deal changes this in any way. Possibly the conditions Katz was referring to?