Recently, debate has started over whether or not a team could relocate to Winnipeg in time for this coming September.The discussion may be much broader than the Coyotes plight but we'll limit discussion to the one team for the sake of space.Just my hunch because of the losses involved so far and ongoing, that the NHL won't leave the Coyotes in Phoenix with themselves as owners for beyond this 09/10 season. Beyond the large losses, it would show all that there are no owners in waiting for NHL teams. This public reality would seriously undermine that $200 million USD asking price for most teams.That means either the NHL sells the Coyotes to someone like Ice Edge Holdings to keep the team there or they sell it to another owner with a blessing to move to whatever locale the new owner wants (so long as it doesn't infringe on any existing NHL territorial limits, Sorry Hamilton, Copps is your Achilles Heel).One assumes that the NHL would normally have a firm timeframe for relocations between seasons. But after the endless number of deadlines last summer, the fans would be OFFside to consider them non-negotiable when bending the rules favours the Head Office. more »

From one of our long-time viewer supporters comes word of Jim Balsillie's latest statement found here http://makeitseven.ca/jb0930.htmlI expect one of two approaches by Balsillie in the future.Either more of the same bully-like tactics with the NHL, whether it is to gain entry into this exclusive club or maybe totally rubbing them the wrong way with an upstart league of his own.The other mindset for Balsillie: he may be getting whispered tones from NHL people saying that they want him but he must "make nice" for the next 'X' months or years. The Sharks minority owner went public with his positive thoughts on Balsillie not that long ago and others most likely feel similar, especially those teams ready to fold, run out of debt money or run out of NHL league advances or all-of-the-above.The real issue for the NHL is that it looks like there are more troubled teams than there may be suckers willing to buy them and keep them at present location. The long wait to sell the Panthers and Lightning and the 'caliber' of those new owners illustrates that barrel-bottom-scraping is at hand in the NHL.Anyone expecting the NHL to tell Balsillie to categorically "take a hike" is OFFside. As long as Balsillie essentially pays penance, he and the NHL just might need each other when the NHL gets around to confronting the issues head on.Hopefully, 'our' years of humbleness gets rewarded before Balsillie. The dedicated number of years that the Mark Chipman-David Thomson group has devoted to this cause might surprise some.That confronted mutual need between the NHL and new owners and locations, looms larger and larger when you see two world class players (Kovalchuk and Lecavalier) that can't be afforded by their bleak teams. more »

Decade Denying Relocations Ended Today For BettmanLocal radio station CJOB with Bob Irving's sports report at 25 past the hour this morning ran an audio clip of Gary Bettman talking while in Calgary last night.http://www.cjob.com/other/audiovault.htmlFriday January 22, 2010 7am slot (scroll to 7:25 am)As you know, Gary Bettman has tried for many years to avoid the use of the word 'relocation', categorically refusing it as a possibility UNTIL NOW.Anyone actually believing the "official-speak" would include Gary Bettman's own family and those clearly OFFside... more »