Spin Doctoring to Hit High Gear in GlendaleMcGuire, a strong supporter of the ROTJ for years now, touched on the topic of Coyote spin doctoring this week and raised some excellent points. "If TNSE...is the (Coyotes) mystery buyer, you won't be seeing them pull the team out Glendale for this year". McGuire further adds, "it is possible that it is TNSE but they will run the team down there for the year any losses OVER 25 mil I believe would be shared between them and the NHL as part of the deal to buy now. But I dont think its them anyway, because I still don't think there are any mystery buyers. It's an attempt to keep tickets getting sold."Hard to argue with you McGuire! Ultimately money talks. So it is fairly clear to surmise that the "fix" is in until about mid April when Coyote ticket sales finally run due course. Any rumours of saviours from now until then are nearly 100% pure fabrications based on the poor business plan that awaits any owner in Arizona. The spin doctors at the NHL and for the COG will be at work to minimize club losses throughout the season because both have a vested interest to prop up any hope to prey upon local fan wallets.However, if truly bad news breaks for keeping the team in Glendale before the end of the regular season then that is closer to the truth. Because in this case, the truth would hurt all current stakeholders of the Coyotes.One would be OFFside to think different!And unless TNSE has agreed to pick up the tab for the club's losses, don't expect even a TNSE purchase announcement before nearing the end of the upcoming 2010-2011 season. As much as Manitobans would love to expect the New Years Eve Party Of The Century, it is doubtful the announcement will occur until a huge majority of Coyote home games are in the rear view mirror, sometime in mid to late March at the earliest. more »

Line in the Sand Crossed in ArizonaWith Gary Bettman recently confirming that NHL headquarters has received that bonafide offer from the Winnipeg ownership group, it may be the words that paint the NHL Commissioner into a very tight corner.By publicly declaring the principals in the Winnipeg ownership group along with the recent "$25 million insurance" deal with the City of Glendale in which the deal testifies that the NHL has received an offer north of $165 million, the NHL now faces a very difficult balancing act.Given the NHL's strong interest to keep intact the Southern Experiment, and their multiple efforts to "sell" the team to Jerry Reinsdorf once even before the team went into bankruptcy, it is clear in this current soap opera that their preferred team locale is the present one.One would be OFFside to think that the NHL wants to lose the first tent peg in the southern strategy. more »

His NHL Includes Winnipeg2010 State of the League Address: Turning Point For Manitoban NHL FansBefore the Stanley Cup final series begins NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman traditionally holds court with the media in his State of the League address. Over the past number of years, Gary Bettman has dropped Winnipeg’s name. So often in fact, that yours truly opined days earlier to several fans that they should ensure they watch or listen to Gary Bettman on May 28, 2010.Read the address and question & answer session here: http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/commissioner-gary-bettmans-state-of-the-n-h-l-news-conference/What in fact was offered was the usual litany of issues the NHL faces. Of course, Bettman surely knew that the post-address media scrum would be calling for yet another Coyotes’ update. In the surprise of the year, Bettman admitted that should the Coyotes be forced to move, the NHL would move it back to Winnipeg. To further emphasize his point, Bettman publicly named the prospective Winnipeg ownership group as Mark Chipman and David Thomson. Bettman went on to say, “the interest is clear and bona fide, it's gratifying. The process by which they've been engaged with us is as good a process as they could be involved in." . . . more »

The Arizona Republic reported Tuesday that the the IEH's own PR rep can't even clearly state if they are working on a lease deal or not. We finally see the COG at odds with IEH over whether they have met term obligations or not. Not to mention whether they are even working on a lease deal or not! For almost two years IEH and COG has similarly dithered.See the article here: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2010/07/26/20100726phoenix-coyotes-ice-edge-deal-trouble.html I believe the end is near for IEH.In 2010, we finally gained an end date for this club: December 31, 2010.Start the official countdown! 157 days after today (Tuesday July 27th)And remember that $25 million "deal" allows either party (COG or the NHL) to walk away if things change substantially for either. (See one of the last few clauses of the deal.)The arizona Repuplic reported Tuesday that the the IEH's own PR rep can't even clearly state if they are working on a lease deal or not. We finally see the C… more »

TSN this week broke the news that the NHL and the City of Glendale (COG) have reached a one year operating agreement including the bailout of losses provision, up to $25 million. The Globe & Mail added commentary to the story ( http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/winnipegs-hopes-for-nhl-team-alive-once-again/article1578321/ ) as well as proving a copy of the deal itself found here:http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00660/Glendaledocs_pdf_660002a.pdfhttp://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00660/Escrowdocs_pdf_660001a.pdfSeveral local supporters have questioned if this deal kills chances for the Coyotes moving to Winnipeg for the fall of 2010. Most suggest that a clause relating to severability does allow the NHL to opt out of this latest agreement should the bailout provision be nixed by the court. This keeps the door slightly open for Winnipeg and 2010.However, that doesn't address the timing of such a court ruling and the implications to the NHL and the Coyotes.If the NHL keeps the team in Arizona past its own point of no return and the bailout is ruled invalid by the courts, the NHL has stuck its' neck out from really little to gain. NHL stakeholders would be OFFside to believe that the NHL would so easily and effectively paint itself into a corner of the Arizona desert. more »