The Business of HockeyDiscuss the financial and business aspects of the NHL. Franchise sales, valuations, TV contracts, ratings, expansion, relocation, the CBA and work stoppage discussion goes here.
MITCH: Can a hockey team play in Key Arena?
CHRIS: Well the Seattle Thunderbirds played there for along time. So, yes, a hockey team could definitely play there. The issue is the seating capacity is not optimal. Where the seating capacity for basketball is somewhere around 17,000 range. For Hockey it’s more like 10 or 11,000. So, that’s much more impactful for an NHL team to play in Key Arena before playing in a new arena.
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MITCH: Chris, talk to me about the NHL … the importance of an NHL team in this plan … I’ve heard both answers to the following question. Do we have to have an NHL hockey commitment before the shovel hits the dirt or can we start the building process with just an NBA team on its way?
CHRIS: That’s probably a question that’s not fully ready to answer at this point. I think the framework of our deal is that it will include both an NHL and NBA team. I think anybody with some common sense would conclude with actually having two teams ready to relocate to the market on the exact same day and you owners having their ownerships groups ready to go on the lead signing off on it. For those two things to happen perfect simultaneously are a pretty low probability. So, I think the thing safer to say is that basketball is probably more important to this transaction than hockey but both are important. And, I think we would like to find a way to work around the likely hood that those two franchises might become available at different times.
"I think the framework of our deal is that it will include both an NHL and NBA team. I think anybody with some common sense would conclude with actually having two teams ready to relocate to the market on the exact same day and you owners having their ownerships groups ready to go on the lead signing off on it. For those two things to happen perfect simultaneously are a pretty low probability. So, I think the thing safer to say is that basketball is probably more important to this transaction than hockey but both are important. And, I think we would like to find a way to work around the likely hood that those two franchises might become available at different times."
He just said Basketball is more important and the chances of them both coming at the same time are low. Therefore QC is ahead of Seattle, what with the arena upgrades and all.
Quebec City is alone. Now i understand why the NHL leaked Saskatoon. Bettman knows he could not use Seattle this year as a possible relocation threat. So he needs bargaining power with PKP.
It will be another partner that owns an NHL team, not Hansen himself. If you read between the lines, Seattle is ready to get a team as long as the NHL partner and NHL can minimize the bleeding the first few years in Key Arena.
Quebec City is alone. Now i understand why the NHL leaked Saskatoon. Bettman knows he could not use Seattle this year as a possible relocation threat. So he needs bargaining power with PKP.
Seattle is the clear favorite. Moving to Spokane sized Quebec City is wishful thinking. The NHL and the Seattle arena group are looking at the bigger/longer picture.
Seattle is the clear favorite. Moving to Spokane sized Quebec City is wishful thinking. The NHL and the Seattle arena group are looking at the bigger/longer picture.
Yeah, I can definitely see that line of thinking if you ignore everything that's happened this month.
Ignoring what, like Seattle's fast tracked arena process that will have the $ in order within a few weeks?
Some people here are thinking too small, like ticket sales for two seasons as opposed to decades plus owning a regional sports network.
This month the upgrades for Le Colisée "Just in case" the NHL wants to pay a visit going through and Hansen admitting that he, "Thinks the thing safer to say is that basketball is probably more important to this transaction than hockey but both are important."
Along with him basically shutting down the idea of a team going to the Key Arena.
Where was NBC last year to argue against the Thrashers move? Judging by NBC's broadcast schedule they were unaware Atlanta even had a team.
How many times was Nashville on NBC or the NHL Network during the regular season? Not many for a team that ended up finishing in the top eight for the Stanley Cup.
This month the upgrades for Le Colisée "Just in case" the NHL wants to pay a visit going through and Hansen admitting that he, "Thinks the thing safer to say is that basketball is probably more important to this transaction than hockey but both are important."
Along with him basically shutting down the idea of a team going to the Key Arena.
And what are you talking about two seasons?
And add that today Bob McCown who as intimate connection with Rogers tells today that he hears that the Coyotes to Quebec City is ''very close to a done deal'' if the Coyotes move this year.
He just said Basketball is more important and the chances of them both coming at the same time are low. Therefore QC is ahead of Seattle, what with the arena upgrades and all.
Think about it, having 2 teams that can come at the same time is not realistic. NHL is not a after thought in Seattle, Hansen knows how important it is, he is just not passionate about having a team, that would be mr. Levin
And add that today Bob McCown who as intimate connection with Rogers tells today that he hears that the Coyotes to Quebec City is ''very close to a done deal'' if the Coyotes move this year.
LOL Bob McCown... He's so off most of the time that they cancelled his business of sports shows.
Yeah, I can definitely see that line of thinking if you ignore everything that's happened this month.
No kidding.
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CHRIS: If it doesn’t, there will be a reserve fund on top of that. There will be incremental rent that will be paid. Most importantly, which I don’t think that people understand, is that we have a tremendous amount of personal equity that we have in the arena and in the NBA franchise. And the NHL owner will have in the NHL franchise.
This is what was most striking for me personally. Hansen makes it sound like an NHL team would be the ugly sister, the secondary tenant with no equity in the arena (and thus no or little arena revenues), meaning it would likely be a tough go for the owner of said franchise.
Only if Jordan sells the team, and I've heard no indication of that being a possibility any time soon.
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Originally Posted by Grudy0
Actually...
The only truly portable franchise in the NBA or NHL is the Phoenix Coyotes, who play on a year-to-year lease in the Jobing.com Arena. The NBA's Hornets passed their attendance point last year, which kicked in their lock on the lease for the next few years, and the Grizzlies would be on the hook due to a near-ironclad lease for large payments for the next few years if they moved out of Fedex Forum.
Oh, didn't realize that the Hornets thing locked them down for more then one year. Just was under the impression that the 2011-12 ticket purchases saved them through the end of the 2012-13 season.
And the Grizzlies might still be an option if a deep enough pocketed owner came out of Seattle and purchased them with the sole intention of moving the team, but admittedly that is a stretch as well.
Seattle is the clear favorite. Moving to Spokane sized Quebec City is wishful thinking. The NHL and the Seattle arena group are looking at the bigger/longer picture.
Nice try. QC getting a team is hardly wishful thinking. It is very likely and far more likely to happen before Seattle gets an NHL team in my opinion. Did you even hear/read Bettman's comments on the subject made just last week?
As for population, the province of Quebec has a greater population than Washington state by a large margin. And Quebec only has one major league team for about 9 million people, the Montreal Canadiens. Moreover, hockey is far more popular in Quebec where it is not unusual for 1 million people to watch NHL games on TV, which is about twice as much as Versus does in the entire USA. Quebec is not a small hockey market; it's a huge hockey market arguably second only to southern Ontario in the world - certainly for TV.
Seattle is the clear favorite. Moving to Spokane sized Quebec City is wishful thinking. The NHL and the Seattle arena group are looking at the bigger/longer picture.
The Coyotes moving to Quebec changes nothing in the bigger picture since Seattle can be awarded an expansion team, or another relocated team when their arena is built.
It makes more sense to move into the QC Collisée for 1-2 years, then award Seattle another team, than it does to move a team into Key Arena for 3 years and award QC another team later. QC will make money NOW. Seattle would only make money later, so why rush a franchise there now?
The only thing that's putting Quebec ahead of Seattle at this point is PKP. But, any possible ownership group for a Seattle NHL team likely isn't going to go public until the financing has been approved anyway.
The Key Arena isn't as big an issue as the Quebec fans would like to make it out to be. They league isn't going to make relocation decision based on a temporary venue. Sure, based on numbers alone, the 16,000 at the Colisee is more optimal than 11,000 at the Key, but if the regional network is also pumping money into the team then that argument becomes moot.
Having said all that, none of this matter is Hansen can't get an NBA team. But if he does, Phoenix players better buy some umbrellas. It rains quite a bit in the Pacific Northwest.
The only thing that's putting Quebec ahead of Seattle at this point is PKP. But, any possible ownership group for a Seattle NHL team likely isn't going to go public until the financing has been approved anyway.
The Key Arena isn't as big an issue as the Quebec fans would like to make it out to be. They league isn't going to make relocation decision based on a temporary venue. Sure, based on numbers alone, the 16,000 at the Colisee is more optimal than 11,000 at the Key, but if the regional network is also pumping money into the team then that argument becomes moot.
Having said all that, none of this matter is Hansen can't get an NBA team. But if he does, Phoenix players better buy some umbrellas. It rains quite a bit in the Pacific Northwest.
So you're saying that it's not possible that an NHL franchise could go to Seattle first. It's either NBA first, or both in the same Season, but not the NHL first; that's what you believe, right?
