2023-12-16 05:00:00
The only animals on Earth that are lucky enough to have more lives than the nine that legend attributes to cats are certainly Coyotes. Yet threatened with extinction shortly after the pack moved to Arizona in the mid-1990s, they continue to cling to life thanks to the grandmaster behind this bumpy desert safari, Gary Bettman.
The NHL commissioner repeated it with conviction this week: “No one is going to move. We like our franchises where they are,” he said, referring to his Coyotes who are so dear to him.
With the holidays fast approaching, what could be better than a story of all the times the big boss of the league and the Coyotes used subterfuge and left Quebec in the lurch?
In Quebec, for many years, enthusiasts for a return of the Nordiques immersed themselves in each of the countless twists and turns of the Coyotes saga, dreaming of a move for the team.
Today, even though the long-term fate of the team is still unsettled in Arizona, the people of Quebec have come to stand still when a new development in the soap opera forces Bettman to skate. This shows to what extent they have grown tired of believing, after so many accumulated disappointments.
During the last meeting of NHL governors in Seattle, on December 5, a last chance scenario was mentioned for the survival of the Coyotes with a potential purchase of land in the Phoenix area to build an arena.
However, the needle of faith in the “Nordiquometer” seems magnetized to zero. After all, such last-chance scenarios have multiplied over time. Here’s a step back in time to take stock of all these shattered hopes…
Prelude: Difficult from the start
The Glendale arena, which has changed its name multiple times, was to ensure the future of the Coyotes in Arizona since its opening in 2003. Archive photo, QMI Agency
Once upon a time, there was a story of a team that never savored the joy of profitability since its exile from Canada. On July 1, 1996, the Winnipeg Jets officially became the Phoenix Coyotes, purchased by Jerry Colangelo, Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke. By the third year of operation, Burke bought out his partners. The latter quickly faded from the picture, with alleged losses of more than 10 million annually, to sell to Steve Ellman in 2001, flanked by none other than Wayne Gretzky as a minority shareholder. Without knowing it, Ellman was writing the first volume of a long agony to come by opting for Glendale rather than Scottsdale in order to build a 220 million arena, more than 80% financed by the city of 250,000 inhabitants. The financial problems that the Coyotes were already suffering from had to be resolved upon the move to Glendale in 2003. In 2005, the Coyotes were sold to Jerry Moyes, who became the fourth majority owner in nine years. This is where the fun really began!
Chapter 1: Bankruptcy
Photo d’archives, REUTERS
In December 2008, media reported that Coyotes were bathing in red ink. Losses of 40 million in one season are even mentioned, and various information suggests that the NHL directly finances the team. In May 2009, owner Jerry Moyes, suffocated by debt, bankrupted the team. During the hearings, it was revealed that the team had lost 200 million in seven years. Already, Quebec found itself dreaming for the first time after losing the Nordiques in May 1995.
Chapter 2: Heading to Hamilton?
Canadian businessman Jim Balsilie was considering buying the Coyotes to move them to Hamilton. Archive photo, REUTERS
Bankruptcy was declared just before Moyes received His Highness Bettman, who wanted to present him with an offer on behalf of the NHL. The deposed owner instead wishes to sell his mortified Coyotes to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsilie, the untimely businessman behind BlackBerry. The clear intention is to move the team, not to Quebec, but to Hamilton. It turns out that Moyes has no right to go beyond the league by negotiating with a buyer without the approval of the governors. The deal falls through!
Chapter 3: Team under supervision
The Coyotes were plunged into uncertainty for a long time, under the tutelage of the NHL. Archive photo, REUTERS
According to the Glendale city register, the Coyotes stopped paying their rent to the city as well as fees such as parking in August 2009. The team is placed under the supervision of the NHL, which assumes the debts, while seeking new owners to ensure the team’s long-term future in Arizona. The league is negotiating with Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf as well as the Ice Edge group. At the end of summer 2010, the two potential buyers withdrew from the process. Quebec dreams again…
Chapter 4: Close to… Winnipeg
Before acquiring the Thrashers and moving them to Winnipeg, Mark Chipman came very close to getting his hands on the Coyotes. Archive photo, QMI Agency
When negotiations broke down, Bettman himself began openly talking about moving. At this moment, Quebec is jubilant, but behind the scenes, it is Winnipeg which occupies the pole. Before the 2010-2011 season, the Glendale city council agreed to extend 25 million. In an interview a few years later, Mark Chipman, president of True North Sports & Entertainment, owner of the Winnipeg Jets, said the Coyotes were a hair’s breadth away from moving to Winnipeg. “We were literally 10 minutes away from acquiring the Coyotes in May 2010, when Glendale found the necessary funds to absorb the NHL’s losses for the upcoming season,” said the man who, a year later, oversaw the Coyotes. purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers to bring them to Winnipeg.
Chapter 5: A guard dog that bites
Matthew Hulsizer has been tipped for a while to be the savior of the Coyotes. Archive photo, AFP
In December 2010, against all expectations, the NHL announced that there was an agreement with a Chicago investor, Matthew Hulsizer, to buy the team. It is then that an important extra from the soap opera enters the scene: the Goldwater Institute. Qualified as the watchdog of public finances in Arizona, the organization is opposed to the sale, which it considers clearly disadvantageous for the citizens of Glendale, who would apparently have to pay 197 million over five years to help the potential owner exit the property. water head. The Goldwater Institute even threatened to sue the parties involved and Hulsizer withdrew from the process on June 27, 2011. Quebec dreams again…
Chapter 6: A Petition to Forget
Coyotes supporters are speaking out against the Goldwater Institute, which has put obstacles in the way of the Coyotes for some projects. Archive photo, QMI Agency
In May 2012, the NHL, never short of solutions, announced that it had reached an agreement with former San Jose Sharks president Greg Jamison to buy the Coyotes. As recently as June 13, the Goldwater Institute returned with two lawsuits to invalidate the agreement. This attempt was unsuccessful, but immediately afterwards, a popular petition was launched. If this petition collects 8,000 signatures before July 16, the agreement will have to be put to a vote in a referendum in November. Quebec holds its breath, but the opponents ignore it and only obtain 1,568 signatures. In November 2012, Jamison signed a deal in hopes of buying the Coyotes.
Chapter 7: Another False Savior
Greg Jamison never managed to put together the investments necessary to make him the owner of the Coyotes. Archive photo, AFP
The agreement between the NHL, the City of Glendale and the potential owner depends on Greg Jamison’s ability to raise the necessary funds to purchase the Coyotes for 170 million. However, Jamison was unable to demonstrate that he had deep enough pockets to acquire the team before the deadline of January 31, 2013, so he withdrew from the purchasing process. The NHL and the Coyotes have their hands full. Quebec still dreams…
Chapter 8: Finally an owner?
Gary Bettman introduces another group to buy the Coyotes, with George Gosbee leading the charge. Photo AFP
On May 25, 2013, a new group ready to purchase the team was identified. This is Renaissance Sports & Entertainment (RSE), which is notably made up of Canadian investors George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc. This group is trying to negotiate an agreement that would lead the City of Glendale to pay 15 million per year for 15 years for RSE to take care of the management of the arena. The NHL wants this agreement to be approved in Glendale around the governors’ meeting on June 27, and Bettman even comes out with threats: “No decision could ultimately be a decision,” he says, brandishing the scarecrow of a moving. Bettman’s destination of choice in the event of a move would be Seattle, but Quebec is waiting for the city council’s vote and is still dreaming…
Chapter 9: A Heartbreaking Agreement
Gary Bettman and his right-hand man, Bill Daly, are delighted with the vote in favor of keeping the Coyotes in Glendale, during a city council meeting in July 2013. Archive photo, QMI Agency
On July 2, 2013, the Glendale City Council met to vote. There are very probably more people from Quebec than from the city of Arizona who are connected online to follow the unfolding of this affair more thrilling than a Coyotes game. Ultimately, four councilors were in favor and three others were against. It is confirmed, the RSE group (which becomes IceArizona) signs a 15-year lease and becomes owner of the team, which becomes the Arizona Coyotes. One clause in the contract attracts attention. After five years, in the event of losses of 50 million or more, the group has the option to terminate the agreement and move the club. Quebec is disappointed with the result, but continues to dream…
Chapter 10: Losses and another owner
Coyotes fans in Arizona no longer know what to expect. Archive photo, AFP
In the first year of the new regime, nothing improved and the Coyotes lost 16 million. Andrew Barroway, who was part of the group, became the majority owner on December 31, 2014. He will be the sole owner three years later and will even be accused, in March 2023, of having strangled a person… But before arrive at these setbacks, the eternal background of drama surrounding the survival of the Coyotes starts again with a vengeance. Hang in there!
Chapter 11: A Garbage Deal
The City of Glendale has decided to terminate the lease linking the Coyotes to the City and the arena. Archive photo, AFP
The City of Glendale quickly regretted having committed itself to a very disadvantageous contract for 15 years. To do this, she finds an ideal exit door. She therefore mentions a conflict of interest clause, since a former employee of the City at the time of the agreement, a man named Craig Tindall, became an employee of the Coyotes. On June 10, 2015, not even two years after the agreement came into force, a vote still widely followed by Quebec took place at Glendale city hall. The councilors, five to two, voted to end the agreement. “I’m really not worried about the Coyotes, but if I were a citizen of Glendale, I would be very worried about my municipal government,” blasts Gary Bettman. Quebec returns to its dream for the 2015-2016 season, but on July 23, 2015, Glendale and IceArizona agreed to a new two-year agreement, which reduces the burden on taxpayers. Subsequently, the lease is renewed on an annual basis.
Chapter 12: Another Owner
In 2019, Alex Meruelo became the majority owner of the Coyotes. Archive photo, WENN.com
As of November 14, 2016, the Coyotes unveil their plan to build a new arena in the Tempe area, adjacent to Arizona State University facilities. The amphitheater would be ready in time for the 2019-2020 season, it was promised with great fanfare… but in February 2017, the university withdrew from the project. On July 29, 2019, Andrew Barroway sold the majority of his shares in the team to Alex Meruelo for the sum of 300 million. After a few rather quiet months, he set about relaunching the arena project in Tempe to ensure the survival of the Coyotes.
Chapter 13: Out, the poor!
One of the last matches in Glendale, in April 2022. Archive photo, AFP
Controversy is never far from the Coyotes and in 2021, it is coming back at a gallop. On December 8, the Coyotes were informed by the City of Glendale that they would be kicked out of their arena on December 20 if they did not pay amounts owed in the order of 1.3 million in taxes. The next day, the Coyotes settled the bill, citing “an unfortunate human error.” As if they didn’t look bad enough already, a report from The Athletic paints an unflattering portrait of the owner. There is talk of a toxic culture, strained relations with sponsors and late payments to players and suppliers. Kevin Phelps, from the city of Glendale, does not mince his words and promises to throw the Coyotes out as soon as the lease ends on June 30, 2022. “We decided that we would not wait until the children finished high school to divorce,” he imagines. Coyotes without a lease? Quebec still dreams a little…
Chapter 14: In the little cabin
The Coyotes now play at Mullett Arena, which can accommodate only 4,600 spectators. Archive photo, AFP
On the street like homeless people, the Coyotes must find a home in the short term. “The Coyotes are not going anywhere,” intones Gary Bettman again. “Yes, they will move from Glendale, but not from the Phoenix area,” he promises. On February 10, 2022, the Coyotes announced a three-year agreement to play their home games at tiny Mullett Arena, where they are secondary tenants of the Arizona State University Sun Devils. The 4,600-seat arena is becoming the hot topic in the NHL and even the Players’ Association has serious reservations. “We’re talking about NHL players and they deserve to play in an NHL arena,” summarizes Marty Walsh, executive director.
Chapter 15: The water arena project
For months, the NHL and the Coyotes have continued to insist that the situation is temporary and that in 2025-2026, their sumptuous future arena in the heart of a 2.1 billion entertainment district in Tempe will be ready. All this would allow the controversial owner of the Coyotes a tax holiday of 500 million and a permit to hold a betting parlor on a site which contravenes the rules of the American Aviation Federation, due to the proximity to the airport of Phoenix. On May 16, 2023, the proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by the people of Tempe, leaving Bettman “terribly disappointed” and forcing him to “examine with the Coyotes what the options are for the future.” At this point, even this little bomb barely excites Quebec. The Coyotes of a Thousand and One Lives still hope to finalize the purchase of land near Scottsdale to build an arena and unveil their plans in the coming weeks. With the cities of Salt Lake City, Houston and Atlanta raising their hands if the Coyotes should really die, Quebec no longer seems to want to live in the masochism of eternally dreaming of the Coyotes…
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