The City of Glendale on Friday entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ice Edge Holdings that will allow the group to enter into exclusive rights, with some conditions, for a lease agreement on Jobing.com Arena for the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Coyotes were purchased by the NHL last season, and since, have been unable to broker a deal to sell the team to any prospective buyers that are looking to keep the club in Glendale. The MOU with Ice Edge Holdings is significant due to the group walking away from negotiations prior. According to CBC Sports:
Ice Edge, a group of mostly Canadian investors, would have exclusive negotiating rights for 60 days unless another potential buyer gives $25 million US to the city to cover its obligations to the NHL. Ice Edge also has to present a term sheet to the city from a lender proving it has the financial backing to buy the team.
The only other interested party for the purchase of the Coyotes with the intent to keep them in Glendale was NBA Bulls and MLB White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. In his case, he backed out of purchase interest in early May.
How soon might a lease agreement take place? According to the MOU, approx. 2 months.
"It is the intention of both parties," the memorandum reads, "to proceed with negotiations of the necessary agreements without delay with the desire to have agreements completed for approval within 60 days."
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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to the Forbes SportsMoney blog. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
The man who traded Wayne Gretzky, Peter Pocklington, pleaded guilty to perjury last week in a Southern Calif. bankruptcy case. The “Great One” trade was 1988 and Pocklington was the owner of the Edmonton Oilers. By 1998, he was no longer the owner of the team and by 2008 he’d found himself in hotter water than he was 20 years earlier with Oilers fans.
Pocklington, who filed for bankruptcy in ’08, claimed debts of $19.6 million and assets of $2,900. Not $2.9 million, $2,900. Pocklington, who failed to mention his two bank accounts and two storage facilities, was arrested at his Palm Desert home in March 2009 on allegations he concealed assets during bankruptcy proceedings. FBI agents that raided his home found $2,000 in cash along with artwork and Cuban cigars.
Here’s the twist: Pocklington says his guilty plea is his lawyer’s fault. “Unfortunately, the lawyer I hired to do the original case is what caused all the problems,” Pocklington said after his plea. “He said, ‘sign here,’ and I did, and unfortunately he left a multitude of things out.”
The owner whose team hoisted the Stanley Cup five times during his tenure was also not impressed by the jury. “Unfortunately the jury pool is not a jury of your peers; it’s a jury of some of them unemployed, some of them that aren’t particularly bright….And of course with the press and so on, and in this country (the USA) and Canada they seem to hate anyone that has been successful.”
Pocklington, 68, avoided a possible 10-year prison term for making false statements under oath in bankruptcy by pleading guilty. The agreement also stipulates that he make full restitution, which includes paying back nearly $13 million in loan money that the Alberta government claims it loanded to Pocklington’s meatpacking company in 1988.
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Phoenix Coyotes will both face off against Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) opponents in exhibition games as part of the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Challenge. Staged by the NHL and NHLPA in cooperation with theKHL, Russia’s top professional league, the Hurricanes will play against SKA St. Petersburg at Ledovy Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, Oct. 4, while the Coyotes will play against Dinamo Riga at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia on Wednesday, Oct. 6. SKA St. Petersburg and Dinamo Riga both play in the Bobrov Division of the KHL’s Western Conference.
This will be the first time in 20 years that the NHL returns to Russia or Latvia for exhibition games. In September 1989 the Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames conducted a pre-season tour of the Soviet Union which included four games against Soviet National League clubs. Games were played in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Riga. The NHL clubs finished with a combined 6-2 record against the top Soviet teams, including the Red Army club and Dynamo Moscow.
In September 1990, the fabled Montreal Canadiens, one of the League's Original Six franchises, joined the Minnesota North Stars in traveling to the Soviet Union for the "Friendship Tour '90". Again, games were played in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Riga and again they were enthusiastically greeted by the Soviet public. However, this time the Soviet National League teams proved to be stronger, finishing with a 5-3 record against their NHL counterparts.
Following these exhibition games, the Carolina Hurricanes will open their 2010-11 NHL regular season by playing the Minnesota Wild in two games at Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena, Thursday, October 7 and Friday, October 8. The Phoenix Coyotes will open their 2010-11 NHL regular season against the Boston Bruins at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10.
Source: National Hockey League
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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to the Forbes SportsMoney blog. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
WXPI in Pittsburgh reported Thursday that the 2011 Winter Classic will take place at Heinz Field and feature the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals. The Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames will also face off outdoors at McMahon Stadium in February.
This will be the fourth Winter Classic, the first in 2008 between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. The NHL clearly took the most obvious route in search of improving TV ratings from last year’s Winter Classic. The Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers 2010 match-up at Fenway Park on NBC earned a 2.6 overnight Neilson rating which was down from a 2.9 rating for the Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks 2009 Winter Classic.
Despite the slightly lower TV ratings, the Winter Classic performed well, selling all of its sponsorship and exceeding expectations on merchandise sales and NHL.com traffic.
COO of the NHL John Collins said after last year’s Winter Classic,
“This year's game once again demonstrated that the NHL Winter Classic has transformed the way sports fans think about the NHL experience. By providing fans a national event to rally around, we can deliver an impressive national television audience for a regular season game. When the final numbers are in, NBC's broadcast will most likely be one of the most watched regular season games in the U.S. in the past 35 years. That is impressive considering the stiff competition we faced. Our fans, players, teams and partners all tell us they absolutely love the Winter Classic and for all those fortunate enough to experience the event, it was a special day that produced lasting memories.”
One problem that’s been mentioned: What’s next? The league is using its trump card having Ovechkin vs. Crosby in 2011, but what will it do for 2012? And, is the NHL dead set on using these two players alone to market their league? It seems if the NHL wanted to use momentum from the Olympics and promote American players (say, the Olympic star Ryan Miller) it might have used other teams which featured Olympians. But, it seems the league wanted to play it safe to ensure high ratings.
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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that filmmaker and Atlanta native Stephen Rollins is “gathering information” for a possible bid to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers. Rollins, who is head of Lightning Pictures, said he’s always been a Thrashers fan and would like to own a team if the opportunity presented itself.
Rollins spearheaded a group in 1996 that gathered 35,000 signatures in support of the NHL awarding an expansion franchise to Atlanta. Thrashers ownership is “currently talking to a number of people or groups who have expressed an interest in partial or significant stakes in one or both teams.”
If Rollins became an owner, he might have to quit his day job. The team ranked 29th in Forbes NHL Team Valuations and 28th in overall attendance, drawing less than 75 percent capacity of the Phillips Arena. Also, according to Forbes, the franchise is amidst a legal battle between eight owners over the value of the Thrashers and Phillips arena. Seven of the eight owners, who have spent over $10 million in legal fees, want to buy out one.
Rollins, who said he could promote the team, might not realize the mess that is the Thrashers. "I think if you get out into the community and start promoting the team and start having the hockey activities you once did, I really think this thing could be turned around," Rollins told the AP.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
"…Yzerman was the long rumored choice but he waited so long that it seemed like he may have passed on the opportunity. Instead he took his time to figure out what he wanted to do and he has the job of making Tampa Bay into a contender again.
With Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman to build around, Yzerman has a good start in Tampa.
Maybe he can bring Vinny Lecavalier’s game back to prominence. And for those who think it could be a problem between Lecavalier and Yzerman over Team Canada, there are two things. One, Yzerman won Gold so he did his job right and two, in regards to Jeff Carter being the last addition in case of injury instead of Lecavalier, Carter was sent home because he wasn’t needed. You can’t send Vinny Lecavalier home, he is too high profile of a player and it would have been a distraction."
Yzerman spent 26 years with the Red Wings franchise, 22 as a player and four in the front office. He won four Stanley Cups in that span, three as a player and in 2008 as vice-president of the team. It was also reported that Yzerman turned the job down several times until the team's offer was too good to refuse. He takes over a 34-36-12 Lightning team that has failed to be a contender since winning the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
The New York Rangers will likely change their AHL affiliation from the Hartford Wolfpack to the Rochester Americans beginning in the 2011-’12 season, a source close to the situation told Biz of Hockey.
This week, co-owner of the Rochester Americans Lewis Staats said the team will not extend its affiliation with the Florida Panthers past the 2010-’11 season, leaving the team a free agent. Rochester ownership made harsh comments this week concerning their relationship with the Panthers. Co-owner Curt Styres said he wants a partnership not a dictatorship, while Staats said the team’s best option is to search for a better affiliation.
According to the source, the Rangers, who reside approximately six hours from Rochester, are unhappy with their relationship with the Wolfpack and are very interested in becoming the parent club of the Americans. Rumors surfaced that the Wolfpack might not be returning in February when the Albany River Rats, the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, were relocated to North Carolina. The Albany Times Union said, “Among the teams rumored to be looking elsewhere are the Hartford WolfPack, owned by the New York Rangers, and Lowell Devils.”
River Rats owner Walter Robb also implied the Rangers were in the market to find a new affiliation and mentioned the possibility of the Rangers taking over the River Rats.
Syracuse has also been rumored to be another suitor for the Rangers, the Syracuse Post-Standard wrote in March, “The Rangers own their own franchise in Hartford and would have to sell it or put it in suspension if they want to pair up with Dolgon in Syracuse. It’s unclear how much the Rangers might have to pay to get out of their current deal with the Wolf Pack.”
Though details of the deal have not yet come available, it appears the Rangers will be moving their AHL club back upstate (the team was once affiliated with Binghamton), just not to Albany or Syracuse.
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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
While fans can debate whether every market in the NHL is a success these days, there’s little denying that hockey is seeing fan growth across the board, and not just hardcore fans. The growth of the league can be seen through several aggressive avenues on the marketing side, with outreach through social media, internet streaming, and allowing alternative media access to clubs and the league, as a whole. The results are being seen, not only online, but through television ratings and sponsorship growth.
Brian Jennings, the Executive Vice President of Marketing for the NHL, has been at the forefront of seeing the league through the tough times after 1994-95 lockout, to now, Jennings is seeing the league make a marketing comeback.
The Biz of Hockey caught up with Jennings last week to talk everything from how the NHL reaches out to new media, how the increase in ratings could influence future television deals, how to balance the success of the Outdoor Winter Classic with the possibility of diluting the event by having more than one game each year, plus more.
SELECT READ MORE TO SEE THE INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN JENNINGS
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Phoenix Coyotes will both face off against Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) opponents in exhibition games as part of the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Challenge. Staged by the NHL and NHLPA in cooperation with the KHL, Russia’s top professional league, the Hurricanes will play against SKA St. Petersburg at Ledovy Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, Oct. 4, while the Coyotes will play against Dinamo Riga at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia on Wednesday, Oct. 6. SKA St. Petersburg and Dinamo Riga both play in the Bobrov Division of the KHL’s Western Conference.
