According to their annual report of the 30 clubs in the NHL (see www.forbes.com/nhl), the average value for a club in the league now is at $240 million, up 5% from last year, ranging as high as over a half-a-billion dollars for the Maple Leafs ($521 million) to $134 million for the beleaguered Phoenix Coyotes. Based upon totals from Forbes, total franchise value for all 30 clubs is $7.198 billion with revenues that came to $3.09 billion for the 2009-10 season.
More than half the league reportedly saw revenues over $100 million with the Maple Leafs nearing the $200 million mark ($193 million). The Rangers, now playing in a refurbished MSG, saw $41.4 million last year and are the NHL’s second-most valuable team, worth $507 million The Islanders, who continue to struggle in their efforts to construct a new arena, had the league’s lowest revenues at $63 million.
In terms of profits and losses, according to Forbes, the league saw a decline operating income, a form of profit (Operating Income is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization - EBITA). Collectively, the league saw a 21% decline in operating income from the 2008-09 season. All told, 18 of the 30 clubs are shown to be running in the red compared to 16 in the Forbes report last year. But, the 21% declined is skewed primarily by two clubs: Coyotes and Blue Jackets. The Coyotes, who continue to struggle in Phoenix and have been relocation fodder is shown to have lost $24.4 million while Columbus shows a $13.7 million loss. They are the only two clubs with losses in double-digits with the Lightening coming in a very distant third in the loss department at losses of $8.5 million.
In a matter that is sure to come to the bargaining table for a new CBA in the NHL, Forbes attributes losses to player payroll. From Ozanian and Badenhausen:
The league’s salary cap, set at 57% of revenue, is too high for some teams to be profitable . As a result, expect the National Hockey League to undergo a cantankerous labor negotiations when the owners and players union begin to hammer our a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the current six-year deal that expires in September . The NHL must move much closer to the 48% model the NFL agreed to before this season or the 50-50 revenue split National Basketball Association owners and players recently agreed to.
In terms of massive profits, the Maple Leafs (once again) top the Forbes valuations in profit. The club pulled in $81.8 million in operating income for the 2009-10 season. To place that in perspective, that’s $34.1 million more than the second ranked by operating income, the Montreal Canadians. The average for operating income for the NHL is shown at $4 million, but that’s deceptive. Clubs running at a profit averaged $21.1 million while the average for those running at a loss was -$7.1 million. The six clubs with double-digit operating income (Maple Leafs, Rangers, Canadians, Red Wings, Canucks, and Oilers) totaled $228 million.
Of deep concern has to be Devils and to a lesser extent, the Stars. While Dallas is in the throes of a bankruptcy sale, the Devils are drowning in debt. According to Forbes, New Jersey has a monstrous Debt to Value of 144%. They see a one-year valuation change of -17%. The Stars come in at 126%. The Rangers, Red Wings, and Blackhawks are the only clubs not carrying debt.
In terms of increases and decreases in value, overall the league saw a 5% increase in club value. Seven clubs see declines (Devils, Blues, Flyers, Panthers, Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Islanders), two clubs (Coyotes and Avalanche) remained flat, while the rest of the league all saw gains with the largest being the recently relocated Jets at 21% (NOTE: Forbes informs that while the rest of the valuation numbers are based off of the 2009-10 season, the valuations are based on current data. Therefore, the Jets increase in value is due in large part from the relocation from Atlanta to Winnipeg and therefore, is reflected in the large increase in one-year value increase). Coming in second is the Tampa Bay Lightening at 20%. Seven clubs saw double-digit percentage increases in their values (Jets/Thrashers, Lightening, Canucks, Penguins, Oilers, Capitals, and Predators).
Overall, the NHL continues to make inroads at the league level in terms of sponsorships and fan growth through the popular Bridgestone Winter Classic.
There is a new sheriff in the National Hockey league, and his actions are clear on what direction the league is going in.
Prior to the 2011-2012 season, the NHL knew they had to take action with addressing headshots. The constant injuries and questionable hits sparked so much, that it demanded change in how to judge these types of situations. As a result, Colin Campbell stepped down as the league disciplinarian, and the NHL replaced him with vice president of safety, Brendan Shanahan.
Change was evident in the league, especially with some key incidents that occurred in the last few months of the regular season. The first incident that sparked up the conversation came in 2010, when Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke gave a deliberate blow to Marc Savard’s head. Savard was never the same after that hit, and his career probably ended a year later when he suffered a similar hit at the hands of Colorado Avalanche defenseman Matt Hunwick. Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced early in the season that Savard would miss the entire 2011-2012 season due to post-concussion-like symptoms.
If Savard’s injuries weren’t enough of an indicator for improvement on player safety, then perhaps the concussion to the league’s poster boy did the trick. Sidney Crosby suffered a severe concussion during the 2011 Winter Classic, after he had an awkward collision with Washington Capitals forward David Steckel. Although the hit was not considered dirty, the hit was devastating to the Penguins captain, as he missed the remainder of the season and is still out to this day with post-concussion symptoms.
Following the injury to Crosby, his teammate, Matt Cooke, was at it again and received two different offenses. The first one was a hit from behind on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin on February 9, which earned him a four-game suspension. The suspension was clearly not a lesson learned by Cooke, as he created another offense with an elbow to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh on March 21. The forward’s fifth offense (and second in less than two month span) resulted in a bigger consequence for Cooke, as he was banned 10 games and for the entire first round of the playoffs.
In just the first two months at his new position, Shanahan has really cracked the whip, issuing 11 suspensions in such a little time period. Here is the list so far:
9/22/11 Jody Shelley: 4 Preseason Games and 5 Regular Season Games= 9 Games 9/22/11 Pierre Luc Letourneau-Leblond: 4 Preseason Games and 1 Regular Season Game= 5 Games 9/25/11 Brad Boyes: 2 preseason Games= 2 Games 9/26/11 James Wisniewski: 3 Preseason Games 8 Regular Season Games= 11 Games 9/26/11 Brad Staubitz: 4 preseason Games and 3 Regular Season Games= 7 games 9/27/11 Jean Francois Jacques: 2 Preseason Games and 5 Regular Season Games= 7 Games 9/28/11 Tom Sestito: 2 Preseason Games and 2 Regular Season Games= 4 games 9/29/11 Brendan Smith: 3 Preseason Games and 5 Regular Season Games= 8 Games 9/30/11 Clarke MacArthur: 1 preseason Game and 2 Regular Season Games= 3 Games 10/9/11 Pierre Marc-Bouchard: 2 Regular Season Games= 2 games 10/18/11 Kris Letang: 2 Regular Season Games= 2 Games
At this point last season, there were just seven suspensions handed out, and three of them were for obscene gestures or unsportsman-like incidents.
While last year’s talk was for the league to crack down on illegal hits and focus on player safety, the key criticism this year has been that the league is acting too strict on the new reinforcements.
Hockey Commentator Don Cherry was one of the front runners of the debate, as he said on the Thursday edition of CBC’s Coach’s Corner segment about Darryl Boyce’s suspension: “He gives him ten games. Ten games,” said Cherry of Shanahan. “You know how many shifts Boyce missed? He only lost two shifts.”
On Saturday night, a more relaxed Cherry pointed out that Shanahan simply set the bar too high. Also Saturday, HNIC Hotstove guest Eric Francis said that one-third of the 30 NHL GMs are not happy with the length of the suspensions.
“I spoke to almost a third of the general managers today, and I was a little bit surprised to find out that there is a group of them that have gone to [NHL commissioner] Gary Bettman and [deputy commissioner] Bill Daly and made it very clear that they are very unhappy with the way that Brendan Shanahan has handled the suspensions,” Francis reiterated.
Clearly the NHL is going in a new direction, which is seeking better protection for their players. Obviously, it’ll be a long working process for the old school guys like Cherry and some of the current GMs, but you can’t help but like the message the league is sending out.
On the other side of the argument, you can say an element of the game is being removed, which could change the game drastically. The big hit that many of us enjoy seeing will be removed from the game, and the physical play from the likes of Todd Bertuzzi, Claude Lemiuex, Michael Peca, and Scott Stevens may never have a place in the game again. I’m not saying these guys would have been bad players if these policies were instituted 10 years ago, but I can confidently say that their huge hits and playing styles will never be replicated again with this new playing structure.
So what is the right thing to do? Is Brendan Shanahan going too far with his excessive discipline? Is it necessary to ensure player safety? Does it take away from the game of hockey? These are the questions that the league will have to answer in the next year.
Michael Jafari is a producer and contributor for WGR Sports Radio 550 in Buffalo, NY. He also served as the Web Content Coordinator Graduate Assistant for the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits and the IIHF World Junior Championship. You can follow him on twitter: @mikejafari.
For the fifth straight year, the National Hockey League took its game to Europe to showcase some of their best hockey talent in the world to unfamiliar territory.
The league has several teams that will play meaningful games overseas, which started on Friday with the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres facing off in Helsinki, Finland, and the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings playing in Stockholm, Sweden. The Sabres and Kings will played the following day in Berlin, while the Rangers will take on the Ducks in Stockholm.
Hockey is the number one sport in Finland, and the NHL couldn’t have done a better job with some of the best Finnish players of all time returning to play in front of their home country. The most notable Finnish player on the Sabres’ roster is newly acquired forward Ville Leino, but their most prominent Finnish figure is Assistant Coach Teppo Numminen, who at one time held the record for most games played by a European player with 1,372 games.
The Ducks have three Finnish players on their roster in Toni Lydman, Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. The name who stands out the most from that list is Selanne, who at 41-years old is still one of the top scorers in the league and a legend of “Michael Jordan status” in his home country. To make Selanne’s homecoming even more special, the “Finnish Flash” got an opportunity to play against his former team Jokerit, which is one of the premier teams in SM Liiga, the professional hockey league in Finland. The Ducks prevailed in the exhibition, when Ryan Getzlaf netted the overtime goal to give the Ducks a 4-3 win.
The Kings and Rangers will play their first NHL regular season game in Stockholm. It’s no surprise that Sweden is a hockey-first country, as the NHL has had a long list of potential hall of fame players come from Sweden including: Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, Markus Naslund, Niklas Lidstrom and the Sedin twins. Sweden also won the Gold Medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics, which is the highest goal to accomplish in professional hockey world-wide. Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist, who backstopped Sweden to the Gold Medal in 2006, will get the opportunity to play on his home ice on two nights against the Kings and the Ducks.
On the next day, the Kings will meet the Sabres in Berlin, which is the first time a NHL regular season game will be played in Germany. The Kings played in Germany in an exhibition game earlier in the week against the Hamburg Freezers, where they won by a score of 5-4.
Buffalo also played in an exhibition game in Germany, where they defeated Adler Mannheim 8-3. The game was extra special for Sabres forward Jochen Hecht, as he returned to face his former club in his hometown. Although Hecht wasn’t able to suit up due to injury, Coach Lindy Ruff allowed him to participate in the pre-skate, where he was welcomed with plenty of applause from his home crowd.
The Sabres have another German native on their roster in Christian Ehrhoff, who the team acquired this past off-season. When the defenseman met with the media prior to the exhibition, he said he didn’t even know the team was going to play in his home country until after he signed with the club, which was a nice bonus after he signed on with the team for 10 years. He also said that soccer is still the number one sport in Germany, while ice hockey, handball, rugby and cycling compete to be the runner-up. One can imagine that ice hockey took a big step forward as the number two sport with the NHL’s first trip to Germany.
The NHL’s goal is to nationalize the sport, and they are doing it the right way. Since hockey is already huge in the Scandinavian countries, it makes sense for them to branch out to the other countries slowly and effectively. It is a very cool experience for the European players, who can demonstrate their skills to their home country with the best in the world.
Overall, I think it is a step in the right direction for the NHL, and I think that building their relationship with other European leagues can only improve the sport on a national level. Now all that the league needs to do is work out an agreement with the Kontinental Hockey League out of Russia. Since it is the biggest league overseas, wouldn’t it be a blast to see the champions from each league battle for the “World Championship” prior to the start of the season? Heck, I think that would be more fun than the All-Star game, what about if we replaced the break with that game? Perhaps I’m thinking a little ahead, but bringing the NHL to Europe creates limitless opportunity.
Michael Jafari is a producer and contributor for WGR Sports Radio 550 in Buffalo, NY. He also served as the Web Content Coordinator Graduate Assistant for the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits and the IIHF World Junior Championship. You can follow him on twitter: @mikejafari.
The NHL held their board of governors meeting today to address several league issues going into the season. Perhaps the biggest topic brought on to the conversation is the re-alignment of the divisions. The meeting concluded with the owners hopeful that they can have a new realignment plan made before December of this year.
When the Atlanta Thrashers franchise jumped ship to Winnipeg over summer, it’s common sense to think that having a team so far north in the Southeast division makes little sense. However, now that the Jets are destined to move to the Western conference, what team is primed to come to the East?
Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold threw some hints on what the divisions could be earlier this year, when he visited the Paul Allen Show on KFAN in Minneapolis. In the interview, Leipold said, “Our division would include the Winnipeg Jets, us, the Blues, the Nashville Predators, the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, and maybe the Columbus Blue Jackets… maybe not depending on if they go east or west. I am all in favor of that. I think that is a grand slam, home run, hat trick for our team.” Leipold added, that he thinks the Jets are a natural rival to the Wild, going back to the North Stars-Jets days, and thinks it would be a lot of fun to see that rivalry again.
If Leipold’s words were a preview of what could come in December, then it looks as if the NHL is doing a retro look for the divisions with two divisions in each conference. Using Leipold’s hints and with the process of elimination, this is what the conferences could look like:
Central Division: Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis and Winnipeg.
Pacific Division: Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, and Vancouver.
Atlantic Division: Boston, Florida, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, and Washington.
Mid-Atlantic Division: Buffalo, Carolina, Detroit, Montreal, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and Toronto.
It has long been rumored that the Detroit Red Wings were promised to be the next team in line to move East, as they “took one for the team” for the last realignment that saw the Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Thrashers join the Eastern Conference. The purpose of keeping the Red Wings in the Western conference was to use their winning tradition to fuel rivalries with newer franchises like the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Nashville Predators.
Speaking of the Blue Jackets and Predators, it is also believed that both teams are interested in moving to the East, as both teams feel that a move could further build their fan base with much earlier road games, which would drive fan attendance up because of more convenient distances. I believe a move could do Nashville good, but I think they have a strong enough market to hold their own even with the departure of the Red Wings. (By the way, it was an amazing PR move for the Predators to get Mike Fisher. Advertising Carrie Underwood at the games will draw attendance alone in the country music state!)
In my opinion, it makes perfect sense to move Detroit to the east, but I also think Columbus should follow. The NHL has tried to build up the Columbus-Detroit rivalry in hopes of someday re-creating a Michigan vs. Ohio State feeling between the two teams. If Detroit were to move away from the Blue Jackets, it would be a disaster for the Ohio based franchise, and I think it will create uncertainty in the stability of the team.
Moving Columbus and Detroit to the Eastern Conference will create uneven conferences, but now the NHL will have room to further expand and perhaps get a better opportunity for teams to succeed in the West. My proposition for next year is:
Central Division: Chicago, *Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis and Winnipeg.
Pacific Division: Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, and Vancouver.
Atlantic Division: Boston, Florida, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, and Washington.
Now there is logic behind my proposal to make lopsided conferences, as my goal here is to create much more stable franchises. Now that Colorado moves to the Central division, their fans can now take quicker drives to cities like Chicago, Dallas, St. Louis, and Minnesota, as opposed to Edmonton, San Jose and Vancouver. They can also keep a rivalry going with Minnesota, which got pretty strong in the early 2000’s.
The NHL has tinkered with a few ideas of expanding to other markets such as: Kansas City and Las Vegas. The expansion teams can plug right in and start rivalries with teams within a relatively close distance. I would like some of the league’s other struggling franchises to settle in before they expand more, but this division lay-out creates the possibility.
My guess is as good as everyone else’s, but the definite answer in the new realignment will come sometime in December. While it seems Detroit will come East, I only hope the NHL can figure out a way to do what’s best for all their teams with the new divisions.
Michael Jafari is a producer and contributor for WGR Sports Radio 550 in Buffalo, NY. He also served as the Web Content Coordinator Graduate Assistant for the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits and the IIHF World Junior Championship. You can follow him on twitter: @mikejafari.
This is the first story by Michael E. Jafari for the Business of Sports Network. Look for his articles across our sites, especially here on BizofHockey.com and BizofFootball.com. Please welcome him - Maury Brown
The NHL has more financially struggling franchises to join the New York Islanders and the Phoenix Coyotes. The NY Post has reported that the New Jersey Devils defaulted on a $100 million loan payment that was due on September 1.The report goes on to say that the default could open the door for lenders to “push the team into bankruptcy”.
Trouble has followed the franchise ever since they moved into the brand new Prudential Center in 2007.The Devils, who were estimated to be worth $218 million in the latest Forbes evaluation of the NHL franchises, have declining attendance and unpaid loans related to the building of the team’s new home.
In addition to their arena woes, part-owner Ray Chambers has sought out to sell his 47% share of the team for the past year, after an apparent fall-out with principal owner, Jeff Vanderbeek. Fallout, or not, that appears to be the case today as The Post is reporting that Vanderbeek has agreed to buy out Chambers’ stake.
The team’s financial troubles leave many doubts within the franchise. One of those questions will be the futures of star forward Zach Parise and soon-to-be hall of fame goaltender Martin Brodeur. Parise signed a one-year $6 million deal with the team in the offseason, but their 2003 first round draft pick will be an unrestricted free agent, and now the hopes of resigning their homegrown star looks grim. Brodeur’s contract also expires with the club in the offseason, and at a cap hit of over $5 million, it seems to make the most sense for the Devils to part ways with the 39-year-old. However, the divorce won’t come easy, and it could make an impact on the franchise, since Brodeur is a four-time Vezina trophy winner and led New Jersey to its three Stanley Cup victories in 1995, 2000, and 2003.
New Jersey didn’t appear to be a team under financial scrutiny in the summer of 2010, after the team signed star forward Ilya Kovalchuk to a whopping 15-year $100 million contract.The original deal was a 17-year deal worth $102 million, but the deal was nixed by the NHL due to that fact that the league accused the Devils of circumventing the league’s salary cap.If the team were to lose the legendary Brodeur and/or the young star in Parise, how can the franchise justify Kovalchuk’s contract to their fan base?
There are ways the Devils can increase their revenue and make them an attractive franchise again.The team finished with a horrendous 38-39-5 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1995-1996 seasons.Despite the record, the team made a late-season run going 26-7-3 to end the season.If they start the season the same way they ended it, then perhaps the better team can increase attendance.
Another way they could increase their revenue is to make appropriate upgrades to their uniforms. The Devils haven’t made any uniform alterations since 1992, when they dropped the green from the uniform. The team could also create an alternate jersey, which would drum up jersey and t-shirt sales.
It would be a travesty if the NHL lost a team that was essentially a dynasty in the late 90’s and captured three Stanley Cup championships. It would be an even bigger shame for the New York City area, as the epic-rivalry between the Devils and Rangers brought hockey back to life in the Big Apple.
Michael E. Jafari is a contributing writer for the Business of Sports Network. He can be reached on Twitter @mikejafari
When it comes to sports biz, this may be one of the most unique partnerships yet in Major League sports.
The New York Islanders on Friday an agreement to designate Tattoo Lou’s as the official tattoo shop of the New York Islanders Hockey Club – this is the first time a professional sports franchise has ever designated an official tattoo shop.
The wild thing is, it isn’t a partnership from a distance. The Islanders said that as part of this strategic partnership, Tattoo Lou’s will set up a tattooing and body-piercing station on the Nassau Coliseum concourse for 10 Islanders home games during the 2011-12 season. Tattoo Lou’s will also sell Islanders-centric body jewelry and tattoo-inspired Islanders t-shirts and sweatshirts.
“This partnership with the Islanders is a great fit for us and it’s a wonderful benefit to be a part of the Islanders team,” said Lou Rubino, President of Tattoo Lou’s. “This is another victory for the tattoo industry. For a long time, tattoos were frowned upon, but now, we’ve become more and more mainstream. One of the main things I love about this partnership is the history the Islanders have. My dad opened his first shop in 1958. We’re a part of Long Island history just like the Islanders.”
“Our team is thrilled to bring another Long Island institution to the Coliseum, especially one from such a unique industry,” said Justin Johnson, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships & Marketing for the Islanders. “Tattoo Lou’s is an innovative brand with a creative vision. They’re a great fit with our energetic team on the ice and our youthful fan base around Long Island.”
Can’t wait to hear what the elder set thinks of this when they roll in for an Islanders game. How long before a sports clubs has Jim Rose Circus as a presenting sponsor?
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 NHL has yet to officially confirm the 2012 Winter Classic which is scheduled to take place at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, home of MLB’s Phillies.
The holdup, at this point, is still unknown -- despite anticipation for an official announcement the last few weeks.
As noted by Chuck Gormely of the Courier-Post earlier this month, coordinating games at Citizens Bank Park for Penn State’s men’s hockey team and the AHL’s outdoor game, as well as scheduling Winter Classic activities could be factors: “Since the Wells Fargo Center will have an open date on Jan. 2, the Flyers are considering opening the building and its adjacent parking lot for a daylong festival that will kick off a week of hockey-related activities.”
Whether the issue involves tickets, seating or other activities, specifics between the League and the stadium still need to be worked out.
For now, the waiting will continue for the game scheduled on Jan. 2; but, as Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski points out, a charity auction by the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation has leaked details of hockey’s regular season headliner that isn’t technically official yet:
Winter Classic Spectacular - Four (4) VIP tickets (with parking) to the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park on January 2, 2012. Package also includes 4 VIP tickets to the 2011 New Year's Eve Alumni Classic and the January 6, 2012 Phantoms game (both played outdoors at Citizens Bank Park). The lucky winner will also receive an autographed Winter Classic jersey from Danny Briere and 4 passes to participate in one of the public skating sessions on the Winter Classic ice.
The auction information not only reveals details of a NHL alumni game, but also the continuation of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Outdoor Classic between the Adirondack Phantoms and Hershey Bears on Jan. 6.
The first Outdoor Classic, held in 2010 at the New York State Fairgrounds between the Syracuse Crunch and Binghamton Senators, drew over 21,000 fans. The 2011 version between the Connecticut Whale and Providence Bruins was expected to draw as many, but severe weather limited the attendance to less than 16,000.
Sloane Martin is the creator of the women's sports blog Same Size Balls. She is a sports broadcaster and freelance writer. She can be followed on Twitter.
The voter turnout was weak, but for those that did go to the polls, the message was clear: paying for a new arena for the New York Islanders is not a priority.
The $400 million construction bond measure before Nassau County voters would have built a new arena for the Islanders, and a minor league ballpark. Reports by Newsday were that with 99 percent of the precincts reporting, the measure failed 57 percent against, with 43 percent for. Nassau Co. has some of the highest taxes in the state of New York.
For Isles owner Charles Wang, it was disappointing defeat. The public referendum failing came after his Lighthouse Project – a new arena and mixed use development plan, died after Town of Hempstead resident concerns.
“Right now, I have to tell you, it’s a very emotional time and we’re not going to make any comments on any specific next steps,“ Wang told a group of employees, county officials, and media on Tuesday.
But, for Wang, the message is, and has been clear: if a new arena isn’t in the offing, relocation has to be considered.
There are options for relocation, albeit distant. Kansas City has had an arena in the Sprint Center waiting for a cornerstone tenant and the Islanders have played an exhibition game there prior, albeit sparsely attended. There is currently an NHL to Portland effort that would seek to have a team in the Rose Garden, and Seattle, still stinging after the loss of the NBA Supersonics have made noise about wanting a team. Jim Balsillie sought to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and relocate them to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, but the Maple Leafs were always fighting behind the scenes to prevent that from happening given Hamilton’s proximity to Toronto.
If Hamilton is off-limits to relocation, then the other aforementioned locations are far west, meaning realignment for the league, should relocation be seriously considered.
You can’t blame voters for wishing to not raise taxes for sports ownership anymore than you can blame Wang for now seriously considering relocation. The Islanders ranked dead last in attendance last season averaging just 11,059 a game.
Already, the Atlanta Thrashers have relocated to Winnepeg and rechristened the Jets. The Coyotes are still a considerable question mark and are life support. With the Islanders, it’s possible that the NHL could see the relocation of not one, but three teams in a short window of time.
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).
Alliance Tickets carries an extensive inventory of all NHL Tickets, including Colorado Avalanche Tickets, and we also carry tons of Colorado Rockies Tickets
According to their annual report of the 30 clubs in the NHL (see 
