Coyotes Improve Off the Ice…
“We really have not looked at selling the franchise.”
Jeff Shumway, Phoenix Coyotes’ CEO, quoted in the Arizona Republic
So, we can end all speculation about the Coyotes leaving the Valley. In fact, Gintonio shares the information I wrote about yesterday (and I wrote about six months ago) about what the financial hit would be if the Coyotes broke their lease with the city of Glendale, Arizona. Funny that no one else outside of the Valley realized that; I guess denial is not just a river in Egypt. The Coyotes left Winnipeg to come here and they are not leaving any time soon.
Plus, we have it straight from Mr. Shumway that they hadn’t looked into selling the franchise to anybody, and that includes Mr. Balsillie.
What disturbed me about the articles written in the The Globe and Mail was their numbers they passed around regarding the money losses of the Coyotes. The $30 Million figure was two seasons ago. Plus, the implication that the Coyotes should be sold (or will be sold perhaps) to a different person or ownership group. The impending sale of the Coyotes looks to be erroneous as well and according to the piece written by Jim Gintonio, the Coyotes’ financial picture improved 20 percent. It’s not a lot, but it’s a start in the right direction.
So, our Canadian friends can speak about how horrible this place is down here and that we are not hockey literate. But the fans will come in the building when the winning becomes the expectation rather than the exception. It’s the way it goes with every sports team – people want to be around winners.
The Coyotes surprised many last season. Next year, they will surprise many more.
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