The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

The Phoenix Coyotes, a team that for me that was the ultimate symbol of the bass-ackwards thinking of the NHL (leaving a city that cared for and supported professional hockey so they can set up shop in a desert) have filed for bankruptcy protection.  That part was a poorly kept secret for some time now, but what is new is that billionaire Jim Balsillie has put in an offer for $212.5 million to purchase the Coyotes on one condition: That he can move the team to Southern Ontario.

It can be as early as June 30 if we know the team will actually move.  It might be too early to speculate, but with the Coyotes bleeding money and failing to remit money owed to the city of Glendale for things like rent, it would be hard to imagine a new owner buying the team with the intention of keeping it where it is now.  

The NHL and Gary Bettman would be the only roadblocks to this move.  They could have relocated the Nashville Predators two years ago had Bettman not decided to sell it to a friend of his...for $50 million less than Basillie's offer.  There is a clause that a new owner must make every effort to keep the team in the city it's located, and I can respect that.  However, there are not enough fans or interest in these cities to support that clause.  They should have never have moved or expanded in these markets to begin with.

So a day that I would never thought I'd see in my lifetime: an American team moving north of the border, just might happen.  And think of this, to:  Wayne Gretzky heading a Canadian team trying to bring the Cup back home to Canada.

Just like old times.

(You can head to www.makeitseven.ca to support Balsillie's attempt to bring the team back to Canada)