All three hockey fans in Arizona can crack open some Coronas and celebrate a minor victory in the inevitable sale and relocation of the bankrupt Coyotes.
A bankruptcy judge has denied billionaire Jim Ballsilie's attempt to swoop in, buy the team, and move it to Hamilton, Ontario without going through the NHL's normal sales procedures. But there's little doubt that Ballsillie will win in the long run. He's got $3.4 billion in the bank, is the 9th richest Canadian, and seriously, who the fuck else wants to buy the fucking Coyotes?
Some fun facts about Hamilton:
It's a city populated by slightly over 500,000 people. And the metro area has slightly under 700,000 people.
It's part of Ontario's "Golden Horseshoe," a heavily populated region on the west end of Lake Ontario. The region hooks around the lake from Niagara Falls to Toronto.
It's 43 miles from Toronto, 64 miles from Buffalo, 200 miles from Detroit, and 320 miles from Ottawa.
This move should get done, if the NHL knows what's good for itself (which it obviously doesn't). You've got a rich guy who loves hockey, wants to bring hockey to its home (Ontario would have 3 teams, matching the number of teams in California). There'd be great rivalry with Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa, and so on.
It's time to apologize to the hockey world for the Sunbelt Expansions of the 1990's. Phoenix doesn't need/want/deserve an NHL team. Neither does Nashville. Or Miami. There are plenty of fans in Hamilton, Winnipeg, Quebec City who need/want/deserve teams. Hell, even Hartford should be in consideration.
-The Commodore
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