Je reproduis intégralement ce qui vient d’être publié sur le site du journal Phoenix Business journal
Mon Opinion:
Mise à jour de 11hr35 – 19-4-12
Hier soir à l’émission “ Le Match” à TVA Sport, Yvon Pedneault rajoutait ceci à sa déclaration: Jamieson est un grand ami de Bettman, une vieille connaissance. De plus, en jouant le role de possible investisseur pour garder la concession à Phoenix, il joue le jeu aussi de faire monter les prix pour les autres potentiels acheteurs. Ainsi, Québécor-PKP doivent bonifier leur offre pour obtenir et déménager les Coyotes. Il ajoutait que les Coyotes auraient perdu au delà de 100 millions de $$$ depuis les 3 dernieres années.
Mise à jour de 20h00 18-4-12: Déclaration d’Yvon Pedneault: Voici ce que disait il y a 1 heure: Yvon Pedneault :
"La situation des #Coyotes est à une virgule près d'être identique de celle des Thrashers d'Atlanta l'an passé." #Nordique
Jamieson a une mission de Bettman de faire bouger la ville de Glendale. Ca fait trop longtemps qu’il est dans le dossier pour qu’il n’y ait pas “de closure” de la vente. De plus, tant et aussi longtemps que les Coyotes sont dans les séries…ils ne peuvent “coser” le dossier. La mission de Jamieson vise essentiellement à ce que la LNH n’ait pas trop de poursuites couteuses. Lisez bien les conclusions de ce texte. Mettez le dans le contexte des faillites prochaines des Panthers de la Floride et des Devils du NJ. À mon avis, Jamieson est un leurre, les Nordiques s’en viennent…très bientôt
Coyotes sale could come soon, five things to watch in the making of the deal
Phoenix Business Journal by Mike Sunnucks, Senior Reporter
Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 6:30am MST - Last Modified: Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 9:04am MST
Related:
Greg Jamison
- Senior Reporter - Phoenix Business Journal
An ownership group led by former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison is in the homestretch to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and keep them from leaving Arizona. Of course, the Coyotes ownership saga began in 2009, and Jamison was close to a deal several weeks ago before losing investment money.
Jamison is now the National Hockey League’s and city of Glendale’s prized pick to buy the Phoenix franchise. Sources with knowledge of the situation say a deal is very close.
But there still are hurdles for a Coyotes sale to overcome. Here’s what to watch for as a possible deal nears:
1. Moneyball
Jamison is a former San Jose Sharks and Indiana Pacers business executive. He’s putting together a group of investors to buy the Coyotes and keep them in Glendale. That’s no easy task considering the team loses $20 million annually and hasn’t had an owner since 2009. The NHL owns the team.
Jamison was close to a deal in February alongside other investors. His group has been working to secure partners and cash to close the deal.
It will be interesting to see what role the NHL and commissioner Gary Bettman are playing in rounding up investors for the anointed Jamison bid and what kind Arizona or Canadian notables or past Coyotes suitors, if any, might be involved.
There is a concerted effort by the NHL and city of Glendale to avoid a repeat of Matthew Hulsizer’s pursuit of the Coyotes. The Goldwater Institute watchdog group helped unravel that deal when the city tried to sell bonds aimed at financially facilitating Hulsizers’s purchase of the team.
Phoenix-based Goldwater threatened to sue the city over the bonds citing the state’s gift clause ban on overzealous government subsidies to businesses.
Goldwater attorney Carrie Ann Sitren says her group will comb over Jamison deal when it’s done. Sitren also said Goldwater hasn’t been receiving much public information from Glendale on the Coyotes front as of late and hasn’t seen anything pertaining to Jamison’s bid which has been in the works since last year.
Goldwater has sued Glendale over public records tied to the Coyotes.
Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs recently complained about the lack of information coming from the NHL and the number of city officials involved in Coyotes talks has shrunk from previous negotiations.
All that could be part of an effort by the NHL to get the ducks in the row set up for a deal and to avoid legal and political minefields poised by Goldwater and going through the Glendale City Council.
3. Arena fee
The biggest potential legal challenge for a Coyotes deal will likely be how the city crafts an arena management fee. Right now, Glendale pays the NHL $25 million annually to run city-owned Jobing.com Arena.
Everyone and their Canadian brother know that it doesn’t cost $25 million to run the arena, and the money is really to help cover the Coyotes’ losses.
Goldwater hasn’t challenged those two $25 million fees but could go after a Jamison deal if the deal raises the group’s gift clause ire.
Look for Glendale and the NHL to try to craft an arena management fee deal that helps get a deal done but avoids the courtroom.
4. Glendale
An arena management fee also has the potential to make or break a Coyotes sale coming from the city of Glendale. Mayor Elaine Scruggs and Councilman Phil Lieberman don't want shell out a lot of money to pay a new Coyotes owner to run the arena. Others on the City Council either will support a Coyotes arena payment (i.e. subsidy) no matter what or feel resigned that they have to save the team to keep Jobing.com Arena and Westgate viable.
Glendale has been one of the hiccups in past Coyotes sales efforts. It could be the deciding factor again. If a sale can't get done this time with the NHL's blessing and help for Jamison and Glendale trying to avoid Goldwater on the playground then the team will likely move this offseason.
5. Financial losses
The biggest bottom-line challenge to the Coyotes deal has always been convincing someone —anyone — to buy a hockey team in the Arizona desert that loses $20 million annually. The NHL and Glendale have sought ways to help mitigate those losses, but their efforts could violate the state’s gift clause ban.
How insiders tackle the financial losses the team has sustained will be crucial to closing the deal. They also will have to craft a relocation clause that is amenable to the City of Glendale and investors.
The NHL bought the team for $140 million out of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in October after blocking Swift Transportation Chairman Jerry Moyes’ effort to sell the team to Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie.
Forbes pegs the Coyotes as being worth about $134 million, with $24 million in losses. That makes the Coyotes the cheapest franchise in the NHL.
Balsillie offered $242 million to buy the team and move them to Hamilton, Ontario. He also offered Glendale $50 million to drop its legal opposition to the unsuccessful move.
That Balsillie price makes the Coyotes a more marketable sales option if the team can be moved , especially if things don’t turnaround financially in Phoenix.
The NHL wants $170 million for the Coyotes. Part of that sticker price could be window dressing to help maintain values of NHL integrity.
Just like the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers could help baseball and other sports franchises values in big markets, the NHL doesn’t want the Coyotes sale dragging down in NHL values.
Forbes estimates 18 of the NHL’s 30 teams are losing money.
If the Dodgers are worth $2B, what are the New York Yankees , the Dallas Cowboys worth?
Conversely, if the Coyotes are sold for $100M, what are the Florida Panthers or New York Islanders worth?
Mike Sunnucks writes about politics, law, airlines, sports business and the economy.
No de billet: 8305-21-40-81-1
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