As NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman leads the NHL into its latest war of revenge against Jerry Moyes for trying to recoup his losses by attempting to sell the Phoenix Coyotes to the outlaw buyer, Jim Balsillie, it is well to remember that his triumph in the courts over the now three time loser didn't change one ugly fact: the Phoenix Coyotes still lose huge sums of money every year.
Despite all the economies that the NHL has instituted, the Coyotes are projected to lose $20 million this year, down from the $35 million in Jerry Moyes last term.
They also lead the NHL with the worst attendance of under 12,000, despite some fans' claim that attendance is getting better because the team is playing better.
How much of that "increased attendance" is due to promotional gimmicks and ticket discounts can't be measured.
Bettman claimed that Moyes and Balsillie went outside the NHL's constitution in attempting to move Phoenix to Hamilton. On that issue, he can't be argued against.
But the cost of winning has been high and still climbing.
To stop Balsillie and Moyes, the NHL paid $140 million to own and run the team bec ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Thompson
NHL May Yet Rue What it Did to Jim Balsillie and Hamilton
March 13th, 2010 by Steve Thompson Leave a reply »
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