The Unknown Poster

Big time. Took me about three episodes to appreciate it. But damn, its a great series. Also True Detective 2 airs this weekend (or next, cant remember, I think next after GoT ends). The gf LOVED Season One but is very sour on 2 as she dislikes every one of the leads...lol I on the other hand and very excited to see Vince Vaughn, Collin Farrel and Rachel McAdams. I think they will all surprise and impress. Vince is under-rated and type cast and this is an opportunity to show another side. McAdams could be the weak link. She was always the "promising actress" and then time moved on and she never really became an A-lister but I adore her. She will be good. Edit to add: Has anyone watched Aquarius? David Duchovny playing a 60's cop on the trail of Charles Manson? Im not glued to it yet and only watched the first episode (others are on DVR) but it certainly has a cool style and great soundtrack. Speaking of which, Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are now in Vancouver and filming the X-Files revival. CANT WAIT!

Vegas is actually a city I think will be successful for the NHL. Its a big city with tons of tourism, And it has no pro sports. Now one could say the other sports leagues have avoided Vegas due to the gambling connection. But I think the NHL is smart to go in there. So the occasional boxing match doesn't count? Boxing is not a professional league sport which is what I was obviously referring too. Neither is UFC which is home-based in Vegas.

I hope Buff signs if it's a 3 year-ish deal for around $6 million. But this talk of $8 million and six years as a starting point have me worried. Myers deal allows them some wiggle room to over-pay another D man but still.... Although it does make you wonder if True North has upped the budget from "we will never be a cap team" to "we can afford to be a cap team". As the Big Show guys said also, investing in Ladd & Buff (moreso Buff because I think Ladd can contribute for many years) implies a desire to win now over winning 5 years from now. If they bring Buff back its to win with him. I just think there is too much risk in Buff being an albatross around their necks in a couple years.

True. But 3 million people a month visit Vegas so they dont need too many to decide to see a hockey game. A lot of Canadians visit Vegas. As it is, if you book a package you often have the opportunity to throw in show tickets or get discounts. I could see many packages marketed to Canadians including that option for hockey tickets. You dont need to entice many of the 3 million tourists to fill an arena. I also think there will be a lot of last minute ticket buyers, the people who go to Vegas without a plan and go to Tickets 4 Tonight to see what's available. But ultimately, it will be MGM etc buying a lot of tickets to give away. Like I said, the hard sell is the local and loyal season ticket holders. So much of Vegas are shift workers working the Thurs-Sat shifts. The NHL will have to be creative in getting as many Vegas home games in the Sunday-Wednesday period. If we compare Vegas to Phx and assume all things are equal, Vegas has the massive tourism, the huge resorts/business community to help stabilize them, at least in the short term.

There were ratings information making the rounds back when everything that happened in Glendale was detailed here. I cant remember the details but ratings not good. Vegas is actually a city I think will be successful for the NHL. Its a big city with tons of tourism, And it has no pro sports. Now one could say the other sports leagues have avoided Vegas due to the gambling connection. But I think the NHL is smart to go in there. My initial concern was that tourism was its highest in the months when there was no NHL but actually I was wrong. Vegas tourism is steady year round (even though it is not hot in the winter). The uphill battle will be in getting a strong local following and not relying on tourists. But from a financial stand point, they are probably on solid footing for an extended period of time in which to build that local following whereas the Coyotes werent financially strong from Day One. A new arena is being built just off the strip. The hotel/resorts will eat up many of the tickets and NHL hockey will become another event for them to market to their customers. Vegas is also pretty soft landing spot for Coyotes as it requires no re-alignment. Simply pack up the trucks and move down the highway a bit. if there are any loyal Coyotes fans in Arizona, they can continue to go see games in Vegas.

Not sure why that is news now since Chevy said it in his press conference after the Jets were eliminated. I suspect is news if Dreger just reported it. Presumably he reported it for a reason.

Not really illegal funding. Just stupid funding. And people willing to lose a ton of money. Even now, Glendale pays $15 million a year which isnt even half what the Coyotes lose per season. The "owners" werent in this to lose money. They have an end plan. And that will be the Coyotes somewhere else. Probably the biggest mistake was leaving Phoenix. I understand the NHL looking at the TV market and feeling it has value within a national rights deal. But if no one is watching, what does it matter? I'd suspect they play one more season in Arizona before moving to Las Vegas. Bettman is such a lawyer. "We have no plans to move or expand teams". Meanwhile, an arena is being built in Las Vegas and they are selling season tickets. lol

The Big Show guys were discussing a Dreger report that the Jets are working to lock up both Ladd & Buff. Interesting...

well of course they wouldn't be in that big of a mess, considering how well that True North has handled the Jets. I'm just saying that what if the legal trouble would end up following the team wherever they end up The legal trouble is directly related to the fact the Coyotes cannot survive without major concessions from Glendale. If the team moved to Winnipeg, none of those issues would exist as the team is profitable here. At the time the Coyotes almost moved to Winnipeg, there was no legal agreement keeping the franchise in Arizona. In a way it was extortion. Glendale kept trying to push back any drop date to provide funding and it came down to a threat by the NHL to transfer X amount of dollars (I think it was $25 million) into their account by 11PM or the team was gone. Glendale capitulated as they always did. What will be interesting is, if the ownership sues Glendale over this. One would presume the agreement is legally binding and Glendale cant simply decide they no longer wish to honour it. But Glendale will argue the Coyotes breached by not providing financial information they were obligated to provide. Then you've got the potential mess of the city worker who negotiated the deal immediately went to work for the ownership. That might not be a conflict, but it certainly looks like one. Or as Gary Lawless hilariously compared it to, its like the General Manager of CJOB negotiating a great, long term radio rights deal with the Blue Bombers and then immediately going to work for the Bombers. I think this is exactly what the Coyotes want - a reason to leave. Ownership will have to threaten to leave and it will be interesting to see if Glendale then backs down again (the vote was only 4-3) or if they let them go.

Why would we be in trouble if we got the yotes? They'd be the Jets owned by true north. The only difference would be the players.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/glendale-city-council-votes-to-terminate-arizona-coyotes-arena-deal/

Now that I give it thought I think the auto pilot automatically disengages in the event of a stall. A live pilot has a chance to glide if the plane is otherwise At speed and level. But yeah I guess it would disengage and simply fall into a nose dive.

if Bettman was smart, then the team wouldn't be in Arizona in the first place There's lots of politics but the southern expansion was going to happen and Bettman probably made it happen a lot more successfully then some might have. Bettman only serves at the pleasure of the owners. The owners wanted to expand.

To what end...?

This might even have been the NHL's end game. They desperately needed the Coyotes to stay in Arizona at the time. Thats why they were 15 minutes away from coming here and probably why Quebec has been buttered up. Winnipeg was a soft landing spot, if not ideal, for the Yotes or Thrashers. If the Yotes moved here, it meant Quebec probably gets the Thrashers because that team was gone one way or another. Bettman is smart. No way he figured Glendale would eat this forever. And no way was anyone going to buy the team and eat losses forever. It was all about delaying the inevitable until a soft landing could be found, making it appear they did everything they could to save the team, and throwing up a hail mary for a TV deal that might make the team viable. Havent heard any talk of the NHL attending tonight's council session like they did in the past. I suspect this is simple: keep the deal = keep the team, break the deal = team is gone. Black & white.

Maybe a swap of firsts (our low one) and Sharp/Burmi, maybe a 3rd in there. I dont know. I dont see it. If he wasnt a local guy I'd say no for sure but I think the Jets have liked him before and might like him again. Chicago might see value in a player like Burmi who would give them some depth at a very low cost.

Im facinated by this mystery. Here's an update: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3118002/Did-MH370-pilot-fly-ocean-perfect-nose-dive-New-theory-suggests-entering-water-90-degrees-kept-plane-intact.html Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished without a trace because the pilot pulled off a perfect nose-dive into the ocean, a new theory suggests. A team of mathematicians concluded that the Boeing 777 must have plunged into the water at a 90-degree angle after analysing a series of computer simulations. They say it is the only scenario that would have kept the aircraft intact and explains why no wreckage or oil has been found since it disappeared in March last year with 239 people on board. Very interesting theory. I assume they dont mean the pilot crashed the plane himself but rather, if Auto-Pilot kept the plane at a high altitude for the duration of the flight, when it ran out of fuel it would crash. I always assumed auto-pilot would continue trying to keep the plane airborne even after running out of fuel and thus, the plane would "glide" towards the water. I havent seen it mentioned anywhere how the plane would respond on Auto Pilot if it ran out of fuel. Would the AP disengage under this circumstances? And even then, wouldnt slats and flaps have to be altered to cause the plane to position itself into a straight nose-dive? I certainly hope the reports of the Australian government growing weary of the search are untrue. This is the greatest aviation mystery of all-time and deserves an answer, no matter how long it takes. Look at Amelia Earhart and that mystery might be solved nearly 80 years later. I always felt MH370 was a massive mechanical issue that rendered everyone unconscious. But Im beginning to think it was deliberate actions by one of the pilots. Though how or why he'd fly for 7 more hours is the issue...unless he purposely allowed himself to lose consciousness as well. What do you all think?

What a mess: Coyotes part owner Anthony LeBlanc said that sponsorship revenue was up fourfold this season, season ticket sales for next season are up as well and that it's been "shameful" that the team has had to navigate the controversy. In a statement released Tuesday night after Glendale posted the notice about the meeting, LeBlanc wrote: "This action by the city of Glendale is completely ludicrous," and the city is, "displaying complete lack of good faith, business acumen or an understanding of a business partnership." What a clown this guy is. He is right though...he's a way better business person than Glendale since he didnt put any money into this pit. LeBlanc said in the interview with NBC Sports Radio 1060 that some councilors confirmed to team officials that financial terms of the deal were discussed during that meeting - even though Arizona state law prohibits anyone who attends those meetings from discussing what is said during them. It's unclear whether the Arizona state's attorney office is aware of LeBlanc's comments. lol So Councillors could actually be prosecuted. At what point will the NHL wash their hands of this? If Glendale pulls their financial commitment, that will be the end. Does anyone miss the days of Winnipeg hockey fans waiting with baited breath for every bit of news to come out of Arizona? We were watching live streams of city council meetings. The infamous "15 minutes away" when a hastily called press conference was set up at MTSC one night...only to have it yanked away from us. I remember their former Mayor complaining about having to buy her own pencils and suggesting police use their own personal vehicles for work to save money,....and then demanding council hand over cash to the Coyotes. What a joke.

Its a bit high. His age is more a deterrent to me. But assume they'd pay Frolik $4-4.5 and will let him walk at $5 and assume they'd resign Stafford at a whatever hit, if they lose both they might be more willing to take on a contract with limited term. Especially for a local boy. On the other hand, if they were willing to pay Sharp $5.5 or whatever, one would suggest they might as well just re-sign Frolik at $5.

I've always liked him. jets could likely afford him. Question of attitude. Not sure I'd give a first though. If jets lose Stafford and Frolik they will need a winger. Sharp could fit the bill

A friend owns a hotel in south winnipeg. He is quite pleased with what they are charging for these nights. Although not as pleased with the extensive construction going on in the area

Can't someone in TO just pariscope the game for the rest of us?

I have no problem with them giving Florida residents dibs. If the jets were in the final Id be happy to give locals dibs without having to fight to buy tickets with out of towners

It's only 3-6 seater loge seating going on around the suites. Can't see it being too many. But smartly it's high value seats.

Never relocate. Team is doing very well. Worth more than half a billion. It's just a couple of owners that saw their equity multiply many times their initial investment and they didn't really want to own it to begin with and now they see a good time to cash out. Marios done his part for the pens.