I hate to see it but I say Nashville in 5.

When I think of hockey, I think of Nashville! The Coyotes will never 'catch' these Predators. Nashville also in 6.

Nashville in 6

Phoenix in 6, they seem like one of those destiny teams.

The Coyotes will never 'catch' these Predators.

LOLOLOLOOLOL VGG

have a seat please.............

I'm not sure I've ever heard as long of a goal horn as I did last night after Whitney's OT winner. That was ridiculous, fans must have gotten a nice migraine to commemorate a great game.

Nashville in 4.

Nashville in 4.

haha,,, Bud you picked a sweep in every match-up, and this one is already 1-0 against ya ;-)

Also, that was posted 1 day too late. Unless Halifax just threw it in for humor.

Everyone underestimated Phoenix. If you've watched any of the games, you have to admit that they've looked great. With Pittsburgh out, I'm picking them to win the cup. They play really hard and move the puck well.(NYR v. PHX)

Winnipeg has a team again, the Coyotes broke the juju. The city is behind 'em. Cmon desert dogs.

Everyone underestimated Phoenix. If you've watched any of the games, you have to admit that they've looked great. With Pittsburgh out, I'm picking them to win the cup. They play really hard and move the puck well.(NYR v. PHX)

It'll be a nice stanley cup parade all the way to quebec city.

Side note: Sticking with nashville in 4 though.

I wonder if the league would want PHX to win. It would bring attention to the fact that the league owns a team right now (granted, it may make them easier to sell) and you know that all of the sore losers on the internet would start kicking around conspiracy theories about how the NHL's team won.

I wonder if the league would want PHX to win. It would bring attention to the fact that the league owns a team right now (granted, it may make them easier to sell) and you know that all of the sore losers on the internet would start kicking around conspiracy theories about how the NHL's team won.

The success of the team wont make them any easier to sell(to stay in phoenix that is). This team loses money regardless and have been doing so for umpteen seasons. The city has been ponying up $25 million of tax payer money for the last two seasons just to keep the team there.

The success of the team wont make them any easier to sell(to stay in phoenix that is). This team loses money regardless and have been doing so for umpteen seasons. The city has been ponying up $25 million of tax payer money for the last two seasons just to keep the team there.

Interesting.

And damn...

The Coyotes lose $20 million to $25 million annually.

Looks like a new deal may be close according to an article from today...

A sale of the Phoenix Coyotes hockey club to an ownership group led by former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison">Greg Jamison could be approved by the National Hockey League and city of Glendale as early as May 8. That would keep the Coyotes in Arizona and allow the team to rollover its on-ice success in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs into ticket sales and business sponsorships for next season.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/morning_call/2012/04/phoenix-coyotes-sale-could-be.html

A good playoff run should bring in some money (unless they're still giving tickets away even in the playoffs?), but I don't know if it'd cover $25M.

Assuming they sell 18000 tickets per game for 50$ each and $5 each for concession, that'd be $0.99M per game during the playoffs. 25 game playoff run = ~$25M.. not sure what needs to be subtracted from that $25M (zamboni gas). Making the playoffs makes you fans, though, and fans by hats and sweaters and go see your games the next season, etc.

Missing the playoffs costs a team a lot of money, not just from not playing the games. When the Sens missed the playoffs a few years in a row, they stopped selling out during the regular season. Expanding the league further while keeping "just" a 16-team playoff format will create more unhealthy teams.

When the Coyotes lost to the Red Wings in 2010 playoffs in Game 7, I thought that was the most exciting series I had seen in a while. Then they played the Blackhawks last round, 5 out of 6 games go to OT? Crazy. They are actually a really exciting team to watch. Mike Smith is playing amazing, and the scoring chances they set up are ridiculous. It's a shame they keep losing money.

I'm saying PHX in 5. Like Probob said, they seem like its their destiny.

The success of the team wont make them any easier to sell(to stay in phoenix that is). This team loses money regardless and have been doing so for umpteen seasons. The city has been ponying up $25 million of tax payer money for the last two seasons just to keep the team there.

Yes but the city is finally realizing there is a fourth pro sports team there... this isn't like Atlanta, where a grand total X number of people cared, the club has their own rink (albeit in a terrible location) and if they have to move the club, it will be in a last-ditch effort. When the club moved to Glendale people sort of forgot they existed... especially because it's over an hour drive one way from the east part of the valley, which is a big population base. There are a lot of factors working against the Coyotes but I think the window to stay in Arizona is more open than it was even last year, and the longer they can keep playing well the better the situation becomes.

I've never been to Arizona, so I'm not going to claim to be some expert on the subject, but from what I understand, back in the 90's the Coyotes drew respectable attendance numbers for a mediocre (not bad) team, in an arena that was absolutely awful for hockey. The only difference between then and now is that they've moved the team to Glendale, rather than downtown Phoenix.

So it'd seem that the franchise could survive in Arizona. But as for the political crap, I don't have a clue.

Doesn't matter. Goldwater institute won't allow the city to be drained money again.

If i were a glendale citizen i'd set the arena on fire.

That franchise lose 25M$ playing 3 playoff games.

Even if they want to the cup they wouldn't be positive.

Yeah but there are a lot of hockey teams not making much money either... the money is in the franchise values, if Phoenix produces a winner and gets an owner who wouldn't mind losing $10m a year to see the value go up $15m a year it's fine.

Here's an interesting quote I read fro Cassie Campbell of CBC on the yotes.

"I know the league is happy that the playoffs are on in Phoenix and helping with the bottom line. The league will continue to look at all options that keep the team in Phoenix, but from what I am hearing it is pretty much a done deal that the team will be elsewhere next season. One option I have heard is to fold the franchise and have an expansion area take the team over for next season. This allows you to get the best price possible back for the team. "

fold the franchise...interesting.

2-0 Phoenix, Smith has stopped 64 straight, Nashville had all kinds of chances down 1 but got rope-a-doped.

I'm thinking it's safe to start preparing for an LA-Phoenix WCF.

Nashville scored a beautiful nhl94esque one-timer, but lost 2-1.

LA vs Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals. Interesting matchup.

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Coyotes advance, Winterhawks tonight, best hockey season I can remember

From a promising and well done round 1 to a disastrous round 2 exit... Definitely not something the Predators wanted to have.

I'm gonna bet that all idiot fans will blame it on Radulov and A. Kostitsyn and never even bother to look at the big picture.

What a great night for the Coyotes last night, advance to the WCF and take a huge step towards keeping the team in Phoenix.

Nashville in 4.

did awesome here.