Anaheim Ducks Soup: Trouble in the Desert, Stanley Cup Finals, and More!
A little dose of hockey news to keep you copacetic!
Hungry for some hockey happenings, Anaheim Ducks fans? Well, have I got a batch of news for you to sift through!
The fight between the city of Glendale, Arizona and the Arizona Coyotes has begun!
Arizona Coyotes arena deal terminated by Glendale City Council on Wednesday night: http://t.co/62cnjWL9ug pic.twitter.com/kTa5AGo2zy
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 11, 2015
The city council is open to the possibility of renegotiating the lease of Gila River Arena to the Coyotes, of course – anything to save the taxpayers money.
Problem is, the NHL is not happy, and has threatened to sue the city for $200 million. It’s not just the fact that the city of Glendale has opted out of its agreement; the uncertainty that now hovers over the Coyotes franchise makes it darn near impossible for commissioner Gary Bettman to justify adding two new expansion teams to the league. All told, this mess could wind up costing the NHL over $1 billion, according to this piece at Forbes.com.
Coyotes fans – yes, there are such people! – are not happy, either. How would you feel if you always felt as if your neighborhood NHL team could pack up and leave over night? Check out one fan’s venting at the city council:
Now that’s a true fan right there! Sadly, the Coyotes need more fans like her, as the team just cannot seem to turn a profit, which is why the city council was eager to renege on its deal.
In case you all slept through the past 48 hours, the Anaheim Ducks have announced that head coach Bruce Boudreau will return next season! The news is not as good for assistant Brad Lauer, however, as the Ducks have decided to release him.
Ducks fire assistant who coached power play http://t.co/0pRQXRGxNn #NHL #JSN
— Jeb Sports Network (@JSNSportsNet) June 10, 2015
Lauer, who was in charge of Anaheim’s forwards and the power play, was a victim of the Ducks’ staggering inability to score goals with a man advantage: Anaheim scored on just 15.3% of its power plays, good for 28th in the NHL.
That just won’t get it done, folks!
Finally, the Stanley Cup Finals are all tied up at 2 games apiece – boo! What can the Tampa Bay Lightning do to win it all? Getting Ben Bishop back is one key, as he missed Game 4.
Let’s go Bolts!!!!