Comparing Coyotes to Colorado Rockies (Not The Baseball Team)

From The Rink writer James Mirtle compares the case of the Denver Rockies relocating to New Jersey in 1982 to the current situation of the Phoenix Coyotes, finding some pretty telling parallels between the two scenarios:

Given what franchises were selling for at the time — the Red Wings sold for $8-million that year — the nearly $30-million McMullen had to put up in 1982 dollars was seen as incredibly burdensome. The relocation and indemnification fees alone translate to about $45-million in today’s currency, which apparently came as the result of a court ruling the Rangers had a territorial veto. (The details on this are unclear.)So, in any event, if we do get down to the point where the judge has to determine a relocation fee, expect the Devils case to come up yet again.

Of course, the Devils also faced talk of relocation about 10 years after they got to New Jersey, which Glendale advocates might want to bring up when looking for reasons to bring Hamilton’s viability as a long term NHL locale.