I hate to get Megan's hopes up, but multiple reports over the weekend have the Phoenix Coyotes moving to Seattle in time for the 2013-2014 NHL season if the Glendale, Arizona city council doesn't agree to a $15 million a year subsidy by July 2. The plan, which was first reported by the CBC's Hockey Night In Canada during the second intermission of Saturday's Stanley Cup Playoff game, would have the Coyotes playing at KeyArena until a new arena is built:

That plan, according to HNIC, stopped the Vancouver Canucks from moving their AHL affiliate to Seattle's KeyArena; the NHL told the Canucks that the building was spoken for.

The Coyotes have been owned by the league since filing for bankruptcy in 2009. Investors Ray Bartoszek and Anthony Lanza would reportedly purchase the club for $220 million, and former Coyote (and Philadelphia Flyers) star Jeremy Roenick would run the hockey operations.

Writing at SportspressNW.com, Art Thiel reports that Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has spoken with both the investors and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman:

“Our message to all parties has been the same: We believe we can support an NHL team as a tenant at KeyArena, and as a potential tenant of a new arena, subject to all parties reaching agreement on terms,” McGinn said in the statement. “As recent news reports indicate, it appears the NHL is taking the new ownership proposal seriously. But we also know from experience that it may be some time before an NHL team is located in Seattle, as the home city for the Phoenix Coyotes is working to keep them...”

I've seen conflicting reports about KeyArena's ice hockey seating capacity—somewhere between 11,000 and 15,000—but either way it would be the smallest arena in the league. So there's no way it could be a permanent solution. But the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Chris Hansen and the city requires an NBA team to be acquired before the agreement is activated and an arena is built. No doubt the MOU could be modified to start with an NHL team, but only on the approval of both city and county councils, and I would presume a substantial reworking of the financial guarantees.

But of course, all that could be moot. We've already seen the NBA use the specter of a move to Seattle as a lever for forcing a desperation deal out of Sacramento, and the NHL might just be attempting to play the same game with Glendale. But with a July 2 deadline looming, at least this time we won't have to wait very long to learn our fate.

What an amazing game! Playoff hockey is the best hockey.

I don't even care who wins the Cup at this point, but watching last night's game go into the third overtime was so awesome (for those who aren't familiar with NHL rules, there are no shootouts in the playoffs, so a tied game means the teams play sudden death overtime, 20 minutes each period, until someone scores). By the time it got halfway through the second overtime, all the players were skating like they were drunk—falling down, taking twice as long to recover from hits. It was pretty hilarious. Even the fans were showing signs of fatigue—one camera shot showed a fan hitting at the glass during a scuffle and he just looked like he was pawing at it like a half-awake kitten. Awe! Nice try, buddy!

And that was only game one! This is gonna be a great series.*

*Except for the fact I have to see Patrick Kane's dumb mullet/weird beard combination all the time. What a turd.

Holy shit! Did you watch the Kings/Blackhawks game this weekend? It was the perfect playoff hockey game. The Kings tied it with 15 seconds left in the third period, the game went into double overtime, and then, with about eight minutes left, Patrick Kane won it with a goddamn hat trick.

The more I hate Patrick Kane, the more powerful he becomes.

It was an insane, intense game. It was everything I love about playoff hockey.

And with that! The Stanley Cup finalists are decided—it'll be the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks. (I never would've guessed the Penguins would get swept—bummer, dudes.)

It's been a long road. I was positive it was going to be the Blackhawks and the Penguins in the end. But you, Slog hockey fans, knew it'd come down to the Blackhawks and the Bruins. In the last poll, those were the two teams you had voted as being this year's Cup winners.

So, I ask one last time: Who's winning the 2013 Cup?

The first game is Wednesday, 5 pm PST. Maybe we should meet at the Angry Beaver again and yell at the TV together!

The Stanley Cup semi-finals started this weekend, with Chicago Blackhawks versus the LA Kings and the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Boston Bruins. I didn't have a chance to watch any of the games, but Chicago is already up 2-0 in their series and Boston is up 1-0.

The Penguins/Bruins series has already gotten pretty intense. Malkin and Bergeron went at it at the end of the second period yesterday:

Crosby stepped up to Chara a little too. That's pretty brave of Crosby, since he looks like a child next to that dude. Chara is HUGE. It'll be interesting to see how all this aggression transfers over to tonight's game, which starts at 5 pm PST.

And! With a new round, comes a new poll: Who's gonna win the Cup? Who do you want to win the Cup? I don't even care any more. Every team I start rooting for loses, so I'm going to just stay over here and stop jinxing everyone.

Jose Canseco, who has been accused by both of his ex-wives of domestic violence in the past, was approached by police officers in Las Vegas as part of a rape investigation, according to Canseco's Twitter feed. How did Canseco respond? By tweeting the name of the woman Canseco says has accused him of rape, along with what he claimed to be a photo of her and her phone number. The tweets—there were two clusters of them—have since been deleted, but BuzzFeed has screen captures of them (with the name and personal information redacted).

Now, people are calling for Canseco to be kicked off of Twitter for posting the personal information of a woman whom he believes has accused him of rape. I used to follow Canseco on Twitter because he was kind of funny, but his propensity to angrily publish the personal information of whatever woman he's obsessing over—and he's done this on multiple occasions—was way too creepy for my tastes.

Everybody is reporting that the NBA owners have rejected a proposal to move the Sacramento Kings to Seattle. To which all I can say at this point is:

Get your "The NBA Can Fuck Itself" t-shirt while your anger and the t-shirts last!

USA Today has the AP story, which goes a little something like this: His name is Richard Swanson, he considered himself a big fan of the Seattle Sounders FC, he left Seattle on May 1, his goal was to reach São Paulo for the 2014 World Cup, he was killed near Lincoln City, Oregon by a pickup truck, he spent a total of 42 years on this side of everything there ever was and will be.

Well, Slog, some of you were very wrong about who's gonna win this year's Stanley Cup championships. In a poll at the beginning of the playoffs, over 17% of you voted that the Canucks would get the Cup but—ha ha!—they are out! They were swept in the first round.

The Wild, the Ducks, the Blues, the Islanders, the Canadiens, the Capitals, and the Maple Leafs were also all eliminated (and oh man, that Leafs/Bruins game last night was INTENSE). But onward! There's a Cup to win! Here's how the second round shapes up:

Chicago Blackhawks vs Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins vs New York Rangers

So now it's time for a new poll! I still think it's gonna be the Penguins and the Blackhawks, but man, the Sharks were looking great in their series, too, so who knows. Now, given the teams that are left, who's gonna win the Cup? Is your team still in the running?

The great thing about sports is that it's one of the few things can bring an entire city together. For example, if you're a forlorn Sonics fan, angry at the league's efforts to block the return of professional basketball to Seattle, then you probably want to tell the NBA to go fuck itself. Whereas if you are a frustrated taxpayer, angry at the notion of a publicly subsidized Sodo basketball arena, then you also want to tell the NBA to go fuck itself.

Well have we got the t-shirt for you!

There is a "Bring Our Sonics Back" rally tonight at Neumo's at 6 p.m., hosted by former Sonics star Shawn Kemp. And whichever side you're on, you want to be appropriately dressed. Order your "The NBA Can Go Fuck Itself" t-shirt by 3:30 p.m., and you can pick it up at The Stranger's offices (1135 11th AVE) before 5:30, before you head to Neumos.

ESPN reports that the ownership group led by Chris Hansen and Steven Ballmer have cut a backup deal with the Maloof family in case the NBA rejects their offer to purchase the Maloof's 65 percent stake in the Sacramento Kings outright. Under the terms of this deal, the Seattle group would purchase 20 percent of the team for $125 million, leaving a controlling 45 percent interest still in the hands of the Maloofs. Or more importantly, not in the hands of the bidders seeking to keep the team in Sacramento.

Hansen and Ballmer would also offer the league a $115 million relocation fee—about $4 million per existing owner—in exchange for the right to move the team to Seattle. By comparison, Clay Bennett's ownership group only paid the league $30 million for the right to relocate the Sonics from Seattle to Oklahoma City.

Very clever. As I mentioned yesterday, the whole last minute effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento was contingent on the prospective new local owners and the city cutting a deal to build a new arena. But if the Maloofs refuse to sell, there are no new owners. And if there are no new owners, there is no arena deal.

It's a maneuver that would put the league between a rock and soft place. The rock being the prospect of forcing the money-losing Kings to continue playing their games in Sacramento's aging Sleep Train Arena. The soft place is the prospect of a payout of $4 million to each NBA owner.

/hockey rant

Of course the Vancouver Canucks are frustrated—they're down 3-0 in their 7-game series against the San Jose Sharks so if the Canucks lose tonight's game, they're out in the first round.

I was starting to feel a little sorry for Vancouver—I don't want to see them win the Cup, but it's never fun to watch a team get swept out of the first round of the playoffs. My sympathy was squashed Sunday night, though, when they turned into the biggest bunch of hissy-fit throwing babies I've ever seen on ice. And I was reminded: this is why I can't root for the Canucks.

On Saturday, San Jose scored three goals, two of them power play goals within the first four minutes of the third period. Instead of playing some goddamn defense, the Canucks went into full on jerkiest jerks in the world mode—they collected six penalties in the third period. Henrik Sedin was called for blatant hi-sticking, Lapierre got two penalties in a row, one for roughing and another for slashing, and Burrows took two cross-checking penalties himself. GET YOUR POOP IN A GROUP, DUDES.

It was clear San Jose wasn't going to take the bait—they weren't going to fight back. And why would they? They were up 5-1. San Jose played it smart. They outplayed the Canucks, and instead of rising to the occasion, the Canucks collapsed all over themselves, lashed out, and now they're on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs in the first round.

And now Bieksa has the audacity to say the Sharks are embellishing? HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED YOUR OWN TAPES? You are the divingest team in the league. Shut up, Bieksa. You look ridiculous. Now I want to watch you lose tonight.

/end hockey rant

Forbes.com has released the results of a survey ranking the ten most influential athletes among US sports fans, and number one on the list is quarterback Tim Tebow. Tim Fucking Tebow. The same Tim Tebow who was recently released by the New York Jets for, you know, not being a very good quarterback.

But Tebow loves him some Jesus, so I guess that's what matters.

Continue reading »

The biggest risk the NBA faces from fucking Seattle once again is that the league ultimately loses Seattle as a market for its product. And the best way for Seattleites to send that message to the league is to boycott the NBA playoffs. Especially if you're a local Nielsen family.

So really, don't watch. It's a beautiful day. Enjoy the weather. Walk the dog. Do some gardening. Ride your bike. Maybe even play a little basketball yourself. But whatever you do, don't watch the NBA playoffs.

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow! The NHL playoffs start tomorrow!

The playoffs are bittersweet because my Nashville Predators didn't make it in this year. BOO HOO! And my back-up team, the Flyers, didn't make it either. DOUBLE BOO HOO! But that doesn't mean I won't be enjoying the 2013 playoffs. Especially since we almost didn't have a season this year!

I'm not really sure who to root for yet—all I know is I'm not rooting for Vancouver. I'm not rooting for Patrick Kane, either. The rest of the Blackhawks are fine, but Kane can go kick cans.

Anyway, I'll decide on that later. Here's how things match up:

Minnesota Wild vs Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings vs Anaheim Ducks
San Jose Sharks vs Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings vs St. Louis Blues
New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadiens
New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins

I wish I could say different, but I predict the most obvious outcome—it'll be Pittsburgh and Chicago in the finals. Both teams have had stellar seasons, seasons far and away better than any other teams in their conference. St. Louis and Detroit both have some good momentum going right now, but they're just not as consistent, nor are they as strong in the playoffs. The Penguins and the Blackhawks are just on fire.

Who do you think will be in the finals? And who'll win the Cup this year?

On Goldy's post about the NBA voting to block the sale and relocation of a team to Seattle, Fnarf and TheRain have a smart point and smart counterpoint:

You'll get your team. Rich guys always get what they want. There will be an expansion team here within a year or two, and we will pay for it. I'll bet Hansen's lawyers are restructuring the deal right this minute.
Posted by Fnarf on April 29, 2013 at 2:46 PM

Seattle isn't going to get an expansion team. Seattle isn't going to get a team relocated here. Seattle is going to be the boogeyman that is used by the NBA to scare other cities into coughing up millions of dollars to make their rich owners even richer, and until we firmly and clearly tell the NBA to FOAD we will continue to be used, period.
Posted by TheRain on April 29, 2013 at 3:22 PM

Any other theories?

Remember this?

A text I received from a b-ball fanatic...

David Stern is doing a deal with New Jersey to acquire Sactown team and leave Seattle in the dust. No media has this info. I heard from a reliable source who is involved in the investor meetings. New Jersey was promised a team first by NBA when they gave up team to Brooklyn.

Potentially bad news for Mike McGinn's reelection hopes:

A committee of NBA owners voted unanimously today to block the pending sale and relocation of the Sacramento Kings, likely ensuring that the team will stay put.

The NBA confirmed that its combined relocation and finance advisory committee, composed of 12 owners, voted down the Maloof family's proposed sale of the Kings to hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who planned to move the team to Seattle.

The rest of the owners are expected to follow the recommendation of the committee, which pretty much means the Kings are staying put. Because obviously, Sacramento is a much, much better city than Seattle, and its fans clearly deserve more respect than ours.

That said, I suppose it's still possible that the unanimous decision was aided by an unspoken decision to grant Seattle an expansion team. Otherwise, I think the NBA can pretty much go fuck itself as far as folks here are concerned.