Todd: Gary Bettman doubles down on NHL stupidity in the Arizona desert

It's no surprise that coyotes are moving into Salt Lake. Shockingly, owner Alex Meruelo may have another chance soon with an expansion team.

Published on April 15, 2024 • 4 minutes of reading

The Flames' Jonathan Huberdeau and Egor Sharangovich are Ariz. this year. In the game at the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ill., Sharangovich got past Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram after scoring. Photo by Christian Petersen /Getty Images

The gambler already understood this. You have to know when to hold them and when to fold.

If Gary Bettman was paying attention.

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Either way, Bettman's desert deal is now in Arizona at the same time that the NHL is on hold and has folded, with the Coyotes on the verge of being traded to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and moving to Salt Lake City until next season.

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The move comes as no surprise after nearly 30 years of failure in Arizona. Shockingly, the deal includes a clause guaranteeing Alex Meruelo to the expansion team if a new arena is built within five years.

Given his commitment to hockey in the Arizona desert, it's no surprise that Bettman would leave the door open for a return to Phoenix. Surprisingly, the NHL commits to owner Meruelo, who is as popular among Arizona fans as a scorpion in a cowboy boot.

An Arizona source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the arena project would be possible if Meruelo wins the land at auction — in part because zoning already exists, sparing Meruelo from a potential zoning battle.

Even if Meruelo wins the auction, financing the $3 billion development he envisions may not be a slam dunk. A long-term deal to give him an expansion franchise in three to five years would keep the NHL in bed with an owner deeply invested in the gambling business. In other words, the league's dangerous and reckless involvement in gambling deepens.

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Where does all this go in Quebec City? With Arizona guaranteeing an expansion franchise, the only clear possibility would be a second expansion franchise if certain conditions were met and the Coyotes moved to Salt Lake. With Sun Belt cities from Atlanta to Houston mixed in, Quebec has a snowball's chance in Phoenix. In July.

A great hockey game and an unsolvable problem: Several barns burned before Danielle Serdachny scored the overtime winner to beat Canada 6-5 in Sunday's Women's World Cup game.

It was hockey at its best. Fast, furious, furious, high-scoring, heartbreaking.

Along the way, the greatest clutch hero in the history of the game, Marie-Philippe Poulin, battled back from injury to score two goals in his bravest game yet. You couldn't ask for more.

However, like any other women's hockey tournament, the spectacular final highlighted a problem that will never be resolved – the insurmountable gap between the USA and Canada on one side and all the other nations on the other.

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The semi-finals told the story. The Czechs and Finns fought hard, but they were no match. Canada beat the Czech Republic 47-9 4-0, the USA beat Finland (bronze medalists) 5-0 and outscored them 55-15.

At the 1998 Nagano Olympics, women's athletes spoke optimistically about parity with countries other than Canada and the United States within a decade. I covered the game in Turin in 2006 when Sweden upset the Americans and for a moment it looked like other nations were in the mix for the gold.

If anything, today's gap is wider than ever. Any major tournament starts with the certainty that Canada and the USA will take home the gold and silver medals, with several other nations competing for the bronze.

It's a shame because games are great when they're competitive. At least now we have the PWHL where it seems like any team can beat any other team on any given day.

Cole's Truth: The most encouraging trend for the Canadiens this season is that Nick Suzuki has taken a quantum leap to the top.

The most encouraging trend in the second half was Juraj Slafkowski's improvement in every facet of the game.

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And the most encouraging trend of the last month has been Cole Caulfield's scoring explosion. Everyone knew, or should have known, that Caufield was coming back from shoulder surgery, which is always a tough proposition for any athlete.

But Cole is back. And the future looks bright.

Be honest: Blue Jays fans are asking too much. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will make just $19.9 million this year, and they expect him to run first base.

But was it microfracture? Just a question, how many times will the Vegas Knights and Mark Stone use the LTIR slot to save cap space and have him ready and rested come playoff time?

Heroes: Marie-Philippe Poulin, Daniel Serdachny, Juraj Slafkowski, Nick Suzuki, Mike Matheson, Cole Caufield, David Savard, Joel Armia, Jonathan Drouin, Summer McIntosh, Maggie McNeil, Hank Aaron, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Joseph La Martinez, Ari Scotty Scheffler , Ludwig Aberg and&&& last but not least, Nicole Brown.

Zeros: Alex Meruelo, Gary Bettman, Mark Stone, Vegas Knights, Terrell Suggs, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Mitch Barnhart, Lars Jorgensen, Liv Golf, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, John Fisher, Rob Manfred, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, David Samson and&&& last but not least Jeffrey Loria.

Now and forever.

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