More Winnipegs on the NHL's Horizon?

The NHL may have put out one fire by reluctantly finally moving one money-losing franchise from Atlanta to Winnipeg, but it still has several hot spots to deal with.

The hottest problems are the Phoenix Coyotes and the New York Islanders.

In the Coyotes situation, the NHL is living hand-to-mouth, getting one lump sum payment from the city of Glendale a year to minimize the losses the franchise incurs, with the city being in dread of losing even larger sums should the franchise move.

Since torpedoing the attempt of Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie to buy and move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario, the NHL has searched in vain to find an owner who was willing to continue to operate a team in Phoenix.

Matthew Hulsizer was the latest would-be rescuer to abandon ship on June 27.

After winning its legal battle against Balsille, the NHL was required to throw open the bidding doors to anyone who wanted the team, regardless of whether it stayed in Phoenix, at the start of 2011.

Clearly the NHL has not fulfilled its promise, hoping that Hulsizer would reach an agreement with the city of Glendale and assume ownership of the team.

Now with Hulsizer out of the picture, there is no owner in sight on the Phoenix horizon.

The Phoenix woes have been doubled by the New York Islanders situation.

The Islanders have the second smallest arena in the NHL and owner Charles Wang has long demanded that a new arena be built to make the team profitable.

But in a recent referendum, residents have soundly defeated such a proposal by a 57-43 percent margin.

Like Phoenix, the shadow of relocation hangs over the team. 

Wang will commit to filling his lease that expires after 2015, but after that, no one can be sure of where the Islanders will play.

On one hand, the vote is a sad result for hockey fans. Unlike the Phoenix Coyotes, the New York Islanders have a rich tradition of hockey excellence, being tied with the Montreal Canadiens for the second longest consecutive streak of winning the Stanley Cup.

There won't be much hand-wringing if the Coyotes, a team that has yet to make a penny since it arrived in Phoenix leave, but when the Islanders arrived at contending status after 1975, the arena used to be packed.

It is a shame to see a team with such traditions reduced to such a state.

On the other hand, the result is a welcome change from the mindless sports worship of sports fans.

A few years ago, during the World Baseball Classic, Boston Red Sox slugger Kevin Youkilis complained that fans weren't supporting the American team.

He was mostly greeted by an out-pouring of hatred on blogs and other media, and when the blog messages were examined, the most bitter were those by people who had suffered in the recent recession/meltdown and were deeply affronted by the insensitivity of pro sports to their plight.

In the world of professional sports, where multi-million (even billion) dollar arenas and stadiums built, mostly catering to rich fans who are the only ones able to afford tickets, the Islander vote can be looked on as a result by taxpayers and hard pressed people not to take it any more.

It may be a slap in the face by the down-trodden, one chance to strike back at rich, insensitive people.

Also hockey doesn't have the status in the United States that football, baseball and basketball have. Moving the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg may have caused the NHL some anguish, but the locals shed few tears except the few who had purchased season tickets and now had to go through the bother of getting their money back.

As to where the Islanders and Coyotes could end up, Quebec is conveniently scheduled to open a new modern arena in 2015, just when the Islander lease is up.

Hartford, Hamilton, Milwaukee, Seattle and Portland would probably be fine franchises.

There are also more dubious cities like the ones the NHL has favored in the 1990s, such as Las Vegas and Houston.

During the period up to the Atlanta crisis, the NHL-groomed rich owners Mark Chipman and Dave Thomson for the day of reckoning when Winnipeg would be given its chance.

In a recent kiss-and-make-up campaign with Balsille, the NHL counseled him to be patient.

But with the Islander/Coyote situation still boiling on the stove, he might not have to wait too long.