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Blue Jackets hope that casino money will help keep team in Columbus

Columbus Blue Jackets Press Conference Introducing New Players Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski

COLUMBUS,OH - JULY 21: Jeff Carter #7 and James Wisniewski #21 of the Columbus Blue Jackets along with General Manager Scott Howson field questions during a press conference on July 21, 2011 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images)

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One thing we’ve gotten accustomed to being NHL fans is hearing about teams that could be in trouble. We’ve seen the Phoenix Coyotes come close to being moved multiple times, we’ve seen the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, and we’ve had the Islanders and their fight for a new, revenue generating arena.

Another team that’s dealing with major money-losing issues are the Columbus Blue Jackets. Earlier this summer we heard about how the Blue Jackets lost more $25 million last season and over $80 million the last six seasons. With that kind of situation and a team that’s made the playoffs just once in their history, that situation will quickly grow to be untenable if things don’t change fast for the Jackets.

While building a winning team will help things out, the Jackets are hoping for another revenue stream thanks to a casino coming to Columbus. Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reports on how the Hollywood Casino Columbus could help save the Blue Jackets.

It is likely, sources toldThe Dispatch, that a portion of the revenues generated by the Hollywood Casino Columbus on the West Side will be used to help the Blue Jackets. No exact dollar figures have been decided.

Mayor Michael B. Coleman said he is “considering casino revenues. Having said that, there is no fix yet. That’s as far as I can go right now, but it’s high on my agenda to deal with it. There should be an urgency to this issue.”

City Council President Andrew Ginther agreed that “failure is not an option. We will figure this out. We will find a resolution.”


Offsetting the horrendous losses the Jackets have suffered by using casino money is a smart way to try and do things. It doesn’t dig into the public money through taxes nor is it trying to find loopholes otherwise to get access to such civic funds. If they can do this, then all is well and it’s on the team to also win to make sure the losses don’t continue to be as staggering as they’ve been.Of course, if the plan to use casino money falls through, what’s the next step? Jackets owner John P. McConnell tells Portzline that the outlook won’t be so pretty for the franchise.

“I am not looking to sell (the Blue Jackets),” McConnell said. “If this doesn’t work … you know, I really don’t have any options other than staying the owner as the team is moved. I’m hopeful that’s not going to occur. We’re going forward as if it’s not.

“From the (Blue Jackets) front office down to everybody else (in the organization), they know that if this does not get solved, the team is likely to move. More and more doubt creeps in the longer this goes on. ‘Is it going to happen? Is it not going to happen?’ For us to continue building the organization we want, we’d like to get rid of that doubt.”


In other words, the Jackets are as good as gone if the casino plan doesn’t work. Welcome to the Quebec/Kansas City/Southern Ontario/Seattle discussion Blue Jackets fans.

Obviously losing as much money as the Jackets have lost over the last six years is a terrible situation for any team to be in, but unlike in Phoenix, at least McConnell isn’t looking to sneak out of town leaving the fans holding the bag the way Jerry Moyes did with the Coyotes. Still, this is a potentially ugly scenario in Ohio and one that puts the Blue Jackets squarely on the relocation radar.

As we’ve seen in the Islanders arena fight, these situations can get very political and Portzline notes that there’s Republican opposition to giving any of the casino monies to the Blue Jackets to keep them afloat. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says that they’ll do whatever they can to help out in Columbus but says that this scenario is unlike other situations and feels good about things in Ohio. We’ll see if that’s just lip service.

The last thing the league needs is more trouble with franchises, but while things about the Blue Jackets have been quiet about their financial woes, there are big problems that must be solved there and soon.