Bettman Screws Canada Again

June 28, 2007 @ 08:41

If there was any doubt that a conspiracy existed within the NHL to keep teams out of Canada, it's been totally eliminated now.

How else do you explain the latest happenings in the Nashville Predators saga.

Predators owner Craig Leipold has told Jim Balsillie that he is no longer interested in doing business. Instead of accepting $238 million dollars from Balsillie, Leipold has apparently agreed to terms with California businessman William DelBiaggio who wants to move the team to Kansas City.

Selling price - 190 million dollars and the deal could be announced as early as today.

Do the math and it doesn't add up, and that leads to only one conclusion. Somewhere along the line the 48 million dollar difference has been made up by somebody.

It all makes sense now. There's no way Leipold would accept 48 million dollars less than Balsillie was offering. But if the league promised to make it up, with a little help from say the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, then Leipold could have been convinced to dump the Balsillie offer.

It's obvious this thing was going to court, so rather than spend millions upon millions fighting Balsillie in court, and testing and exposing the NHL's territorial policies, the league probably decided to spend its money elsewhere.

Give it to Leipold in exchange for him doing business with an American rather than some guy who wants to move the franchise to Canada.

The league avoids the courts, the Leafs and Sabres kick in some dough to protect their territory and Gary Bettman gets his franchise in Kansas City.

Goddamn Kansas City, a franchise destined for failure before it even plays its first game.

All Canadians should be mighty pissed off today.

Category: Sports

58 Responses to "Bettman Screws Canada Again"

Trish
June 28, 2007 / 09:14

I don't know anything about the business of hockey. What I do know is that I've never heard anything good about Gary Bettman. What an a**hole.

Murphy
June 28, 2007 / 10:05

Bettman is hell bent on getting a national TV contracts in the US, just like the cash rich NFL. A franchise in Hamilton doesn't bring in US ratings.

Gary's TV plan makes sense, other than the fact that very few people in the US care about hockey. THey dont care that one of the only games shown on NBC was cut away from in overtime. The CBC tried this years ago and had to fire commentator Dave Hodge over his on air fit. The NHL is only carried on a third rate cable channel that not all cable providers carry. Gary, time for Plan B, it's not working. Move Atlanta, Florida, and Nashville to Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Quebec City and you will have the same TV contract with healthier, wealthier franchises.

Swampy
June 28, 2007 / 10:22

Yessss!!! This is great news, I have been waiting for this day since 1976! Holy cow - the scouts are back- I can't wait dig up my old Denis Herron and Wilf Paimenet hockey cards- this is the best news in years.

Damn now I have to go find my blue and yellow sweater with the saluting Indian on it- best jersey ever!!!

Blazngfyre
June 28, 2007 / 11:40

Having grown up in Buffalo, i'm a true blue & yellow Sabres fan, and as a hockey fan, I find the whole Nashville saga appalling.
Honestly, no one in the south gives a crap about hockey, and the coverage is horrendous!
Bettman will NEVER get the fat TV contracts in the States for hockey. The only way they could even get close is if they hired the sportscasting crew from "Hockey Night in Canada" with Don Cherry (whom I ADORE), but that'll never happen either.

I now live in Florida, and find it difficult to swallow that Lord Stanley's Cup spent time here.
Move the teams back to Canada, or at least the upper states!

Joe
June 28, 2007 / 12:19

Bettman just doesn't get it and is an American #!#@!#.

http://www.FireBettman.com

Sammi
June 28, 2007 / 13:32

Bettman has done nothing but provide bullshit to us. He keeps saying he wants another team in Canada. The true colours are revealed and we in Canada should be doing something about this.

Pat
June 28, 2007 / 13:34

There is no way Leipold is walking away from 50mil. He will be compensated. In my opinion, probably funded by the fans. MOSTLY CANADIAN FANS. Double edged sword!!!!

christian
June 28, 2007 / 14:21

The owners let this idiot run the league so I guess they enjoy the fact the NHL looks so bush league compared to other major pro sports leagues.

Art
June 28, 2007 / 15:03

Yep! Could have seen that coming. I'm from Hamilton myself, where we have sold 14,000 season tickets. And we had to cut off the demand! Hockey is HOT here. Buttman though, for whatever reason seems to hate Canada. I am boycotting the NHL till we get another team in S.Ontario. Thanks Buttman for putting a team in another failing city. I'm sure KC won't sell out like Hamilton every game. LOL

Buk
June 28, 2007 / 20:32

Bet Harold Ballard is just lovin' this where ever he is. I'm a Sabres fan from the Falls, and was looking forward to another rivalry to enjoy. Thanx for Nothing Gary!!

Mr. L. Stevens
August 27, 2007 / 01:13

This will seem a bit less direct or relevant. HOWEVER... It is all just one more example of how GREEDY people and an articial business economy produces these nightmares! I have no reason to like or hate Bettman. GREEDY AGENTS
AND PLAYERS HAVE ALREADY ALLOWED MONEY TO RUIN THE MEANING OF MUCH OF THE GAME IN SPORTS!
JUST THINK OF THE INSANITY OF PLACES LIKE WINNIPEG AND QUEBEC CITY NOT ICING THEIR OWN N.H.L. TEAMS!
THOSE ARE FOUNDRY AREAS WHERE SOME OF THE GREATEST PLAYERS IN THE GAME ARE BRED AND THEN SHIPPED OFF TO HIGH PAYING U.S. TEAMS WHO HAVE NOT SPENT 5 CENTS ON THEIR DEVELOPMENT. IT IS LIKE THE STATE OF NEW YORK NOT HAVING A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM. NEW YORKERS WOULD HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE AS MAD AS HELL AT SEEING TEAMS GOING TO NEWFOUNDLAND;! (BECAUSE OF THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR!) MY POSITION IS: IF YOU CAN FILL AN N.H.L. ARENA YOU SHOULD BE IN THE RUNNING FOR A TEAM. HOWEVER....WHEN TICKET SALES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT PLAYERS GET AND WHAT FANS CAN EXPECT...WE ARE IN A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS!
PEOPLE SLAG THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE BUT IT OPERATES ON BUSINESS PRINCIPLES OF TRADITIONAL REALITY! THERE IS A LESSON THAT SHOULD BE LEARNED FROM THAT. HOWEVER, EGO AND THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR HAVE INFLATED PEOPLES HEADS TO THE POINT THAT OWNERS, EXECUTIVES AND PLAYERS DO NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT LOOKING AT ECONOMIC REALITY. JUST LOOK AT THE CONDUCT OF THE PLAYERS IN THE RECENT ONE
YEAR STRIKE BY THE N.H.L. PLAYERS! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNTHINKABLE 25 YEARS AGO!

Bari D. Mola
September 29, 2007 / 18:12

Southern Ontario = Money Pie...
Divided between Toronto Maple Leafs (the long standing failure), Buffalo Sabres (cannot survive with Buffalo fans only), Ottawa Senators (Eugene Melnyk influential owner who made it clear he wants compensation to have another team in Southern Ontario) and the National Hockey League (itself sells lucrative TV contracts over and above the Maple Leafs to Sportsnet, TSN etc. for profit of other league owners to divide which is by the way alone more than what the teams get from NBC or any other network (Life)in the USA. CAN YOU SAY CONFLICT OF INTEREST? no one that has the power to influence or vote to give Southern Ontario a National Hockey League franchise would forgoe the money. IT IS MY HOPE AT SOME POINT THAT THE MONEY LEAVING SOUTHERN ONTARIO FOR THE BENEFIT AND PROFIT IN THE USA MAINLY WILL BE SEEN NO DIFFERENTLY THEN THOSE BRAVE BOSTONIANS WHO THROUGH TEA INTO THE WATER UNDER THE SAYING "NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" which was followed by the birth of a great and powerful Country. God Bless America

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