Nashville's days appear numbered

[drwscc 212]

I guess what remains to be seen is what they do over the summer. If they let all their FA's walk, then those ticket sales are probably gonna dry up. That's also a good indicator of how this whole thing is going to play out.

[Kcjacoby 10]

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/10003ECB...mp;minorcatid=9

I feel sorry for the Nashville fans... I think this Balistille guy needs to get things in order before getting things like this rolling...

Its like knowing the date of your death... what a prick.

[Bannedforlife 403]

I wonder if Nashville fans will continue to root for the Preds or if they'll finally see the light and come on over to Hockeytown.

Actually, most of them will probably do neither and just completely forget about hockey all together.

[DraperFan MN 0]

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/10003ECB...mp;minorcatid=9

I feel sorry for the Nashville fans... I think this Balistille guy needs to get things in order before getting things like this rolling...

Its like knowing the date of your death... what a prick.

I like this guy, he's got balls, and a lot more business sense than 75 % of the owners. Why there hasn't been a revolt I'll never know. The league needed a salary cap and Bettman got that done, but other than that, he hasn't made one right move.

I know we have some Preds fans out there, but getting a team out of Nashville is a step in the right direction. This guy is going to be able to jump ALL the hurdles in front of him by throwing mass amounts of money at them.....and he'll win. The fact he paid twice what the Preds are worth is evidence of that.

[Guest EdBelfoursParoleOfficer]

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/10003ECB...mp;minorcatid=9

I feel sorry for the Nashville fans... I think this Balistille guy needs to get things in order before getting things like this rolling...

Its like knowing the date of your death... what a prick.

Haha...

"If and when the NHL allows a team to relocate to Hamilton, a sales representative will contact you with season ticket seating location information."

It's funny that they're implying they don't know what team will be moving and at the top they have an all but official "Hamilton Predators" heading on top.

This guy sure knows how to get things moving, and the funny thing is, that team still has another whole season to play. Say goodbye to all those free agents, I guess.

[tipetz22 0]

ouch!

[zata40 3]

hope for nash fans is almost all gone.

[RedFX 48]

I guess what remains to be seen is what they do over the summer. If they let all their FA's walk, then those ticket sales are probably gonna dry up. That's also a good indicator of how this whole thing is going to play out.

Well letting go of fan favorites such as Hartnell, Kariya, and Timonen aren't going to help matters much. Poile has yet to receive any indication on how much he can spend on Free Agents this offseason. Because of this, he hasn't really been able to negotiate with those guys as of yet. Apparently Poile would like to make another big surge this offseason (one of the talk radio guys mentioned Smyth as a possibilty).

[Hank 0]

This is the general understanding, but I wouldn't be betting my house on that.

You gotta believe they are confident they can win a legal battle either way.

I second that. Again, Jim B. is not going to invest this kind of money saving a team in Nashville when all he wants is an NHL team near or in his home town. He's got deep pockets for a long court battle. And while that battle's going on, the Hamilton Predators will be playing to a full house.

And I don't think he's pissing off the BOG in the least right now. Why would they care if the Preds get moved. All Ballsillie has done is show how much worth an NHL franchise is - even one of the weakest ones. Now they can go to Vegas and K.C. and say "See! Nashville was losing money hand over fist and they were sold for $220M. Your expansion fee will be $100-150M".

The BOG loves owners with lots of money that bring exposure to the league. Ballsillie's done both so far.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Hank

[OsGOD 3]

Arrr, another thin' that sucks is that they will be now 2 hours farther east than us and still be stuck in the Western Connfarnce... ha ha ha... talk about tra'el. Aye.

[RedFX 48]

hope for nash fans is almost all gone.

Again, the teams future is entirely up to the fans at this point. The team can under no circumstances move as long as paid attendance stays above that 14,000 mark. The clause only takes effect if attendance falls below that mark for 3 consecutive years, and no owner can move the team for 7 years after a purchase. So far, there has actually been a suprising increase in number of season tickets sold, so we'll have to see how this plays out. None the less, I'm still saving up for some extra trips to Hockeytown in the next few years.

PS, Nashville fans: those death threats to Basille isn't exactly a step in the positive direction....

[Wings_Fan_In_Exile 3]

Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part but I tend to believe moving a team from Tennessee to Canada would be a good thing for the health of the league. I know personally that I'd rather watch a team from Canada that has a whole city excited about them then going to watch the Predators whose city- for the most part- doesn't give a rat's ass about their existence. Maybe it's faulty logic but if THEIR fans don't care about the team, why should I? Makes it harder for me to take a team seriously. (ex: the Mighty Ducks of Disney a few years back)

And an owner willing to dump that much money into a team is also a good sign to me as well. I feel for you die hard Preds fans out there, but I look forward to the move WHEN it happens sooner or later.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Wings_Fan_In_Exile

[Kcjacoby 10]

Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part but I tend to believe moving a team from Tennessee to Canada would be a good thing for the health of the league

I'm sure you know of Nascar... think of that following down there! If they were able to turn that into a faituful following in Tennessee? Shiiittt... that place is rowdy enought!

[toby91_ca 620]

Again, the teams future is entirely up to the fans at this point. The team can under no circumstances move as long as paid attendance stays above that 14,000 mark.

Would you be willing to bet your life that there are no other legal loopholes?

[Kp-Wings 3]

I like what Blackberry's is doing here. Honestly, moving the team out of Nashville is probably the best thing for the league as a whole, since they've been losing money year after year now. Not to mention the fact that they couldn't draw fans when, at one point, they were the top team in the Western Conference, and have ticket prices so cheap that you could buy about 100 of them and they'd equal the price of 1 ticket to a Wings game. The fact that they can't sellout even after all that is enough to move them. Face it. Hockey in Nashville was a failure. Even if they do get the 14,000 they need, they'll still be moving. Blackberry's will find a way. Why else would have he paid so much to buy the team?

[LeftWinger 5,152]

...Hamilton Predators?

...if they do move to Hamilton, they damn well better rename them to the Tigers. For those of you old timers and NHL historians, you know who the Hamilton Tigers were. They re-gave birth to the Senators, they more than likely will do the same with the Tigers. They wouldn't really have to change the logo too much, just a few tweaks... Even though the old Tigers logo looks like a tiger, the Predators logo would be a great update to that tiger. Just use the sabretooth spin on it... simple, case closed, Team Owner... Move That Team!

[RedFX 48]

Would you be willing to bet your life that there are no other legal loopholes?

I'm saying there are no more legal loopholes that would get the team out of Nashville by 2008.

[Guest bullocks]

and we're definitely not the worst market in the league either. just have an out clause in our lease. That makes it doubly sickening.

definitely are one of the worst hockey markets. don't try to sugar coat it.

[Kcjacoby 10]

...Hamilton Predators?

...if they do move to Hamilton, they damn well better rename them to the Tigers. For those of you old timers and NHL historians, you know who the Hamilton Tigers were. They re-gave birth to the Senators, they more than likely will do the same with the Tigers. They wouldn't really have to change the logo too much, just a few tweaks... Even though the old Tigers logo looks like a tiger, the Predators logo would be a great update to that tiger. Just use the sabretooth spin on it... simple, case closed, Team Owner... Move That Team!

I hope I don't get slammed for this... but I don't want Nashville to move. I think they are in a great spot... and yeah, its taken them 10 years to get them where they've wanted to be... but... they have earned it. Plus, its a great rivalry brewing against the Wings...

[RedFX 48]

...Hamilton Predators?

...if they do move to Hamilton, they damn well better rename them to the Tigers. For those of you old timers and NHL historians, you know who the Hamilton Tigers were. They re-gave birth to the Senators, they more than likely will do the same with the Tigers. They wouldn't really have to change the logo too much, just a few tweaks... Even though the old Tigers logo looks like a tiger, the Predators logo would be a great update to that tiger. Just use the sabretooth spin on it... simple, case closed, Team Owner... Move That Team!

I like that old school spin on it, kind of like Ottawa being the Senators. The only thing I can think of is locals might find it a bit too similar to the CFL's Tigercats.

Another point to be brought up here, if the team goes to Hamilton, what are to become of the Bulldogs?

[Guest bullocks]

Hamilton Blackberry's

[Guest jaytan]

This is all a scam to get good UFAs to sign long contracts with the Predators this season. Think about it, quite a lot of good players come from Southern Ontario. A lot of them would love to play at home for a big stretch of their careers.

The Predators are NOT LEAVING NASHVILLE EVER!!!!

[Wings_Fan_In_Exile 3]

This is all a scam to get good UFAs to sign long contracts with the Predators this season. Think about it, quite a lot of good players come from Southern Ontario. A lot of them would love to play at home for a big stretch of their careers.

The Predators are NOT LEAVING NASHVILLE EVER!!!!

Not sure if that was intended as sarcasm ,

But I think there is little doubt -at least to me- that Balsillie wants a team in Hamilton. He backed out of the Penguins deal -which was for $175 mil I believe, about $45 million cheaper- because he would have been prevented from moving the team. To me there is only one reason he bought the Preds and it has nothing to do with Nashville.

[drsingle 0]

I second that. Again, Jim B. is not going to invest this kind of money saving a team in Nashville when all he wants is an NHL team near or in his home town. He's got deep pockets for a long court battle. And while that battle's going on, the Hamilton Predators will be playing to a full house.

And I don't think he's pissing off the BOG in the least right now. Why would they care if the Preds get moved. All Ballsillie has done is show how much worth an NHL franchise is - even one of the weakest ones. Now they can go to Vegas and K.C. and say "See! Nashville was losing money hand over fist and they were sold for $220M. Your expansion fee will be $100-150M".

The BOG loves owners with lots of money that bring exposure to the league. Ballsillie's done both so far.

First, I believe Balsillie wants his team in Hamilton. If the sale is approved, and Balsillie fights to move the franchise (assuming the lease is valid), an injunction would be sought after to prevent the team from moving until the case is settled- and we all know how long that would take.

Balsillie is throwing that kind of money around to entice the league owners into allowing the move, or providing himself leverage in obtaining an expansion franchise at a similar price that he could place in Hamilton. My gut feeling is that he would take an expansion franchise in a heartbeat to avoid all hassles. That doesn't solve whatever problems exist in Nashville (or other struggling markets), but it alleviates the Balsillie issue while providing the revenue increase (while also bringing another franchise to get to that magical number of 32).

Make no mistake that Balsillie is attempting to bully his way into the league on his terms. Nobody likes to be bullied, whether they give in or not. So, yes, I don't think he's making too many friends regardless of the money he brings. He will always be watched with a wary eye by the other owners.

As for exposure for the league, it's not always good. This, the saga with the Penguins, and attendance issues in other markets, is bringing focus to the franchise instability in the league. A league looking to have an American network invest heavily by agreeing to a substantial contract does not want this kind of publicity.

Edited June 14, 2007 by drsingle

[KnightFire420 0]

Okay then drwscc you can come slap me cause I don't want the Blackhawks in Hamilton I want them right where they are.

In case you didn't know the Blackhawks are one of the Original 6 and the NHL should do everything they can to keep them in Chicago. It would be a dark day in the NHL if one of the Original 6 teams moved.

As of right now there is no word as to how many tickets that have been sold in Hamilton but Nashville can't even get 14,000 average and if Hamilton gets the Preds you can bet it will sell out every game. Also I'm hearing right now that if the sale doesn't go through there will be lawsuits and Hamilton will win in the end.

Nashville has no choice to but to sell the team because the owners want out and if the NHL doesn't sell the team it will make the NHL look bad. Nashville is money losing francise and will be until this stupid lease in the arena is up and the NHL doesn't want to cover it.

As for moving 2 teams well the Wings made a stink earlier this year about moving to the East and if this does happen it would lead to a major re-alignment anyways.