Balsillie building arena in Cambridge ?

[Guest Hubie]

http://nhlsourgrapes.blogspot.com

Balsillie Purchased Land in Cambridge, not RIM.

In a transaction closing February 16th, it was reported in news outlets that Research in Motion purchased, through a numbered company, 25.7 acres of industrial land in Cambridge, Ontario for $3.7 million.

The numbered company - 1258700 Ontario Limited - however, is a wholly-owned holding company of Jim Balsillie. This is rather telling as we now know that the land is a private Balsillie holding, and not a part of Research in Motion.

Further investigations show that Mr. Balsillie has disposed of approximately $100 million of RIM stock over the past three years, mostly through this company, well over the $2 million needed for the stock options he exercised over that same period. It appears the $50 million in personal cash plus $190 million in financing he's rumoured to be putting together to purchase the team may indeed by correct, and that plans for an arena in Cambridge are in motion.

What this means for the Predators future in Nashville is unclear, as only 14,185 in paid attendance is required to keep the team for at least three more years. If this figure isn't met and the city doesn't make up the difference though, hockey fans in Southwestern Ontario better start socking away some ticket money.

Balsillie directly owns 666,000 shares in RIM, and indirectly owns 11.136 million shares in RIM through his wholly-owned holding company, 1258700 Ontario Limited. RIM shares closed Friday at $175.75 on the TSX, leaving Balsillie's total holdings valued at $2.07 billion.

[Guest bullocks]

that's like 45 minutes away from me

he's a rich man...he's definitely moving the team and KW will be the new location....hopefully nashville won't get enough fans in the stands and everything will go according to plan muhahahah

[BeeRYCE 2]

I have no problems with a new team in Canada, at all, but if it's in just a small city in Ontario, come on. Kitchener is an awful place, and now talks are in Cambridge? Come on. Hamilton would be alright, but CAMBRIDGE?!

[Guest bullocks]

No, KW is a better idea then Hamilton. Ever try driving down the QEW at rush hour? Have fun with that. A team in KW will attract ppl from all over southern ontario...all u have to do is hop on the 401 west. Plus, i'm pretty sure a team in hamilton they'd have to pay the leafs or buffalo off. The only reason Hamilton was brought up in the first place was to hold the team until an arena was made. It was never gonna goto Hamilton.

[Kp-Wings 3]

Cambridge is smaller than Edmonton. That wouldn't work for a team at all.

[Guest bullocks]

It has nothing to do with how big the place is. He's not trying to only get ppl from Cambridge to come lol he's trying to get southern ontario to buy into it. It'll be rocking every night.

[Legionnaire11 0]

is this reported anywhere else?

[bogeygolfer 4]

is this reported anywhere else?

scared?

[T-Ruff 47]

is this reported anywhere else?

A quick Google News/Blog search of the terms "Balsillie Cambridge" indicates no......

Edited June 11, 2007 by T-Ruff

[Barrie 900]

Cambridge is smaller than Edmonton. That wouldn't work for a team at all.

True, but look at the surrounding cities within a 60 minute drive:

-Mississauga 700,000

-Hamilton 500,000

-Kitchener-Waterloo 400,000

-London 400,000

-Brampton 300,000

-Burlington 150,000

-Oakville 150,000

-St. Catharines 150,000

-Cambridge 110,000

-Guelph 100,000

-Brantford (where Gretzky in from) 100,000

-Niagara Falls 80,000

-Woodstock 50,000

-There's also number of small towns under 50,000 (Stratford, Ingersoll, Paris, Fergus, St. Thomas, etc).

He has 2,740,000 people to draw from, and that doesn't include people willing to drive in from Toronto.

I live in Burlington and it'll work, no question. Putting the team in Cambridge (right on Highway 401) is a brilliant idea. With how bad the Leafs are run and how passionate the fans are here for hockey, Southern Ontario needs another team very badly.

No offence to Nashville fans and Legionnaire11 (I understand your passion), but Balsillie is drooling at the possibilities of moving the team out of there and into Southern Ontario. The city can do all it can to keep the Pred's, but it would be a horrible business decision to pass on the Cambridge opportunity and stay in Tennessee. Balsillie is doing every he can to move, plus he has the money to pretty much do whatever the hell he wants.

Edit: Any action taken in Nashville will only delay Balsillie's plan by about a year or two. He'll get it done.....

Edited June 11, 2007 by Barrie

[kylee 727]

is this reported anywhere else?

scared?

ouch.

[Statts 4]

True, but look at the surrounding cities within a 60 minute drive:

-Mississauga 700,000

-Hamilton 500,000

-Kitchener-Waterloo 400,000

-London 400,000

-Brampton 300,000

-Burlington 150,000

-Oakville 150,000

-St. Catharines 150,000

-Cambridge 110,000

-Guelph 100,000

-Brantford (where Gretzky in from) 100,000

-Niagara Falls 80,000

-Woodstock 50,000

-There's also number of small towns under 50,000 (Stratford, Ingersoll, Paris, Fergus, St. Thomas, etc).

He has 2,740,000 people to draw from, and that doesn't include people willing to drive in from Toronto.

I live in Burlington and it'll work, no question. Putting the team in Cambridge (right on Highway 401) is a brilliant idea. With how bad the Leafs are run and how passionate the fans are here for hockey, Southern Ontario needs another team very badly.

No offence to Nashville fans and Legionnaire11 (I understand your passion), but Balsillie is drooling at the possibilities of moving the team out of there and into Southern Ontario. The city can do all it can to keep the Pred's, but it would be a horrible business decision to pass on the Cambridge opportunity and stay in Tennessee. Balsillie is doing every he can to move, plus he has the money to pretty much do whatever the hell he wants.

Edit: Any action taken in Nashville will only delay Balsillie's plan by about a year or two. He'll get it done.....

QFT

I have said it before and I will say it again, Balsillie did not buy the predators for 220 million dollars to keep the team in Nashville. He is a billionaire on a mission. It is just a matter of time until the team is moved to Southern Ontario.

[Barrie 900]

QFT

I have said it before and I will say it again, Balsillie did not buy the predators for 220 million dollars to keep the team in Nashville. He is a billionaire on a mission. It is just a matter of time until the team is moved to Southern Ontario.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I heard on the FAN 590 that Balsillie is from K-W and his wife is from Hamliton. Both are huge Hockey fans. Balsillie's wife has been dying to see a team in the Hamilton area, so for her birthday, Balsillie is going to buy the Preds and move them to Sourthern Ontario.

The radio host at the time, Bob McCoun, had a classic line after that. He said, "I bought my wife a DVD for her birthday".

[Guest bullocks]

True, but look at the surrounding cities within a 60 minute drive:

-Mississauga 700,000

-Hamilton 500,000

-Kitchener-Waterloo 400,000

-London 400,000

-Brampton 300,000

-Burlington 150,000

-Oakville 150,000

-St. Catharines 150,000

-Cambridge 110,000

-Guelph 100,000

-Brantford (where Gretzky in from) 100,000

-Niagara Falls 80,000

-Woodstock 50,000

-There's also number of small towns under 50,000 (Stratford, Ingersoll, Paris, Fergus, St. Thomas, etc).

He has 2,740,000 people to draw from, and that doesn't include people willing to drive in from Toronto.

I live in Burlington and it'll work, no question. Putting the team in Cambridge (right on Highway 401) is a brilliant idea. With how bad the Leafs are run and how passionate the fans are here for hockey, Southern Ontario needs another team very badly.

No offence to Nashville fans and Legionnaire11 (I understand your passion), but Balsillie is drooling at the possibilities of moving the team out of there and into Southern Ontario. The city can do all it can to keep the Pred's, but it would be a horrible business decision to pass on the Cambridge opportunity and stay in Tennessee. Balsillie is doing every he can to move, plus he has the money to pretty much do whatever the hell he wants.

Edit: Any action taken in Nashville will only delay Balsillie's plan by about a year or two. He'll get it done.....

i live in mississauga, and it will be great

is this reported anywhere else?

nice sig, i should take that then in about a year or two use it

Edited June 11, 2007 by bullocks

[Legionnaire11 0]

scared?

should I not be?? Hell Yes i'm scared. This situation is pretty easy for Wings fans to sit there and look at from the outside and speculate on and whatnot. But for preds fans, it's real. Other than when we were granted an expansion team, this is the single biggest issue ever for this team. This is way above making the playoffs, or signing Kariya or trading for Forsberg. any of us Preds fans would trade all of the good times for a guarantee that our team isn't moving.

[Wings_Fan_In_Exile 3]

It does seem to me that sooner or later he will get his team in Ontario. It sucks for Predator fans but I think it will be good for the league.

[redwingfan19 293]

I do feel bad for the hardcore pred fans, I would love to have a hockey team an hour from me. Everything seems to be falling into place. I am kinda jelous though of KW, I wish London could get an NHL team, if KW or Hamilton can do it I think we could too. plus they would be out of the limits of Toronto and Buffalo and still be right smack dab in to middle of 8 million people.

[Swayze 81]

A quick Google News/Blog search of the terms "Balsillie Cambridge" indicates no......

http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/cam/news/news_792440.html

and then I thought i'd throw this one in here for fun:

http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/cam/sports/sports_804895.html

[RedFX 48]

should I not be?? Hell Yes i'm scared. This situation is pretty easy for Wings fans to sit there and look at from the outside and speculate on and whatnot. But for preds fans, it's real. Other than when we were granted an expansion team, this is the single biggest issue ever for this team. This is way above making the playoffs, or signing Kariya or trading for Forsberg. any of us Preds fans would trade all of the good times for a guarantee that our team isn't moving.

Hell, I'm scared too. I live in Nashville and this is the only way I get to see the Wings. PS: Balsillie has said repeatedly that he will not move the team.

I said it before and I'll say it again, Canada cannot support another team. Remember, good fan support doesn't always translate into good business support. See Winnipeg, where the stands were packed every game, but management still had trouble paying the bills. Even Ottawa had bad financial problems a year ago. With businesses in that area already pouring millions of dollars into three teams, they will be a little hesitent to invest more into another team, given the situations in the past, especially a small-market one such as Cambridge.

Maybe Balsillie should focus more on trying to fix the situation in Nashville rather than moving the team to a Canadian Nashville.

[Legionnaire11 0]

the only thing I really think working in our favor is the examples in New York and Los Angeles. Yes there are a ton of hockey fans in southern ontario... but are they going to jump ship from the leafs if another team comes to town? The Rangers totally dominate the Islanders in support. And even though Kings fans are slowly migrating to the ducks during the last two seasons of great success, The ducks still don't have that same kind of support that the Kings enjoy, and if the roles reversed again to where the kings were good and the ducks were bad, all those fans would be right back in their Kings gear.

unfortunately... I think it would take actually moving the team and seeing how the leafs fans would react, before this is brought up for question.

[Dixie Wingslover 0]

should I not be?? Hell Yes i'm scared. This situation is pretty easy for Wings fans to sit there and look at from the outside and speculate on and whatnot. But for preds fans, it's real. Other than when we were granted an expansion team, this is the single biggest issue ever for this team. This is way above making the playoffs, or signing Kariya or trading for Forsberg. any of us Preds fans would trade all of the good times for a guarantee that our team isn't moving.

Believe me, I am feeling your pain. I live in NC, so where do you think I get to see my Wings? It will suck. Totally. But being realistic, ( I know you will not be, and shouldn't be - this is your team) Balsillie could be one of the bright spots in the future of hockey. The actual team will possibly be better, and I can only wish that you get the opportunity, like I had growing up in Michigan, to live within a community that gets hockey, lives, eats and breaths it.... to be able to go anywhere in town and see car after car sporting team flags, stickers, hitch covers, jerseys everywhere on game days -all the papers and news cover it, as the lead story, etc. This is what your team could have if they get moved..... being displaced, well, it is a little harder, I know. Look at it this way.... get a passport and try to take the opportunity to explore Ontario. I guarantee you if you show up in team colors/jersey at the game, you will KNOW what true hospitality and brotherhood are like.

Leg11...... and others...... one thing to consider is that Cambridge and Toronto are 60 miles from each other....... Kings and Ducks...... a measly 26 miles.

[Legionnaire11 0]

the thing is. I already know what it's like to live in a hockey crazy community. I grew up in Philly, mostly during the crappy 80's years, but also during the 87 run against edmonton, and for the Legion of Doom years. Didn't get to Nashville until the year before they were awarded a franchise.

So I know that Nashville isn't as horrible for hockey as everyone thinks. I know what a hockey town should be, and I know Nashville is headed there. The only real difference is that we've had 10 years of hockey, whereas all of the "true" hockey cities have all had at least 40 years. That's enough to grow 3 generations of fans. Down here we're still in our first generation, which is always the least supportive.

[Dixie Wingslover 0]

the thing is. I already know what it's like to live in a hockey crazy community. I grew up in Philly, mostly during the crappy 80's years, but also during the 87 run against edmonton, and for the Legion of Doom years. Didn't get to Nashville until the year before they were awarded a franchise.

So I know that Nashville isn't as horrible for hockey as everyone thinks. I know what a hockey town should be, and I know Nashville is headed there. The only real difference is that we've had 10 years of hockey, whereas all of the "true" hockey cities have all had at least 40 years. That's enough to grow 3 generations of fans. Down here we're still in our first generation, which is always the least supportive.

I don't happen to think that Nashville is all that bad a hockey market. I suspect that in a few more years, it will mature. The problem is that escape clause Leopold got in..... it left the Preds vulnerable to a move. And that is what Balsillie was looking for. If say, Atlanta had been on the market.... they would be the ones being purchased. Maybe we are all wrong and Balsillie will stay..... I don't think it would be all that bad a business decision to stay in Nashville. There is a sweet deal in the arena.... and with the city and concesions. The real problem has been marketing and sales to business. Something I don't think will be a problem for the guy who convinced businesses they needed the blackberry. His strong suit is marketing. Too bad we can't hire him for the whole league. :deal: I am pretty sure that whether he stays or goes.... he is going to give Bettman a migraine from hell. He is a hockey fan, which doesn't bode well for Bettman.

[Guest bullocks]

I do feel bad for the hardcore pred fans, I would love to have a hockey team an hour from me. Everything seems to be falling into place. I am kinda jelous though of KW, I wish London could get an NHL team, if KW or Hamilton can do it I think we could too. plus they would be out of the limits of Toronto and Buffalo and still be right smack dab in to middle of 8 million people.

London is too far west.

Hell, I'm scared too. I live in Nashville and this is the only way I get to see the Wings. PS: Balsillie has said repeatedly that he will not move the team.

I said it before and I'll say it again, Canada cannot support another team. Remember, good fan support doesn't always translate into good business support. See Winnipeg, where the stands were packed every game, but management still had trouble paying the bills. Even Ottawa had bad financial problems a year ago. With businesses in that area already pouring millions of dollars into three teams, they will be a little hesitent to invest more into another team, given the situations in the past, especially a small-market one such as Cambridge.

Maybe Balsillie should focus more on trying to fix the situation in Nashville rather than moving the team to a Canadian Nashville.

first of all, southern ontario isnt winnipeg. ontario can have another hockey team EASILY and make it work. obviously balsillie is going to say he's not gonna move the team u think he's dumb? he's one of the smartest people out there. and ottawa has nothing to do with the fan base around cambridge. ppl from southern ontario don't drive to ottawa for games. nashville WILL be moving, and it's their own fault.

[RedFX 48]

London is too far west.

first of all, southern ontario isnt winnipeg. ontario can have another hockey team EASILY and make it work. obviously balsillie is going to say he's not gonna move the team u think he's dumb? he's one of the smartest people out there. and ottawa has nothing to do with the fan base around cambridge. ppl from southern ontario don't drive to ottawa for games. nashville WILL be moving, and it's their own fault.

Okay, if you'd like we can use Quebec City as the example. And Ontario has barely made Ottawa work. Their tenure in the league has been mauled by financial problems. What makes you think another team in that area will have any difference?