Southern teams lining up to sell to Balsillie

[MacK_Attack 108]

As many as eight National Hockey League teams have been in discussions or made overtures to Jim Balsillie in recent months about a possible sale or minority partnership with the Canadian billionaire, sources say.

...Mr. Balsillie, a fiercely patriotic hockey fan, has said he is not interested in owning an existing Canadian team. Nor does he want to move a franchise from one Canadian city to another.

According to insiders, the Waterloo, Ont.-based businessman maintains a firm desire to relocate a team from the United States to Canada, most likely to Hamilton, Ont., and refuses to accept conditions that include a prohibition from moving a team that is struggling in its current market.

http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=561224

[NKYWingsFan 4]

Outstanding! Eight more teams line up for the Balsillie Nootz-Train. It's too bad Nashvegas didn't get in on that deal.

[donfishmaster 62]

I agree. He should buy a useless, dick-suck team that nobody cares about.

So which will it be, Colorado or Pittsburgh?

[wingsdiehard13 33]

I agree. He should buy a useless, dick-suck team that nobody cares about.

So which will it be, Colorado or Pittsburgh?

No, it will be a team like Phoenix. Where hockey shouldn't ever have been.

By the way, I realize you were being sarcastic

[Jwo 7]

Outstanding! Eight more teams line up for the Balsillie Nootz-Train. It's too bad Nashvegas didn't get in on that deal.

Who knows? Nashville might get in on it, since their money bag boy is being strapped with a bunch of lawsuits.

Targeted by three multi-million dollar lawsuits over the past few days, Predators minority owner William "Boots" Del Biaggio III may soon see his role with the hockey club coming to an end as well.

Sources familiar with the team and the National Hockey League said that all interested parties are helping Del Biaggio divest himself of any interest in the club. Del Biaggio was a key investor in the primarily local new ownership group that paid $193 million to purchase the team from Craig Leipold in December.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../806040428/1028

Edited June 4, 2008 by Jwo

[betterREDthandead 58]

I wonder if the NHL owners will approve any sale to Sillyballs. I get the impression he rubbed them very sorely the wrong way in his botched attempts to buy the Pens and Preds. I for one hope he fails in every attempt to get a team. Shady character if you ask me.

[toby91_ca 620]

It's quite simple, Basillie wants to bring a team from the US to Canada, the NHL (Bettman) wants to grow in the US, therefore, they want nothing to do with Basillie.

Moving a team that is struggling to exist would only be good for the league. The current Canadian teams (6 out of 30 in the league) account for 30-40% of league revenues, putting another team in Canada seems to make good business sense.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

Hamilton and Toronto are really close to each other. By looking at a map, I'd estimate 50 miles?

Edit: If he were to move a team to Hamilton, would they stay in the west? Would they move to the East? Who would go west for them?

Just something to think about

Edited June 4, 2008 by wingsdiehard13

[toby91_ca 620]

Hamilton and Toronto are really close to each other. By looking at a map, I'd estimate 50 miles?

What's your point? Southern Ontario could support more than 1 team and probably more than 2.

How close are NYI, NYR and NJ again?

[pavyaz19 1]

I'm guessing an NHL team in Hamilton would mean Eastern Conference... so if a team, such as PHX, goes to Hamilton, there's just a little extra insurance that Detroit will stay in the challenging, elite conference (West).

I would think C-bus / Nashville would move to the Eastern Conf. before we would anyhow.

[pavyaz19 1]

Hamilton and Toronto are really close to each other. By looking at a map, I'd estimate 50 miles?

Edit: If he were to move a team to Hamilton, would they stay in the west? Would they move to the East? Who would go west for them?

Just something to think about

would be cool if Toronto would move back to the Western Conf. would love to rejuvenate that rivalry. I'm not sure that would make sense though, I'm sure ******-Bettman would rather have the two nearly intra-city teams be in the same division... which he could be correct in doing, so maybe I shouldn't have included his name next to a popular decision such as that.

[DesertWing 11]

No, it will be a team like Phoenix. Where hockey shouldn't ever have been.

Phoenix isn't going anywhere. They've got a lease on their arena that carries a $400,000,000 buyout to break.

[NKYWingsFan 4]

Well holeesheeeit. There's still a chance?!? C'mon Preds, suck harder!

In all seriousness, and in the interest of full disclosure, I enjoyed watching a couple of games in Nashvegas a few years back. The fans were cool and were even nice, considering I was wearing the 'Winged Wheel' to the game. That's more than I can say for the mouth-breathing Blue Jackets fans I encountered this past season. I'd love for the Preds to stay in Nashvegas, but I don't think they can pull it off. If they're going to move, Hamilton would be a good spot for them.

There are plenty of fans in and around Hamilton that can't stand the Maple Leafs any more than we can.

Who knows? Nashville might get in on it, since their money bag boy is being strapped with a bunch of lawsuits.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../806040428/1028

[toby91_ca 620]

Hamilton and Toronto are really close to each other. By looking at a map, I'd estimate 50 miles?

Edit: If he were to move a team to Hamilton, would they stay in the west? Would they move to the East? Who would go west for them?

Just something to think about

Ahh, I see what you are getting at now.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

What's your point? Southern Ontario could support more than 1 team and probably more than 2.

How close are NYI, NYR and NJ again?

My only point was how close they were.

would be cool if Toronto would move back to the Western Conf. would love to rejuvenate that rivalry. I'm not sure that would make sense though, I'm sure ******-Bettman would rather have the two nearly intra-city teams be in the same division... which he could be correct in doing, so maybe I shouldn't have included his name next to a popular decision such as that.

I thought about that to begin with but then I looked at a map, Hamilton is more west than Toronto. In fact, I think Atlanta might be more west than even Detroit.

Edit: Spelling

Edited June 4, 2008 by wingsdiehard13

[Z and D for the C 712]

Move the Panthers, they're a trash team. Nothing wrong with pheonix, they're better than some teams. People who say where hockey should or shouldn't be annoy me. It's stuck up people like you who keep hockey ratings around poker.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

Move the Panthers, they're a trash team. Nothing wrong with pheonix, they're better than some teams. People who say where hockey should or shouldn't be annoy me. It's stuck up people like you who keep hockey ratings around poker.

Nothing wrong with Phoenix except they have the lowest revenue generated in the league.

People who call people stuck up over the computer annoy me. Deal with it.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

Phoenix isn't going anywhere. They've got a lease on their arena that carries a $400,000,000 buyout to break.

Really? I didn't realize that. When does the lease come up?

[Chris L 0]

What's your point? Southern Ontario could support more than 1 team and probably more than 2.

How close are NYI, NYR and NJ again?

Consider the population density of those three areas against southern Ontario. There's more people in NYC than there is in the whole of Southern Ontario, and possibly Ontario it self.

That doesn't mean there shouldn't be or couldn't be a team in southern Ontario, just that the population density of that area may or may not support two NHL teams.

[edicius 3,269]

What's your point? Southern Ontario could support more than 1 team and probably more than 2.

How close are NYI, NYR and NJ again?

Well, from where I am right now, I could hop on a train and be at the Rock in about 45 minutes. If I stay on the same train into NY, I could be at MSG in another 15 minutes. Tack on another 45 minutes and I'm in Uniondale to see an Isles game.

[DallasStars 0]

Take Atlanta. They'd be willing to relocate, too.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

Any idea of who the 8 teams are?

I'd say probably Florida, Nashville, Atlanta....?

[DesertWing 11]

Really? I didn't realize that. When does the lease come up?

2033, I believe

[eva unit zero 271]

Balsillie will only get a team if he is willing to play by the NHL's rules. In other words, if he is willing to pony up the cash for a binding agreement BEFORE he gets any assurances about being able to move the team.

If he can't accept that, he won't be an NHL owner because the NHL will not rule on moving a team before the sale, and part of the standard ownership transfer is that a good faith effort must be made in the team's existing market before any relocation.

The fact that Balsillie tried twice now to purchase a team and move them as soon as possible indicates to me that he is unwilling to accept that condition.

[Chaldean 0]

I wonder if the NHL owners will approve any sale to Sillyballs. I get the impression he rubbed them very sorely the wrong way in his botched attempts to buy the Pens and Preds. I for one hope he fails in every attempt to get a team. Shady character if you ask me.

His shady because he wants to see hockey in his native land?!

I heart Mr. Balsille! Organizations like the Trashers and the Panthers are dragging the NHL down.

More teams in North! I am willing to put my life savings that a hockey team would be more successful in Milwakee/Green Bay then in Atlanta or Phoenix.