Balsillie and Bettman Go To War

This just in from TSN via The Associated Press:

Security was called in this morning at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island when a man dressed as the Islanders' number one draft pick John Tavares was discovered trying to practice with the team.

The impostor was exposed by an eagle-eyed photographer covering the workout.

The man, identified as Canadian high-tech entrepreneur James Balsillie, was escorted from the premises as he waved his American Express card, shouting, "I can make it seven! I can make it seven!"
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=293208

From the GMH Expositor:

Authorities are circulating a photo of an identified man wanted in a fraud case. The suspect is accused of masquerading as lobbyist advocating the "best interests of Arizona hockey fans".

He was last seen headed towards Glendale at the wheel of a Mayflower moving van towing a giant wooden horse.

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Hey, are you guys jumping off the Balsilliewagon already? Jim needs your support more than ever. Buy that jersey. Volume discounts available.

I think if Balsillie steps away for a bit, maybe gets a different team (ie: ditch Rodier and co) and "play nice" with the NHL and Gary Bettman... perhaps he'll be able to get a team one day. I don't think the NHL is expanding or moving to Canada any day soon.

Jim and Gary both being regular visitors to the GMHockey site, this photo of them was released upon their reading Shabbs' most recent suggestion:

Clearly they agree with me.

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Hey, are you guys jumping off the Balsilliewagon already? Jim needs your support more than ever. Buy that jersey. Volume discounts available.

I think if Balsillie steps away for a bit, maybe gets a different team (ie: ditch Rodier and co) and "play nice" with the NHL and Gary Bettman... perhaps he'll be able to get a team one day. I don't think the NHL is expanding or moving to Canada any day soon.

Jim and Gary both being regular visitors to the GMHockey site, this photo of them was released upon their reading Shabbs' most recent suggestion:

Clearly they agree with me.

So where were you when Jim needed you?


Genteelmen, let's not forget that the NHL has been intending to relocate the Phoenix franchise for over a year already.

That's no secret.

If Jerry Moyes hadn't gotten his knickers in a twist when Jim offered him a hundred million bucks in cash to 'go bankrupt', the NHL would have implemented their presumed exit strategy...which would have logically included a renegotiation of the lease with The City of Glendale, some kind of indemnity--a payoff in other words--and then they would have proceeded with the move as quietly as possible.

But Gunslinger Jim and Rockin Ricky, waaal those fellers thought they could outsmart ever'body, didn't they?

Ole Judge Redfield, waaal, he stopped them rustlers in their tracks.

This Balsillie's fifth opportunity at buying an NHL team. Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Montreal and now Phoenix. He's blown it five times.

Maybe Jim should stick to the RIM.

There are Canadian owners of Canadian NHL teams. Balsillie isn't one, for some very good reasons. The first one being that he obviously doesn't know how to follow their advice.

Moyes has agreed to sell to the NHL:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=296218

Gretzky, however, has not.

Does Gretzky own $22M worth of the team (and, if so, based on what valuation?) or is that the money owed him on his contract?

shabbs wrote:Moyes has agreed to sell to the NHL:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=296218

Smartest thing Jerry's done in a long time.

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:Moyes has agreed to sell to the NHL:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=296218

Smartest thing Jerry's done in a long time.

I guess it would be smart to just pull the trigger yourself when someone has a gun to your head.

Apparently, the team will be flipped in short order to the deep-pocketed Ice Edge Holdings Group according to the Name Dropper.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:Moyes has agreed to sell to the NHL:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=296218

Smartest thing Jerry's done in a long time.

I guess it would be smart to just pull the trigger yourself when someone has a gun to your head.

Apparently, the team will be flipped in short order to the deep-pocketed Ice Edge Holdings Group according to the Name Dropper.

That someone being Jerry Moyes.

davetherave wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:Moyes has agreed to sell to the NHL:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=296218

Smartest thing Jerry's done in a long time.

I guess it would be smart to just pull the trigger yourself when someone has a gun to your head.

Apparently, the team will be flipped in short order to the deep-pocketed Ice Edge Holdings Group according to the Name Dropper.

That someone being Jerry Moyes.

Let's see. Jerry Moyes forced the NHL to take the team off his hands for nothing after absorbing tens of millions in losses? I don't think so.

The fact is Moyes was unable to sell the team, as he had hoped, to the highest bidder. The courts essentially gave the green light to the NHL to pull the rug out from under Moyes and, as we will all see shortly, the Glendale taxpayers and Coyotes fans when the team is sold to yet another weak, leveraged ownership group who will certainly move the team ASAP.

SeawaySensFan wrote: Apparently, the team will be flipped in short order to the deep-pocketed Ice Edge Holdings Group according to the Name Dropper.

Let's see. Jerry Moyes forced the NHL to take the team off his hands for nothing after absorbing tens of millions in losses? I don't think so.

The fact is Moyes was unable to sell the team, as he had hoped, to the highest bidder. The courts essentially gave the green light to the NHL to pull the rug out from under Moyes and, as we will all see shortly, the Glendale taxpayers and Coyotes fans when the team is sold to yet another weak, leveraged ownership group who will certainly move the team ASAP.

SSF, your ability to rewrite history shows you may have a future as a fiction author. Perhaps you have a bestseller in the making. Who knows? "The Bettman Code" could even be a major motion picture.

Now, back to reality...

From the Toronto Star, August 28th, 2009:

If Ice Edge LLC nets the Phoenix Coyotes, then it may be thanks to a big assist from Wayne Gretzky.

The group of Canadian and American hockey-loving investors seem to have gotten their wish in getting Gretzky to have a bigger role with the club in the first inkling that the Great One has chosen a side in the bankruptcy case.

"Mr. Gretzky is actively working with Ice Edge Team LLC and Ice Edge Arena LLC (together, the `Ice Edge Group') who may become the eventual owners of the team," said a brief the NHL filed in support of its own bid for the bankrupt club.

"We have been working with Wayne very closely throughout this process," said Ice Edge CEO Daryl Jones. "If we are successful, and we expect to be, he will have a major role in the Coyotes."

---

So the NHL buys the team, and sells it to a group endorsed by Gretzky...that should keep the conspiracy theorists busy.

davetherave wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote: Apparently, the team will be flipped in short order to the deep-pocketed Ice Edge Holdings Group according to the Name Dropper.

Let's see. Jerry Moyes forced the NHL to take the team off his hands for nothing after absorbing tens of millions in losses? I don't think so.

The fact is Moyes was unable to sell the team, as he had hoped, to the highest bidder. The courts essentially gave the green light to the NHL to pull the rug out from under Moyes and, as we will all see shortly, the Glendale taxpayers and Coyotes fans when the team is sold to yet another weak, leveraged ownership group who will certainly move the team ASAP.

SSF, your ability to rewrite history shows you may have a future as a fiction author. Perhaps you have a bestseller in the making. Who knows? "The Bettman Code" could even be a major motion picture.

Now, back to reality...

From the Toronto Star, August 28th, 2009:

If Ice Edge LLC nets the Phoenix Coyotes, then it may be thanks to a big assist from Wayne Gretzky.

The group of Canadian and American hockey-loving investors seem to have gotten their wish in getting Gretzky to have a bigger role with the club in the first inkling that the Great One has chosen a side in the bankruptcy case.

"Mr. Gretzky is actively working with Ice Edge Team LLC and Ice Edge Arena LLC (together, the `Ice Edge Group') who may become the eventual owners of the team," said a brief the NHL filed in support of its own bid for the bankrupt club.

"We have been working with Wayne very closely throughout this process," said Ice Edge CEO Daryl Jones. "If we are successful, and we expect to be, he will have a major role in the Coyotes."

---

So the NHL buys the team, and sells it to a group endorsed by Gretzky...that should keep the conspiracy theorists busy.

This article from August does nothing to address the issue of Moyes getting nothing and having the NHL flip the team to these wannabe movers and shakers.

Smart move by Bettman to hand the team over to Ice Edge to appease Gretzky while sticking it to Balsillie, which is the real driving factor in all of this.

SSF, your efforts have borne fruit.

It wasn't easy, but using my connections in Hollywood, I've arranged for you to have lunch with Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.

They like your spin on the Moyes thing, and as Ron told me, "Sounds like a blockbuster. We want to meet this guy SSF and lock him up with a major deal."

Way to go!

As long as "Opie" doesn't insist on getting his brother yet another notch on his IMDB resume I'm OK with him directing it. If he insists on having Clint in the movie, then I insist on having Bryce in it. Otherwise don't even bother asking me to exec-produce it.

davetherave wrote:SSF, your efforts have borne fruit.

It wasn't easy, but using my connections in Hollywood, I've arranged for you to have lunch with Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.

They like your spin on the Moyes thing, and as Ron told me, "Sounds like a blockbuster. We want to meet this guy SSF and lock him up with a major deal."

Way to go!

Actually, I already reported on Gary's Hollywood interest on Oct. 1:

It's funny because the trades are reporting that Gary is in fact swamped with scripts to star in a number of remakes: The Grifters, The Sting, The Music Man, The Hustler, The Rainmaker...

By the time any of these are made, they'll surely be shown at the Glendale 48-screen multiplex, formerly Jobing.com arena.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

davetherave wrote:SSF, your efforts have borne fruit.

It wasn't easy, but using my connections in Hollywood, I've arranged for you to have lunch with Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.

They like your spin on the Moyes thing, and as Ron told me, "Sounds like a blockbuster. We want to meet this guy SSF and lock him up with a major deal."

Way to go!

Actually, I already reported on Gary's Hollywood interest on Oct. 1:

It's funny because the trades are reporting that Gary is in fact swamped with scripts to star in a number of remakes: The Grifters, The Sting, The Music Man, The Hustler, The Rainmaker...

By the time any of these are made, they'll surely be shown at the Glendale 48-screen multiplex, formerly Jobing.com arena.

SSF, just goes to show that influential folks are reading your stuff. Keep it up!

Looks like there are some real heavyweights adding their names into the hat in the imminent bidding war for the 'Yotes. Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon along with about "a dozen financial backers"...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/argo-owners-consider-bidding-for-coyotes/article1342981/

We may see some more bidders come out now that they'll be dealing directly with the NHL and not via bankruptcy court... they can be a bit more shady with their offers... if you know what I mean....