Kukla's Korner Hockey
Next entry: 'Old' Wings May Be Done
Previous entry: Who Feels The Pressure Tonight
Balsillie A Wanted Man
by Paul on 06/04/08 at 08:22 AM ET
Comments (4)
from Theresa Tedesco of the National Post,
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.
A struggling U.S. economy, strong Canadian dollar and weak hockey markets south of the border have combined to make the deep pockets of the 47-year-old co-founder of the BlackBerry device too irresistible to some NHL owners, despite Mr. Balsillie’s tempestuous relations with the league’s head office in New York.
Update 1:26pm ET: (alanah) The ‘war of words’ continues via TSN,
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly was quick to address the quote from Balsillie’s camp, maintaining that the league’s decisions on the matter are based from what the owners want.
“That certainly is inconsistent with anything I have ever heard the commissioner say,” Daly told TSN on Wednesday. “Ultimately, Mr. Balsillie’s ability to be an owner in the NHL will depend on his ability to find an existing owner who wants to sell him a team, and his ability to persuade the 29 other team owners - his prospective partners - that he would be a good owner and good partner in the league venture. That’s not something the Commissioner decides. Maybe Mr. Rodier would be better off confining his comments to subject matters as to which he might have some small level of knowledge; this subject isn’t one of them.”
Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Jim+Balsillie,
Comments
The ownership of the Thrashers is disputed. The media should do a bit of research before asserting that the “ownership group” of a team has approached someone about a sale.
So, who approached Balsillie? Was it Belkin, or the Atlanta Spirit Group? At this point, it doesn’t matter. No one has won that court battle yet. Given Belkin’ attitude towards hockey, though (not to mention his “dream of owning a NBA team), it was probably him that approached Balsillie.
Posted by Alan from Atlanta on 06/04/08 at 09:24 AM ET
The “vast majority” of the population of Columbus is employed by Ohio State? WTF?
Does the good professor understand the difference between “The State of Ohio” and “Ohio State”? (Not that the State employs anywhere near a ‘vast majority’ of the metro area of nearly 2 million anyway)
Posted by Sarah from Columbus on 06/04/08 at 11:34 AM ET
Bettman will read this and begin the lastest edition of “collusion” with owners / prospective owners.
Posted by Yzerman19 from Nashville on 06/04/08 at 01:05 PM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Play Until You Hear The Whistle
#14 Belongs In The JLA Rafters
Filatov Happy To Be In The KHL
Leafs Can Improve During Free Agency Period
Early Options For NHL Teams Traveling To Europe Next season
Niklas Kronwall Out After Knee On Knee Hit By Laraque
Brian Mullen’s Heart Still With The Rangers
About KK Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.
Hockey Links
Very interesting article...what I am unable to wrap my head around is the fact that despite this guy has had alterior motives in trying to buy the Pens and Preds, the league made no quips about scuttling struggling franchises out of Canada in the 90’s, but insists on keeping failing franchises in the US now. I’m not trying to make this a Canada vs US thing, because we all know that there are many great US based franchises, but it can’t be ignored that many - including one that relocated from Canada - are struggling mightily and would be welcomed with open arms and thousands more butts in seats north of the border!
Posted by Mac from Canada on 06/04/08 at 08:11 AM ET