why are people letting Mr.Blackberry move the team to an non tv market with no fight? it just proves how bettman is gutless.

its like moving the raiders to oakland.

i rather see kassas city or better yet hartford get a shot at the team.

Remember how many times are you going to see the Whalers beat the canucks? 1 in million?

Posted by FlyersFan on 06/16/07 at 01:37 AM ET

Because he is willing to pay more for the team than anyone else is, and the additional money is because the team is worth more to him in a city other than Nashville.  Besides, if the Hamilton Predators can support themselves without help (and from the interest in ticket sales so far it looks like they have a chance), that will be one fewer team that requires revenue sharing from the more profitable markets.

I don’t think this has anything to do with Bettman being gutless.  You have an owner in a non-profitable market who wants to sell, and a prospective owner who is willing to offer a larger-than-expected price to buy the team because he knows if he moves it to a different location it will not continue to lose money.  Bettman has nothing to do with those facts.

I’m sure the league as a whole would like the Predators to stay put and be successful in Nashville, but they haven’t had an offer from someone who has committed to keep them there, the current owner hasn’t been successful in gaining the corporate support required to make them profitable, they are currently a financial drain on the league and on his own wallet, and he is no doubt tired of losing money year after year with no end in sight--and I can’t blame him for that.  It’s been ten years for him and he hasn’t turned a profit yet.

Let’s say that the end result of the foot-dragging by the league is that Balsillie withdraws his offer for the Predators.  Then what?  Either the team is still in the hands of Leipold, who doesn’t want to keep losing money on it, or it is sold to someone else who commits to keep it in Nashville (for now) and if they encounter the same problems Leipold has then they will move the team themselves in a few years.  Even the group of local businesses that is looking to put together a bid if Balsillie’s falls through is keeping things quiet until they know whether they will have enough corporate support to make a go of it--and I can’t imagine their bid will be as high as the current offer.

With the infinitessimal dollars that come in from the tv deal, the NHL is still primarily a gate-driven league--and the fact that on short notice and without even knowing if a team will be there, Balsillie was able to get 10,000 season ticket deposits based only on hope and desire for a hockey team in Hamilton shows that actions don’t just speak, they scream at the top of their lungs.

Even if the Predators don’t wind up moving, you know with this kind of market untapped the next owner who wants to get out from under a money-pit of a team is likely to seek out Balsillie himself, with the clear understanding that the team will be moved if sold, but he will get out of hockey with a good price for his team.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/16/07 at 06:08 AM ET