Predators staying in Nashville?

[Bengalpredator 0]

Reported on Hockeybuzz.com and Nashvillepost.com

"I have received word from a great source that Craig Leipold will be meeting Gary Bettman on Wednesday morning in New York, along with representatives from the potential local ownership group.

According to the source, Leipold is planning on signing a letter of intent to sell the franchise, either to the local group or to "Boots" Del Biaggio at or after this meeting. Given that members of the Nashville group will be accompanying Mr. Leipold to New York, one can assume that Kansas City will have to wait for the team that they quite possibly have been promised."

[Chadd 916]

I hope they stay, the city deserves a few more years

[Smitty34 0]

I hope they stay too. The fans have shown tremendous support for the team.

[stroz9 0]

Yeah less tahn 14,000 a game. That sure is some support. Lets face it. Nashville is not a hockey town and never will be and neither is Kansas City. I mean 16,000 season tickets sold in two days in Hamilton now that is something the NHL should consider. A Great Rivalry with the Leafs and Sabres. It will be a sellout everynight.

[sabre09923 0]

Ugh, didn't we already go over all he reasons why it wouldn't be good to have another pro team in Hamilton?

[RadioGaGa 162]

Ugh, didn't we already go over all he reasons why it wouldn't be good to have another pro team in Hamilton?

More than once.

[Chadd 916]

I hope they stay too. The fans have shown tremendous support for the team.

For a new market they've done fairly well. The lockout really hurt their momentum and this ownership situation combined with letting several talented players leave could hurt them a bit more. If local ownership steps in though, it could finally give them the foundation that they need to really grow the franchise.

[mrusse01 0]

I'd like to see them in Hamilton or Toronto...screw MLSE, everybody in the league (and Balsille) knows those damn 'territory rules' or whatever they have are complete fabrications that wouldn't stand up to a court challenge. You can't just make up rules like that.

Toronto could EASILY support another team, and maybe real fans would get to go to those games as opposed to the 75%+ suits that you see at Leaf games now.

The question I have that nobody I've heard or read seems to know the answer to is why is Leopold not accepting the offer from Balsille? We know it's worth at least $50 million more, so is Leopold just pulling a huge 'F-you' move and leaving that money on the table because he wants to see the team stay in Nashville? Nobody is that generous. We know Bettman wants it to stay/not move to Canada, and I've heard he is trying to influence Leopold, but really what leverage does he have? Why would Leopold not just sell to the highest bidder? You can make all the arguments you like about it being 'good for the game' and what not to keep the team there and to grow the game in markets like Nashville, but how in the heck do you convince someone to give up $50 million based on that argument (which I find faulty anyway)?

[RadioGaGa 162]

I'd like to see them in Hamilton or Toronto...screw MLSE, everybody in the league (and Balsille) knows those damn 'territory rules' or whatever they have are complete fabrications that wouldn't stand up to a court challenge. You can't just make up rules like that.

Toronto could EASILY support another team, and maybe real fans would get to go to those games as opposed to the 75%+ suits that you see at Leaf games now.

The question I have that nobody I've heard or read seems to know the answer to is why is Leopold not accepting the offer from Balsille? We know it's worth at least $50 million more, so is Leopold just pulling a huge 'F-you' move and leaving that money on the table because he wants to see the team stay in Nashville? Nobody is that generous. We know Bettman wants it to stay/not move to Canada, and I've heard he is trying to influence Leopold, but really what leverage does he have? Why would Leopold not just sell to the highest bidder?

It's a big F-you from the LEAGUE to Balsillie...not just Leopold. They don't like that he went ahead with his ticket drive in Hamilton before he owned the team. A ticket drive for an expansion team that no one owns is part of the process...or once he owned the team and wanted to gauge interest for a move...but what he did rubbed Bettman the wrong way, and he'll probably NEVER own an NHL team now. IMO.

And, it wasn't; "worth" $50 Mil more...that is just what Balsillie offered to pay. Every small market or fringe team just looking in on top tier status wants that deal to go through, because the value of their franchises would go up as well...but the Big boys (NYR, Toronto, Montreal, Detroit etc...) could care less...they've already got the highest valued teams in the League. Again, just an opinion on the situation.

[mrusse01 0]

Yeah but what does the league have to do with it, they don't own the team, Leopold does.

Did Balsille just tick him off so much that he is going to leave $50 million on the table? I don't buy it, something shady is going on. And as you mention most teams would want that deal to go through, to at least artificially inflate the value of their franchise.

Remember we are talking FIFTY MILLION right in the pocket of Craig Leopold...why don't you make that move is beyond me, I don't care if he wants to move the team to the moon, I'm taking the extra $50 million and Bettman can suck it if he doesn't like it.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Yeah but what does the league have to do with it, they don't own the team, Leopold does.

I'd guess the League has a lot more say in things than we'd ever believe...and...if the owner in question (Leopold or anyone else) is a FOG (Friend of Gary's) then they ask "how high?" when he says "jump!"

[mrusse01 0]

Well that's just it, I don't know how the league can influence an outgoing owner to such a degree that he will give up $50 million. I don't pretend to have an answer, I was just wondering if anyone has heard something as to what is really going on here.

I know Bob McCowen has reported that Bettman promised the Board that he will sell two new franchises (one in Vegas, one TBD) for a combined $550 million. Apparently it is $325 million for the franchise in Vegas. $325 million?!!?!? An expansion team in Hamilton/Toronto has to be worth at least $400-$500 million then right? Maybe that is why Bettman doesn't want to see an exisiting franchise moved there (for $0 in expansion fees). Again, just a thought...

[Bengalpredator 0]

Leipold is not leaving 50 million on the table. Money has to exchange hands before there is a binding agreement. All they did was sign an intent to sell the team. You or I could sign the agreement to buy the team, but it would not be worth the paper it was printed on without the money. Balsille never intended to give money to Leipold. If he had we wouldn't be talking about the Predators staying in Nashville, we would be talking about the fight between Balsille and Bettmen, the board, the Maple Leafs.

[Chadd 916]

Yeah but what does the league have to do with it, they don't own the team, Leopold does.

Did Balsille just tick him off so much that he is going to leave $50 million on the table? I don't buy it, something shady is going on. And as you mention most teams would want that deal to go through, to at least artificially inflate the value of their franchise.

Remember we are talking FIFTY MILLION right in the pocket of Craig Leopold...why don't you make that move is beyond me, I don't care if he wants to move the team to the moon, I'm taking the extra $50 million and Bettman can suck it if he doesn't like it.

Balsille never actually submitted an official bid to the team or to the NHL. Because he refused to even submit an application for ownership, yet chose to put tickets on sale for a team he didn't own, Bettman and the NHL got pissed.

If the guy never puts the actual money on the table, you aren't leaving it there as far as I'm concerned. I believe that Leipold is just trying to sell the team to someone who is going to put up cash.

[mrusse01 0]

Well I don't know, it's been pretty widely reported that Balsillie put forth an offer that was at least $50 million higher than the next closest bidder. I haven't heard of any report suggesting he wasn't willing to pay that price, or that he was going back on that offer. Maybe it wasn't an 'official' offer, but unless the media just made that whole thing up, I tend to believe he would have paid at least something close to that.

I don't know how you can say he never intended to give money to Leopold, from everything I've heard he was very interested in purchasing the team.

And why would Bettman and the NHL get pissed if he was pre-selling tickets? So what? Unless this was an elaborate scheme by an already billionaire to skim a bit of interest off all these deposits he collected, and he was never really intending to buy and NHL team in the first play, then I don't see what the problem is here. And where the hell is Balsillie anyways? Why hasn't he said anything? The guy is a weirdo, that's for sure.

[Chadd 916]

Well I don't know, it's been pretty widely reported that Balsillie put forth an offer that was at least $50 million higher than the next closest bidder. I haven't heard of any report suggesting he wasn't willing to pay that price, or that he was going back on that offer.

I don't know how you can say he never intended to give money to Leopold, from everything I've heard he was very interested in purchasing the team.

And why would Bettman and the NHL get pissed if he was pre-selling tickets? So what? Unless this was an elaborate scheme by an already billionaire to skim a bit of interest off all these deposits he collected, and he was never really intending to buy and NHL team in the first play, then I don't see what the problem is here. And where the hell is Balsillie anyways? Why hasn't he said anything? The guy is a weirdo, that's for sure.

He signed a letter of intent to buy the team for $238M. As mentioned, MSH could sign a letter of intent to buy a team for $238M. A letter of intent means nothing.

Balsille made comments that he expected to be approved at the board of governors meeting, yet he never submitted an application to them. IN the interim he signed an agreement to move the team to Hamilton and began collecting deposits only days later. During this time, he did nothing to move along the actual process of buying the team.

Balsille knew the NHL wouldn't approve his idea of moving the team to Hamilton. He was trying to subvert the process that all other buyers of an NHL franchise have had to go through. His plan was to force the NHL into accepting the move when they approved his ownership bid.

The NHL owners are a very conservative group and did not like someone trying to strongarm them. He will never be approved as an NHL owner after his actions in this case. The NHL will never approve a team in Hamilton as long as the Sabres are in Buffalo either. I do agree that Toronto could support another team and I would have no problem with another team in that market. Placing them too close to Buffalo will have a major impact on that small-market franchise.

[mrusse01 0]

I have heard that the NHL does not have the legal authority to prevent Balsillie from moving the team to Hamilton or anywhere else once he purchased it. Bob McCowen (a popular Toronto sports radio personality) has mentioned several times on air that if Balsillie ever got the Preds they were gone to Hamilton and there is nothing the NHL could do about it, and that all parties involved knew this going in, which is why Bettman and some members of the Board have done their best to try and subvert Balsillie's attempt to purchase the team.

[Chadd 916]

And they now have a deposit from the local owners.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070801/ap_on_...EQZSHc2lm2s0NUE

[mrusse01 0]

Retarded.

The fact that there will continue to be teams in cities like Nashville while Hamilton doesn't have a team and Toronto only has one team is just ridiculous.

[Chadd 916]

Retarded.

The fact that there will continue to be teams in cities like Nashville while Hamilton doesn't have a team and Toronto only has one team is just ridiculous.

Almost as ridiculous as someone who keeps complaining about it on the internet.

[Bengalpredator 0]

If Canadians really wanted a team in Hamilton area they need to first stop supporting the Maple Leafs. It's not the NHL or Bettman. It's the Leafs that are the only ones against a new team in that area and as long as they have that much money and pull they will be able to stop any new team from coming in.

[mrusse01 0]

Retarded.

The fact that there will continue to be teams in cities like Nashville while Hamilton doesn't have a team and Toronto only has one team is just ridiculous.

Almost as ridiculous as someone who keeps complaining about it on the internet.

Yeah, I guess 'complaining' (having an opinion) about the National Hockey League in the 'NHL Discussion' forum on a hockey themed website is pretty ridiculous. Jesus.

[Chadd 916]

Retarded.

The fact that there will continue to be teams in cities like Nashville while Hamilton doesn't have a team and Toronto only has one team is just ridiculous.

Almost as ridiculous as someone who keeps complaining about it on the internet.

Yeah, I guess 'complaining' (having an opinion) about the National Hockey League in the 'NHL Discussion' forum on a hockey themed website is pretty ridiculous. Jesus.

There's a difference between debate and just yammering. Nobody in their right mind expects Hamilton to ever get a team, but don't let that stop you from pitching a fit about it.

BY the way, this was a topic about Nashville, not Hamilton.

[mrusse01 0]

If Canadians really wanted a team in Hamilton area they need to first stop supporting the Maple Leafs. It's not the NHL or Bettman. It's the Leafs that are the only ones against a new team in that area and as long as they have that much money and pull they will be able to stop any new team from coming in.

I think you are right on the money in that the Leafs oppose a new team in the area, but I disagree that they have the pull to stop it on their own. A second team in Toronto would command an enourmous franchise fee, instantly be one of the 5 most valuable in the league, would sell out for years, have a big TV deal, and would make money from day one. I don't see how the other owners in the league who are on the board can disagree with any of that.

Retarded.

The fact that there will continue to be teams in cities like Nashville while Hamilton doesn't have a team and Toronto only has one team is just ridiculous.

Almost as ridiculous as someone who keeps complaining about it on the internet.

Yeah, I guess 'complaining' (having an opinion) about the National Hockey League in the 'NHL Discussion' forum on a hockey themed website is pretty ridiculous. Jesus.

There's a difference between debate and just yammering. Nobody in their right mind expects Hamilton to ever get a team, but don't let that stop you from pitching a fit about it.

BY the way, this was a topic about Nashville, not Hamilton.

Well thousands of people who put down a seasons ticket deposit probably thought Hamilton might get a team, but I guess they were all out of their minds too. Maybe they were just doing it for fun.

But I will digress and let the 18 remaining Nashville Predator fans continue on with thread.

[Chadd 916]

Well thousands of people who put down a seasons ticket deposit probably thought Hamilton might get a team, but I guess they were all out of their minds too. Maybe they were just doing it for fun.

But I will digress and let the 18 remaining Nashville Predator fans continue on with thread.

Yes, they were delusional if they thought the team was actually going to come to Hamilton.