2 Firms US3.5 Billion Bid was just a Starting Point...could go MUCH Higher.

[cbjrocks]

I personally love the idea of the NHL being centrally owned and managed. I also agree that if the price is right - say in the 5 billion range with larger market ownership groups getting a higher payout - that it could happen.

Top..

I'm not a MLS fan. But many Crew fans I know do not like this system. They claim the MLS will move players to larger markets to generate fan interest/ratings/gate etc and have cited examples with the Crew (tho' I couldn't tell you the name of a Crew player).

Insight anyone?

 

[cbjrocks]

Sounds like a central management deal for the NHL would solve any issue of large market-small market.

Then again, they could pull the plug on any franchise that it wanted and move them as they saw fit.

Goodbye Edmonton, helloooooo Houston!

Just one more MLS example..there had been a fair amount of expansion/contraction/movement in the MLS. And that's a league that's been around for 10 years.

God, I cannot believe I have compared the NHL to the MLS twice.

 

[Brewleaguer]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=117038&hubName=nhl

My question is who is this Game Plan International.

I found a little something on Bains, they were one of the founding investors of the Boston Basketball Partners’ LLC who bought the NBA Celtics in 02..... Why does the NBA always come up with the discussions about the mess in the NHL????

 

[AlexGodynyuk]

I think it's an all or none thing. You can't have one group owning 8-12 teams and the rest independently owned. Too many places for potential cheating in that.
A couple of teams are far out of the playoffs, one team's making a run. Since the same group owns all teams, they could essentially "shuffle" players to the playoff team.
I think the other leagues have rules forbidding owners to own more then one team.

 

[AlexGodynyuk]

My real question : what is Game Plan International? What kind of companies are they? Sports advisory firm? "What does that do?"

Further to that, where are they getting $3.5 Billion dollars???

 

[Dr Love]

Former Thrashers/Hawks/Braves president Stan Kasten said this morning on ESPN Radio this offer was made to them last year and go no press, and even if it went to $5B it wouldn't go.

 

[Egil]

My question is who is this Game Plan International.

I found a little something on Bains, they were one of the founding investors of the Boston Basketball Partners’ LLC who bought the NBA Celtics in 02..... Why does the NBA always come up with the discussions about the mess in the NHL????

Game Plan did the sale of the Ottawa Senators, for one....

 

[Licentia]

I personally love the idea of the NHL being centrally owned and managed. I also agree that if the price is right - say in the 5 billion range with larger market ownership groups getting a higher payout - that it could happen.

I like this too, because it's time for these damn teams to revenue share. One single entity that hires a good commissioner like, oh Gretzky could put the NHL back on the Pro Sports Map.

 

[futurcorerock]

Top..

I'm not a MLS fan. But many Crew fans I know do not like this system. They claim the MLS will move players to larger markets to generate fan interest/ratings/gate etc and have cited examples with the Crew (tho' I couldn't tell you the name of a Crew player).

Insight anyone?

Yeah you're right... I'm shocked that Columbus has an MLS team. Then again.. they have Crew Stadium.

It was a pretty sick joke that they won the West with ties...

 

[ScottyBowman]

I like this too, because it's time for these damn teams to revenue share. One single entity that hires a good commissioner like, oh Gretzky could put the NHL back on the Pro Sports Map.

No. They will end up moving or shutting down underperformers. This idea will never work because who will be in control of a bad gm and decide he has to be fired? What if a big time coach or gm is available, who will get to hire him? This idea poses a lot of questions.

 

[Epsilon]

A couple of teams are far out of the playoffs, one team's making a run. Since the same group owns all teams, they could essentially "shuffle" players to the playoff team

To expand even further, if one company owned the entire NHL, there's nothing that could stop them from making the trade dealine any time they want, say the last week of the season, and then loading up all the playoff teams with the best players to spice up the playoffs, only to reset things in the offseason.

 

[Dr Love]

Further more, what incentive would a small market team have to try to win? Under single ownership, they would just try to not lose money, and thus put out the cheapest team people will come and watch.

 

[txomisc]

To expand even further, if one company owned the entire NHL, there's nothing that could stop them from making the trade dealine any time they want, say the last week of the season, and then loading up all the playoff teams with the best players to spice up the playoffs, only to reset things in the offseason.

Come on there is something that would stop them from doing that and that is fans. They would have to be pretty damn stupid to think that fans would see things like this occur and still continue to buy their product. People are throwing about a bunch of hypotheticals about what could be done. Most of these ideas are completely absurd, sure they could be done but they would be completely impractical.

 

[Flukeshot]

For this group to buy only a limited amount of NHL team wouldn't those franchises first have to unaffiliate themselves with the NHL? There are league bi-laws or whatever they are called, that say a person cannot own part or all of more then one team correct? And the league has to approve each sale so they could come in and say no. So the only way for this group to buy half the franchises would be for half those teams to leave the NHL if that is even legally possible.

 

[Dr Love]

Come on there is something that would stop them from doing that and that is fans. They would have to be pretty damn stupid to think that fans would see things like this occur and still continue to buy their product. People are throwing about a bunch of hypotheticals about what could be done. Most of these ideas are completely absurd, sure they could be done but they would be completely impractical.

Some of them are, but some of them aren't.

Oh, and if there were only one ownership, then they could set salaries at whatever they wanted to, and there wouldn't be any colusion. The players would be royaly screwed if this were to happen.

 

[mackdogs*]

Further more, what incentive would a small market team have to try to win? Under single ownership, they would just try to not lose money, and thus put out the cheapest team people will come and watch.

Probably to retain or grow their fanbase. You know fans, the ones who provide a lot of income to the league. The same ones who wouldn't continue to pay to see the cheapest team possible. They are not lemmings.

 

[Dr Love]

Probably to retain or grow their fanbase. You know fans, the ones who provide a lot of income to the league. The same ones who wouldn't continue to pay to see the cheapest team possible. They are not lemmings.

I said the cheapest team possible to retain their fans. You might see teams built almost exclusively with young players and mediocre veterans, and the big name players only going to the big name teams. You wouldn't see Calgary and Edmonton adding significant salary, if any at all for example.

 

[Sinurgy]

I think this deal would rein in the halls of suckiness!! I sincerely hope the owners don't go for it. I know your employee's are acting like a bunch of spoiled brats right now but eventually things will be settled and all will be good again.

NO CENTRAL OWNERSHIP!!!

 

[cbjrocks]

Yeah you're right... I'm shocked that Columbus has an MLS team. Then again.. they have Crew Stadium.

It was a pretty sick joke that they won the West with ties...

The Crew has stable ownership and good fan and corporate support. That's why Columbus has a team.

What the Crew doesn't have is total control over players. And if the NHL goes this direction, that what would happen. Players would be evenly distributed for competetive balance, but the central ownership group could move players to better fit markets, offering compensation to the teams they take from.

 

[mackdogs*]

I said the cheapest team possible to retain their fans. You might see teams built almost exclusively with young players and mediocre veterans, and the big name players only going to the big name teams. You wouldn't see Calgary and Edmonton adding significant salary, if any at all for example.

Yet you think the fans will continue to flock. Oh well, I guess living in hypotheticalville means you can come up with anything you want. Edmonton and Calgary fans know their sport way better than this, and wouldn't accept the mediocrity you speak of. They've been dying for a favorable CBA that will give them a chance to compete. If what you say will happen then just close up shop after this deal is made, fans will not continue to fill those buildings.

 

[Dr Love]

Yet you think the fans will continue to flock. Oh well, I guess living in hypotheticalville means you can come up with anything you want. Edmonton and Calgary fans know their sport way better than this, and wouldn't accept the mediocrity you speak of. They've been dying for a favorable CBA that will give them a chance to compete. If what you say will happen then just close up shop after this deal is made, fans will not continue to fill those buildings.

They keep coming in Edmonton and Calgary, don't they? Things most likely wouldn't change for those teams with the league having one owner, that's my point. They have little reason to, they're not going to want to lose money. It's a pointless debate because it's never going to happen.

 

[mackdogs*]

They keep coming in Edmonton and Calgary, don't they? Things most likely wouldn't change for those teams with the league having one owner, that's my point. They have little reason to, they're not going to want to lose money. It's a pointless debate because it's never going to happen.

They won't keep coming back if they know they'll never be more than a development team/stepping stone. Bettman promised that would end when the last CBA ended. That's what I am saying.

And yes this debate is pointless, for many reasons.

 

[Fan-in-Van]

This could definitely work! Imagine if every team that was sold to this conglomerate had an option to buy shares in this mega company equal to the amount that they sold their assets for? For example, on an arbitrary $5 billion deal, let's say that the value that they placed on Toronto was $500 million as opposed to $50 million for Anaheim. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment would buy $500 million worth of shares in this NewCo (giving them approx. 10% ownership of the league as a whole). Samueli would invest $50 million (giving him approx. 1% ownership). Profits from this NewCo would be paid out in dividends to the owners based on their percentage ownership. Thus, every team would have a financial interest in seeing their overall profitability increase.

Think about it, if Wirtz is not making smart business decisions "for the good of the league", the rest of the shareholders would be on him like crazy for his sagging division. Heck, the NewCo could even outsource to regional management firms (like Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment) and pay out corporate bonuses for financial success.

And before people start saying that this would lead to an imbalance of power where today's wealthy teams would hold the majority of shares: I have two things to add. First, right now Nashville, Carolina, et al are driving the ship (and that is not working out that great). Secondly, it would be relatively easy to have different share structures (Class A vs. Class B) with different voting rights that could easily readjust the power level to equal footing if that is what is desired.

Think about it.

 

[two out of three*]

One question:

If this did go down.. And the NHL did get bought out, would there still be trades & free agency? Sorry If I sound stupid.

 

[txomisc]

One question:

If this did go down.. And the NHL did get bought out, would there still be trades & free agency? Sorry If I sound stupid.

I imagine if it was used properly it would simply be that the one ownership set the budgets. Basically, they could tell each team, here is the amount you can spend, do it however you want. If that ownership group began placing players in certain spots (which i doubt they would do) the idea turns from being fairly good to being horrible.