Jim Ballsillie

[Fan of The Game]

Jim Who?

Sorry, but Mr. Basillie blew up more bridges with the NHL, than the allies blew up in WWII. Its one thing to burn a bridge or two, but there are no more bridges left between these two parties.

I would promise that somewhere on a bulletin board in the NHL offices is a " Do Not Sell To " poster.

Ever heard of the Marshall Plan? At the end of the day money wins in a capitalist economy. If such bridges were burnt the NHL and the company known as Blackberry would seize to do business with one another.

 

[Firestorm]

Ever heard of the Marshall Plan? At the end of the day money wins in a capitalist economy. If such bridges were burnt the NHL and the company known as Blackberry would seize to do business with one another.

Actually, as a side discussion, RIM is going to struggle to keep up with Apple in the next 5-10 years.

 

[nomorekids]

Actually, as a side discussion, RIM is going to struggle to keep up with Apple in the next 5-10 years.

I was going to say, I actually just read an article about the marketshare that Blackberry has lost in the last few years, not just to Apple, but the always-growing Android market.

And having owned all three devices, I don't blame the public at large. Blackberries are clunky pieces of trash.

#teamiPhoneFTW

 

[Killion]

However, the way he went about attempting to buy and relocate the Predators paints a clear picture of how this man operates

Oh, no question about it. As big of a supporter as I am in wanting to see a team land in Hamilton Im equally willing to stand up for markets like Nashville & Phoenix. As this threads about Balsillie, we really cant have an honest discussion about the guy without holding Richard Rodier to account. After the Pittsburgh debacle, the guy went rogue on Nashville, and unless the NHL hadnt intervened, Leipold wouldve likely accommodated the relocation. That he was "sat down" and promised Minnesota in order to comply says much.

The Phoenix gambit was flawed from the start. Torching an already fragile market while embarrassing the league?. Cutesy' statements about the "front door is closed to us so were simply trying to go through the backdoor" and "the most underserved market in North America" didnt cut it for me. Whats crazy is beyond Rodiers' schemes is they did have a decent business plan & reportedly were even willing to turn over arena management to MLSE along with paying some reasonable indemnification fee's to both Toronto & Buffalo. But thats not really the point. Fundamental trusts had been breached.

Way back when in 1917, when it was then called the NHA, the member teams actually formed the NHL itself in order to extricate itself from then rogue owner Eddie Livingston of the Toronto St.Pats, stripping him of the franchise, booting him out of the newly formed National Hockey League. You just cant have owners busting their way around the china shop. Livingston spent the next 20yrs of his life in a futile attempt at suing the NHL. Maybe someone told Jim Balsillie the story, and also mentioned that were often known for the company we keep, and that it might be best to cut Rodier loose if he ever hoped to gain entry.

 

[rojac]

Way back when in 1917, when it was then called the NHA, the member teams actually formed the NHL itself in order to extricate itself from then rogue owner Eddie Livingston of the Toronto St.Pats, stripping him of the franchise, booting him out of the newly formed National Hockey League. You just cant have owners busting their way around the china shop. Livingston spent the next 20yrs of his life in a futile attempt at suing the NHL. Maybe someone told Jim Balsillie the story, and also mentioned that were often known for the company we keep, and that it might be best to cut Rodier loose if he ever hoped to gain entry.

It was the Toronto Blueshirts not the St. Pats. They were replaced in the NHL with a team known as the Torontos then Arenas then St. Pats and finally Maple Leafs.

 

[RandR]

Arguably true, but those "lying deceitful *******s" are already in the Club - and they are the ones who get to pick and choose who they let in to join them.

Precisely, and if they are lying deceitful *******s, then it makes even less sense for them to let into their club someone who's proven to be a risk of undermining their existing ways of doing business to get what he wants.

 

[Killion]

It was the Toronto Blueshirts not the St. Pats. They were replaced in the NHL with a team known as the Torontos then Arenas then St. Pats and finally Maple Leafs.

My memories hazy, I was only knee high to a grasshopper at the time. Thanks for the correction rojac. Fact is the birth of the NHL itself was predicated on the expulsion of a rogue owner. In Toronto of all places.