Speculation: Melnyk and Murray spotted at NHL head office.

[saskriders]

Wait, this Mackenzie was serious.

Thought he was joking in the second two tweets

I bet Murray was embarrassed to be there

 

[saskriders]

Any corporation buying the Sens would have to have some interest in the actual game on the ice.

Personally I don't see the Bell / Rogers ownership of Toronto lasting forever so I could see one of them buying out the other at some point.

I could see Bell backing out with Rogers wanting an NFL team and already having the Blue Jays, Bell might want to build their own sports empire. Buy the Sens, make TSN Sens, buy the Argos or and expansion CFL team in the Maritimes, promote the CFL like crazy without their national hockey broadcasts. Maybe try and get an MLS package

 

[BonkTastic]

Just like they did for Atlanta.

Atlanta had no future. Clearly Ottawa did and just needed a new owner.

They sure do love their hockey in Atlanta. Ottawa could only aspire to have the kind of hockey fans you'd find in Atlanta.

One big difference between Atlanta and Phoenix was that Philips Arena (Atlanta) was built without any NHL intervention or at any cost to the taxpayer, while in Phoenix, the arena was built after heavy NHL involvement & lobbying, and at a great cost to the taxpayers there.

Bettman & the league had no "commitment" to Atlanta. That's not to say that hockey was either succeeding or failing in Atlanta independently of the funding of their arena, but it was far easier to walk away from that fight due to the fact that they hadn't meddled nearly as much as they did in Phoenix. Moving from Phoenix would have been a PR disaster for them, and hurt the chances that other governments (taxpayers) might fund arenas in the future.

What the NHL did was say "If you (the taxpayer) keep paying for our new arenas, we'll fight tooth & nail to keep your team here". Phoenix was as much about securing future arena deals as it was doing a solid for hockey fans in the desert.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

There's roughly 0% chance the Sens would have moved away from Ottawa. The league kept Phoenix alive for how long to find an owner? You can bet they would have done the same for Ottawa.

Google search for all the info on the Sens mess prior to Melnyk stepping up.

There are articles with quotes from Bettman that EM was the only interested buyer that would keep the team in Ottawa.

FYI comparing Phoenix to Ottawa is a non-starter, using Atlanta is the right comparator. So yes Ottawa would have been relocated without Melnyk simply because this franchise is not strategic to the NHL.

Phoenix was believed to be a key market for the NHL to acquire a national US TV deal, hence the investment and patience the league showed.

 

[since92]

You lost the right to ever call another human naive after this post.

While I normally find you an objective poster. I'm really shocked you feel this way. Why do you feel the league owed us anything? What makes you think they would bend over and save us 10 years ago? We were riddled with debt, we take in Canadian dollars and pay out in American when the dollar was at $0.70. We had to get the league to front us cash to pay salaries and ask Alfie to pay for a deadline rental. The league moved both Québec and Winnipeg to the states. And you call me naïve. Go dust off the "save our sens" sign you got hiding in your garage, Gary Bettman wouldn't have given a chit.

Only one crazy guy would have invested in this team and not move it.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

I could see Bell backing out with Rogers wanting an NFL team and already having the Blue Jays, Bell might want to build their own sports empire. Buy the Sens, make TSN Sens, buy the Argos or and expansion CFL team in the Maritimes, promote the CFL like crazy without their national hockey broadcasts. Maybe try and get an MLS package

Bell isn't going to back out of the TMLSE, that business makes huge sense for both both partners given it supports their core business initiatives.

TMLSE is a international brand, why on earth would Bell sell its portion to buy a regional franchise like the Senators?

If Bell had any interest in owning a sports empire they would have just bought the Canadiens in 2009 instead of entering a partnership with the Molson brothers and others.

Since Sportsnet owns the national TV contract for 11 years, there is no incentive for Bell to invest heavily in their television infrastructure just to carry regional games.

Lastly I see no connection to Rogers wanting an NFL team and the ownership of TMLSE.

 

[arglebargle]

I think it's way more likely that Melnyk is meeting to discuss selling/moving the team or asking for a bigger piece of revenue sharing or something than it being about Matt Cooke.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

I think it's more likely thay Murray was looking to rent an apartment in Manhatten, and needed Melnyk as a co-signer.

 

[BonkTastic]

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

There is a part of me that believes Mr. Melnyk is just trolling half the time.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I think it's way more likely that Melnyk is meeting to discuss selling/moving the team or asking for a bigger piece of revenue sharing or something than it being about Matt Cooke.

Yep. No one knows why Melynk and Murray are there.

It sure doesn't feel like they'd be there for a tea party and biscuits, though. A hockey nut like Eugene wouldn't go cheap on his team if there wasn't any other choice.

 

[BonkTastic]

I think it's way more likely that Melnyk is meeting to discuss selling/moving the team or asking for a bigger piece of revenue sharing or something than it being about Matt Cooke.

Well, as of right now, TSN is reporting it as being about Karlsson-Cooke, so unless we get any more info soon, it seems as though Mackenzie was being honest and correct in his tweets.


*EDIT*

That story seems to be a dead link at the moment, and the story has been pulled from the TSN website... I'll leave the link up there just in case, but it seems that maybe TSN is holding back on the story/ got the details wrong?

 

[Qward]

BM's extension could require league signatures since it changes his role half way through for all we know.

 

[Qward]

Well, as of right now, TSN is reporting it as being about Karlsson-Cooke, so unless we get any more info soon, it seems as though Mackenzie was being honest and correct in his tweets.

TSN removed the story. Garrioch stated that Fehr was there for a different reason. The Minnesota reporter said it does not involve Cooke or the Wild.

 

[BonkTastic]

TSN removed the story. Garrioch stated that Fehr was there for a different reason. The Minnesota reporter said it does not involve Cooke or the Wild.

Yeah, I just saw that now, and edited my post.

 

[Icelevel]

From some of the interviews I got the sense the 'win in the next couple years' was as much about getting Melnyk a Cup before he sells the team as it was about getting one for Murray.

I don't remember exactly what was said but I was left with that impression.

That's what I was thinking too when they started talking like that.

 

[aragorn]

TSN removed the story. Garrioch stated that Fehr was there for a different reason. The Minnesota reporter said it does not involve Cooke or the Wild.

What the hell is Fuhr doing there? Maybe the guy really is an insider ...

 

[odhiambo]

they are probably still going after Dany Heatley and the $6M that was paid to him in bonuses before he decided to bolt from ottawa

 

[BonkTastic]

they are probably still going after Dany Heatley and the $6M that was paid to him in bonuses before he decided to bolt from ottawa

They finally settled that dispute just a few months ago, actually.

Here's the link, in case anyone missed it.

 

[Scrub*]

Could it be related to the Sens vs Canucks game in Vancouver March 2nd? Off ice and on ice activities related to that game?

 

[L'Aveuglette]

While I normally find you an objective poster. I'm really shocked you feel this way. Why do you feel the league owed us anything? What makes you think they would bend over and save us 10 years ago? We were riddled with debt, we take in Canadian dollars and pay out in American when the dollar was at $0.70. We had to get the league to front us cash to pay salaries and ask Alfie to pay for a deadline rental. The league moved both Québec and Winnipeg to the states. And you call me naïve. Go dust off the "save our sens" sign you got hiding in your garage, Gary Bettman wouldn't have given a chit.

Only one crazy guy would have invested in this team and not move it.

This. This this this.

Melnyk is being bashed yet is the only reason why we still have a team to cheer for. People saying someone else would have swooped in to save the Sens are only fooling themselves. They'd be long gone without this so-called "crazy" rich guy.

Anyway, it seems like no one knows why they were there at all so I'll personally refrain from commenting any further until some actual details are reported and confirmed.

 

[Quo]

Could be about Melnyk's comments about NJ.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Well, as of right now, TSN is reporting it as being about Karlsson-Cooke, so unless we get any more info soon, it seems as though Mackenzie was being honest and correct in his tweets.


*EDIT*

That story seems to be a dead link at the moment, and the story has been pulled from the TSN website... I'll leave the link up there just in case, but it seems that maybe TSN is holding back on the story/ got the details wrong?

Yes... Because it had NOTHING to do with Cooke! People's emotions on this board are as consistent as Anderson's play this year. Give your owner a break...

 

[BonkTastic]

Yes... Because it had NOTHING to do with Cooke! People's emotions on this board are as consistent as Anderson's play this year. Give your owner a break...

Well, in everyone's defence, BOB MCKENZIE was the source.

You can usually run with a Mckenzie rumor 99% of the time, he's as close as it comes to an infallible source.

 

[StefanW]

Could be about Melnyk's comments about NJ.

That was my thought too, but then why was Murray there?