Part 7: True North Sports & Entertainment's efforts to acquire an NHL team (Winnipeg)

[King_Stannis]

Full disclosure - I am and have been a jetsowner member for 4 years. This was posted in the “rumors” thread.

The NHL rookie camp tourney this summer in BC has increased the teams from 6 to 8 and Winnipeg is on the schedule.

Just another rumor, right? Except that Darren Ford posted a bit later on saying “I guess the rookie camp info got out”.

You all remember Darren, the guy everyone automatically assumed was a nutter and is beginning to look more and more like the hockey prophet of Winnipeg. Regardless of what some of you may think, the guy knows things. He knew about Thomson before the general public did. He has been initmating that it’s Atlanta that the city will get, not Phoenix. He has some inside stuff that he does not reveal, but does hint at, because he wisely doesn't want to lose his insider status.

 

[headsigh]

This is true, but then again your comments are not what is drawing Thrashers fans into this thread.

Nay, people's comments are basically what's drawing me away from the thread. Arguing against these people won't change their views and you'll just end up bitter with them. Nothing I can say is going to change the fact some users consider me irrelevant, not worth much respect & a second class fan soooooo...

 

[Jesus Christ Horburn]

Full disclosure - I am and have been a jetsowner member for 4 years. This was posted in the “rumors†thread.



Just another rumor, right? Except that Darren Ford posted a bit later on saying “I guess the rookie camp info got outâ€.

You all remember Darren, the guy everyone automatically assumed was a nutter and is beginning to look more and more like the hockey prophet of Winnipeg. Regardless of what some of you may think, the guy knows things. He knew about Thomson before the general public did. He has been initmating that it’s Atlanta that the city will get, not Phoenix. He has some inside stuff that he does not reveal (but does hint at) because he wisely doesn't want to lose his insider status.

At this point, I think it's safe to say there WILL be a team in Winnipeg next year.

Which team goes there remains the question.

 

[King_Stannis]

At this point, I think it's safe to say there WILL be a team in Winnipeg next year.

Which team goes there remains the question.

I don't believe in counting chickens before they hatch. But you are probably right.

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

You mean the same guy that had a team forced upon him by the NHL and has a city trying to sell bonds so he can take that money to buy the team?
that guy?

Well Im not looking to buy a new car right now but if one was offered to me well below market value and the dealership was willing to pay 1/2 the car for me id be looking into it

Does that make a lick of difference? The statement I refuted was "Nobody wants to own the team in Phoenix". Just because these guys stand in the way of your little dream to have a hockey team in Winnipeg, that doesn't change the fact that they are (MH) and were (IEH) looked upon as serious suitors by the league and COG, who wanted to keep the team in Phoenix.

 

[Fidel Astro]

Winnipeg / TNSE begins and ends with buying the Thrashers or Coyotes. What else is there to talk about... speculate about expansion? TNSE's latest haircuts? Winnipeg thermometer watching?

To think you can you have a discussion without bringing either of those franchises up is crazy, especially when Kypreos (LOL) and all kind of other backwater "journalists" keep saying relocation is imminent, then wait a week, then say relocation is imminent, then wait a week, etc. It's fueling desperate fans and driving hits, very sad. Reminds me of Eklund.

To be fair, for every "backwater" reporter on our end offering hope that a team will be coming back to Winnipeg, there's some other hack down south saying that a deal to keep the Coyotes/Thrashers in their current cities is "imminent"... and then when it doesn't happen, wait two weeks. And on and on...

You could say the same thing about the desperate fans and how sad it is when you're talking about Atlanta or Phoenix. So far neither outcome -- a relocation or a successful sale to a local owner -- has taken place, so the media cheerleaders on either side are equally incorrect in their predictions.

...and you can take the lack of anything really happening to be a positive for either side. "The deal still hasn't gone through yet, that's a good sign for Winnipeg" vs. "The team hasn't been relocated to Winnipeg yet, that's a good sign the deal will still go through."

Nobody knows anything, really, about what's going on here. It's all just speculation.

 

[cbcwpg]

You'll need to provide some evidence that it's a "rule", and that it was indeed "fabricated"

Remembering that this was 1995 and the internet was still just an infant, there are no links to the needed news articles, but it is a well known fact that one stipulation for ownership that Bettman was unwavering about in the case of Winnipeg, was "no group ownership" allowed. There were "groups" looking at keeping the team in Winnipeg, but this unwritten rule, put an end to them.

Which irks Winnipegers to no end when Edmonton was allowed group ownership at one time, all though it wasn't for a long time.

 

[Fidel Astro]

Does that make a lick of difference? The statement I refuted was "Nobody wants to own the team in Phoenix". Just because these guys stand in the way of your little dream to have a hockey team in Winnipeg, that doesn't change the fact that they are (MH) and were (IEH) looked upon as serious suitors by the league and COG, who wanted to keep the team in Phoenix.

Do you think either MH or IEH would have been "looked upon as serious suitors by the league and COG" if someone of David Thomson's stature showed up and wanted to keep the team in Phoenix?

I don't think MH is the NHL's idea of an ideal owner by any stretch of the imagination, and IEH turned out to be just a sham. The only reason MH is even still in the game is because he's the absolute last possible owner standing. I doubt the NHL would have any interest in working with him if that wasn't the case.

Maybe that statement should be changed to "nobody with the ability or desire to pay the full price of the team wants to own the team in Phoenix."

 

[GoJetsGo13]

Remembering that this was 1995 and the internet was still just an infant, there are no links to the needed news articles, but it is a well known fact that one stipulation for ownership that Bettman was unwavering about in the case of Winnipeg, was "no group ownership" allowed. There were "groups" looking at keeping the team in Winnipeg, but this unwritten rule, put an end to them.

Which irks Winnipegers to no end when Edmonton was allowed group ownership at one time, all though it wasn't for a long time.

Yup, no group ownership AND the owner had to agree to keep the team in Winnipeg for (IIRC) 20 years instead of 7.

 

[cbcwpg]

Does that make a lick of difference? The statement I refuted was "Nobody wants to own the team in Phoenix". Just because these guys stand in the way of your little dream to have a hockey team in Winnipeg, that doesn't change the fact that they are (MH) and were (IEH) looked upon as serious suitors by the league and COG, who wanted to keep the team in Phoenix.

Reinsdorf, sure, even though he wanted an out clause.
Hulsizer, sure, even though he wants help buying it.

IEH, serious suitors, give me a break.

 

[Le Golie]

Darren Ford has become Jehovah and everyone on jetsowner.com are his witnesses.

Most of the time he posts some vague information that reads like a horoscope and everyone interprets it to be right after things develop. I'm all for the guy when he has legitimate info but people waiting on his every breath are pathetic.

 

[Freibahlen]

At this point, I think it's safe to say there WILL be a team in Winnipeg next year.

Which team goes there remains the question.

The only problem I see with that is that the Thrashers will likely be in Atlanta next year regardless. I don't believe there is much way around that. Phoenix could maybe be moved that fast, but Atlanta is just starting the process of courting new ownership.

 

[ICdave]

Was doing some reading for a new article and came across this comments from the Toronto Star (abstract – May 3rd, 1995):

This is not an NHL decision, this is really up to the people in Winnipeg and the prospective owners . . . to see if there’s something to be done to keep the team there - Gary Bettman

 

[Freibahlen]

Was doing some reading for a new article and came across this comments from the Toronto Star (abstract – May 3rd, 1995):

To put that on the common fan of Winnipeg was just wrong. I guess to a degree it COULD be accurate, but I don't believe for a moment they had a fan support issue. A buyer issue I can see but that has little to do with the fans.

Hmm. Ownership jacking up fan relations.

...sounds familar.

 

[cheswick]

Full disclosure - I am and have been a jetsowner member for 4 years. This was posted in the “rumors†thread.



Just another rumor, right? Except that Darren Ford posted a bit later on saying “I guess the rookie camp info got outâ€.

You all remember Darren, the guy everyone automatically assumed was a nutter and is beginning to look more and more like the hockey prophet of Winnipeg. Regardless of what some of you may think, the guy knows things. He knew about Thomson before the general public did. He has been initmating that it’s Atlanta that the city will get, not Phoenix. He has some inside stuff that he does not reveal, but does hint at, because he wisely doesn't want to lose his insider status.

I have much respect for Ford but he's often so vague that he can later say after somethign happens that it was in fact what he meant. He's also been flat out wrong before. Most recently saying his sources said Hulsizer wasn't at the cupcake summit but he was in fact there.

 

[King Woodballs]

Does that make a lick of difference? The statement I refuted was "Nobody wants to own the team in Phoenix". Just because these guys stand in the way of your little dream to have a hockey team in Winnipeg, that doesn't change the fact that they are (MH) and were (IEH) looked upon as serious suitors by the league and COG, who wanted to keep the team in Phoenix.

if MH truely cared he would pony up the 170+ million himself to buy the team

 

[dkehler]

I have much respect for Ford but he's often so vague that he can later say after somethign happens that it was in fact what he meant. He's also been flat out wrong before. Most recently saying his sources said Hulsizer wasn't at the cupcake summit but he was in fact there.

To be fair, nobody expected Hulsizer to be there. I get what you're saying about the vague "clues" and then claiming that's what was meant when something concrete comes out in the mainstream media, sort of like Nostradamus, but I do think that Ford has some sort of relationship with Chipman and he most certainly did know about Thomson's involvement beforehand.

 

[Huffer]

Why can't the forum mods treat this thread like Winnipeg's own team board?

Fans of other teams have their own sandbox where they are protected (in theory) from trolling.

Now it's obvious that Winnipeg does not have a team right now. And maybe they never will. But just for overall forum control and sanity, could Winnipeg fans not have 1 thread where everyone else had to be on their best behaviour?

 

[Potrzebie]

Remembering that this was 1995 and the internet was still just an infant, there are no links to the needed news articles, but it is a well known fact that one stipulation for ownership that Bettman was unwavering about in the case of Winnipeg, was "no group ownership" allowed. There were "groups" looking at keeping the team in Winnipeg, but this unwritten rule, put an end to them.

Which irks Winnipegers to no end when Edmonton was allowed group ownership at one time, all though it wasn't for a long time.

At my work we have access to the WFP archives. Awhile back I was perusing some of the old articles from '95 and read some quotes from Winnipeg mayor Susan Thompson where she claimed that in some of her conversations with Bettman he was so difficult and obstinate she literally hung up the phone in tears. Someday when I'm not feeling so lazy I may post them here.

Doesn't sound like Bettman is treating Scruggs the same way.

 

[Freibahlen]

Why can't the forum mods treat this thread like Winnipeg's own team board?

Fans of other teams have their own sandbox where they are protected (in theory) from trolling.

Now it's obvious that Winnipeg does not have a team right now. And maybe they never will. But just for overall forum control and sanity, could Winnipeg fans not have 1 thread where everyone else had to be on their best behaviour?

There's always gonna be an ass. For the most part, outside of some snideness from all sides, the discourse has appeared to be pretty civil to me.

 

[Retail1LO*]

Why can't the forum mods treat this thread like Winnipeg's own team board?

Fans of other teams have their own sandbox where they are protected (in theory) from trolling.

Now it's obvious that Winnipeg does not have a team right now. And maybe they never will. But just for overall forum control and sanity, could Winnipeg fans not have 1 thread where everyone else had to be on their best behaviour?

I'm not a Winnipegger...but I' be all for that. I've seen some pretty Pejorative Slured threads granted a sticky on these boards...but I do believe this would really help keep every single thread from degenerating into one giant b**ch session.

 

[Potrzebie]

At my work we have access to the WFP archives. Awhile back I was perusing some of the old articles from '95 and read some quotes from Winnipeg mayor Susan Thompson where she claimed that in some of her conversations with Bettman he was so difficult and obstinate she literally hung up the phone in tears. Someday when I'm not feeling so lazy I may post them here.

Doesn't sound like Bettman is treating Scruggs the same way.

Quickly found one excerpt:

He (Bettman) gave us the benefit of appearing to care, but I don’t think he ever did,†Filmon said. “His dream was to get all these big markets, get a big television contract, and all the problems would be solved. He doesn’t get it, and he doesn’t care. I never felt he cared about this issue.â€

If Bettman and the NHL genuinely wanted the NHL in Winnipeg, it didn’t show in their negotiations. What ultimately undid MEC’s bid to purchase the Jets was not just money, but stipulations by the NHL that only one individual could own the team, with no guarantees of a salary management system. And, oh yes, a guarantee not to move the team for upwards of 20 years. Although Loewen talks about negotiations with Bettman calmly today, the same couldn’t be said for an 11th-hour phone conversation between MEC representatives and the NHL in Thompson’s city hall office. Recalled Thompson: “I thought John was going to pick up the phone and throw it through the plate-glass window. It was so dishonest. Shame on the NHL. Shame on them."

 

[Gump Hasek]

Winnipeg / TNSE begins and ends with buying the Thrashers or Coyotes. What else is there to talk about... speculate about expansion? TNSE's latest haircuts? Winnipeg thermometer watching?

To think you can you have a discussion without bringing either of those franchises up is crazy, especially when Kypreos (LOL) and all kind of other backwater "journalists" keep saying relocation is imminent, then wait a week, then say relocation is imminent, then wait a week, etc. It's fueling desperate fans and driving hits, very sad. Reminds me of Eklund.

Yeah, I've read your Atlanta board. Perhaps you should keep your "backwater journalist" comments about Canadian media (TSN & Sportsnet are both NHL broadcast partners BTW) there please.

I'm sorry you may be losing your team. Not our fault though.

 

[Duke749]

Yeah, I've read your Atlanta board. Perhaps you should keep your "backwater journalist" comments about Canadian media (TSN & Sportsnet are both NHL broadcast partners BTW) there please.

I'm sorry you may be losing your team. Not our fault though.

You say this like Sportsnet and TSN have been credible through this whole mess, when they haven't.

 

[Gump Hasek]

You say this like Sportsnet and TSN have been credible through this whole mess, when they haven't.

Do you have the TSN & Sportsnet television feeds in the south? No? Then how would you know?

You are confusing some occasional opinion piece journalism with reporting of news.

They've been spot on through quite a bit of the process. They've also numerous employees and do not all read from the same script. I'd venture that NHL broadcast partners such as TSN & Sportsnet are much better connected at all NHL levels than is any of your own local media, FYI.