TNSE Efforts to Acquire an NHL Team Part IX

[Brodie]

ah yes, our good buddy Rollins. Check out these awesome credits:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1087297/

Truly, this is a man of means

 

[Koss]

Who exactly do you think the NHL is dealing with in TNSE? Chumps?

Not by any means. But no matter how competnent TNSE are, that does not preclude the NHL's ability to continue to make a mess of its league.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Not by any means. But no matter how competnent TNSE is, is preclude the NHL's ability to continue to make a mess of its league.

Point taken.

If this deal does not go through Chipman will walk away.

 

[MaskedSonja]

Potential Thrashers buyer Rollins comes forward to Fox 5

http://www.examiner.com/atlanta-thr...hrashers-buyer-rollins-comes-forward-to-fox-5

Buck Lanford of Fox 5 News took a trip down to Alabama to interview filmmaker Stephen Rollins, who told Lanford that he was interested in taking the team off of Michael Gearon and Bruce Levenson’s hands.

“If i could speak to the Spirit group, I would just say, ‘Please exhaust every option you have to keep the team in Atlanta’,” Rollins said. “We'd love to talk if there's a solution that we can come to.”

Although Rollins did not say it on camera, yet, Fox 5 Sports anchor Ken Rodriguez said that Rollins claims that the Thrashers weren’t acting in good faith. Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated that Michael Gearon and Bruce Levenson were acting in good faith on his radio show on Thursday.

“There has been a fairly well known investment banking firm called Raine trying to qualify motivated buyers,” the NHL Commissioner claimed. “They've been having a tough time with it. This isn't an ownership group that has been ignoring bona fide groups looking to buy the (Thrashers).”



So buyers are saying ASG isn't giving them a fair shake, yet Bettman says they are. Who to believe?

Maybe it's just because I am having a bad day or something, but people like this make me very angry. He gives the impression that he just "strolled up" and said he wants to buy the Thrashers (I checked his IMDB portfolio, I doubt he's swimming in money)particularly with the deal being at 80 percent or so done if reports are to be believed.

He's not doing this to help the Thrashers, he's doing this to get his name in the paper, he knows that he would have no chance in the netherworld to own the team, but puts a disenginous PR in the papers, giving Atlanta fans false hope. Again, where was he a few months ago-why all the "last minute" buyers?

This guy doesn't deserve the time of day IMO-he's just getting his name out there for himself, nothing else.

 

[MaskedSonja]

Point taken.

If this deal does not go through Chipman will walk away.

I could see Chipman, if the deal falls through because of some mismangement by the NHL, I could see him the NHL to go pound sand, for years he's done the right thing the right way, and to be treated like this at the last minute-I think that would be the last straw for him.

 

[cbcwpg]

Maybe it's just because I am having a bad day or something, but people like this make me very angry. He gives the impression that he just "strolled up" and said he wants to buy the Thrashers (I checked his IMDB portfolio, I doubt he's swimming in money)particularly with the deal being at 80 percent or so done if reports are to be believed.

He's not doing this to help the Thrashers, he's doing this to get his name in the paper, he knows that he would have no chance in the netherworld to own the team, but puts a disenginous PR in the papers, giving Atlanta fans false hope. Again, where was he a few months ago-why all the "last minute" buyers?

This guy doesn't deserve the time of day IMO-he's just getting his name out there for himself, nothing else.

The more I think about this, IMO it could also be a case of someone who doesn't have the money but wants the team to stay, so he plants the seed of doubt that the ASG have been up front. Just hoping that the NHL will step up and say " Hay wait a minute, maybe we do have a local buyer... ".

I think your reason is more accurate... just someone who wants the press.

 

[Kanata Senators]

^lol

If this is the guy who wants to save hockey in Atlanta, you would be better off letting them die with dignity....

 

[Le Golie]

Just because it is a legitamite offer doesn't mean they have to rubber stamp it.

But all I am saying is that, if the NHL choose to, they could vote against the relocation to Winnipeg.

If they choose to. Assuming it gets to that point, they will in all likelihood vote for the relocation.

The NHL can't call TSNE legitimate to squeeze someone and then turn around and say they aren't. They just can't do that. Not only from a PR standpoint but from a legal standpoint.

 

[knorthern knight]

When the Coyotes were a threat to leave, one of the key arguments we were presented with by government officials and certain residents is that the city needed to have all four major sports to be a major centre.

Tell it brother. Whenever I hear a local politician here in greater Toronto utter the phrase "world class", I don't know whether to reach for...

• my wallet to make sure it's still there
• the throat of the politician who just said "world class"

It seems that every multi-million-dollar corporate welfare scheme in Toronto claims to be "world crass".

• First there was the Olympics. Our bid for 1996 was supposed to cost the taxpayers nothing. Eventually the Olympic bid committee went begging for, and received millions in government handouts. This was just for the failed bid. And their "total costs" did NOT include flying Canada's Prime Minister, Ontario's Premier, and Toronto's Mayor to various locations where Olympic lobbying was done.
  
• Thene there was the Expo 2000 bid. Toronto lost by one vote to Hanover. Note that this was in June 1990, in the euphoric aftermath of Germany's reunification.
  
• Toronto's and Ontario's taxpayers' luck finally ran out with the 2015 Pan Am games. We'll have a net loss of billions of dollars. Of course, we'll hear the last refuge of financially incompetent politicians, namely the BS about "economic activity" and "hidden benefits".

With Atlanta, you see general indifference from government officials. The mayor said it was unfortunate, but certainly wasn't worrying about their status as a city being affected by losing a professional sports franchise, by not having all 4 major sports in their city.

Seems like Atlanta is considerably more comfortable in its own skin then Phoenix, which seems to be still striving to establish itself in a way.

If today's teenagers were as resistant to peer pressure, we'd have a lot less crime.

 

[yotesreign]

^lol

If this is the guy who wants to save hockey in Atlanta, you would be better off letting them die with dignity....

At first glance I thought he was Kenny Powers sidekick. I'd rather Kenny Powers bought the team than his sidekick.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

The NHL can't call TSNE legitimate to squeeze someone and then turn around and say they aren't. They just can't do that. Not only from a PR standpoint but from a legal standpoint.

What legal precedent is there?

Mario Lemieux "used" Kansas City in the exact same manner that the NHL is using Winnipeg right now. A "legit" offer to get the town to pay up for an arena. The only difference is that no local offers or city helpers are in play.

Sports leagues and teams use veiled threats of "legit" offers all the time to get owners and city's to pay up. The NHL would look like total hypocrites, but they aren't exactly venturing outside the realm of legality.

EDIT: Come to think of it, your entire argument is flawed, because the "legitimate offer" was used in relation to the Phoenix Coyotes.

TSNE didn't get the Coyotes. Does that mean the NHL is going to be sued now?

 

[Melrose Munch]

The NHL can't call TSNE legitimate to squeeze someone and then turn around and say they aren't. They just can't do that. Not only from a PR standpoint but from a legal standpoint.

NHL Ownership is a privilege, not a right. Why, is TNSE going to sue because the NHL did let them in? That's what Jim B did.

 

[Melrose Munch]

I could see Chipman, if the deal falls through because of some mismangement by the NHL, I could see him the NHL to go pound sand, for years he's done the right thing the right way, and to be treated like this at the last minute-I think that would be the last straw for him.

I agree, and it would confirm what we have known all along, that NHL management sucks now and always will.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Here is the Opinion of the Court in the case of ASG vs. Belkan that ended last Jan/Dec.

http://www.courts.state.md.us/businesstech/opinions/2009/mdbt7_09.pdf

 

[Brodie]

Belkin, not Balkan

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Belkin, not Balkan

Curse you JB Smith!!!!!

or is it JP?

 

[Koss]

Belkin, not Balkan

We'll need to see his shoes

 

[ThrasherMinion]

UGH! As much as I want this team to stay in Atlanta, I'm torn between hating both ASG and the comic book wannabees that keep crawling out for their 2 minutes of attention.

 

[Le Golie]

What legal precedent is there?

Mario Lemieux "used" Kansas City in the exact same manner that the NHL is using Winnipeg right now. A "legit" offer to get the town to pay up for an arena. The only difference is that no local offers or city helpers are in play.

Sports leagues and teams use veiled threats of "legit" offers all the time to get owners and city's to pay up. The NHL would look like total hypocrites, but they aren't exactly venturing outside the realm of legality.

EDIT: Come to think of it, your entire argument is flawed, because the "legitimate offer" was used in relation to the Phoenix Coyotes.

TSNE didn't get the Coyotes. Does that mean the NHL is going to be sued now?

I'm positive they would be sued by TNSE and ASG.

TSNE would sue them because when it suited them, NHL trumpeted TNSE as a legitimate ownership worthy of owning an NHL team. When it no longer suited them, they considered TNSE unfit to be an ownership group. Collusion? I don't know what exactly it would fall under but it's ridiculous.

ASG would sue them for giving them the go ahead to negotiate with TNSE and after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so over the last couple weeks, turning around and saying 'thanks for coming out and spending all that time and money based on the permission we granted you, but we're not going to let you make this sale. lol'.

 

[MaskedSonja]

I'm positive they would be sued by TNSE and ASG.

TSNE would sue them because when it suited them, NHL trumpeted TNSE as a legitimate ownership worthy of owning an NHL team. When it no longer suited them, they considered TNSE unfit to be an ownership group. Collusion? I don't know what exactly it would fall under but it's ridiculous.

ASG would sue them for giving them the go ahead to negotiate with TNSE and after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so over the last couple weeks, turning around and saying 'thanks for coming out and spending all that time and money based on the permission we granted you, but we're not going to let you make this sale. lol'.

I would think ASG would have have legal agreement in that pile before the negotiated with TNSE that said the NHL agreed they had done their "due diligence" in finding a franchise, and that they were not obligated to listen to any "last minute" reprieves.

I think thinking legally I would do that to cover myself, to prevent that sort of thing from happening, and I would think they would have gotten that agreement and permission to negotiate with TNSE before actually doing it.


I do wonder, casually from time to time what size of Lawsuit it would take to "ruin" the NHL-it would have to be massive, in the billions and billions I would think.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

I'm positive they would be sued by TNSE and ASG.

TSNE would sue them because when it suited them, NHL trumpeted TNSE as a legitimate ownership worthy of owning an NHL team. When it no longer suited them, they considered TNSE unfit to be an ownership group. Collusion? I don't know what exactly it would fall under but it's ridiculous.

And as I mentioned, this has been done many, many times before. Whether it is Karmanos threatening to uproot the Whalers and plunk them in Greensboro (which he did) to get the Hartford government to build a new arena, or Mario Lemieux making thinly veiled threats about Kansas City and their lack of a hockey team (which he did not), this kind of thing happens all of the time. It is a way of getting public funding for a team and/or arena.

If TSNE is going to get pissed over standard League operating procedure, then they should not be attempting to purchase an NHL team. (This isn't an attack on TSNE; I just totally disagree with you on how they would act).

Besides, TSNE has not sued over Phoenix slipping through their fingers. They were used by the NHL to get CoG to pony up 25 million. And they didn't sue them in that situation.

ASG would sue them for giving them the go ahead to negotiate with TNSE and after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so over the last couple weeks, turning around and saying 'thanks for coming out and spending all that time and money based on the permission we granted you, but we're not going to let you make this sale. lol'.

That still does not waive the NHL's right to decide who may or may not own a franchise.

It makes the NHL look like unredeemable lying ********* hypocrites, but if they were really compelled to force Atlanta to sell to a local owner, then they have the means (again, within reason) to make it happen. (And again, they do not seem to have a burning passion for NHL hockey in Atlanta required to make this happen and piss off a lot of people)

 

[FlyingPenguin]

And as I mentioned, this has been done many, many times before. Whether it is Karmanos threatening to uproot the Whalers and plunk them in Greensboro (which he did) to get the Hartford government to build a new arena, or Mario Lemieux making thinly veiled threats about Kansas City and their lack of a hockey team (which he did not), this kind of thing happens all of the time. It is a way of getting public funding for a team and/or arena.

If TSNE is going to get pissed over standard League operating procedure, then they should not be attempting to purchase an NHL team. (This isn't an attack on TSNE; I just totally disagree with you on how they would act).

Besides, TSNE has not sued over Phoenix slipping through their fingers. They were used by the NHL to get CoG to pony up 25 million. And they didn't sue them in that situation.



That still does not waive the NHL's right to decide who may or may not own a franchise.

It makes the NHL look like unredeemable lying ********* hypocrites, but if they were really compelled to force Atlanta to sell to a local owner, then they have the means (again, within reason) to make it happen. (And again, they do not seem to have a burning passion for NHL hockey in Atlanta required to make this happen and piss off a lot of people)

He isn't saying TNSE has a problem with the NHL using the threat of selling the Coyotes to TNSE in order to get money out of Glendale. TNSE no doubt knew exactly what was going on in that situation. But for the NHL to use TNSE in that situation and make it clear that TNSE is considered a viable alternative, only to then block a sale (which the NHL gave TNSE and the ASG permission to negotiate) of a franchise to TNSE on the basis that TNSE are unsuitable owners/Winnipeg is an unsuitable NHL city, well, that would be an entirely different matter.

It's different from Mario using Kansas and from Karmanos using Greensboro because the NHL didn't turn around and block a completed sale to put a team in either of those cities a month or so after they used them to get money out of Harftord or Pittsburgh.

For you to pretend that blocking this sale after giving TNSE and the ASG permission to negotiate AND trumpeting TNSE and Winnipeg as viable for the NHL is the same as using potential relocation to get governments to pony up money suggests to me that you're misunderstanding the point.

 

[htpwn]

Tell it brother. Whenever I hear a local politician here in greater Toronto utter the phrase "world class", I don't know whether to reach for...

• my wallet to make sure it's still there
• the throat of the politician who just said "world class"

It seems that every multi-million-dollar corporate welfare scheme in Toronto claims to be "world crass".

• First there was the Olympics. Our bid for 1996 was supposed to cost the taxpayers nothing. Eventually the Olympic bid committee went begging for, and received millions in government handouts. This was just for the failed bid. And their "total costs" did NOT include flying Canada's Prime Minister, Ontario's Premier, and Toronto's Mayor to various locations where Olympic lobbying was done.
  
• Thene there was the Expo 2000 bid. Toronto lost by one vote to Hanover. Note that this was in June 1990, in the euphoric aftermath of Germany's reunification.
  
• Toronto's and Ontario's taxpayers' luck finally ran out with the 2015 Pan Am games. We'll have a net loss of billions of dollars. Of course, we'll hear the last refuge of financially incompetent politicians, namely the BS about "economic activity" and "hidden benefits".

Wait until the Ford brothers reveals his plan to build an NFL stadium.

I do agree for the most part though, if your city is desirable, then people will come. The word will get out. Winnipeg will not become a world class city getting an NHL team anymore then Jacksonville became one when they got an NFL club. (This is not to criticize Winnipeg, I believe they have gone about this the right way in their mostly privately built arena.)

The effect of pro sports are very overrated IMO. They do have benefits, but I don't believe the majority of those can be measured in dollars and cents. Having said that, if Toronto does win the Olympics in 2020 (and it is indeed looking like a very real possibility given the field of competition), I can't lie, I would be pretty excited.

I do wonder, casually from time to time what size of Lawsuit it would take to "ruin" the NHL-it would have to be massive, in the billions and billions I would think.

I think it would be really difficult to "ruin" the NHL by essentially bankrupting it. You would need a very large lawsuit, like you mentioned, and I just don't see anyway you would be able to win a case in the billions. What might work though is if you sue them on a polarizing issue. Something that would cause major rifts between the teams.

 

[ThrasherMinion]

I'm positive they would be sued by TNSE and ASG.

TSNE would sue them because when it suited them, NHL trumpeted TNSE as a legitimate ownership worthy of owning an NHL team. When it no longer suited them, they considered TNSE unfit to be an ownership group. Collusion? I don't know what exactly it would fall under but it's ridiculous.

ASG would sue them for giving them the go ahead to negotiate with TNSE and after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so over the last couple weeks, turning around and saying 'thanks for coming out and spending all that time and money based on the permission we granted you, but we're not going to let you make this sale. lol'.

proof please?

 

[Melrose Munch]

Wait until the Ford brothers reveals his plan to build an NFL stadium.

I do agree for the most part though, if your city is desirable, then people will come. The word will get out. Winnipeg will not become a world class city getting an NHL team anymore then Jacksonville became one when they got an NFL club. (This is not to criticize Winnipeg, I believe they have gone about this the right way in their mostly privately built arena.)

The effect of pro sports are very overrated IMO. They do have benefits, but I don't believe the majority of those can be measured in dollars and cents. Having said that, if Toronto does win the Olympics in 2020 (and it is indeed looking like a very real possibility given the field of competition), I can't lie, I would be pretty excited.

Pro Sports causes more harm if anything IMO. Tax money, emotions, ignoring wife,etc.