Waddel on HNIC: There were 3 buyers for the Thrashers

[tarheelhockey]

Or 3) Bettman knew of these offers, but those offers were not keeping the team in Atlanta either.

Nothing in that article indicates that those groups were planning on keeping the team in Atlanta.

Taken in context of other leaks, it's a reasonable conclusion that local offers were on the table.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

I believe Gary Bettman's words were "nobody wanted to own this team in Atlanta".

I believe the words were more like "there were no serious buyers who were willing to work with ASG", or something to that effect.

Which implies (rather heavily) that there were interested parties. Just none that could make it work for ASG.

 

[Motown Beatdown]

I believe Gary Bettman's words were "nobody wanted to own this team in Atlanta".

Brings us back to the same set of possibilities we saw a few threads ago:

1) Bettman was flat-out lying, because ASG had told him the truth.

2) Bettman didn't know he wasn't telling the truth, because ASG flat-out lied to him.

Choose one.

or

3) Bettman didn't care to know the truth. As long as he collectively shut Canada up about another team, appease the NHLPA (higher revenues means more money) and provides time to fix his biggest mistake which is the mess in Phoenix.

 

[William Satterwhite]

OK, thanks, this is something. I'd like to have names, but I know that's not always possible. I just don't think Waddell is very trustworthy or competent, but that might just be me.

It's not just you, on either count. There really is no real reason why actual names shouldn't be put on the record at this point but the way this entire story has been covered in Atlanta, I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[BadHammy*]

Considering how things went, I think Gary Bettman wanted to be rid of the Spirit Group as quickly as possible, and took the fastest and most profitable route. Trying to find a local owner that would have to work out a deal with the Spirit Group with the arena would likely have been enough to scare any legit buyer. I think the only way it could have happened would have been if Spirit sold the Hawks first.

You're probably right but that still shows a real lack of planning. I don't know how much longer anyone can take a league seriously when it does such a poor job of vetting potential owners.

 

[Magnus Fulgur]

You're probably right but that still shows a real lack of planning. I don't know how much longer anyone can take a league seriously when it does such a poor job of vetting potential owners.

On paper, the Atlanta Spirit Group was a great idea for ownership of The Thrashers:

1.) They own the Arena and The Hawks...there is stability (in theory).
2.) Levenson was an owner of The Capitals when they made the SCF.
3.) Gearon is a close friend of former owner Ted Turner, and knows the politcal base of Atlanta very well.
4.) Turner's youngest son Beau is in the group.
5.) Steve Belkin made his money pioneering credit cards with sports themes, and is a STH of The Boston Bruins.

From this, why should the league think they're idiots who let Don Waddell run the team into the ground year after year??? This group also micromanaged The Thrashers and The Hawks badly. It wasn't until this past two seasons when they let the GMs do their jobs without interference that the teams began to resemble professional franchises.

I was just re-reading the official letter from Gearon and Levenson on the sale to True North from May 31:

"After extensive effort, nobody has come forward. As a result, we had no choice but to explore the investment option presented to us by the NHL in the form of True North Sports and Entertainment."

So there you have it. Either Don is lying, or Levenson and Gearon are lying. The choice of phrase "presented to us by the NHL" is very telling indeed.