If the city approves the lease, Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer would be clear to purchase the team. Hulsizer, who was unanimously approved by the NHL Board of Governors this week,
The NHL, who currently owns the Coyotes, said a new lease agreement with the city was a requirement for any new owner of the team. As part of the plan, the city will purchase arena parking rights for $100 million and pay $97 million as a fee to the Hulsizer group to manage the arena.
Here’s how the payments break down:
First partial fiscal year - $10 million
Year two - $20 million
Year three - $20 million
Year four - $17 million
Year five - $15 million
Year six - $15 million
Glendale promised to pay back the $25 million in losses to the NHL if the sale did not happen. Hulsizer emerged as a buyer after deals with Chicago sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf and Canadian group Ice Edge Holdings fell though.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>Tuesday, more reports surfaced that Pegula signed a letter of intent to purchase the Sabres for $150 million and that the sale of the team could happen sometime in late December or early January.
Forbes ranked the Sabres as the 23rd most valuable NHL franchise, worth $170 million. Golisano bought the team in 2003 for $92 million.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>
Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook“Getting vibes once again that Sabres owner Tom Golisano is poking around for a prospective buyer for his Lake Erie stick carriers. Over the summer, Golisano had the locals all aflutter when he noted on local talk radio, “Nothing is written in concrete, but at this point I would say I’m probably going to be the owner of the Buffalo Sabres in five years, maybe 10 years.’’ The name that comes up in all NHL club sales talk is RIMM guru/hockey lover Jim Balsillie, who made himself no friends among NHL owners when he tried to pirate the Phoenix Coyotes away to Toronto’s outer suburbs. But the key name to keep in mind if this heats up: Terry Pegula. He’s the guy who forked over the $88 million gift for Penn State to build a rink and fund scholarships for Division 1 hockey. Pegula’s wife, Kim, is from suburban Buffalo, a good sign for the locals. No one ever wants to leave the Buff.”
News of the team being up for sale has resurfaced before. In 2008, several outlets including ESPN reported that Golisano, who has owned the team since 2003, was considering a sale to Basillie. Sabres minority owner Larry Quinn denied reports at the time as did Basille via his lawyer.
More talk of a sale surfaced in July 2010 when Golisano said he’d “probably be the owner of the Buffalo Sabres in five years.”
Basillie has shown interest in becoming an NHL owner before. He made attempts to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and move the team to Hamilton earlier this year.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>According to the press release, the NHL beat out other finalists including MLB, ESPN and Fox Sports. In accepting the awards, Brian Jennings, NHL executive vice president of marketing said, “We are so proud to be honored for these prestigious awards among some of the most influential players in the industry. It’s been rewarding to see how the fans have reacted to these campaigns and how they continue to inspire our future projects.”
The NHL had it's best season since the lockout last season, and while compelling play was probably the biggest draw, we've seen how the NBA's popularity can be boosted by a successful marketing campaign, 2009-10 for the NHL was no different. Following the NBA's marketing lead, the NHL will have to continue where it left off, especially in the last year of the league's current TV deal with Versus/NBC. Marketing campaigns' success such as the No Words and History Will Be Made are the type that the NHL is likely hoping catch more than just the fans' eyes, but also those of sports monsters ESPN and FOX.
Here is the rest of the press release:
"No Words debuted during the 2010 Stanley Cup Final and was created to showcase the raw emotions players feel upon winning the Stanley Cup –hockey’s ultimate prize and the most prestigious trophy in all of sports. No words can express how the winner is feeling in that moment. The League tapped into its decades of footage and created a spot that struck a chord in the heart of not only hockey fans, but sports fans everywhere. The significant distribution of “No Words” through TV and Internet delivered in just about every measurable metric: Game 6 on NBC was the highest-rated NHL game in the U.S. in 36 years. Four of the series’ six games on NBC averaged 6.1 million viewers, the best on network TV in 13 years. Game 3 on VERSUS was the highest-rated telecast ever in network history. The Stanley Cup ranked as the number one trending topic worldwide on Twitter throughout the Stanley Cup Final and was the most watched series ever.
During the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs the History Will Be Made campaign debuted TV spots featuring prominent playoff moments made by NHL greats, including Bobby Orr. History Will Be Made “Orr” featured Bobby Orr and his iconic, Cup-winning, overtime goal in 1970. Inspired fans created their own versions of a History Will Be Made commercial and posting on YouTube, which generated more than 2,400 spots — something no one could’ve predicted. The NHL and fan generated spots resulted in over 8 million views and an incremental media value of $4.08 million. Compelling content combined with significant distribution through traditional and new media, it became one of the most successful campaigns in NHL history driving over 302 million TV viewers for the 2009-10 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the most watched in 36 years.
Additional League recognitions included the Toronto Maple Leafs, who took home the gold for their 2010 season ticket package in the Best Team Promotion (Print, Poster, Outdoor and Out of Home) category.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>Campbell insists he's done nothing for us to question his integrity, wasn't biased on calls concerning his son and that we've all taken everything out of context. What do you think?
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said via NHL.com that he gives Campbell his support and sees no wrongdoing. He said:
"I want to talk about the matter of Colie Campbell and the e-mails and the assertion by some people on the Internet and in the media that some internal e-mails that he wrote three years ago somehow suggest his decisions on supplemental discipline have been in some way biased.
"There are a variety of unfortunate aspects to these assertions, and perhaps the most unfortunate of all is that the people making them have not had the opportunity to observe Colie's professionalism and integrity. He brings that to every one of his many duties with the NHL day in and day out, year after year. He takes his job extremely seriously, and it is a very difficult job. He takes his service to the game, the teams and the players as seriously as any human being can and he is somebody of the utmost integrity, and that's the way people around the League view him."
I know that we owe it to our fans and our fans should expect that there is going to be integrity in our game in everything we do, and we believe we do that. People will disagree with decisions -- reasonable people can always differ, especially when you deal with supplemental discipline. Obviously when you're dealing with supplemental discipline, no two acts are the same, the context is different, the situation's different, the players' histories are different. I've said it repeatedly -- supplemental disciplines are like snowflakes, no two are the same. And to do it, and to do it well, that is administer supplemental discipline, you must know the game, you must know all aspects of the game, you must be able to distinguish between an intentional act and an accident resulting from a hockey play.
"Colie can do that. He has 40 years in this game, he's levied 363 regular-season suspensions, including two today, and people have disagreed with him -- but our clubs have never challenged his integrity or fairness. As a fan, I hope you take comfort in the fact the teams you root for would never accept anything less than fair, unbiased treatment -- in short, integrity. The support for Colie from our clubs, unsolicited, has been overwhelming, and I think everybody can take comfort in that fact because our clubs and the people who are involved in this process intimately and see what's going on and know what's going on and are the recipients of the treatment under this, all believe in Colie and the job that he does. And so he has our full support, as do all the members of our Hockey Operations Department."
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>AP writer Ira Podell called the NHL's newest advance to All-Star weekend “hockey's version of a school yard pickup game.” The NHL will switch from East vs. West to a system in which two captains select the rest of the All-Star roster. Fans will vote for the starting six players, but captains will have their choice of the best 36 players. The breakdown will be 12 forwards, six defensemen and three goalies. Each NHL team will still be represented by at least one player in the All-Star game or rookie competitions.
According to the AP report, the NHL never considered putting more emphasis on the All-Star game such as the way Major League Baseball has the outcome determine the home team in the World Series.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>The Miami Herald reported that the Rochester Americans told the Panthers they will not extend their current agreement past this season. Americans' team president Lewis Staats said, “When we negotiated this agreement with Florida, it was agreed we would put a ‘re-negotiation date’ in it to ensure that both organizations had time to either investigate extending the terms of the agreement or provided sufficient time to explore other options.”
This move comes as no surprise, at least to us at Biz of Hockey. In May, we reported that the Americans could be perusing the New York Rangers for the 2011-12 season.
Staats continued in the Herald story:
"We will explore all the options that are available to us in terms of an NHL parent club going forward at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season when our existing agreement with Florida expires. We are continuing to build and improve the Amerks from a business perspective and will be very diligent in our search for an NHL partner who we believe will help us achieve our goals both on and off the ice.”
As we mentioned in May, the current partner for the New York Rangers, the Hartford Wolfpack, has been one of the lowest attended teams in the AHL. So, despite being owned by MSG, the Rangers could elect to put potential losses on the shoulders of the Americans and use the Wolfpack's arena to book concerts and events.
Hearld writer George Richards suggests the Panthers should move their minor leaguers to the Lake Erie Monsters.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>According to The Globe and Mail, prices rose 4.4 percent league wide to $54.25 per ticket. While 11 teams cut prices or kept them stagnant, teams like the Washington Capitals hiked prices 24 percent. The New York Islanders, one of the struggling teams, had the second highest bump at 19.7 percent while Stanley Cup champs Chicago Blackhawks had the third highest price raise at 18 percent. Numbers come via Team Marketing Report.
Hockey fans weren't the only ones to pay more to catch a game; prices in the NFL are up 4.5 percent and MLB for 2010 were up 1.5 percent.
In conjunction with the ticket price rise, the average cost of taking a family of four is up 4.4 percent. The average Fan Cost Index, which is the cost to purchase four tickets, four hot dogs, park, buy two programs and two team hats, is $313.68 this season. The Blackhawks rose their FCI 20 percent to $350.58, which is $200 less than the league's highest FCI, the Toronto Maple Leafs who charge $572.32.
The Dallas Stars had the lowest price in the NHL at $29.68 and the league's lowest FCI $222.68, while Atlanta Thrashers lowered their prices 10 percent to $43.59.
You can see the data for the whole league, plus TMR Executive Editor Jon Greenberg’s analysis here.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>The Hockey News reported that the Stars have received $8 million in future television and revenue sharing money. The team is being financed by a group of unofficial owners after Tom Hicks led Hicks Sports Group defaulted on a $525 million in debt.
THN wrote:
The lenders are prepared to extend the team a line of credit when the monies collected over the summer run out, which is expected to occur in December or January. To help avoid falling into further debt to the lenders, the Stars have asked the NHL for an advance on revenue they would receive after the season. That money would come in a line of credit.
If the team were sold before December, the advance would not be necessary. Sources say there are three buyers who have been approved by the NHL to bid on the Stars, not including Bill Gallacher, who has pulled out of his attempt but could get back at any time.
The THN report said that the NHL is aware of all transactions the Stars’ management makes, but will not limit the team’s spending. And, though the league helped set the team’s budget, they will not “babysit” the Stars.
There have been plenty of rumors concerning bidders, but nothing has gone past that stage. Considering how wacky the Coyotes’ situation has become, the NHL can only hope the Stars’ sale to goes much more smoothly.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>A spokesperson for the City of Glendale told the Free Press that the city and the Hulsizer group, headed by Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer, have agreed in principle to a lease that would allow the group to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes from the NHL. The reported $165 million deal will still need to be approved by the NHL board of governors.
The NHL purchased the team out of bankruptcy for $140 million in the spring of 2009, then reportedly lost $30 million (the city agreed to pay the NHL back). The city put $25 million in escrow while they waited for a new owner.
The city’s back is up against the wall with this deal. The NHL told the City of Glendale they’d need to find a buyer by Dec. 31 or the league would relocate the franchise.
We’ve learned when it comes to the City of Glendale and the Coyotes, anything can happen. During last year’s playoffs, Gary Bettman said on TV that he was happy to welcome Chicago sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf to the NHL arena as the new owner of the Coyotes. That deal fell through, as did the Ice Edge Holdings group, who also dropped out after negotiations.
Details outside the price have not been released, but we can assume Hilsizer will pick up the NHL’s losses.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>Executive Vice President of Marketing for the NHL Brian Jennings said via NHL.com that working with Lee can help reach a new audience, "To be in business with Stan Lee and to be able to bring his latest superheroes to our fans is incredibly exciting to all of us at the NHL," said Jennings. "We are in constant pursuit of new ways to engage our fans and to introduce new fans to hockey, and the business of Guardian Media Entertainment does exactly that."
Motion-capture technology will be used by Vicon House of Moves, who also worked on Ironman 2. A teaser package will be unveiled during the Oct. 8, 2010 panel presentation of The Guardian Project at New York's Comic Con, the entire project will be unveiled Jan. 30, 2011. Watch the NHL.com video
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>On the back of the new rules, the Winter Classic, the Olympics and incredibly intense playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals, the league has found its way to relevance, even substantial popularity. And just in time for a new TV deal.
SportsBusiness Journal reported Monday that the NHL expects to take score big with their next deal, possibly even see a 50 percent boost from the aforementioned contract. That would increase the numbers to more than $115 million per year, or $3.87 million per team per year.
The NHL’s momentum could cause the price to go up, SBJ says both ESPN and FOX are considering putting together offers. The ratings on Versus increased significantly since the first year of the contract, the network averaged 118,175 viewers in ’06. Last season the NHL on Versus saw 775,000 viewers through the first 54 telecasts of the Stanley Cup playoffs, then posted 3.6 million viewers for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup, Versus’ highest rated game in the network’s history.
Signs point to Versus retaining the deal, the network has increased distribution from 64 million households to 75 million and its asset value has doubled from $625 million to $1.3 billion. It would be well worth it to Versus to increase the offer by 50 percent; where would they be without their partnership with the NHL? SportsBusiness Journal featured a Turnkey survey which found that 50 percent of more than 1,100 senior-level sports executives said the NHL would stay on Versus. Both ESPN and NBC scored 38 percent of the votes (those polled could vote more than once).
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>The SBJ report Monday said the league is close to an agreement that would have U.S. teams launch in-market streaming of live games on both broadband and wireless platforms. This, Ourand says, will change the way fans can view local game telecasts and without question promote the game and popularity of in-market teams.
The NHL is closest to agreeing with Fox Sports Net, which holds the rights to 13 teams. The league is also working with Comcast SportsNet, according to the SBJ report.
As for the “they get it” department, the NHL could potentially put itself far ahead of other leagues when it comes to in-market streaming, Major League Baseball has only two teams streaming in-market, the NBA only has one.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
- Stan Kasten Seems Destined for the Commissioner's Office
- Inside the Numbers: How MLB Postseason Gate Revenues Are Split
- Washington Nationals Release 2011 Season Ticket Prices
- MLB.com At Bat Mobile App Now Allows You to Order Food at Ballpark with iPhone
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
Here’s how “rule 48” reads:
48.1 Illegal Check to the Head- A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted.
48.2 Minor Penalty- There is no provision for a minor penalty for this rule.
48.3 Major Penalty- For a violation of this rule, a major penalty shall be assessed (see 48.4).
48.4 Game Misconduct- An automatic game misconduct penalty shall be assessed whenever a major penalty is assessed under this rule.
48.5 Match Penalty- The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent with an illegal check to the head.
48.6 Fines and Suspensions- Any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts under this rule, in either regular League or playoff games, shall be suspended automatically for the next game his team plays. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
- How Ines Sainz As a Poor "Journalist" Does Good in the Overall
- Jeter's Next Deal Hinges on Playoff Performance
- Joe Torre Steps Down; Don Mattingly To Manage Dodgers in 2011
- Texas Rangers Enter Four-Year Player Development Agreement with the Triple-A Round Rock Express
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
Shero is responsible for the long-term contracts of stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Marc-Andre Fleury as well as the promotion of head coach Dan Bylsma (who had been coaching in the AHL) late in the 2009 season.
“I’d like to thank Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle and the ownership group for showing confidence in me,” Shero said via the Penguins’ website. “They made a decision to hire me back in May of 2006, and it’s worked out for both of us. The ownership group has supported me and given me the resources to do the job. The stability we get from with our ownership group is how you have success both on and off the ice.”
Shero’s craftiness during the ’09 cup run was no more apparent than at the trade deadline when the GM acquired several players who had key roles down the stretch including Chris Kunitz from Anaheim, Bill Guerin from the New York Islanders and claiming Craig Adams from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>The city of Glendale sent out a release on the issue, as reported by the Republic:
"As the city and the prospective buyer work toward finalizing documents, in a show of good faith, the prospective buyer has deposited $25 million dollars into escrow," Glendale's statement read.
"This shows the city has met the NHL deadline for finding a qualified buyer, who will keep the team here, a requirement to release the City's $25 million currently in escrow," the statement said. "Glendale
and the NHL will continue to move forward to work with the prospective buyer to facilitate a purchase of the team that will keep the Coyotes in Glendale for the long term."
Keep in mind if Hulsizer, or whoever the “potential buyer” is, and the city don’t reach a deal, the city will be on the hook for the $25
million again. We’ve often wondered why the city chose to shut down a deal that would have made current Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf the new owner of the Coyotes. The deal had an out clause, but still, if Reinsdorf can’t make it work in Glendale, no one can. But, that ship sailed and the city can only wait and hope Hulsizer comes through.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>The move is an attempt to increase the importance of winning in regulation or in the first overtime. Earlier this off-season, a debate waged over whether the shootout should continue to exist.
According to ProHockey Talk, here’s how the rule book reads now:
NHL By-Law 27.3 now reads as follows (with the approved revision in underlined italics):
At the conclusion of the regular Schedule of Championship Games the standing of the teams in each Conference shall be determined in accordance with the following priorities in the order listed:
a) First place in each of the three divisions seeded 1, 2 and 3.
b) The higher number of points earned by the Club.
c) The greater number of games won by the Club (excluding games won in the Shootout).
d) The higher number of points earned in games against each other among two or more Clubs having equal standing under priorities (b) and (c).
e) The greater differential between goals scored for and against by clubs having equal standing under priority (d).
The change seems to be more of an attempt to appease the shootout haters, and somewhat of a weak one at that. The question is will we really see teams fight to score against non-conference opponents or, when the game is tied, will they sit back for the guaranteed two points? Fringe teams may play a little harder, but locks for the playoffs will take the one point.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
- Re-Ranking the Top 10 Markets for Relocation or Expansion
- MLB Releases Master Schedule for 2011 Season
- Minor League Baseball Draws 41.4 Million Fans for 2010
- Rays Draw Just 26,907 for Key Match-Up Down the Stretch with Yankees
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
Here is the press release sent out by the NHLPA concerning their endorsement of Fehr:
The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) announced today that its Executive Board has voted to accept the recommendation of the Search Committee (Ryan Getzlaf, Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rafalski, Brian Rolston and Mathieu Schneider) that Don Fehr be named the new NHLPA Executive Director.
The recommendation to appoint Fehr as Executive Director will next be submitted to the full NHLPA membership for consideration, along with various amendments to the NHLPA Constitution that were approved by the Executive Board earlier this summer. The Executive Director and Constitution membership votes are expected to conclude following individual team meetings that will take place during training camp and the first part of the regular season, and Fehr’s appointment will not become official until that time. In the interim, Fehr will continue to assist the NHLPA as a consultant.
"The Search Committee is pleased that the Executive Board has endorsed our recommendation to select Don Fehr as our new Executive Director and we look forward to our fellow members voting on this important matter," said Mathieu Schneider.
"I am gratified by the Executive Board's vote, and I look forward to meeting all the Players at team meetings which begin later this month," said Fehr.
Fehr, 62, joined the Major League Baseball Players Association as its General Counsel in 1977, and served as the MLBPA Executive Director for 26 years until he stepped down in December, 2009.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
- Astros Promo to Attempt World Record for "Largest Harmonica Ensemble"
- A Note to Forbes
- Todd Ricketts Goes "Undercover Boss" with the Chicago Cubs
- MLB On Pace to Have Lower Attendance Than Last Season
Matthew Coller is a senior staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
September 7, 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks’ under-24 Stanley Cup winning tandem of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will do what people under 24 do: play video games. The two generation X’ers who faced off in the 2010 Olympics and raised the cup together will now raise video game controllers to on the streets of Manhattan at the Reebok Store to kick off the release of EA Sports’ NHL 11.
The two players will apparently compete in a live trick shot competition before playing USA vs. Canada on EA’s newest hockey game. The first 100 fans will also get their NHL 11 copy signed by the stars.
The game was given an 8.5 rating by IGN.com.
Matthew Coller is a senior staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
]]>"As Canada's largest retailer of sporting equipment and a brand steeped in Canadian history, Canadian Tire is who Canadians trust for their first pair of skates, stick, helmet and pads. Over the past 90 years, we've equipped millions of first-time hockey players, like Jonathan Toews, from head to toe," said Mike Arnett, President of Canadian Tire Retail in a statement. "Through the Canadian Tire Hockey School, we're building on our hockey roots to help develop a lifelong enjoyment of the game. We're also thrilled to add the NHL and Canadian hockey star Jonathan Toews to our winning team. With this stellar line-up, we've become more than Canada's hockey store; we're Canada's hockey school."
Tire will now be designated as an Official Partner of the NHL Heritage Classic™, NHL All-Star Game, Stanley Cup® Playoffs, Stanley Cup Final and NHL Face-Off™
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
- Oscar Goodman Wants a Team in Las Vegas, MLB Not Planning On It
- Florida Marlins Catcher Ronny Paulino Suspended 50 Games for PEDs
- Jamie McCourt Claims Document Fraud Entitles Her to Ownership of Dodgers
- Astros Break 30 Million in Attendance for Minute Maid Park
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at [email protected]
]]>News Corp., who is also involved in the possible purchase of the Texas Rangers (read more at www.bizofbaseball.com) could end up with the Stars, Rangers and guaranteed contracts for FSN Southwest, presumably at whatever price they choose or no price, and control all programming. The sales are far away at this point and would have to be made separately.
Another road block would be that the purchase would have to be approved by the NHL Board of Governors. The Governors might want to avoid controversy or any chants of conflict of interest (or maybe that’ll just be me). It wouldn’t, however, be the first time a media outlet owned a hockey team. Up until 2005, the Anaheim Ducks were owned by Disney (who also owns ESPN).
Follow the sale of the Texas Rangers at Biz of Baseball
- Mark Cuban is Sleeping with the Enemy in Texas Rangers Sale, FOX May Bid on Club
- Judge Keeps Aug 4 Auction For Texas Rangers, After Enhanced Bid Offer Rejected
- Greenberg-Ryan Group Enhances Bid for Texas Rangers, Cuban Officially Pursuing
- From Alex Rodriguez to the MLBPA, Objections Fly in Texas Rangers Case
- Judge Orders Aug. 4 Date for Auction of Texas Rangers
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and can be followed on Twitter
The deal was rejected by the league because it circumvented cap rules, which commissioner Gary Bettman had warned against after several other long-term front-loaded deals (see the complete breakdown of Kovalchuk’s deal here). The NHLPA claims that the contract is legal under the collective bargaining agreement and should be allowed.
Agents predicted last week that the deal would likely be allowed since nothing in the collective bargaining agreement forbids front-loaded contracts. Front-loading the deal allows Kovalchuk’s cap hit to be around $6 million despite him earning $11.5 million from 2012-2017.
The ruling on Kovalchuk’s deal will be closely watched by several other big-name NHLers whose contracts come up next season. Brad Richards, Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton are among the names who will likely end up with front-loaded deals if Kovalchuk’s contract is allowed.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
- Liverpool FC Fans in Texas Run Poster Campaign to Remove Tom Hicks
- LWIB: MLB Revenue Sharing, Qcue Partners with MLBAM, Plus Tidbits
- Brown: Timing of Minor League hGH Testing More Than a PR Move by MLB
- 5 Minor Leaguers Suspended for PEDs
- Athletics Ink Kurt Suzuki to 4-yr, $16.25M Contract
- MLB to Implement Blood Testing for HGH in Minor Leagues
- Judge In Texas Rangers Bankruptcy Case Sets Aug. 4 for Auction
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and can be followed on Twitter
]]>The Pittsburgh Penguins currently have 60 percent of their cap space wrapped up in six players. The Chicago Blackhawks put all their chips with Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell – all All-Star caliber.
AOL Fanhouse writer Adam Gretz spoke with Penguins GM Ray Shero (read the entire articlle here) concerning this strategy:
"If you have money tied up in three or four guys, hopefully that means you've got three or four top players," said Shero during a phone interview with FanHouse. "The worst thing you can do is have three or four guys tied up in big money contracts, but they're not difference makers. We're fortunate here to have Crosby and Malkin as our franchise players. We have a lot of money tied up in them, $8.7 a piece cap wise per year. When you go back to the pre-lockout era, it's hard to recall, but there used to not even be a roster size and you could have as many guys on your roster as you wanted. When Detroit won the Cup, back whenever it was, and Luc Robitaille was a fourth-line player, a Hall of Fame guy, you could carry 28 guys on your payroll if you could afford it."
The Blackhawks are hurting because of the types of risks referenced by Shero, their names are Christobal Huet ($5.625 million) and Brian Campbell ($7.140 million). Both aren’t stars and both have enormous contracts. The Blackhawks are forced to fill in more marginal players than they’d like because of those failed contracts.
One way around being forced to use average players is to develop young ones. Gretz notes that Shelly Anderson of the Post-Gazette wrote that this increased need means development camps are now more important.
"We didn't really want to use the development camp as an evaluation as much as an education for the players," Shero told Fanhouse. "I think it was our best development camp so far. The competition was really good, we liked what we saw in Eric Tangradi and Dustin Jeffrey, and they showed they have a chance to help us.
"Still, It's more of an education for the players both on and off the ice," he continued. "This is the one time we can see a number of college players, and they have to pay their own way, but I think it's good for them because they never had the chance to come to training camp to get a feel for what it's like. It's really their only chance to see what it's like in that environment and meet the people and coaches and have some idea of what to expect."
Along with putting the big bucks into stars and developing young talent, Shero says that each time finds their own identity and formula for winning. But eludes to goaltending as, let’s just say, not as important as it once was.
"I think it really just depends on how your team is going to be built. Detroit has never really had a ton of money in goaltending, they choose to spend it elsewhere. A team like Philadelphia now, that's kind of what they're doing, going heavy in defense and not as much in goal. Every team is a little bit different. If you have it, you want to keep it. If you don't, there's other avenues you can go to to hopefully have success on a year-to-year basis. I think it just really depends what you have for assets in goal. I'm not looking to move Marc-Andre Fleury to replace him with another goaltender, that's just not what we're looking to do. We have Marc-Andre, we'll keep him and build our team that way."
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
- Brown: Timing of Minor League hGH Testing More Than a PR Move by MLB
- 5 Minor Leaguers Suspended for PEDs
- Athletics Ink Kurt Suzuki to 4-yr, $16.25M Contract
- MLB to Implement Blood Testing for HGH in Minor Leagues
- Judge In Texas Rangers Bankruptcy Case Sets Aug. 4 for Auction
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and can be followed on Twitter
When the architect of the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks Dale Tallon signed on to be the Panthers’ GM, we knew there would be changes. Not just with players, but across the board.
Sunrise Sports and Entertainment announced Friday that Cliff Viner will take over as General Partner, Chairman & CEO of the Florida Panthers and the BankAtlantic Center. Viner, who was the Chairman and Co-General Partner with Stu Siegal since Nov. 2009, will be on his own as Siegel returns to his role as Limited Partner.
“First of all I would like to thank Stu for his contributions in reshaping the business strategy of SSE during the recent transition period,” Viner said in a statement. “As Stu turns his focus to other business opportunities, I am confident that the decisions we have made over the last eight months have put us in position to reach our goals and achieve success. With General Manager Dale Tallon leading our franchise, and President & COO Michael Yormark at the helm of our business operations and entertainment offerings, I am extremely excited about the future of this organization.”
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
- MLB to Implement Blood Testing for HGH in Minor Leagues
- Judge In Texas Rangers Bankruptcy Case Sets Aug. 4 for Auction
- Inside the Texas Rangers Bid Procedures Hearing
- Nolan Ryan Says Texas Rangers in Danger of Losing Josh Hamilton if Stuck in Bankruptcy
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and can be followed on Twitter