Preds being Sold? Balsillie has agreement with Hamilton to bring team there!

[Drury77]

Jim Balsillie is at it again. After a failed bid to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins, sources tell TSN the co-chief and executive officer of Research In Motion has an agreement in place to purchase the Nashville Predators


TSN : NHL - Canada's Sports Leader

So despite what some of us may have thought in regards to the naming rights of the Arena, maybe the winds of change are coming thru Nashville.

I mean this guy tried desperately to buy the Pens, but the NHL said no cuz they didn't want the team moved, so what does this all mean for the Predators Organization and fans!!

This kinda of bothers me, and apparently Leipold has called a press conference for Thursday, and Nashville's employees have been informed of the pending sale??

[John F]

It should bother Predator fans because there is a contingent of the hockey community that says Nashville is a failed market. The thought is that this guy wants to move the team to Waterloo, Ontario (which is just outside the Toronto Metroplex)...

[PredDave]

Here's my take on the situation:

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Sale of the Predators
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"Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie has entered into an agreement to buy the Nashville Predators hockey club from Craig Leipold. Full details will be given at a formal press conference later today held at the Sommet Center in Nashville.

Imagine this scenario. Someone approaches you out of the blue and offers $220,000,000 for a product you spent $55,000,000 on less than 10 years ago. The city of Nashville contributed $25 million of the $80 million expansion franchise fee in 1997, meaning Leipold spent only $55 million. Leipold is looking to quadruple his initial investment after years of crying poverty and yearly losses. Honestly, how can Leipold refuse this offer?

The Nashville Predators' ownership has until June 22nd to notify Nashville Metro if the "escape clause" will be enabled for next summer. This clause gives the city the option to buy enough tickets during the 2007-08 season to keep the average paid attendance above 14,000. On more than one occasion, numerous city officials have made it public knowledge that they would not be "bullied" into buying tickets.

So, no support from the city and very lackluster support from the corporate base leave only one alternative: more fans must attend games next season or else! The new owner will have the "option" of paying an $18 million escape fee to Nashville Metro (who will be more than happy to accept) and relocate the team in the summer of 2008.

While this may be underhanded and very unpopular, one cannot fault a businessman for wanting to make a buck. But hockey fans of the area should feel numb. Knowing of the relocation potential, casual fans will stay home and save their money, which in turn will lower attendance, making the situation a Catch-22.

Craig Leipold is selling the Predators for nearly twice the amount of money Forbes appraised the franchise to be worth ($134 million). For years, Leipold has delivered a polished, well rehearsed act of trying to keep the Predators in Nashville for the long term. In fact, the Sommet Group will probably feel slighted for the multi-year naming rights deal driven by the crafty Leipold.

Will the new Balsillie ownership do the minimum necessary to keep the franchise afloat in 2007-08 only to attempt relocation next summer? Or will Balsillie protect his investment and try to do the right thing by keeping the team in Nashville while creating a new buzz around town and landing better corporate support?

This could be a positive transaction for the franchise as the current ownership and marketing of the Predators have burnt many bridges in the corporate community. Here’s hoping that Jim Balsillie will heal the franchise by building success in Nashville instead of stealing the franchise for his private relocation hobby.

Commissioner Gary Bettman and the rest of the NHL ownership group were adamant last year about not allowing Balsillie to relocate the Pittsburgh Penguins in his ownership bid. Will the owners' hands be tied this time? It is truly a sad day to be a hockey fan in Tennessee."


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Here's another juicy piece of info regarding a secret land purchase by Balsillie:
RIM buys land secretly in Cambridge, Ontario
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We (the Predators) are toast! Thanks for the 10 years, Predators.... I'll miss you.

[bedir than average]

Dave, I feel for you. My basketball club has had the out-of-town ownership cloud raining on us for a year. I actually hope for your sake that if they are to move it happens quickly.

[Drury77]

Mayor Purcell was on the radio today and talking about how he is optimistic this can lead to a brighter future for the NASHVILLE Predators. He reitterated that a numerous times, that Bassile (sp?), is buying the Nashville Predators.

I'm not optimistic, the Preds will stay but maybe things can change for us and we can move on and become an even stronger club. I'm so tired of the we're the small market club, and we should move to blah, blah city. If they're gonna do it, stop torturing the fans with all the rumors and innuendo.

[John F]

Off Wing opinion has published the letter Craig Leopold wrote to Season ticket holders, suite owners and the like. Eric also makes a few interesting points:

A couple of weeks back over at the NHL Fanhouse, a local Nashville blogger gently chided me for concluding that things weren't going well in Nashville based on local press reports, albeit nothing that I thought couldn't be cured without a deep playoff run.

But when the man who owns the franchise turns around and sells the team to a billionaire who is actively looking to import an NHL franchise to his hometown, I guess there's little sense in arguing the point anymore.

We should remember that Leipold was one of the owners who actually helped negotiate the terms of the current CBA. On the face of it, it might seem odd that an owner who helped create the league's new economic order would be the first to jump ship after the resolution of the lockout.

The team was the one that received the most from Revenue SHaring and yet still reported a 27 million dollar loss the last two seasons combined. That hurts.

[ofhdhdy]

I hope Nashville is moved to Canada, that would be sweet!

[John F]

Moved to a suburb of Toronto is not sweet. That's like putting another MLB team in New York/New England. You don't grow the sport as a brand by loading up on where the sports is popular.

[ofhdhdy]

Originally Posted by John F

Moved to a suburb of Toronto is not sweet. That's like putting another MLB team in New York/New England. You don't grow the sport as a brand by loading up on where the sports is popular.

When you only average 12,500 attendance you don't even deserve a team. Moving to Canada will result in a larger attendance which equals more money, which is what the owners want.... Move to Canada!!

[John F]

Originally Posted by ofhdhdy

When you only average 12,500 attendance you don't even deserve a team. Moving to Canada will result in a larger attendance which equals more money, which is what the owners want.... Move to Canada!!

And WHERE in Canada? Re-read my post:

Moved to a suburb of Toronto is not sweet. That's like putting another MLB team in New York/New England. You don't grow the sport as a brand by loading up on where the sports is popular.

This isn't moving the team to Winnipeg, Windsor, Saskatoon, Quebec City or Regina. This isn't moving the team to a new US market in a larger city that has hosted minor league hockey for years... This is moving to a TORONTO SUBURB

Loading up in eastern Canada is detrimental to the SPORT AS A WHOLE. You see Canada and you react with positivity because of nationalism but it's bigger than that. It's not a black-and-white, US vs. Canada deal.

You can state the why and that's something that's apparent. I state the where and the problem with it which is larger and much more of an issue than your knee-jerk approval.

[ofhdhdy]

I really don't see any problem at all in moving to a Toronto suburb. They are clearly the most dedicated fans and it would be better then Nashville, KC or any other place mentioned.....

[Drury77]

Originally Posted by ofhdhdy

I really don't see any problem at all in moving to a Toronto suburb. They are clearly the most dedicated fans and it would be better then Nashville, KC or any other place mentioned.....

You know ofhdhdy, you have no clue about the Nashville fans or the potential successfullness of this organization. I'm so sick and tired of ppl saying we don't derserve the team in Nashville, the ppl who say that are just sore cuz Canada couldn't sustain the teams they used to have. Moving to a suburb of Toronto is a problem when you think about the Leafs themselves. They and the Sabres have territorial rights and moving a team, any team to that area is going to cause much greater problems for the two aformentioned teams, as well as the moving team.

Canada gave us americans a great sport but that doesn't mean we can't do justice to the sport. You may not agree with the expansion teams, but Nashville is growing leaps and bounds and we've had major increases in attendance and season ticket sales in the past two years. This team could if marketted properly in Nashville really turn this around in terms of being a successful organization, but that is only if this new owner is actually willing to give this city a chance to show him that we do in fact WANT THE PREDS HERE!!!

[John F]

Originally Posted by ofhdhdy

I really don't see any problem at all in moving to a Toronto suburb. They are clearly the most dedicated fans and it would be better then Nashville, KC or any other place mentioned.....

Drury stated the territorial aspects of things but what she didn't bring up was the fact you're lumping more teams in the east.

I'm not lobbying for KC, Houston, Las Vegas, Portland, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina or any other city out west but for the sake fo the NHL -- if it's going to be more than a cult sport it has to EXPAND it's reach, not contract it.

In blind passion of pro-Canada, it's easy miss that logic. I'm not saying add more teams as Expansion has hurt the league. What I am saying is you can't lump every team within a 500 mile radius. New York (2 teams), New Jersey, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston... Nine teams in that close a proximity? Heck, how many teams are just outside that 500 mile range? Detroit, Washington, Pittsburgh, Columbus... And you want to add to it?

It's bad business. Being blindly nationalist doesn't let you see the problem with this arrangement. "Only 3 of those teams are Canadian!" isn't the logic, it's the proximity, as was stated. 15 teams in a 700+ mile radius. Neither Canada or the US are solely populated in the east...

[ofhdhdy]

Originally Posted by Drury77

You know ofhdhdy, you have no clue about the Nashville fans or the potential successfullness of this organization. I'm so sick and tired of ppl saying we don't derserve the team in Nashville, the ppl who say that are just sore cuz Canada couldn't sustain the teams they used to have. Moving to a suburb of Toronto is a problem when you think about the Leafs themselves. They and the Sabres have territorial rights and moving a team, any team to that area is going to cause much greater problems for the two aformentioned teams, as well as the moving team.

Canada gave us americans a great sport but that doesn't mean we can't do justice to the sport. You may not agree with the expansion teams, but Nashville is growing leaps and bounds and we've had major increases in attendance and season ticket sales in the past two years. This team could if marketted properly in Nashville really turn this around in terms of being a successful organization, but that is only if this new owner is actually willing to give this city a chance to show him that we do in fact WANT THE PREDS HERE!!!

I do know that they didn't even average 13,000 paid attendance and that no companies in Nashville support hockey. I can't wait until they move to Kitchener-Waterloo, where the fans really care!

[bedir than average]

Would hockey really be a stronger sport if even less Americans cared about it?

If so shouldn't Phoenix move to Victoria or Surrey?
Shouldn't Florida move to St.Jean-Sur-Richelieu?