“Ultimately, if it makes sense from a league perspective, I’m sure it will happen. But that doesn’t mean that’s any time in the foreseeable future,”

Pardon the expression, but no shit sherlock! The “it” in question happens to be in this case a second team in southern Ontario. However, given the quote from Bill Daly, the “it” may as well have been mars. Seriously, what has Daly said here that is the least bit newsworthy? Oh, I know, that the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t have any say in the matter as it relates to a second team in their backyard. This too is hardly news, as the league has voiced that opinion earlier this summer when they were becoming more and more likely to be the proud new owners of your Phoenix Coyotes.

Daly is a lot of things, and dumb isn’t one of them. The league has taken quite a bit of flack for being “anti-Canadian” over the least couple of months. Jim Balsillie, the guy who didn’t like to attend his own pep-rallies, was very successful in stirring the league vs. Canada pot. No matter how many times Bettman or anyone else from the league said it wasn’t a Canada issue, the Make It Seven guys were sure to hit the hockey is Canada’s game sentiment. You know that Daily and Bettman for that matter knew this would be a topic at the Burke run/sponsored sports event in Toronto. There is no chance that the answer provided by Daily wasn’t thought over a head of time. The reality is, he didn’t say anything.

“If the league ever comes to us and says: ‘Look guys, it’s time,’ and makes the case, then we’ve got to listen,”

Neither did Brian Burke either.Of course there is no reason for the Toronto Maple Leafs to comment until there is an issue. Why get into a pissing match with the league on an issue like this until their is an issue. There is no conflict here. Furthermore, all Burke has said is that if they come to us we will listen. What has Burke committed the Leafs to exactly? Nothing. In order for the statement to be the least likely to be true, it’s starts with the premise that the league actually would come to Burke’s Leafs.

Take a look at the headline in this morning’s STAR:

“Leafs would not oppose second NHL team for T.O.”

Huh?

“The Maple Leafs are not opposed to a second NHL team setting up shop in the Greater Toronto Area.”

REALLY?

That isn’t what Burke said. READ the quote! It says, if they came to us and it made sense we would listen. Nowhere does it say, we would agree, nor does it say we wouldn’t fight it! What a crock of shit. It’s no wonder sports executives may have a hard time with the MSM in this town. Burke’s quote couldn’t be clearer. The interpretation of it in the Star appears to be totally misleading.

Compare to the headline in the Sun:

“Burke: Leafs will never say ‘never’ regarding second team”

EXACTLY!

“The Maple Leafs aren’t warm to the idea of a second team in their yard, but that doesn’t mean they and the NHL can’t see the day coming. ”

That certainly seems to be case of responsible journalism to me, at least as compared to the Star.

There is one refreshing part of this story which will be the MAJOR topic of conversation for the next couple of days I am sure by the MSM, and that is that at least for right now, Brian Burke appears to be the Toronto Maple Leafs spokesman, replacing Richard Peddie. Granted I am not in Toronto at this time, I am not seeing one quote or comment by the man who loves the mic. All the focus from the Leafs is shining where it should shine and that is on Brian Burke. That is a very nice change.

“It remains our intention to get Wayne paid because he’s owed some money,” he told Tony Ambrogio of Sportsnet. “He has about US$8- or US$9-million that he’s earned in deferred money. That will be the first chunk we want him to get paid for.”

More shocking revelations from Bettman’s right hand man. Seems pretty simple to me, the greatest ambassador the game has ever had is due a large chunk of cash by the team currently owned by the league and the league says it intends on paying him what it owes him. What it most likely means is how can we get #99 to continue to be our ambassador given what we have put him through over the last couple of months. The reality is, given that the team was put through the bankruptcy process I am not entirely sure that the NHL can just write a check to Gretzky in that he was a creditor. In any event, the guy fulfilled his end of the bargain and he should get paid. I have to assume that when Daly is referring to “chunks” he is referring to the fact that Gretzky is owed $8-9m for work he has already completed- the deferred money, and was due other monies for work to be done prior to him quitting his coaching gig. The issue on the second chunk would be determined on the language in 99’s coaching contract and whether or not Gretzky’s legal team would try to suggest that Gretzky was essentially fired (in legal terms) and had no choice but to quit. I can’t imagine the league wanting to go down the litigation route with Gretzky.

So, all in all another non-story to engulf our sports lives. The truth of the matter is not much was said here. Nothing new, nothing shocking and no nothing appears to be imminent.

The one interesting NHL news piece today was that Donald Fehr of MLB fame has agreed to assist the NHLPA in it’s search for a new leader to be added to the payroll and to evaluate their current constitution. I think that I am most likely alone on this one, but I think that getting someone of Fehr’s ilk involved in the NHLPA is probably a good thing for the game. The players are going to have a voice so it may as well be be based upon a foundation that makes some sense. Fehr served his constituents very well at MLBPA, under his guidance the players were able to ride out numerous storms and the problems that many of us see in MLB these days are the doing of their commissioner. Besides, how long can it be until Chelios or someone else starts stabbing this guy in the back at 4am? I mean come on, it’s the NHLPA

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

quotes came from here, here and here

NHLPA boss Paul Kelley talked to the sportsnet lunch guys about all things hockey in Toronto, including a second team at the ACC

Glen Healey Come Playoff Time-Fore

“We can’t do anything, but we do question why franchises are in certain places,” Healy said. “We care because they are tied to us with the [salary-cap] system we’re in and the cost certainty. Some of these franchises are like an anchor, or even the Titanic, and we’re going down with them.”

Two, count em two separate article in tomorrow’s globe about the NHLPA’s displeasure with the NHL’s lack of urgency to move a second team to southern Ontario. Paul Kelley is quoted, with respect to the Vaughn meetings. The rest of the material comes from Healey. Rest assured that Healey is speaking with the compete blessing of Kelly. Anyone who speaks out of turn is out at the NHLPA- just ask Eric Lindros. Not a word comes out of Healey’s mouth that Kelly hasn’t blessed – count on it. Kelley is that smart.

“They have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole for a lot of years,” Healy said yesterday, in reference to the failure of the Sun Belt teams in the NHL. “They have tried everything in the world to sell the game, market the game, put fans in the seats and it doesn’t work for a lot of reasons. You can go down a laundry list of why it hasn’t worked — it doesn’t have the corporate backing, management has been ineffective in putting a winning team on the ice, and so on.”

Hello fans of the Sunbelt teams- anything to say? I don’t often come to Bettman’s defense, but how long ago was it that the number of Canadian teams struggling outnumbered those south of the border? Things are more dire today because of the economy (stupid). I am left wondering what Healey would have to say to moving one team to southern ontario and folding 2-3. Consider if you will:

“The players’ responsibility is to put the best product on the ice,” Healy said. “I think we’ve done that this year; whistle to whistle it has been excellent. I think the league has the responsibility to put teams in viable markets that you know are going to succeed. If the product is lousy then we have to revamp the game. But that’s not the case.”

Can’t suck and blow at the same time. If you want us to believe that anywhere from 5-7 teams are in dire straits, we can buy that. However, you can’t really believe that there are 5-7 markets ready to take them on can you (there certainly aren’t in Canada for sure!)? So why not fold a couple. I mean in the spirit of putting the best product on the ice, wouldn’t the product be that much better if there were fewer teams???? Uh-huh, I thought so…..

Bettman, meanwhile has enrolled in the JP Ricciardi school of fine public relations:

“I didn’t know who he was sitting down with,” Bettman said of Daly on his weekly radio show. “I couldn’t care less. He had the meeting, he reported back that there was another group interested in a team in Southern Ontario, which doesn’t come as a shock or a news bulletin to me.”

The tone and tenor of that comment is just pathetic. He wonders why he gets booed at every public event he goes to. Or maybe he thinks that is the sign of a good commissioner. Lose the tude Gary, it’s not becoming.

“But now that revenues — and soon enough, the cap — are tumbling down, the players and their union seem prepared to demand more of a say in how the NHL is operated, in an attempt at least to mitigate the damage. Specifically, they are becoming more and more vocal in questioning the wisdom of keeping franchises in places where they aren’t being supported, where tickets are given away or sell for next to nothing, while the biggest and best hockey market on the continent seems woefully underexploited.”

Partners…whatever that meant at the time hasn’t given the PA the ammunition it needs. To get it, they made need to endure another work stoppage. With Buzz on board, they have the right man in place. Let’s see how that works out for all involved should they go that route.

“It’s not a selfless gesture. Anything but. The players are thinking about their own bank accounts first and foremost. And as has been discussed already at length, there are other, significant obstacles to a second Southern Ontario team. But add the players’ newfound engagement to the crumbling economy, to the problems specific to Phoenix and Tampa and Atlanta, to the creditors hovering over several franchises, to individual owners not so keen to throw good money after bad, and the commissioner seems an increasingly lonely figure, trying to stem an inevitably rising tide.”

He may be alone, but he has the conch. This isn’t going to change anytime soon. He has the support of his owners. When was the last time one of them yapped out of turn? Which year was that again? In Gary they trust. The PA can make all the noise they want. They will win the PR battle in these parts for the short term. Will they go the work stoppage route over this issue??? If they do, they had better use a better PR firm then the one they used last time. The end of the day, they can say all they want to say. Talk is cheap and Bettman has the power.

You can read the articles from the globe here and here

If you want to read the best article on this non-issue check out Stephen Brunt’s excellent piece in today’s Globe and Mail, talk about nailing it…:

“Still, without the league, and without the Maple Leafs, none of that really matters. As of today, Bettman remains committed to maintaining 30 teams in their current homes, avoiding relocation at all costs — though that position may well already be untenable. The crashing economy has only heightened the problems for franchises that were already hemorrhaging money. There are still pipe dreams about fresh U.S. markets, including one of that country’s foreclosure capitals, Las Vegas, but the truth is that of the possible places to move a team in North America, only Toronto and environs would seem absolutely failsafe….. And if the Leafs were for some reason convinced to make a deal, wouldn’t the indemnification — plus the cost of the club, plus the cost of building an arena — cut deeply into the perceived bonanza? It’s not that it can’t happen, or that it won’t ever happen, or that, circumstances being right, it couldn’t happen quickly. But it can’t, it won’t, without some fundamental changes in philosophy, and we aren’t there quite yet.”

And that my friends, is all I have to say about that!

TSM

The excellent piece is here

Here we go again, David Shoalts is chasing down the story that will never go away (and no I don’t mean Brian Burke), another team in Toronto. This time Shoalts is quoting sources, some on the record and some, not so much…

“Why shouldn’t we put another team in the best and biggest market in the world?” one of several NHL governors who spoke with The Globe anonymously said of the Greater Toronto Area.According to this governor, one idea floated is for prospective owner Jim Balsillie to be rewarded with an expansion team in Toronto after helping to restore financial ballast to the Nashville Predators.“I’ve heard this exact scenario,” a second governor said.”

Now these guys aren’t as dumb as they sometimes act, but is says here they are having fun with the Toronto media. Bettman inc. isn’t going to reward Balsillie with anything. More importantly, the league has enough struggling teams to make expansion a laughable notion…

“Calgary Flames co-owner Harley Hotchkiss, a former chairman of the NHL board of governors, is also aware of the Balsillie movement.“I’ve heard bits and pieces of this scenario, although not in that kind of detail,” he said. “Our priority is to have the existing franchises solid.“[It is] an interesting scenario,” Mr. Hotchkiss added, “ but I can only speak generally.”

Right, not in that kind of detail….

Now, take a deep breath, and get ready for this…

“Richard Peddie, president of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, said the organization would not automatically reject the idea of a second team in Toronto.“When and if the league brings expansion to the table, we’ll listen and decide what is best [for hockey],” he said.”

What’s best for hockey?????? Yeah right! What a joke that is. MLSE is not going to do what is best for hockey, they do what is best for shareholders (as other businesses do too). Please, call a spade a spade. There is only one way the Leafs agree to this, they get boatloads of cash.

“As to the potential impact on the Maple Leafs, the first governor dismissively waved his hand. “The Maple Leafs would not be hurt one bit. In fact, it would help them. They could make all kinds of money renting the Air Canada Centre to the other team.”

Help them? I am not so sure, but bet on this, if it happens, there will be $ to be made, lots and lots of money.

So, why Toronto and not Hamilton:

“The league will never allow Mr. Balsillie to put a team in Hamilton for two reasons, according to one governor. One is that the city would be a tough sell for U.S.-based teams, and the other, more significant reason, is the belief it would ruin the Buffalo Sabres.“It’s a minor-league town,” the governor said of Hamilton. “How could we sell a team from Hamilton? Do you think the New York Rangers want to put the Hamilton Steelers on their marquee at Madison Square Garden? Do you think anyone in Manhattan would buy tickets to see them?”

LOL, the old boys network never ceases to amaze.

“We do not want to kill the Sabres,” the governor said. “But if there was a second team in Toronto, that would not hurt Buffalo.” A comparable situation exists in Los Angeles, where the Staples Center houses three professional teams – the Kings of the NHL, plus the Lakers and Clippers of the NBA.A third governor thinks the Buffalo Sabres might accept a second team in Southern Ontario as well if it made business sense. He said that means charging Mr. Balsillie as much as $700-million (U.S.) for an expansion franchise.”

$700 million?????? More then an NFL franchise????? What are these guys smoking???? If they can get $700 million from anyone, they should jump at it. $700 million…sorry, I can’t stop laughing. That is what the NFL charged the owner of the new franchise in Houston for its franchise.

I will say it again, if the New York area has 3 teams and the LA area has 2, Toronto should get a shot at a second team…That doesn’t mean it will happen, but until it does, these stories will continue to appear… What do you think?

you can read Shoalts here