IHL Lumberjacks Owner Larry Gordon will use his fourth
and final season as the Chair of the league's Board of
Governors to "ensure the IHL patches up its rocky
relationship with the NHL," according to Amy Rosewater of
the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The IHL "planted" itself on the
NHL's "bad list" by placing franchises into NHL "hotbeds"
like Chicago and Detroit a few years ago and by "accepting
[NHL] holdouts" like Kevin Hatcher and Petr Nedved. But now
the IHL -- "under new leadership with Doug Moss replacing
Bob Ufer as the league's commissioner -- says it is ready to
kiss and make up. It just hopes the NHL is ready to do the
same." Gordon: "We have to have closer relations with the
NHL. That's our No. 1 priority." Rosewater adds that the
IHL is "no longer looking into expanding in markets where
the NHL has teams," and is instead eyeing Birmingham, AL,
and Omaha, NE (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/27).
NHL: Panthers President Bill Torrey, on the NHL's new
TV deal with Disney: "It's a very positive step in the right
direction. To have somebody come through is worth a lot
more than the money. I think Disney will see that (the
adversity) the NHL went through last year was just a one-
year thing" (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 8/27)....Canadiens
President Ronald Corey said he is "under pressure" to keep
the team profitable in the face of rising salaries and a
"plunging" Canadian dollar: "My role is to run a profitable
business within a sick industry." Corey said NHLPA Exec Dir
Bob Goodenow "should be worried about what's happening now.
He might say he doesn't have the [owners'] figures, but he
can come down here with 22 accountants and look at our books
if he wants" (CP/OTTAWA CITIZEN, 8/26).
