Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President & CEO
Richard Peddie, on the Canadian public's negative response
to the NHL seeking government financial aid for its six
teams: "I'm not surprised. ... They see players making $6-7
million a year and they think any relief we'll get will go
to player salaries. No fan can understand an issue this
complex. We don't expect there to be empathy" (OTTAWA
CITIZEN, 10/20)....In Toronto, Perry Lefko writes that AFL
Buffalo Destroyers Owner Mark Hamister "is seeking to buy"
the CFL Argonauts. Hamister said yesterday that he has "had
numerous conversations about the team with CFL President
Jeff Giles" (TORONTO SUN, 10/20)....The Mavericks are
selling their team plane for $3.2M. The team is flying on
NBA Air, a fleet "owned by the NBA that's contracted via
Northwest Airlines" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 10/20).
...FSN's Bill Maas reported that Vikings RB Robert Smith
"underwent surgery [Tuesday] to repair a hernia in his lower
abdomen. But get this: The was surgery was actually
performed by the Tampa Bay Bucs team physician, who's a
specialist in hernia surgeries. Do you actually think he
fixed it?" ("Fox Sports News," FSN, 10/19)....The Predators,
Staples Center and Allstate Insurance have reached deals to
use Marketing Database Systems' UsherPro ticket management
and marketing technology (Marketing Database Systems).
