Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President Richard
Peddie disputed a report yesterday that if the NBA "wanted"
a Knicks-Raptors playoff game on Saturday, April 29, the
Raptors "would kick the Leafs out of their traditional
Saturday night slot at the Air Canada Centre," according to
Chris Zelkovich of the TORONTO STAR. Peddie, noting the
potential for a playoff game conflict at the arena, said,
"Saturday is a hockey night, it's a Canadian tradition, a
television night. There is no Saturday tradition for
basketball." NHL VP/Broadcasting Glenn Adamo said, "Nobody
has the absolute right [to Air Canada Centre]. If we needed
the game badly enough, we'd tell (the NBA) we have to have
this. We play let's make a deal all the time." Zelkovich
questions if NBC would "have the upper hand over the CBC" in
influencing which game gets the OK to play at the arena.
Adamo: "I spent 15 years at NBC and I can tell you they have
no weight. At the end of the day I've got to protect the
NHL. I don't judge this as an NBC vs. CBC issue. The issue
is what is best for our schedule, our playoffs, our clubs
and how it does affect television" (TORONTO STAR, 4/18).