Court documents filed last Thursday by an attorney for Islanders Owner Charles Wang said that hedge fund manager Andrew Barroway "sent letters" to Wang in May and June that "indicate that Barroway did not believe he had an agreement to buy the Islanders in March." On Long Island, Jim Baumbach noted Barroway "sued Wang on Aug. 11 in an attempt to either enforce the terms of a purchase agreement that was drawn up -- but not signed -- in March or award him a 'breakup fee'" of $10M. But Wang's filing said subsequent letters sent to Wang "directly contradict" Barroway's allegation (NEWSDAY, 9/20).
HEY, JOE: YAHOO SPORTS' Greg Wyshynski noted the Avalanche added GM to the job title of Exec VP/Hockey Operations Joe Sakic and "added the word 'assistant'" to the title of GM Greg Sherman. Sherman "began the summer as the Avalanche’s general manager-in-name-only," as Sakic "ran the player personnel show" along with coach & VP/Hockey Operations Patrick Roy. Sherman, the man who "used to pull the trigger on trades was demoted, internally, to being their capologist. The move is "a formality, of course, as Sakic has been running the show since his triumphant return to the team" in May '13 (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/20).
VINTAGE JACKETS: In Columbus, Aaron Portzline reported the Blue Jackets "soon will announce plans to establish an alumni foundation," led by FS Ohio analyst and former player Jody Shelley. The first event, "tentatively scheduled for Nov. 28 at Nationwide Arena," will be "an alumni game to benefit mental-health awareness." Shelley said, "It’s something that’s been talked about for many years. But the franchise has to be old enough to have some roots, and you want to make sure you do it right." He added that the group "still is working on a mission statement, and it wants to clearly differentiate its reach from that of the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, which aids pediatric cancer research and treatment, child safety and youth hockey" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 9/21).
