It has been a year since Penguins co-Owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle began to explore their options for a sale of the franchise, but NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday said that any prospective sale "is not close to happening anytime soon," according to Ray Fittipaldo of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Bettman prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final said, “My understanding is there is no urgency or immediacy. For a variety of reasons, they’re looking for options, but there is nothing pressing and there is no process in place to sell the club.” Fittipaldo notes the sale price "is believed to be" in the $750M range and will "include the development rights for the property adjacent to Consol Energy Center." One issue with the sale "could be NHL expansion." The NHL "could decide to expand by one or two franchises later this month and Lemieux and Burkle likely want to see the price tag for those franchises before selling" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 5/31). In Pittsburgh, Jonathan Bombulie noted Bettman's comments "represent somewhat of a change in tone from the last time he discussed the issue in January at the All-Star Game in Nashville" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 5/31).
CALM BEFORE THE STORM: YAHOO SPORTS' Greg Wyshynski noted Hurricanes Owner Peter Karmanos "has been looking for a partner to buy into the team’s ownership for some time," but that "shouldn’t however, mean that the team is relocation bait." Bettman: “There’s no issue related to the Hurricanes." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Karmanos is "certainly looking for a partner, but there’s nothing urgent on that front" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/30).
