Franchise Notes
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Predators Qualify For NHL Revenue-Sharing
After Surpassing Attendance Benchmark |
The Predators qualified for NHL's revenue-sharing system by averaging 13,400 fans this season through 41 regular-season home games at the Sommet Center. Predators Chair David Freeman did not say how much the NHL was sharing with ownership, but said the amount is "significant" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/9). The minimum average attendance the club had to reach was 13,125 (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, Nashville city council members Tuesday "asked tough questions about proposed arena lease changes" for the Predators. Council members, who next week will hold a final vote on the deal, asked how the Predators could "sell multimillion-dollar annual subsidies of the [team] to middle-class and poor constituents; why the cap on arena operating losses that the city would pay is set at the 2006 level, which is more than $2[M] higher than this year's projections; and whether other cities are on the hook for such losses when a sports franchise also serves as the facility manager" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 4/9).
CANADIENS: Though the Canadiens sold out every home game this season at the Bell Centre, the team said that it "didn't make any money." But Canadiens President Pierre Boivin said that the club's playoff participation "will allow the team to make a profit" this season." Though the Canadiens missed the playoffs in the '06-07 season, Forbes estimated that the team made a C$25.2M profit on C$109M. Boivin said that Forbes' numbers "aren't accurate" (Montreal GAZETTE, 4/9).
GALAXY: In L.A., Grahame Jones reports three of the seven Cuban soccer players who in March defected from the team during Olympic qualifying in Florida now are "running around the Home Depot Center in Galaxy uniforms." The three this week all started training with the Galaxy, and though the "red tape and paperwork could be a lengthy process, one or more could be signed." The trio would "not only have to receive U.S. Department of State clearance before being allowed to play, but also the approval of FIFA since they technically still belong to their Cuban clubs" (L.A. TIMES, 4/10).
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