Franchise Notes
 |
Blank Showing Interest In
Bringing An MLS Team To Atlanta |
MLS President Mark Abbott and Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk met last Thursday to discuss a possible expansion team in Ottawa. However, any deal in Ottawa would have to wait until 2010 when Toronto FC's three-year Canadian exclusivity ends (OTTAWA SUN, 6/20). Meanwhile, Falcons Owner Arthur Blank's AMB Group "is interested in bringing a team" to Atlanta, and the group is doing a "tremendous amount of due diligence." MLS said that Atlanta is a "'tremendous' potential market that would expand the league's footprint into the Southeast" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/20).
ONE TEAM GETS IN THE GROOVE...: In Illinois, Tim Sassone wrote, "These are definitely your new [Blackhawks] with [Chair Rocky] Wirtz and [President John] McDonough continuing to do the right things, their latest correction taking place Monday with the formal announcement that Pat Foley was returning as TV play-by-play man." McDonough: "Rocky has been tremendous since Day 1. The one thing that he and I talked about was we needed to get out of the grudge business. We needed to get out of the grudge business with everybody, former players, media, anything. Those days are over" (Illinois DAILY HERALD, 6/19).
AMID CALLS FOR ANOTHER TO DO SO: In Boston, Scott Van Voorhis writes it is time for Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs to "make a bold move," as he needs to either "put up the money to make the Bruins champs again or sell the team." Van Voorhis: "Long-suffering Bruins fans deserve more, no matter how hard your team tries to spin its latest first-round playoffs exit." Bruins fan Jonathan Watts has launched the Web site pleasesellthebruins.com, and he said, "They haven't won a playoff round in a decade. He (Jacobs) charged top-notch prices and gives you a third-rate product" (BOSTON HERALD, 6/20).
NOTES: Predators GM David Poile said that he will "renew his contract on an annual basis instead of signing any more multiyear deals." Poile said that he "doesn't envision leaving the Predators but wants flexibility in case of unforeseen circumstances such as a change of ownership." His current contract expires at the end of the '08-09 season (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/20)....Curt Styres was formally introduced Thursday as the new Owner of the NLL Rochester Knighthawks. Styres bought the franchise for a NLL-record $5.575M million (THE DAILY).
|
