NHL Franchise Notes: Balsillie Still On Outside Looking In

Balsillie's Chances Of Landing NHL Team Not Good

OILERS: In Edmonton, David Staples profiles a group of five minority investors in the Edmonton Investors Group (EIG), which in February sold all of its shares in the Oilers to Katz Group Chair Daryl Katz. One of the five, Gary Gregg, "was convinced that Edmonton was better off with the EIG than the city would be with any single owner." Many EIG BOD members "continued to have a deep mistrust for the concept of single ownership, which is why they pushed the notion that if Katz was going to take over, he should sign a location agreement, similar to the one that bound the Oilers to Edmonton from 1994 to 2004." But former EIG Chair Cal Nichols and other shareholders "pushed the Katz deal, working the phones to argue that Katz had the best offer for the EIG shareholders and the best plan for the city." Gregg "remains both miffed and mystified that Nichols pushed through the Katz deal." Staples offers a breakdown of the payment Katz made to each EIG member (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 7/1).   

LIGHTNING: The GLOBE & MAIL’s Eric Duhatschek writes new Lightning co-Owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie “aren’t doing a half-bad job, stockpiling players and generally creating a buzz for the team.” Hockey ownership “has lacked any real character or characters since Harold Ballard” ran the Maple Leafs from '72-90, and the pair seem to be having “fun.” It is “as if they’ve spent the past number of years playing fantasy hockey on the sidelines, waiting their turn” (GLOBE & MAIL, 7/1).

NOTES: The Wild are about $21M under the NHL’s salary cap of $56.7M, and GM Doug Risebrough said the team is "willing to do whatever it takes to improve, to make it better, but it's got to be within reason" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/1). Risebrough: “It’s not that I don’t want to spend up to the cap. The question is, is it worth it in this climate? In this climate, (top) guys are going to get their money. The cap is going up, but I don’t see the quality of free agent” (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 7/1)….The Bruins have unveiled a new season-ticket package that includes all-you-can-eat food and soft drinks. The seats, located in sections 327 and 328 of the TD Banknorth Garden, each cost $1,677 for the season (Bruins). About 500 of the seats will be available, and the Bruins are “building a special cafeteria-style area for the all-you-can-eat ticket-holders, who will receive special wristbands” to get their food (BOSTON HERALD, 7/1).

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