There is a report on TSN today which sort of echos what I have been writing about for a few weeks now....Jim Balsillie could still own an NHL franchise.
The TSN.ca story found
HERE is based on a Forbes article and is titled:
BETTMAN TELLS BALSILLIE HE COULD STILL GET A TEAM
This is hardly surprising and I for one am all for it! I have written about Jim's issues in the past with the NHL....regarding how he tried to circumvent a system that the league has in place, but I have also written about the man himself, and how this is the EXACT kind of owner we want in this league.
It is this kind of mixed signs which have driven us all crazy with regards to Jim Balsillie over the years...
Compartmentalizing it all....taking away the Phoenix situation...you are left with a guy who did everything he did because of a passion for the sport that rivals all of us. In Research in Motion there are conference rooms named after famous hockey players. How could a Canadian billionaire who lives and breathes hockey ever be a bad thing?
The way Phoenix ended was always a bit curious to me. At the time the NHL was feeling the heat, and despite getting a favorable ruling we were all sitting and just waiting for the Balsillie appeal.
And nothing happened. Jim was very honorable in defeat. He walked away very quietly.
But the Blackberry ads continued, and even intensified on NHL.com, with ads on the boards at NHL arenas popping up everywhere. The New Blackberry Playbook is an incredibly cool device and in full disclosure RIM has advertised The Playbook on Hockeybuzz.com (though I can't seem to get one for review...:)
In the Forbes article referenced on TSN...
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has told Balsillie that he will get an NHL team in the future if he does not "create any more spectacles or bad publicity for the league".
The article goes on to mention the Coyotes could be for sale next summer...but you know who is for sale now? The Toronto Maple Leafs.
I talked to a source, not connected with RIM or the NHL, but familiar with the business dealings of each who told me last night "There are murmurs of Balsillie making a pitch for the Leafs, but there will be no comments, and no certain confirmation due to Balsillie's and the NHL's desire to do everything 'the NHL way.'"
Does it happen?
I honestly don't know, but I will say I would love to see it.
What's the Buzz?
1. Would you be ok with Jim Balsillie owning an NHL team?
2. Would Leaf fans like Jim Balsillie as their new owner?
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