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NHL News
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NHL News
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Written by Matthew Coller
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Friday, 18 June 2010 01:40 |
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 Former Boston Bruins star Cam Neely, who was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005, will be promoted to president of the Bruins according to Boston.com.
Owner Jeremy Jacobs, principal Charlie Jacobs, senior adviser to the owner Harry Sinden and general manager Peter Chiarelli were in attendance for the team’s press conference Wednesday to announce Neely as team president. The Hall of Famer was hired in Sept. 2007 as vice president and has been involved in hockey operations as an adviser to Chiarelli. He also worked with Charlie Jacobs on the business side of operations. The role of president has been open since Sinden became adviser to the owner in 2006.
"Well when I was first offered the position to join the team it took me a while to decide to do it. I certainly welcomed the challenge after I decided to do it," Neely said. "The biggest thing for me was really the commitment that I saw from our ownership group which, at times, everybody had questioned, but they certainly have given our general manager the resources to put a product on the ice that competes for the Stanley Cup and you can see how things have changed because of that.
The Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs this season after letting a 3-0 series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers slip away. The timing is good for Neely, who will be at the front of the War Room during the NHL draft in late June. The Bruins have the No. 2 overall pick.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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Written by Matthew Coller
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Friday, 18 June 2010 01:28 |
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 The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday that the one and only bidder for the Phoenix Coyotes, Ice Edge Holdings, met with NHL officials in New York City Tuesday to discuss the group’s offer. Commissioner Gary Bettman was part of the meeting, spokesman Robert Johnson told the Arizona Republic.
The NHL is expected to examine Ice Edge’s proposal before team owners vote. Last week, the Glendale City Council approved a memorandum of understanding for Ice Edge to purchase Jobing.com Arena. Ice Edge must prove to the city it has the financing to complete the purchase of the team by Friday. The Associated Press reported Thursday that Ice Edge said it has provided proof that it has the financing to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes. But, less than two weeks ago chief operating officer of Ice Edge Daryl Jones told Canadian Media financing may be difficult.
If Ice Edge does not meet the deadline, the city of Glendale would likely re-open negotiations with other groups interesting in purchasing the team. The NHL has given Glendale until the end of 2010 to complete a deal with a future owner. The extension was given after the city agreed to cover $25 million in losses the NHL incurred while having control of the team.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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Written by Matthew Coller
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Wednesday, 09 June 2010 18:18 |
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The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the Glendale City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a memorandum of understanding from Ice Edge Holdings toward purchasing the Phoenix Coyotes and keeping the team at Jobing.com Arena.
The memorandum gives Ice Edge exclusive negotiating rights for a new arena lease over the next 60 days. A new lease for the arena is a necessary step toward buying the team from its current owner, the NHL. The league still has to approve the memorandum.
The Phoenix Coyotes sale saga has seen everything from a fallout with a group headed by Chicago sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf (after the commissioner endorsed the deal) to an Ice Edge back out. Now only one question remains: Can Ice Edge pay for the team and arena?
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, the same day the city council approved the memorandum, Daryl Jones, who is chief operating officer of Ice Edge, told Canadian media that financing the purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes may be difficult. Jones said that even after the city approves a lease deal, the deal still might not happen. Ice Edge will have to prove financing within 10 days of Tuesday, the day the lease was approved.
The Phoenix Business Journal also reported that if this last-ditch deal falls through with Ice Edge, the team will likely be sold to an owner that will move the team back to Winnipeg. The AP story also noted that the team hasn’t turned a profit since moving to Phoenix in 1996, so if Ice Edge doesn’t have the money now, they are fooling themselves if they think they will get it from the team. The Coyotes did not sell out a single playoff game in this year’s series vs. Detroit.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Saturday, 05 June 2010 12:44 |
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The City of Glendale on Friday entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ice Edge Holdings that will allow the group to enter into exclusive rights, with some conditions, for a lease agreement on Jobing.com Arena for the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Coyotes were purchased by the NHL last season, and since, have been unable to broker a deal to sell the team to any prospective buyers that are looking to keep the club in Glendale. The MOU with Ice Edge Holdings is significant due to the group walking away from negotiations prior. According to CBC Sports:
Ice Edge, a group of mostly Canadian investors, would have exclusive negotiating rights for 60 days unless another potential buyer gives $25 million US to the city to cover its obligations to the NHL. Ice Edge also has to present a term sheet to the city from a lender proving it has the financial backing to buy the team.
The only other interested party for the purchase of the Coyotes with the intent to keep them in Glendale was NBA Bulls and MLB White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. In his case, he backed out of purchase interest in early May.
How soon might a lease agreement take place? According to the MOU, approx. 2 months.
"It is the intention of both parties," the memorandum reads, "to proceed with negotiations of the necessary agreements without delay with the desire to have agreements completed for approval within 60 days."
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to the Forbes SportsMoney blog. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
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Written by Matthew Coller
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Monday, 31 May 2010 16:43 |
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The man who traded Wayne Gretzky, Peter Pocklington, pleaded guilty to perjury last week in a Southern Calif. bankruptcy case. The “Great One” trade was 1988 and Pocklington was the owner of the Edmonton Oilers. By 1998, he was no longer the owner of the team and by 2008 he’d found himself in hotter water than he was 20 years earlier with Oilers fans.
Pocklington, who filed for bankruptcy in ’08, claimed debts of $19.6 million and assets of $2,900. Not $2.9 million, $2,900. Pocklington, who failed to mention his two bank accounts and two storage facilities, was arrested at his Palm Desert home in March 2009 on allegations he concealed assets during bankruptcy proceedings. FBI agents that raided his home found $2,000 in cash along with artwork and Cuban cigars.
Here’s the twist: Pocklington says his guilty plea is his lawyer’s fault. “Unfortunately, the lawyer I hired to do the original case is what caused all the problems,” Pocklington said after his plea. “He said, ‘sign here,’ and I did, and unfortunately he left a multitude of things out.”
The owner whose team hoisted the Stanley Cup five times during his tenure was also not impressed by the jury. “Unfortunately the jury pool is not a jury of your peers; it’s a jury of some of them unemployed, some of them that aren’t particularly bright….And of course with the press and so on, and in this country (the USA) and Canada they seem to hate anyone that has been successful.”
Pocklington, 68, avoided a possible 10-year prison term for making false statements under oath in bankruptcy by pleading guilty. The agreement also stipulates that he make full restitution, which includes paying back nearly $13 million in loan money that the Alberta government claims it loanded to Pocklington’s meatpacking company in 1988.
Source: Associated Press
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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Written by Maury Brown
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Saturday, 29 May 2010 03:49 |
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 The Carolina Hurricanes and the Phoenix Coyotes will both face off against Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) opponents in exhibition games as part of the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Challenge. Staged by the NHL and NHLPA in cooperation with the KHL, Russia’s top professional league, the Hurricanes will play against SKA St. Petersburg at Ledovy Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, Oct. 4, while the Coyotes will play against Dinamo Riga at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia on Wednesday, Oct. 6. SKA St. Petersburg and Dinamo Riga both play in the Bobrov Division of the KHL’s Western Conference.
This will be the first time in 20 years that the NHL returns to Russia or Latvia for exhibition games. In September 1989 the Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames conducted a pre-season tour of the Soviet Union which included four games against Soviet National League clubs. Games were played in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Riga. The NHL clubs finished with a combined 6-2 record against the top Soviet teams, including the Red Army club and Dynamo Moscow.
In September 1990, the fabled Montreal Canadiens, one of the League's Original Six franchises, joined the Minnesota North Stars in traveling to the Soviet Union for the "Friendship Tour '90". Again, games were played in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Riga and again they were enthusiastically greeted by the Soviet public. However, this time the Soviet National League teams proved to be stronger, finishing with a 5-3 record against their NHL counterparts. Following these exhibition games, the Carolina Hurricanes will open their 2010-11 NHL regular season by playing the Minnesota Wild in two games at Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena, Thursday, October 7 and Friday, October 8. The Phoenix Coyotes will open their 2010-11 NHL regular season against the Boston Bruins at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10. Source: National Hockey League
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to the Forbes SportsMoney blog. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
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Written by Matthew Coller
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Thursday, 27 May 2010 23:35 |
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WXPI in Pittsburgh reported Thursday that the 2011 Winter Classic will take place at Heinz Field and feature the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals. The Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames will also face off outdoors at McMahon Stadium in February.
This will be the fourth Winter Classic, the first in 2008 between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. The NHL clearly took the most obvious route in search of improving TV ratings from last year’s Winter Classic. The Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers 2010 match-up at Fenway Park on NBC earned a 2.6 overnight Neilson rating which was down from a 2.9 rating for the Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks 2009 Winter Classic.
Despite the slightly lower TV ratings, the Winter Classic performed well, selling all of its sponsorship and exceeding expectations on merchandise sales and NHL.com traffic.
COO of the NHL John Collins said after last year’s Winter Classic,
“This year's game once again demonstrated that the NHL Winter Classic has transformed the way sports fans think about the NHL experience. By providing fans a national event to rally around, we can deliver an impressive national television audience for a regular season game. When the final numbers are in, NBC's broadcast will most likely be one of the most watched regular season games in the U.S. in the past 35 years. That is impressive considering the stiff competition we faced. Our fans, players, teams and partners all tell us they absolutely love the Winter Classic and for all those fortunate enough to experience the event, it was a special day that produced lasting memories.”
One problem that’s been mentioned: What’s next? The league is using its trump card having Ovechkin vs. Crosby in 2011, but what will it do for 2012? And, is the NHL dead set on using these two players alone to market their league? It seems if the NHL wanted to use momentum from the Olympics and promote American players (say, the Olympic star Ryan Miller) it might have used other teams which featured Olympians. But, it seems the league wanted to play it safe to ensure high ratings.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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Written by Matthew Coller
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Thursday, 27 May 2010 15:57 |
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The Associated Press reported Wednesday that filmmaker and Atlanta native Stephen Rollins is “gathering information” for a possible bid to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers. Rollins, who is head of Lightning Pictures, said he’s always been a Thrashers fan and would like to own a team if the opportunity presented itself.
Rollins spearheaded a group in 1996 that gathered 35,000 signatures in support of the NHL awarding an expansion franchise to Atlanta. Thrashers ownership is “currently talking to a number of people or groups who have expressed an interest in partial or significant stakes in one or both teams.”
If Rollins became an owner, he might have to quit his day job. The team ranked 29th in Forbes NHL Team Valuations and 28th in overall attendance, drawing less than 75 percent capacity of the Phillips Arena. Also, according to Forbes, the franchise is amidst a legal battle between eight owners over the value of the Thrashers and Phillips arena. Seven of the eight owners, who have spent over $10 million in legal fees, want to buy out one.
Rollins, who said he could promote the team, might not realize the mess that is the Thrashers. "I think if you get out into the community and start promoting the team and start having the hockey activities you once did, I really think this thing could be turned around," Rollins told the AP.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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