When I moved to Ottawa back in 1990, the city was awarded with an NHL franchise - the Ottawa Senators. Being a Leaf fan, this is a very disturbing event ....
Now I find myself in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, and guess what might happen ... Yup - an NHL franchise might be moved to the area ....
Crazy you say...? Yeah..... crazy like a fox!...
Get comfortable.... here's how this could play out ...
Jim Balsillie, co-founder and co-CEO of Waterloo's Research-In-Motion (of BlackBerry fame), has just purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins from owner Mario Lemieux. Jim Balsillie is born and lived his whole life in West Ontario... This is his home - he is a proud Canadian and a very successful business man. His company, Research-In-Motion is located in his hometown of Waterloo... So his roots, his interests, his life are in Southwestern Ontario.
In the press conference in Pittsburgh, Jim Balsillie said that he will keep the team in Pittsburgh if he can get a new arena. There is, supposedly, a deal in the works that will do just that. But will it? My nagging question that I just can't knock down - Why would Mario Lemieux, who currently owns the team, sell when a new arena is coming? This isn't just any team, it's a team with some of the biggest young stars in the game, like Sidney Crosby and the Russian phenom, Evgeni Malkin. In a new NHL era, where small market teams can not only suvive, but win... Who are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions? The Carolina Hurricanes. A smaller market you can't find. So why is Mario selling? Why is he selling to a businessman NOT from Pittsburgh? Not even American....? Why? Could it be that the new arena deal will fall through? There are rumours... So with no arena, this franchise can't survive in Pittsburgh - everyone agrees with this fact. And if this is so, then I think Mario knows it. And what does a smart guy like Mario do? What is the only option open to him... Sell it and get the heck out of there, and fast. Enter Jim Balsillie.....
So, if you buy that, if you're with me so far... then let's look a little further down this road... With no arena deal in Pittsburgh, Jim Balsillie has every right to move the club... Though the NHL will pull for it, he won't move it to an American city, like Kansas City or Cleveland simply because he's not from there. He will move it to a vastly underutilized market for NHL hockey. A Canadian market. So will he move the team to Hamilton's Copps Colisuem, where there is already an NHL arena waiting... and where some said should have originally gotten the Ottawa Senators back in '91. Could this happen? The short answer is no way in h*ll. You see every NHL team has a 80 km radius where they own the rights. For Hamilton, while they are not in Buffalo's region, but are firmly in the Leafs territorial region. And there is no way the Blue & White would waive their right. That would be lost revenue.
So, where in Western Ontario could Jim Balsillie move the team, so it would not infringe on the Leafs' rights? Well... if you get in your car in Toronto and drive west along the 401, say, for 80 kms .... Where would you end up? Yup - you got it.... you'd be staring at the sign that says: 'Welcome to Kitchener/Waterloo'. He puts the arena anywhere along the 401 right there.
I'll just add one more juicy point... There are 6 million people that are at least an hours drive to the Kitchener/Waterloo region. I said 6 million people. This includes - London, Kitchener/Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford, Hamilton, Burlington, Mississuaga, Brampton, Oakville, St Catherines and don't forget Toronto itself. How many Toronto hockey fans can't go see the Leafs because there are simply no tickets available. Remember, it just takes an hour on the 401, and you're in Kitchener. I can make the case that this part of Ontario is prime for an NHL club. I believe Jim Balsillie knows it. And I don't think a guy, who has built the international BlackBerry product, is a fool. He is the real deal, folks...
Besides, Gary Betteman is stalking me.
4 comments:
Gary Bettemann is evidently a fan of old CTV series ..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Play_(television_series)
http://www.tv.com/power-play/show/4112/summary.html
So if you move back to Toronto, maybe we can get an NHL franchise here too!
The Toronto Maple Leafs are actually doing very well, thank you very much. Their defence is as strong as I've seen in more than a decade, when healthy. Raycroft seems to be very solid, bordering on spectacular at times. And their offence, is shooting the lights out, to the surprise of everyone including me. Sundin seems happy and leader-like as deminstrated scoring his 500th goal this past weekend in OT. And the biggest excitement factor plus in nmy mind, is that all this is happening mostly with kids, and not the broken down, slowing veterans of the just-past Quinn era. And you know what - they're damn fun to watch. Coach Paul Maurice is off to a great start. Now I say this, knowing full well that it's only October. But still -the future looks bright.
Hey .. last year at this time, the Senators looked great, too ..
:)
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