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Archive for the 'Blog Entries' Category

Predatory Ownership

Published by jb 10 months, 3 weeks ago in Blog Entries. 30 Comments

We are all aware of the controversy surrounding the ‘Yotes ownership and the NHL’s insistence that the team stay in Glendale. But our mighty mousey Commish is doing double speak again and it’s time someone called him out on it. Now Mr. Jim and his $212 million bid has been rejected by Gary’s meager legal mind because, among other things, Jimmy was rejected by Gary’s homies; da board of governors. Now were this league a straight up fan-based sports league with years of ethical conduct one would accept the decision and respect the league’s findings. But…Whoa! We’re talking about the NHL. One must understand that Mr. Ballsillie was approved as an owner a few years back when the Pens were on the block. Of course, once Gary learned that JB wanted to eventually move the team to Canada, he put the brakes on that sale. Then when Jimmy wanted to buy the Preds, the mental midget stood (he has to stand or no one would see him) in again and made sure that “respectful” ownership was achieved with the sale to a group partnered with Boots Del Biaggio. Da BOG and Napoleonic numb-nuts consummated quite a deal for the Preds only to discover later that in fact Boots didn’t have any real money. Boots is now going to be making license plates for eight years and must find some way to pay back the $67 million in court ordered restitution. Now that’s the kind of owner the ‘Yotes need! Man, and here I was thinking the BOG and dim wit were just prejudice against Jimmy. They ain’t predjudice against JB; it’s just that he is too successful. Now if he could come up with a good Ponzi scheme, I bet dick weed would convince the board that he’s found the kind of owner the NHL needs. He would probably be enshrined in the HOF along with Samueli and Spano. Given the current situation in Phoenix, it would probably be a good idea to institute drug testing in the NHL, starting with the League offices, since it doesn’t appear shrimp dip is playing with a full deck.

Tags: Ballsillie, bettman, coyotes, Del Biaggio, nhl, Penguins, predators.

Crosby with The Cup…

Published by Puckhead 1 year ago in Blog Entries. 8 Comments

The Cup finally replaces his blanket…

And later that night…

Tags: bed, gary bettman, hockey, in bed, nhl, scandalous, sidney crosby, sleeping, stanley cup, the cup.

Time to send a message… No more hockey in the Desert!

Published by Puckhead 1 year, 1 month ago in Blog Entries. 10 Comments

If you haven’t already heard, Judge Redfield T. Baum ruled this past Monday evening against Jim Balsillie and his bid to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes from Jerry Moyes for $212 million, and move the team to Hamilton, OT. The Judge said that Balsillie’s decision deadline of June 29th did not give enough time to completely cover and rule on the whole case.

Balsillie isn’t giving up, however… even though his battle might be a tougher one than trying to make ice in a desert. Balsillie is going to submit another motion to the court, to purchase the team and hopefully enter mediation with the NHL.

So what do we all and Jim Balsillie do? SEND AN EMAIL TO GARY BETTMAN AND FLOOD HIS INBOX!!!!!!!!!!! We are working with Jim Balsillie and his MakeItSeven campaign to send the little commish as many emails as possible.

Simply fill out the form below and hit submit, and the message below will be sent to Gary Bettman!!!!!:

Name (required):

Email address (required):

Dear Mr. Bettman,

Why not?

It’s a simple question being asked by hockey fans like me. The nation that has the deepest roots and passion for the game of hockey, and fans all over the world want to know why there can’t be a seventh NHL hockey team in southern Ontario?

The NHL has already approved Mr. Balsillie as an NHL owner and in his ruling on Monday the 15th, Judge Redfield T. Baum recognized that he is an approved NHL owner.

It is clear that Hamilton remains the best location for the Coyotes versus letting it wither in the desert. So why not?

In his ruling Judge Baum also encouraged the NHL and Jim Balsillie to sit down together in mediation to determine what a fair and reasonable relocation fee would be. Mr. Balsillie has said he’s willing to participate in mediation. So why not?

We love this game and we know you do too. It’s time for discussion. It’s time to Make It Seven.

Why Not?

Sincerely,
A dedicated hockey fan

Tags: balsillie, email, email bettman, gary bettman, hamilton, hockey, hockey in canada, national hockey league, nhl, ontario, send gary bettman email.

Hockey Hero?

Published by Puckhead 1 year, 1 month ago in Blog Entries. 14 Comments

Will Jim Balsillie become a hero of hockey and the savior of the NHL later today? Both Balsillie and the NHL await the decision of Judge Redfield T. Baum on Mr. Balsillie’s $212.5-million US bid to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and relocate the franchise to Hamilton… with the ruling expected to come later today.

The Judge heard from both sides earlier in the week. The major outcome of the proceedings was that the NHL could probably charge Balsillie a relocation fee to move the team from Phoenix to Hamilton. This fee could be at least $100 million, which would create an easy $300+ million price tag for the desert team.

If this is the case and it’s as simple as this (which we highly doubt)… we say WRITE THE CHECK BALSILLIE!!! Just get the deal done and move on!! If he wants this team and wants this for Canada enough, he can and will do it.

In other news… Balsillie and his MakeItSeven movement have chosen June 19th as Make It Seven Day in Canada!

Tags: court, coyotes, gary bettman, hamilton, Jim Balsillie, make it seven, national hockey league, nhl, phoenix.

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A letter to Gary, from Sidney

Published by Puckhead 1 year, 1 month ago in Bettman and Blog Entries. 30 Comments

Sidney Crosby sent us this letter to Gary Bettman today…

If you can’t read the graphic above, here is the text:

Gary,

Hi. Sidney here. I just want to compliment on the wonderful job you’ve done with the game; especially in this years playoffs. Although I hear rumblings of a bias towards our team thus far it is under the table. Lets hope it stays like that. If the media ever knew the refs were on the hook to get us to the finals and win in 7 it would be both our careers

I tried to talk to the guys in the room about Game 5 as we got a little carried away. With some of the cheap shots we gave the refs had to call them. We will be much better in game 6. Are the refs ready? We’re supposed to get a couple power plays in the beginning of the game so we can get a lead right? Hey, how did you like that dive I took? That sure was a beauty, eh?

OK, Gary. Well I know you are busy. As long as the refs are on board we will win game 6 and force a game 7.

Are you coming over for dinner after the finals? I reserved us a cozy little cottage with candlelight and no one will know us. I can’t wait. I have the eatable undies that you like.

Love you Gary.

Sidney Crosby

PS - Malkin says hi. Hey I was wondering if you would mind if he joined us?

Tags: funny, gary bettman, letter, nhl, sidney crosby.

Bettman gets desperate… again

Published by Puckhead 1 year, 1 month ago in Blog Entries. 13 Comments

Update @ 12:49p.m. on 6/9/09: If you’re on Twitter, follow @kash2112 for a play by play of the courtroom case in Phoenix.

Update @ 12:11p.m. on 6/9/09: The little commish is currently in a Phoenix courtroom awaiting the decision from Judge Redfield T. Baum regarding the ownership/control of the Coyotes… is it the NHL or owner Jerry Moyes? However, the decision is not expected to come until the end of the week.

This must be a great day for our favorite little man… has to be in Phoenix due to the failure of a franchise placed in the middle of a desert, and then has to fly back to Pittsburgh to possibly see the Red Wings eliminate the mental midget’s wonder boy from the Stanley Cup Finals… and then have to hand The Cup (reluctantly) over to the Red Wings.

Add another pair of investors to the list of those who have applied to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes. According to mini-commish Bettman, Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon of the Toronto Argonauts have filed an application with the NHL to purchase and keep the Coyotes in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Paul Kelly (president of the NHLPA) let it be known that he (and most players) don’t think an NHL franchise is viable in Phoenix and that it is time to “pull the plug”… instead of letting the team continue to lose money and be held up by other teams and the league.

In his column at the Globe and Mail, Stephen Brunt gives a great take on the offers/applications being put forth by new investors for the Phoenix Coyotes, and how Bettman is bluffing… simply to eliminate the possibility of Jim Balsillie acquiring an NHL team. Bettman says that Balsillie hasn’t played by the rules… it seems to us that Bettman creates the rules as he goes along (much like the NHL refs), and is breaking them even more than Balsillie. What ever happened to good ol’ fashioned honesty Mr. Commish?

Tags: argonauts, balsillie, David Cynamon, expansion, Howard Sokolowski, nhl, paul kelly, Phoenix Coyotes.

Related Posts:
· Hockey Hero?

Make It Seven!!!

Published by Puckhead 1 year, 1 month ago in Blog Entries. 4 Comments

As many of you know, Jim Balsillie has a web site to promote his iniative to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and move them to Hamilton, Ontario… the site is http://www.makeitseven.ca. Jim and his team there send out email messages a few times a week, which we will start posting here on FB… because we support his mission! Here is the email sent out today by MakeItSeven:

To all our Make It Seven Supporters,

Tell it to the Judge!

We need everyone who supports an NHL franchise in Hamilton to let the Phoenix bankruptcy court Judge know. And it’s easy to do.

Tuesday June 9 is a critical court hearing to determine whether the Coyotes can be relocated when they’re sold out of bankruptcy.

We need some evidence for the Judge - evidence of bigger, stronger and deeper numbers of Hamilton backers.

We need you to use our “Tell a Friend” feature to get your neighbours, co-workers, family and friends to sign up to Makeitseven.ca.

Do it today. Do it now. We need to pull together. We need to tell it to the Judge.

Make It Seven.

In other very related news, a Toronto investment group - The Toronto Legacy Group - has put forth a proposal/bid for another NHL team in Toronto. The group says they already have around $900 million in financing available, and want to name the team the Toronto Legacy. We’re wondering if this is a joke…. but we guess if Los Angeles can “support” two teams, Toronto shouldn’t have a problem. However, we’d rather see the next team in Hamilton, or another city in Canada.

Tags: gary bettman, hamilton, hockey, Jim Balsillie, make it seven, national hockey league, nhl, ontario, Phoenix Coyotes.

Canada, eh?

Published by Puckhead 1 year, 2 months ago in Phoenix Coyotes and Blog Entries. 39 Comments

5/19/09 Update: Bankruptcy judge Redfield T. Baum today ordered the NHL and Phoenix owner Jerry Moyes into mediation until the 27th of this May, pretty much making fun of the fact that the NHL could not handle this outside of his courtroom.

This is a good sign for Balsillie, for the fact that the judge didn’t simply (as many expected) side with the NHL. It could be bad news for Balsillie, however, as this delays the possible transfer of the team, especially with prior concerns by the NHL about it interfering with next year’s schedule.

It sounds to us like the judge just hasn’t researched and learned enough about this case to yet make a decision… but we definitely do like his sense of humor:

“To save the suspense, I’m not going to rule from the bench today,” he said.

Hopefully his decision ends up coming from a bench favored by Hamilton.

Gary Bettman might not want a new NHL team in Hamilton, but he might be willing to let a team move back to Winnipeg. Bettman says that Copps Coliseum (where the Hamilton team would play) is over 30 years old and too old, and that only an expansion team would be allowed in Hamilton (which we all know will never happen). Another reason Bettman has given for not allowing the sale/move of Phoenix to Hamilton this year is because it would interfere with the 2009-2010 NHL schedule… which we don’t believe has been released yet. Either way, Jim Balsillie stated over the weekend that he is willing to delay the move of Phoenix to Hamilton until the 2010-2011 season, if scheduling was such a problem.

While all of this goes on and Bettman and the NHL said they have also been in talks with Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, about buying the team for $130 million and keeping it in Phoenix… the bankruptcy court showdown between Moyes and the NHL should end tomorrow - Tuesday, May 19th - with a ruling expected.

We do like the fact that Bettman has brought up Winnipeg’s name in the move of the Coyotes to a new place… but doubt that he is serious about it at all, and it is more of a PR stunt. Furthermore, why is he trying to prevent a thriving NHL franchise from existing in Hamilton, when one in Winnipeg already failed??! Once again, little Napoleon won’t let his ego out of the way and do what’s best for this league and sport…

Tags: balsillie, bankruptcy, bettman, coyotes, hamilton, moyes, nhl, phoenix, winnipeg.

Bettman’s NHL Strikes (out) Again!!

Published by Puckhead 1 year, 2 months ago in Phoenix Coyotes, Bettman, Blog Entries and Playoffs. 7 Comments

5/8/09 Update: The Phoenix Bankruptcy Court judge overseeing this case delayed it until May 15th… hoping that the NHL and Coyotes’ owner Jerry Moyes can figure out who owns and has control of the team. Buttman and the NHL will appear in court on the 15th to state their case, and Moyes will state his case on the 17th… with the decision to come on the 19th. You can read all about it here.

Where are all these rules and regulations about how a team is operated and sold that Bettman talks about?? Where are the rules about not letting a crook like Boots Del Biaggio invest in a team??? We think Bettman and his compadres don’t want Balsillie to have ownership of any of these teams, because Balsillie will not relocate the team to Kansas City or Las Vegas, where the little weasel hopes to put the next NHL team. You know… a place in the south where no one cares about or knows anything about hockey… instead of in Canada, where people live and breathe hockey. Makes sense, doesn’t it? hah. Mr. Bettman, wake up and get over yourself and how you are ruining the game… and do what’s best for the game, the NHL and its fans!!!

Yes, we’re still alive here at FireBettman.com … once again, sorry for our long absence.

The playoffs are finally here again (like us), and Bettman’s NHL is at its worst…

The Phoenix Coyotes have filed for bankruptcy… anyone with a brain (not Bettman) could have told you this one was coming. Since Bettman couldn’t see it coming, he and his NHL morons are challenging the bankruptcy filing in court this afternoon. Now why would they challenge this? Because the Canadian millionaire Jim Balsillie is once again interested in owning an NHL team, and has offered Phoenix majority owner Jerry Moyes $212.5 US million with the clause of moving the team to southern Ontario (ie, Hamilton).

Bettman says he doesn’t believe Balsillie would be a good owner, rather than admitting that he does not want a successful team in Canada! He thinks giving Phoenix another chance and trying to *make* them succeed in Phoenix will work out in the long run. Our guess is that Bettman is convincing another one of his crooked buddies (remember Boots Del Biaggio and the Predators??) to be an idiot and offer more money than Balsillie to keep the team in Phoenix. Didn’t he learn from the first time? Oh yeah, we forgot… he ain’t that smart and cares more about his ego than about NHL quality and success.

Apparently, Phoenix fans are smarter than Bettman… the main fan site has already been put up for sale. We recommend not buying it. Furthermore, Balsillie has gotten support from around 100,000 NHL fans (and we suspect there are more of you on this site), and from Prime Minister Stephen Harper! Yeah Canada!

In other NHL news… did you see the disallowed goal in the Detroit vs. Anaheim game on Tuesday night? If not, here is some of the worst officiating you will ever see from Bettman’s boys:

Simply ridiculous and inexcusable. We’re not saying Detroit should have won… but this is a great example of how terrible the officiating has gotten in the NHL due to rule changes, terrible new officials, and the ambiguity of what constitutes a penalty in the “New NHL”. This play should be reviewable!! Especially since it could have made a difference in the outcome of the game.

It’s good to be back and updating you on the latest news in the NHL and the terrible path that our mental midget commish continues to lead the league down… so stay tuned and keep checking back!

Tags: gary bettman, hamilton, Jim Balsillie, NHL Playoffs, ontario, Phoenix Coyotes, playoffs.

Happy holidays!

Published by Puckhead 1 year, 7 months ago in Blog Entries. 1 Comment

All we want for Christmas here at Fire Bettman is for dummy to be fired. Geoff over at Kovalev’s Kousin sent us this humorous, holiday take on things:

Every hockey fan up north liked hockey a lot,
But Gary Bettman, who liked basketball, did not.
Bettman hated hockey, all its traditions
No one knows why he took such positions
He sat in his office, his teeth slowly grating,
“I must find some way to keep players from skating!”
And then Bettman got an idea in his head
A way to make hockey fans shiver with dread
“I’ll become the commissioner” said the old shithead
“And make people want to watch basketball instead.”
So he took half the season, in his second year
Which made all of hockey fans shed many tears
He took their divisions, their Smythe, and their Norris,
He ignored their complaints “The Devils, they bore us!”
He expanded the league into odd southern cities
Atlanta and Raleigh, where the ice was quite shitty
And he put glowing pucks on the fans TV sets
And then Gary Bettman took Winnipeg’s Jets
Then he took a whole season, 04 and 05
And so the TV ratings took quite a dive.
“And now for my next trick,” said the big douche
“I’ll design hockey jerseys that will make the fans puke!”
And the fans cried in anguish at the new Reebok sweaters
“A retarded two year old could have done better!”
So Bettman sat in New York, feeling quite pleased
“I’m bringing the hockey fans down to their knees!”
And he heard a small sound as he was watching the Knicks
The sound of a hockey puck hitting a stick.
He ran to his window and looked down below
And he saw the ice surface plowed in the snow
The hockey fans everywhere still came to play,
Ignoring the NHL’s ridiculous ways.
They played on their ponds, on their frozen back yards
They wore vintage sweaters, of original six stars
And Bettman was pissed, as he saw they still played
Even after the debacle he’d made
“They play without Reebok, they play without glow pucks,
They play without Thrashers, Panthers or Ducks!”
And Bettman then had a brief moment of doubt
Maybe hockey, perhaps, doesn’t belong down south.
And what happened then, some old-timers say,
Bettman’s small brain exploded that day.
And the hockey fans cheered for they knew they were saved
And they all started cheering, “Hip hip! Hooray!”
And Leafs fans and Habs fans, the Rangers and Bruins
Started building the league back up from its ruins.
Merry Christmas to hockey, and all of its fans
And may the story I just told (please) be in God’s plans
For we hockey fans are Patient, Loyal and True
But please God, take Bettman! What more can we do?!?

Thanks Geoff!!!

Tags: funny, gary bettman, holiday carol, holidays, humor, national hockey league, nhl, poem.

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