We sincerely apologize for our lack of posts this summer… it has been a very busy summer filled with higher priorities. We know we have missed out on covering some major and controversial stories surrounding our favorite little man… but we are hoping to get things back into full swing for the upcoming NHL season, and plan on increasing our coverage and making sure we do everything we can to get rid of the man we all love to hate… Gary Bettman.

In the meantime, here is an email that Paul Lefebvre from Delaware, OH sent us, which sums up the summer’s top Bettman stories and our opinions on them quite well:

“Not bad enough that Mr. Bettman threatens to strip ownership of the team in NY (Rangers), and decides to suspend the Anaheim Ducks owner indefinitely for off ice legal issues, now comes word that maybe he himself may have been caught with his own hand in the cookie jar. The Nashville Predators sale has stunk from the beginning. How does an owner (Craig Leipold), a businessman, turn down cash money from Jim Balsillie in excess of $220M for a financed deal of less than $200M tt which he himself contributed $10M? Here’s maybe how.

Mr. Bettman promises Leipold clear and very quick sailing to ownership in Minnesota. After the commish sees the investor group trying to buy the Nashville franchise having trouble getting financing together, he either A, closes his eyes and says go ahead boys, I don’t want to know, or B, gets on the phone to his two closest confidants in LA Kings owner and Nashville owner (Leipold) and says make this happen, Balsillie cannot have a team. Either A or B is cause for termination.

Gary Bettman claims he had no clue that two of his closest NHL confidants – L.A.’s Philip Anschutz and Minnesota’s Craig Leipold – had lent San Jose banker Boots Del Biaggio a combined $17 million (U.S.) to help him pay for a $25 million stake in the Nashville Predators. C’mon Gary.

Nashville investor, ‘Boots’ Del Biaggio filed bankruptcy. Turns out that the ownership group of the LA Kings, AEG Facilities lent Boots $7M. Also turns out that the Nashville owner (Craig Leipold aka Seller) lent him $10M. AEG Facilities also owns the venue for hockey in KC. Del Biaggio has long been searching for a franchise to move to KC. The reasoning for the seller of the team lending money to a buyer leaves the door open for many explanations and we’ll have to see what floats to the surface. How is this tolerated? Maybe these two owners are able to say to Mr. Bettman, “if we go down Gary, you are coming with us”. This seems to me to be the only way they can escape Bettman’s well documented wrath.

How in the world is Bettman getting a free pass on this!? He is quite the politician, and seems to always have an answer for everything, but I have seen or heard nothing of anyone press him since the series, before the wheels came off Del Biaggio.”

Thanks very much Paul!!!

We will try our hardest to help make sure that the little man doesn’t get a free pass on all of this… so get ready and look forward to more posts from the FB stuff. Once again, sorry for our lack of posts over the past few months… it is GREAT to be back and covering the worst commissioner ever!!!

cheers,
Puckhead & JB

The NHL’s Board of Governors have been meeting in the hockey mecca of Pebble Beach, CA this week. Yesterday, they approved the sale of the Nashville Predators from Craig Leipold to the Freeman investment group. This isn’t the last step in the process… the deal still needs to be approved by the Nashville Metro Sports Authority, and then by the City Council… but from what we’ve read, it sounds like they will both approve it.

The other big news to come out of the meetings is that the league will return to its old schedule format for the 2008-2009 season. The current eight games played versus each team in a division will be reduced to six, and every team in the league will play one another at least once. Under this schedule, each team will see the other on their home ice every two years, rather than the current schedule which brings the other team to home ice every three years. This means that fans of each team will be exposed to more players throughout the league and there will be more original rivalries back in place. It also means that teams in the Eastern Conference will have to travel west more, which should help equalize the impact of travel on both conferences.

According to Gary Bettman, “This was an attempt to be responsive to the fans.” Thanks for finally listening, Gary.
Now the owners need to make another attempt to be responsive to the fans and FIRE GARY BETTMAN!!!

Update @ 5:00 pm ET: The Nashville Predators have signed a letter of intent to sell the team to the local group of investors mentioned below, for $193 million. The surprising news here is that William “Boots” Del Biaggio III (who is not from the Nashville area) is part of this group of investors. If the team does not make money in the next couple of years, it is very possible that they could be relocated to another city… most likely Kansas City, since that is where “Boots” wanted to move them when he previously offered $190 million for the team.

It looks like the Nashville Predators will continue their existence in Nashville. The group of investors interested in purchasing the team has signed a letter of intent to purchase the team from owner Craig Leiopold, who has lost $70 million owning the team over the past 10 years. If everything goes as planned, the deal will be done and the new owners will take hold of the team before this year’s NHL season.

Congratulations once again to Predators fans on keeping a failing team in your city, and to Gary Bettman for missing out on a potential goldmine in Hamilton, ON, where they don’t have to spend millions to make artificial ice for a hockey team to play on.