Saturday, September 15, 2007

Balsillie's next target: Atlanta?

According to the Toronto Star, Jim Balsillie's dream of owning an NHL team may still be alive. It's possible that the Atlanta Thrashers may be put up for sale, as there is an ongoing battle between the owners of that team. Arthur Griffiths, whose family owned the Vancouver Canucks from 1988-97, had this to say:

"If someone is going to join the NBA or NHL as a partner and their first foray is to say they don't care about your rules, it doesn't bode well for the long term. The fact is, there are a lot of people who can sign cheques. If Balsillie wants in that club, he really has to go and say, `Look, I went about this the wrong way. I believe in your leadership.' He has to suck up."
Source

The Buffalo News is reporting that the Teppo Numminen suspension was purely "business." "There's a clause explicitly in the contract that states the player must pass the physical and be fit to play," GM Darcy Regier said. "It's the collective bargaining agreement and in no way is it personal to Teppo. I had the conversation with Teppo. He understands it's business. It has a lot of implications on the salary side, on the cap side." Numminen is expected to have surgery soon for his heart condition and will be out four to six weeks. Source

Edmonton's favourite official, Mick McGeough, will be retiring after this season. McGeough's on-ice antics have had the fans give him nicknames such as "Mr. Magoo" and "McGoof." Source

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