Posts Tagged ‘commissioner bill’

PHOENIX (AP)—The Coyotes are staying in Phoenix, at least for now.

A bankruptcy judge has rejected the proposed sale of the franchise to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who would have moved the team to Hamilton, Ontario.

Judge Redfield T. Baum issued a 21-page ruling late Monday afternoon, concluding the June 29 deadline imposed by Balsillie did not allow enough time to resolve the complex case.

“Simply put, the court does not think there is sufficient time (14 days) for all of these issues to be fairly presented to the court given that deadline,” the judge wrote.

The ruling is a victory for the NHL, which had argued Balsillie was using the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to make an end-run around the league’s rules over who owns teams and where they are located.

“We’re pleased the court recognized the validity of league rules and our ability to apply them in a reasonable fashion,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement Monday night. “We will turn our attention now toward helping to facilitate an orderly sales process that will produce a local buyer who is committed to making the Coyotes’ franchise viable and successful in the Phoenix-Glendale area. We are confident that we will be able to find such a buyer for the Coyotes and that the claims of legitimate creditors will be addressed.”

But Balsillie, who has failed in two other bids to buy NHL teams, refused to concede defeat, saying he wants to work with the league and move the franchise.

“We look forward to hearing from the NHL soon on its view of our relocation application and an appropriate relocation fee, so as to allow the court to determine if that fee is reasonable,” Balsillie spokesman Bill Walker said. “We still think there is enough time for the NHL to approve Mr. Balsillie’s application and move the team to Hamilton by September.”

Walker said the judge’s ruling “invited mediation.”

“Mr. Balsillie is willing to participate in such mediation if the NHL is also willing to do so,” Walker’s statement said.

Baum called the case unprecedented in U.S. bankruptcy history.

“The legal issues trigger not only bankruptcy law, but antitrust law and commercial law in the context of a professional sports team, as a Chapter 11 debtor, which team has for years incurred, and is continuing to incur, very serious financial losses and problems,” Baum wrote. “No cases have been found that precisely or even closely fit this scenario.”

Walker’s statement ignored several aspects of the ruling that were made against Balsillie.

Baum shot down the claim by Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes and Balsillie that failure to allow the team, over the objection of the NHL, to move would violate antitrust law.

“This court can not find that antitrust law, as applicable nonbankruptcy law, permits the sale free and clear of the relocation rights of the NHL,” Baum wrote.

He added, “It is not an antitrust violation for professional sports leagues to have terms and conditions on relocations of its members.”

An antitrust claim requires a “bona fide dispute,” but there is none because Balsillie only sought the NHL’s permission to relocate the franchise after it was brought up in court, Baum wrote.

“This court is unconvinced that it should order that the NHL must decide the relocation application to meet the June 29 deadline,” the judge wrote.

Baum also rejected claims by Moyes and Balsillie that while assuming the contract the Coyotes have with the NHL, they can disregard the portion of the agreement that requires the games be played in Glendale.

The judge compared that claim to “a purchaser of a bankrupt franchise in a remote location asserting that it can be relocated far from its original agreed site to a highly valuable location, for example New York City’s Times Square …”

The judge’s decision is also a win for the city of Glendale, which had spent $183 million to build an arena for the Coyotes and had contended the franchise could not use bankruptcy to evade its lease.

Baum said that because he was rejecting the motion, he need not rule at this time on whether Moyes and Balsillie could void Glendale’s lease. The city said it was pleased with the ruling.

“Clearly the court recognized the significance of these issues and the unique interests of the City of Glendale and its taxpayers,” the city said in a statement. “The court based its decision on the law and facts and not on countless rumors and innuendo regarding this matter.”

This is the third time Balsillie—whose company makes the Blackberry—has tried to buy an NHL team. His made previous attempts to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators.

Moyes took the NHL by surprise when he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 5, proposing to sell the team to Balsillie for $212.5 million, contingent on the franchise moving to Hamilton, Ontario.

The NHL said that commissioner Gary Bettman was on his way to deliver a letter of intent to Moyes from Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of baseball’s Chicago White Sox and the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, to purchase the team and keep it in Glendale. However, any bid to buy the team will be far less than the offer Balsillie made.

“I think people are going to be shocked when they see the value of this team remaining in Glendale,” Moyes’ attorney Thomas Salerno said. “It’s going to be materially less than the offer we have on the table.”

Salerno said Moyes is disappointed and is evaluating his options. Moyes says he has more than $300 million invested in the team and would have recouped about $100 million if the Balsillie sale had gone through.

The NHL says four parties, including Reinsdorf, have filed preliminary applications to investigate purchasing the team and keeping it in Arizona. However, if no buyer can be found, the league would look to relocate the franchise.

Moyes and Balsillie contended that the team would never succeed in Arizona and would flourish in hockey-crazy Ontario. But the move raised territorial rights issues because of the proximity of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.

Baum had raised the specter of a fee due to the NHL and the two teams if the franchise moved.

The Coyotes have lost more than $300 million since the franchise moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1996, and at least $36 million each of the last three seasons, but the NHL contends the franchise can be viable with better management and more success on the ice.

Associated Press writers Jonathan Cooper and Mark Carlson in Phoenix contributed to this report.

TORONTO – The Maple Leafs are going to aggressively pursue a top NHL entry draft spot, perhaps even the No. 1 pick owned by the New York Islanders, says GM Brian Burke.

Going into the draft lottery Tuesday night, Toronto was seventh in the selection order and could have moved up a maximum of four spots if it won the weighted draw.

The Islanders finished last in the league this season and had the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick.

That’s exactly what happened when deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced the results of the draw, giving the Isles the top pick for the first time since 2000. Toronto remained in seventh spot.

Earlier Tuesday, Burke said he intends to be wheeling and dealing before the top teen talent is dispersed in Montreal with an eye on landing highly touted forward John Tavares.

“We’ll immediately attempt to move up,” Burke said during a morning news conference. “We’re going to talk to everyone between us and the first pick and see what the landscape is.

“We’re going to see what it costs and we’re going to try and move up.”

Anybody on his roster, with the exception of standout rookie defenceman Luke Schenn, might go in a package that would be required to get a higher position.

“No player is untradeable,” said Burke. “Wayne Gretzky got traded.”

Burke has a history of draft coups, most notably the ones that landed him Chris Pronger when he managed the Hartford Whalers and maneuverings that procured the services of the Sedin twins for the Vancouver Canucks. So, teams will be ready for his spiel this time.

“I don’t think we’re going to sneak up on anyone,” he said. “They’ve seen that movie.”

He wouldn’t necessarily need the No. 1 spot to draft Tavares, he said.

“I’m not confident every team has John Tavares as No. 1,” said Burke.

Toronto finished 12th in the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row and hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2004, but that was long before Burke was handed the reins. There were some positive developments this season, he said.

The development of “our young guns” was encouraging and the recent signings of top U.S. college prospects Christian Hanson and Tyler Bozak provides talent depth. Pitches have been made to land defenceman Matt Gilroy of the NCAA-champion Boston Terriers and free-agent Swede Jonas Gustavsson, who Burke considers the top goalie outside the NHL.

Burke also says he’ll be active in seeking unrestricted free agents once they become available July 1.

Vesa Toskala, who played in pain much of the season, should be fit enough in the autumn to retain the No. 1 goaltending job, says Burke. Gustavsson would be backup if the Leafs land him.

“The goal for next year is to make the playoffs,” Burke said. “If that’s not the goal of every GM, they should get out of the business.

“We’re building here to win a championship and the first step is to make the playoffs.”

The Leafs might have qualified for the post-season had they won some of the close ones they dropped during the winter, he said.

“If we had better goaltending and found a way to win those games, we’d be right there,” Burke said. “We could have traded Luke Schenn this year and made the playoffs” but that wouldn’t have been in the team’s long-range interests.

Burke said he and head coach Ron Wilson have progressed in their attempt to end the “culture of entitlement” some players feel when they play for the Leafs.

“Anyone who thinks he’s on this roster because he has a contract is sadly mistaken,” he said, adding a mention that the buyout option kicks in July 1.

Burke, as he has in the past, stressed that his only concern is to bring the Leafs a championship.

“I want to make the playoffs and have a parade here,” he said. “I have no ego involved in this.

“I’m not trying to put any personal stamp on the team. I just want to win.”

There remains no timetable to select a captain, he added: “This is the Toronto Maple Leafs so that decision has to be made with great care.”

Wilson said he expects to have a fitter team next season that won’t get worn down by opponents as was often the case this past season. Workout regimens have been distributed.

“We have a system in place where we’ll be able to monitor everyone’s progress on a week-to-week basis,” he said.

Toronto had the league’s worst goals-against average. Goaltending, injuries and conditioning were to blame, said Wilson.

Like Burke, he backed Toskala.

“I’m confident Vesa is going to bounce back next season,” said Wilson.

It was clear that Wilson expects Burke will be making numerous personnel changes this summer.

“This environment is going to change and I expect it to be changing rapidly,” he said.

Wilson picked the previous team he coached, the San Jose Sharks, to win the Stanley Cup. Adding Rob Blake and Dan Boyle to their power play was a big boost.

“They have to find a way to score 5-on-5 and if they can do that they should be able to win the whole thing,” Wilson said.  20:48ET 14-04-09

Original Article on TSN

NEW YORK (AP)—The final result of the New York Islanders’ worst season in nine years is the opportunity for them to land a player who just might be able to turnaround the beleaguered franchise.

The Islanders won the NHL draft lottery and the No. 1 overall pick on Tuesday night, giving them the right to take one of two highly touted prospects — forward John Tavares and Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman.

“It put a huge smile on my face,” said general manager Garth Snow, in his third year on the job. “It’s a great moment for our franchise, a great moment for our fans.”

New York finished last overall in the NHL with 61 points this season and had the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick.

The draw was held at the league’s offices in New York and the results were announced in Toronto by deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

League rules stipulate that a team can move up no more than four positions in the lottery or drop more than one. There was no movement between the 14 non-playoff teams involved.

Following the Islanders will be Tampa (No. 2), Colorado (No. 3), Atlanta (No. 4) and Los Angeles (No. 5).

Colorado finished in last place in the Western Conference this season, and fired general manager Francois Giguere on Monday.

The Avalanche will have a draft pick in the top 10 for the first time since relocating to Denver from Quebec in 1995.

“It’s a tremendous amount of excitement for our organization and for our fan base, to have the opportunity to select a premier player in this year’s draft,” said Craig Billington, the Avalanche’s vice president of hockey operations. “This draft is a very strong draft.”

Toronto ended up with the seventh pick, Ottawa got the ninth selection and Edmonton received the 10th choice.

The 16 playoff teams will have their draft positions determined at the end of the postseason.

The Islanders have the top draft pick for the first time since 2000, when they chose franchise goalie Rick DiPietro.

Unless the Islanders trade the pick, choice this year comes down to Tavares or Hedman.

In brief scouting reports, Snow said Hedman is “6-foot-6 and can skate like the wind,” and praised Tavares for the gaudy offensive numbers he has posted.

Snow said he has a player ranked first in his mind, but added the organization will hold meetings in the coming days to discuss who will be the right fit.

“Yeah I do, but I’m not going to share it,” he said. “We’re going to get a great player for this team.”

Tavares was the top-ranked North American skater in final rankings by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. Hedman was tops among Europeans.

The Islanders went through growing pains all season as they dived deeply into a youth movement under first-year coach Scott Gordon, who moved up from the AHL.

New York already has promising rookies Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey, last year’s first-round pick. The Islanders owned the No. 5 pick in 2008 but traded down twice and grabbed Bailey with the ninth selection.

Okposo was the Islanders’ second-leading scorer with 18 goals and 39 points in 65 games. Bailey had seven goals and 25 points in 68 games. Snow admitted there would be a lot of pressure to get this pick right at the draft, which will be held at Montreal’s Bell Centre on June 26.

“It’s going to be a great draft day for this organization and our fans,” Snow said.

Original Article: sports.yahoo.com