Sep
22
Written by:
Norman Rumack
9/22/2009 12:43 AM
Could the fight to the finish between Jim Balsillie and Gary Bettman, representing the National Hockey League, have been avoided? The answer is very likely yes, but like most conflicts, there would have to be compromises. In the first place , it is inaccurate to say the National Hockey League will not put another team in Canada. That is completely untrue.Most people with knowledge of the N.H.L. understand that they would like to have a second team in the Toronto area. For marketing purposes, the team would need to have the name Toronto attached to it even if it was north,south,east, or west of Toronto, as the American based franchises do not get a good reaction at the gate for teams not named Montreal or Toronto.With all the anger pertaining to the league not adding another Canadian franchise,isn't it strange that no one has publicly stepped up and said that they are willing to put up the money necessary to have a team play in Winnipeg.Those with inside knowledge of the National Hockey League, understand that the Board Of Governors would approve a team in Manitoba, even though their arena is somewhat smaller than the N.H.L. standard. Winnipeg has an established familiarity with American fans from the "Jets" days in the league. Here is where the compromises would have to be made.Jim Balsillie's " Make It Seven.ca" is not an accurate name when you think about it. The name implies adding a team in Canada. So far Jim Balsillie's campaign has been about Hamilton. The name should be "Make It Hamilton.ca"If the Balsillie group would have compromised on the exact location of the team, he would probably would have had a franchise by now. A second team in Toronto would serve the Hamilton market anyway, or the franchise could be set up so that a certain number of tickets and or suites are set aside for consumers and corporations from that area. I don't think they would really care if the team was named Toronto. At the end of the day, like most sports fans, all they really want is their tickets. There is no lack of support for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Hamilton, which proves that the fans don't really care what the name is on the front of the uniform.If the team was to play in Oakville for example, that could serve the entire region and still have the name Toronto, to satisfy the marketing concerns of the American owners of the league.A second team in the Toronto market implies that there would be an accommodation with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Instead of spending all this money on lawyers,perhaps the "Make It Seven " group could work out something quietly with the Maple Leafs in terms of a settlement. Conversely, the N.H.L., when it realized that Jim Balsillie was not going to play their game to get in,could have taken away the Canadian fan anger so to speak by announcing that it would put a team in Winnipeg or in southern Ontario.(through expansion or relocation if needed, within lets say 5 years). If the league adopted this strategy, then someone would have to put up the money for another Canadian based team.The burden would be removed from the league pertaining to Bettman and the Board of Governors being labeled as "anti-Canadian" as some have suggested, which they aren't anyway.If Jim Balsillie really wants the seventh Canadian N.H.L. franchise, then he should consider talking to the league about Winnipeg or compromise on the team being right in Hamilton.Why not have a team that can serve Hamilton but be close enough to Toronto that it meets the N.H.L.'s needs? He'd be an even bigger hero to Canadian hockey fans for sure.This would fit perfectly into his "Make It Seven" theme .Some simple compromises by both sides would really go a long way, and save them incredible amounts of money. It all seems pretty silly to me !!!
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