Well, at the heart of the issue is if the NHL used “good faith” in turning down Balsillie based on his character. All of the latest arguments are presented as a basis of saying, no, no they didn’t.

The NHL as a league that wishes to operate in the US and Canada is subject to antio-trust rules – the only sport that has an exemption to them to my knowledgfe is Major League Baseball (stupidly IMHO) but that’s why I and every other American pay Congress to conduct hearings as to whether or not “Big Papi” and others might be “juiced” instead of spending their time on less serious things like overseeing and questioning monetary policies of less important entitities like say the Federal Reserve…..

I’m totally shocked that Ted Leonsis and the Caps as well as the Sharks’ management didn’t vote for Balsillie and his group in light of some of their comments about bailouts, etc. for others….

The thing about Balsillie is that he makes no pretenses about how he’s going to skirt, ignore, or break rules to get what he wants. The NHL shrouds themselves in all sorts of pretense and spin and posturing.

Fundamentally, there is very little difference between them – they both want to move the Coyotes and want to do it on their terms. Balsillie is just being a lot more honest about it (although there’s still that dishonest shading – about it being about Canada and Canadian fans instead of about him getting a hockey team for a song and making a mint off of Hamilton, etc.).

That doesn’t mean I like Balsillie or makes me want to root for him. The only people I sympathize with in this whole mess are the fans in Hamilton who are being used AGAIN as props in a stage battle and the fans here who are essentially being dismissed outright.

No, JB’s suggesting that the Leafs still believe they can only have their veto overturned by a unanimous vote. Leafs or NHL JB will accept either as the villain here.
As for lawyers looking bad it’s the nature of the work. Subjectivity rules and since lawyers have to aggressively advance their cases someone who disagrees with them is always going to look down on their methods. Me, I’m kind of impressed all around with the lawyers on all sides here-it’s been quite entertaining(sorry Coyotes fans).

As an aside, I wonder whether there is any correspondence, meeting minutes or other documetation since Nov of 2006 indicating anything to the contrary regarding the Leafs’ position.

This was one of the subjects of the depositions given by Bettman and Daly recently and both confirmed there had been no change to the clause in the constitution. That’s all the Balsillie camp reveals on that front.

Good thing Pogge is a Duck now, eh?

No but Komisarek will likely block it before it gets to Toskala.

This is sure to work. Thanks.

OMFG… Everyone has to read this petition… talk about comedy gold!

Apparently Bettman engineered Ziegler’s firing after the 1992 players strike by forming an “old boys club”. There was apparently two strikes under his watch, which proves he’s incompetent, and he changes the rules of the game to suit his own personnel (sic) agenda. He also personally created the instigator rule, personally moved the North Stars to Dallas, the Nordiques to Colorado and personally created the push for southern expansion. And, of course, his standing in the way of good ole Uncle Jim is the result of a personal vendetta.

I can understand that people have fallen for Balsillie’s PR campaign and are painting him as some kind of hockey saviour while Bettman is the devil incarnate. But seriously dude, if you open your petition trying to paint John freaking Ziegler as a sympathetic figure, you’re doomed from the start!

Uh, yeah, guys just ignore crap this this in the comments. Move along all!

The franchises HAD a no-compete radius or rather the right to veto new expansions they thought would infringe on their share of the market. However, that came under fire and although it is still in the constitution, Bettman and Daly insist that Toronto does not have veto rights and instead a simple majority vote is needed for expansion rather than a unanimous vote.

When was the last time McDonald’s had a franchise in a location where it lost millions of dollars a year, and then insisted it must stay there?

There are a lot of differences between fast-food franchises and NHL franchises.

I dont think he wants money. I’m assuming he’s using the threat of a suit (and any actual suit) to try and force the NHL into a settlement that gives him what he wants – control of a team in Hamilton.