“BlackBerry” Man Buys Predators, But Could They Be Hamilton-Bound?
Posted May 24, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s not really big news that a Canadian billionaire has bought a hockey team. But speculation over what might happen to the franchise is creating real buzz. The whispers started with news that Jim Balsillie, the man behind Waterloo-based Research In Motion and all those millions of BlackBerrys, purchased the Nashville Predators. The deal is worth $220 million, and came about because current owner Craig Leipold is “tired of losing money”. The Predators have lost $70 million over the last decade.
Leipold started the franchise in 1997 and the Predators played their first game a year later. But ticket sales in the Tennessee town have been weak and despite the fact the Predators were built up into a playoff calibre team, with the signing of big names like Paul Kariya and Jason Arnott, the support simply hasn’t been there.
Leipold reached a multi-year stadium deal last Friday but admitted that things needed to change. “Without a naming rights partner, without ticket sales, without corporate sponsors, that’s when we get hurt,” he intoned.
Balsillie is a man who likes to see his investments pay off and most don’t think he’ll sit still with a money-loser for long. There’s speculation the monetary mogul may be looking to move the team out of Nashville, although where they might wind up is open to question. Some are hoping if a team relocation is part of the deal, a Canadian city would be the ultimate destination. But whatever happens, there’s reason to believe the Predators could be leaving the only home they’ve ever known.
Last year, Balsillie put down a $175 million bid to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins. But he withdrew the offer in December when team owner Mario Lemieux made one of the conditions of the sale that the team remain in Pittsburgh.
The most likely location talked about for the Predators if the moving vans are called: Hamilton, which is close to Balsillie’s home base and has a huge fan potential from both Southern Ontario and Western New York. But there are obstacles in the way – among them, the Leafs and the Sabres, who have never welcomed the suggestion of competition so close to home.
Photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images Sport
