Shannon on NHL: Ongoing ownership drama

With all the Winnipeg talk growing daily, I couldn’t help remember back to the days of how Jim Balsillie went about his work trying to pry the Penguins out of the Igloo, the Predators out of Music City and finally the Coyotes out of the desert.

There was always lots of publicity, media releases and that ill-fated season ticket drive in Hamilton (on the day of the NHL Awards in Toronto). There’s the right way to acquire a team and then there’s the wrong way. Balsillie’s group did it the wrong way and it appears Mark Chipman and his Winnipeg group are doing it the right way.

Now, before you get all fired up about JB doing his civic duty for Hamilton and accusing me of being anti-Canadian, please don’t go there. I believe a secnd team is viable in Southern Ontario even before we discuss Winnipeg or Quebec.

But, what have Chipman and Co., done right that Balsillie and Richard Rodier didn’t do? The Winnipeggers have been diligent and discreet. Rarely, if ever, are there incendiary quotes from True North Sports and Entertainment. They have been totally respectful of the process of joining an exclusive, private club. If they have been in New York to talk with NHL brass, they have done it stealth-style. They have patient and played the game Gary Bettman’s way and will be rewarded.

Hindsight is 20/20, but I fully believe that had the Blackberry folks walked in the front door, been a corporate partner for a duration (as they are now) and said to Bettman at a certain point we would like the second team in Toronto, the commissioner would have said, “Leave it with me; I think we can make that happen.”

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Speaking of corporate sponsorships, it was interesting to see Zdeno Chara chugging a Coca-Cola on the Boston Bruins’ bench (to replenish some sugar and sodium, I assume). Makes you wonder how quickly the people at Pepsico, who are the soft drink of record for the NHL, sent the memo?

And what about the new marketing campaign that Rexall Drug Stores are running nationally? It seems that they are offering a grand prize of two tickets to the “Cup Finals” with no NHL logo or Stanley Cup mention with proper trademarks. Obviously, they aren’t an official sponsor of the NHL, which is fine. But when you consider Rexall is controlled by Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz, one has to wonder how many questions he will get from his 29 partners at the next Board of Governors meeting for not buying a league sponsorship package.

If the owners don’t believe in the product, who should?

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I must admit, I much prefer talking about Ryan Kesler, Tim Thomas, Chris Pronger and all the other great players of the league rather than the owners or prospective owners of NHL teams. However, there appears to be more drama and movement in the owners’ world on most days other than trade deadline day or free agent frenzy.

With that, you should know that ownership resolution appears closer in Dallas. I’ve been told that the list of buyers continues to grow. In addition to Mark Cuban and Bill Quinn, it appears that two Canadians are back in the process. Calgary’s Bill Gallacher’s name has re-surfaced, as has Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi’s name.

There’s also another group out there, from Detroit, who are looking at the Stars. They have been dealing directly with the commissioner on their due diligence. I have been told the bid is real, but no one is comfortable in telling me the name.

And in St. Louis, where the current investor (Towerbrook Financial) has said it wants out, don’t be surprised if you hear Matthew Hulsizer being linked to Blues ownership, if he doesn’t get the Coyotes. While Dave Checketts had wanted to have new money in place by the all-star break and wants to stay involved, it’s possible that his group may lose control of the team. I’m told the sale of the Blues will be completed by the beginning of next season.

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And you want to own a hockey team? The costs can be astronomical — and appear to be even bigger if you don’t have many streams of revenue. Based on a letter from the NHL to the bank holding the City of Glendale’s money in escrow, here are the Phoenix Coyotes’ operational losses for this past season:

September 2010: $2,915,055

October 2010: $3,791,285

November 2010: $5,754,251

December 2010: $6,871,160

January 2011: $6,218,622

February 2011: $4,876,635

March 2011: $6,182,930

The monies to be transferred to a league-managed account by May 2 are just under $25 million. But that shouldn’t suggest that those were all the losses. It appears the Coyotes will be in line for $10 million of revenue sharing as well. You can do the math.

You still want to own a team?

You’ve been warned.

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And finally, why has all the discussion died down on the sale of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment? Could it be that there hasn’t been as much interest in the team from the outside as anticipated because everyone knows that Larry Tanenbaum can match any bid?

Just asking.