A New Layer to An Old Story

For the first time, there may be more than smoke.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly today confirmed that he recently met with a group of GTA businessmen interested in putting another NHL team in the Toronto area, likely near Vaughan.

“While we did in fact meet with individuals interested in having another NHL team in the Toronto area, it is safe to say that there isn’t any consideration being given to that prospect at this point in time,” said Daly in an email. “We have no interest in expanding, and we have no desire to relocate any existing franchises.”

The Globe and Mail today published a story saying Daly met with the group of unidentified businessmen last week for 2 1/2 hours to discuss their ideas. The story also said the group has spoken with NHL Players Association chief Paul Kelly, but union sources denied that.

Richard Peddie, speaking for the Maple Leafs, said he was unaware of the meeting.

"We've had no discussions with the league on expansion or transfer of franchises into our territory," Peddie told The Star's Kevin McGran. "If or when that ever occurs, I trust the NHL to bring it to the board of governors in their normal, thorough, analytical fashion and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment will make a decision at that time, what we think about it.

"To comment on the flavour of the day and the usual suspects, that's not very fruitful to us and we choose to have no other comment,"

The story of a second NHL team in Toronto has been kicking around for years, but the road block has always been that the Leafs, and possibly the Buffalo Sabres, would have to be compensated. When Jim Basillie, a Waterloo businessman, was looking at buying either the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Nashville Predators and possibly moving them to Hamilton, Ont., the compensation for the Leafs and Sabres was again an issue.

Peddie wouldn't say whether the Leafs would have a veto over another team being located in the GTA.

"We're not talking about the process at all," he said. "We'll deal with what our position is when or if we ever see something from the league."

The City of Vaughan, identified in the Globe report as the potential location for an arena and a new team, would also fall inside the Leafs’ territory.

Balsillie was apparently not personally involved in last week’s meeting, but rumours are already circulating that he may be an interested party.

The fact the NHL is at least willing to discuss the issue opens a new chapter in this story, and is likely connected to the fact that several U.S.-based franchises, notably Phoenix, are in severe financial distress. New York Islanders owner Charles Wang has said his team is losing upwards of $20 million a season and has threatened to move the team if he can’t get clearance for a new arena, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are rumoured to be in the red to the tune of $25 million per season just a year after being sold to Hollywood producer Oren Koules and former NHL player Len Barrie.

Rather than folding teams, the league would prefer to re-locate them if absolutely necessary, but in these economic times cities willing and able to accommodate new teams would be hard to find.

The league is also clearly kicking the tires on Las Vegas, having agreed to hold its awards show in that city for the next three years starting this June.

All that said, a source familiar with last week's meeting played down its important, calling the meeting "extremely insignificant."

Comments

[Corriador Chandri]

Hamilton should get a team 1st. A lone investor ready to pony up the cash/take the risks, is already in place. Should this fact not be properly weighed 1st?

[Baljit]

A sucker is born every minute folks(those of you lining up for tickets).... less teams= better players= a better game which would be worth paying to see!

[BC]

Please Dear NHL,

anywhere but Vaughan.

Thank you,
BC

[JC]

Baloney. Don't you guys get tired of this same old flap. I have a hot tip that an NHL team is moving to Erin.

[BRADY]

THIS IS LEAFS PLAY GROUND. LETS KEEP IT THAT WAY.

[Garrett Schultens]

Wouldn't it be great if pro sports actually ceased being the bastion of obscenely overpaid prima donnas and actually became what it once was? Just imagine: a local team actually made up of and representing the local population. Just imagine: players you could actually identify with, that went to a high school in your city, instead of players you can only hero-worship. Just imagine: hockey admission prices being something the average citizen could afford.

[Conn Smythe]

Get rid of the deadwood (Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Nashville) and let the NHL thrive again.

We need less teams in the NHL, not more.

[Noam Sugarman]

Garrett: Stop romanticizing the past, pro sports was never really like that. Even back in pro hockey's infancy, guys like Cyclone Taylor played or the team that would pay the most, which is how a guy from rural Ontario ended up playing in Vancouver. There's a reason it's called 'pro', and it's because money is what makes the gears grind.

Also, anyone who says this is a pipe dream is being overly cynical, meaning they've probably been reading Damien too much. There are at least five teams that are in a terrible state, and while moving one to Toronto isn't the only option, it certainly is one of the best from an economic standpoint. The only thing preventing it from happening is Gary Bettman's love affair with the sun-belt, but like a wise man said, 'Castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually'.

[Peter]

why not move Montreal? they are up for sale, for probably a bargain basement price. they were mostly failures lately...they could be moved to Hamilton and than be called the Real Canadians. :-) and if the Quebecois "nation" wants to separate, they gonna loose it anyway.

[anthony]

If Toronto gets another team - I would drop the Leafs without hesitation. I think the Maple Leafs organization over the decades has been an embarrassment and Toronto fans deserve better. No one who has ever been in any way involved in the Maple Leafs should be allowed to be involved in the second team - except for former Maple Leaf players - after all, it's not their fault they got suckered into playing for the worst run franchise in the history of sports.