Balsillie Foiled Again
By: Jeff Little • June 16th, 2009
It appears that Hamilton will have to wait a bit longer for an NHL franchise. Gary Bettman outmaneuvered Jim Balsillie in the United States Bankruptcy Court, with Judge Redfield Baum ruling tonight that there is insufficient time to adequately address the complicated legal issues attendant to a franchise move before Balsillie’s self-imposed June 29 deadline.
While the NHL wins this round in Court, the basis for the victory is tenuous, at best. Had Balsillie allowed for some additional time, or had a few of the legal hurdles been cleared in advance, a different result might have emerged. However, for now it appears that Phoenix will retain the Coyotes for one more season.
I have not yet laid my hands on the complete ruling, but will provide more detail when I do. Find the THN story here.
A native of the SF Bay Area, my first exposure to hockey was the SF/Oakland/California Golden Seals, including Charlie Finley and the white skates. Fast forward to the late 1980's when Gretzky and the Kings came up to the Bay Area for an exhibition game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, for which we had glass seats. I was at the first San Jose Sharks game in the Cow Palace, and followed them for their first few pathetic years, before moving to Columbus in 1994. I attended the first pro-NHL rally downtown, and have been a season ticket holder since Day 1, wife & I are active in the Jacket Backers, and son is an avid fan as well. I cover the Jackets for Inside Hockey, and contribute regularly to a variety of hockey sites. I maintain contact with the Jackets organization, and like to dig into stories, bringing a fresh, and sometimes irreverent perspective to hockey.
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