NHL vs. Jim Balsillie - Round 3
Having been rebuffed in two previous attempts to buy an NHL franchise and move it to soutehrn Ontario, Jim Balsillie is trying again. You have to admire the guy's persistance even if Bettman and Daly don't. I truly believe that all hockey fans have mixed feelings about this. When you ask for a hockey fan's opinion on something, usually it comes right out without a moment's hesitation. Most things are black and white to us. This one is different. Deep down every hockey fan wants to see Balsillie owning a hockey team. He clearly loves the game and his controversial persona would be entertaining for all - kind of like our own poor man's version of Mark Cuban. Besides, even the staunchest Sun Belt hockey fan would readily admit how absurd it is that the New York metropolitan area has three hockey teams, the Los Angeles area has two, the state of Florida has two, and yet, the "center of the hockey universe has only the Leafs (yes, I hear you Leaf fans, and no, we will not count the Leafs as half of a franchise). Furthermore, the simple fact that it pisses off Gary Bettman appeals to hockey fans.
On the flip side, it's hard not to acknowledge that Balsillie is going about this all wrong. No hockey fan would want this to happen to his or her team, and that is why there is a certain sympathy for the Coyotes and their fans. Balsillie is clearly in the process of a hostile takeover, and it's hard for any hockey fan to support that when it means that fans in a market might lose their team (yes, I hear you too Hartford, Winnipeg, and Quebec City). If Balsillie wasn't blackballed before, he almost certainly will be if this attempt fails. And that would be a shame because the NHL needs him owning a team in southern Ontario.
It's never enjoyable to watch a franchise struggle. Hockey fans would certainly like to see the game grow and to see more poeple appreciating the excitement it has to offer, but, whether true or not, the Phoenix franchise is perceived as something of a wounded bird that needs to be put out of its misery. Hockey fans are still annoyed with Bettman for his pigheaded persistance in shoving hockey teams down the throats of non-traditional hockey markets. Allowing franchises to leave those markets would be admitting defeat. Bettman will do anything in his power to prevent that from happening. Meanwhile, hockey fans will continue to have mixed feelings as this sordid mess continues. This won't be like ripping off a band-aid. This is going to be a long, drawn-out legal battle, and in the end someone is going to lose. If the Phoenix franchise doesn't have a good chance at turning things around, it may be time to finally give Balsillie the franchise he so badly desires, even if it means admitting defeat.
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