from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
So NHL expansion is on, an NHL source confirming what some of us have been predicting for years: That the league’s desire to go to Las Vegas trumps any concern they might have about the long-term viability of the market.
William Foley, the Vegas owner-in-waiting, has been patiently, discreetly, quietly waiting in the wings for the process to unfold, which is part of the protocol that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the league’s executive committee demands.
They do not want loud, boisterous, tub-thumping people joining their ownership group. They want sober, well-heeled businessmen, the lessons of previous expansions not lost on the key decision-makers, beginning with the Boston Bruins’ Jeremy Jacobs, the chairman of the league’s board of governors, who doesn’t need a quick-fix expansion payment to stabilize his already successful franchise.
Even Bettman talked about this publicly at the start of the Stanley Cup final: That any decision to go into Las Vegas, or Quebec for that matter, would be based solely on whether it enhances overall NHL goals.
from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.