On Vacation

I’m going on vacation for the week (Nags Head NC) so I will not be posting for a while…but that doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten about our Preds…c’mon guys…make those calls to the NHL and sign this online petition HERE.

Lets Save Our Preds!!!

There Is Hope!

This is from a fellow Predators fan…

Okay, hockey fans. I lost sleep last night over the fact that our (proposed) new owner will certainly have an interest in moving the team from Nashville. So, I called the NHL corporate offices, not expecting them to care of my concern. The operator connected me with someone in their Communications/PR section. I explained I am a passionate hockey fan in Nashville, a long-time season ticket holder, and that I would like to see the NHL do anything it can do to ensure that the team stays in Nashville-be it NOT approving the sale of the team OR in NOT approving a move.

Oddly enough, the man I spoke with said that when Mr. Balsillie proposed to buy the Penguins a year ago, they received countless calls from Pittsburgh fans urging the NHL and the Commissioner to ensure hockey would stay in Pittsburgh. They logged all the calls, and passed a summary of the calls along to the Commissioner. He said that the calls make a difference. On the off chance that the expression of passionate fans about the Nashville Predators might make a difference, would you please take a few minutes and call the NHL corporate offices to express your opinion? And please pass this request along to others.

The number is 212-789-2000

Thanks for your effort.

Okay guys…maybe we can make a difference. Let’s call this number and let them hear from us down here. Don’t think ’someone else will call’ YOU need to call. Do it now!!!

Thanks to my Hockey Buddy Jason on the tip…now get to calling people!

Leipold Emails Ticket Holders…

Season ticket holders got an email from current (though not for long) Preds owner Craig Leipold. Here is it in it’s entirety.

Dear Predators’ Season Ticket Holders:

June 25, 2007 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the awarding of the NHL franchise to Nashville that became your Nashville Predators. It’s been an incredible 10-year journey for me. I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate your strong emotional and financial support of the Nashville Predators. You are a big part of the team’s on-ice success. On behalf of the entire franchise, I thank you.

Ten years ago, I couldn’t call myself a hockey expert. Today, my family and I are as passionate and competitive about the game as the most hardcore fans.

When the franchise began, I said we would run it as a business in order to be successful. We developed a game plan both on and off the ice. We became an integral part of the community, especially downtown Nashville. We made sure we had some fun. And, we indicated that making a huge profit was not a top priority – but we certainly didn’t make plans to lose a significant amount either.

As part of those plans we developed a loyal fan base – every team should be fortunate enough to have a Cell Block 303 and the loudest arena in the league. We built a team that the community could be proud of on and off the ice. We grew our hockey skills exactly as general manager David Poile outlined, using the draft as a foundation and then supplementing at the appropriate times with trades and free agents. We gave back to the community – well over $2 million in grants and in-kind donations through the Nashville Predators Foundation. We created an entertaining in-arena atmosphere for every game night. And, we did it all while keeping our ticket prices near the bottom of the league.

Unfortunately, the success on the ice has not translated to success for me as business owner.

Here are just a few facts as to why:

* The Nashville Predators tallied up 216 points in the last two seasons, fifth most in the NHL, yet because of below-average attendance, the team will still have a real cash loss of $27 million during that time. Additionally, that loss is despite receiving the most money in the league from revenue sharing. Over the last five years, the team has lost over $60 million.
* We’ve invested heavily in sales and marketing efforts, spending over $50 million in 10 years, most of that with locally-based businesses.
* Our average regular season attendance this past season was 13,589, up from the year before, but still 2,000 below the NHL average. A low turnout, combined with a low ticket price results in a poor financial situation.
* The new NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement with revenue sharing is not a cure-all. Each local market must still support its local team. In addition, this attendance does not qualify us for our full revenue sharing allocation under the collective bargaining agreement.
* While individual fan support has always been strong, we’ve worked aggressively to increase our local business support since Season Four. We’ve tried a variety of approaches with minimal success. Our records show today that corporate support for the Nashville Predators makes up about 35% of our season ticket base. The average in other markets is around 60%. During our first two years, approximately 4,000 businesses owned season tickets. Today, only 1,800 businesses have season tickets.

While my heart and my love of the game tell me we can still be successful, the facts outlined above suggest otherwise. I’ve reached the only possible conclusion and it’s one of the most difficult decisions of my personal and professional life.

Later today, I am announcing an agreement to sell the Nashville Predators franchise and Powers Management to Jim Balsillie. We plan for the sale to be final in early July after a short period of due diligence and approval from the NHL Board of Governors.

I’ve carried the franchise as far as it can go from a business standpoint. It has been well-reported that we have attempted to attract local ownership since 2002. The truth is, we had only one serious inquiry in that time from someone who was interested in a small minority share of the team. Jim Balsillie is interested in full ownership.

It’s time to give someone else a chance to take the Nashville Predators to the next level in terms of local business support. Last week’s announcement that the Sommet Group has signed on as a naming rights partner for the arena is a strong first step in the right direction. The new energy and leadership of Jim Balsillie will be another.

Jim Balsillie is co-CEO of Research in Motion, the company which developed the Blackberry device. He is an avid hockey fan who still plays recreationally. I know he is dedicated to putting a great team on the ice.

The past 10 years have laid a foundation, but there’s still much to be done to both build corporate support and to win a Stanley Cup. I know Jim shares my passion for the game and my commitment to a strong franchise to pursue the greatest trophy in sports.

Despite the financial challenges we faced, owning this franchise has been the thrill of a lifetime. I’ve made many friendships here in Nashville. It’s been an exciting 10 years, and as I move on from the ranks of team ownership, I’ll always remain a fan.

Sincerely,

Craig L. Leipold

I can’t say that I blame Craig…his arguement is complelling and from a financial standpoint it makes sense. Heck…it even looks like he won’t ‘get rich’ from the deal. The one thing I wanted to see in the letter I did not and that was that the team would try to stay in Nashville. This email does not make me feel better about that…it actually makes me feel worse!

Preds Sold…Freakin Blackberry!

I am shocked. I am. But not at all surprised. Perhaps I should have taken what Trump says to heart…”trust no one.” Even as Leipold would repeat, time after time, that he had no intention of moving the franchise somewhere deep inside I did not entirely believe him. Don’t get me wrong I am not sitting here telling you that I saw this coming because I didn’t…no one did. NO ONE!

What does it all mean? Well that has yet to be decided. The only thing we can hope for is that the league puts in place a list of stipulations similar to that of the Pittsburgh deal which would require Jim Balsillie (CEO of the company behind Blackberry) to keep the team here for a certain number of years (a deal in Pittsburgh fell through when the league was going to require him to keep the team there for seven years regardless if a deal on a new arena was reached). My gut tells me though that he has talked to the league already and doesn’t foresee those stumbling blocks.

Right now this is all unclear. Perhaps it will become clear at the press conference scheduled for today. Right now it’s all fuzzy…kind of like the morning after that party freshman year in college when you woke up in a strange room with an awful taste in your mouth…you know what I’m talking about right?

I knew there was a reason I went with my TREO!!!

Ducks Win

what a finish…what a series…it’s going to be a great final!

Uhhhh…did you see that?

A beauty of a powerplay goal by the Wings! Wow!!!

Now the Ducks take another penalty…it’s not over yet!

Watchin’ Ducks & Wings

down 4-2 with less than five minutes to play and the Wings won’t die. This is why they have been so good for so long…winning is in their blood and they hate losing. The D is pinching up and they are making Giguere make huge saves. Should be a great finish!

Pronger Gone For Game Four

Is there any reason that this kind of thing should happen? I think if you are a Pronger fan you can say that he is taller and Holmstrom had his head down a bit and Pronger just came in where he normally would.

However, I think, if you look at the video carefully and without bias you will find this was, without a doubt, a dirty hit. This hit didn’t happen three minutes into the game. This happened when the Ducks were already down 4-0. This was frustration. This was a forearm blow to the head that didn’t need to happen. If you watch the video I think you could even say that he left his feet a little bit. Pronger got almost what he deserved.

If I’m a teammate of Pronger’s I’m angry that his selfish play could en up costing this team big time…if they go out and lose game four without him people will point to this act. This was a guy who was not thinking about his team but thinking about how frustrated he was at the way the Wings and Holmstrom had schooled them so far that night.

Predictions…Just What You Wanted!

Oh I wanted the Preds to be here…I really thought they would be. Man when we traded for Foppa I could have sworn I overheard a call from the NHL’s official engraver checking to make sure that Tomas Vokoun doesn’t have an ‘H’ in his name. Now I know it was the tee time manager at the Karlovy Vary Country Club asking if would need a caddie or a cart.

East: This will be a heck of a match up.. These could be 2-1 overtime thrillers just as easy as they could be 5-4 run and gun shootouts! I think for me this series comes down to goaltending. Which of these two guys (Ray Emery for Ottawa and Ryan Miller for Buffalo) is going to take control of this series. Both of these goalies have shown flashes of brilliance and have put their respective teams on their backs and carried them to victory. Both of these goalies can also, at times, look a bit shaky, a little unsure of themselves. For me the goalie who steps up and says ‘follow me guys’ is going to take this series. For me I think that guy is Emery. Conventional wisdom says take Miller but for some reason I think this is Emery’s coming out party. This is where Ray makes a name for himself.

My Prediction: Ottawa in hard fought, very physical six.

West: I know these Wings well. The Predators played these guys eight times this year and let me tell you, in case you don’t know, they’re good. I say ‘the Wings are good’ the same way I say ‘I think the internet is going to be around for a while.’ It is an obvious statement. A statement that is just as obvious is ‘these Ducks are good.’ Watching them this year in the playoffs has made me a believer in these Ducks that used to be called mighty. The Ducks are a physical team and if there is an area in which I think they can wear down Detroit it’s the physical play. I think Detroit has made it through two rounds without having to take much of a pounding. If the Ducks can work the body like a prize fighter they have a great chance of taking the series. However, Dominick is once again Dominating and Detroit can lock up the neutral zone better than any team. The Ducks will show some bite but in the end…

My Prediction: Detroit in seven (with at least two overtime games)

My Wife Asked ‘Who Are You Rooting For?’

So…I guess I showed my true colors last night in the Sharks – Red Wings game. It was the moment (you’ll remember it) when Grier was pursuing Lindstrom and Hasek came out to play the puck. Hasek goes to play it off the boards and Grier intercepts it and goes for a sure thing wrap around just as Niklas “faster than a speeding bullet” Lindstrom comes sailing in and blocks what would have been the game tying goal. It was at that moment that years of frustration against the Wings swelled to a crescendo and I yelled “Yes!” as I thought Grier had tied the game.

My wife, ever so innocently, asked “who are you rooting for?” It was then, actually with some embarrassment, that I had to come clean. Not only to her but to myself. Yes. I was rooting for the Sharks. I was rooting against the team that I grew up loving. The team that I watched play really bad hockey as a young kid. I was rooting against the Red Wings.

Let me say this…when the Preds and Wings were locked in a battle for the central this year I was 110% all Preds…in the past after the Preds were eliminated I would normally root for the Wings but something has changed. What was it? I’m not sure but I think it has something to do with the fact that I am sick and tired of looking up at the Wings. Maybe next year we can knock them off their pedestal. Maybe next year…