Southern Ontario
Beginning with Howard Berger's bittersweet commentary on our little corner of the web and and piquing tonight with a grade A case of trolling from a user that's been taken care of, let me make a quick note about moderation.
Firstly, it's important to remember that our willingness to allow for freewheeling and largely unrestricted conversation gives MLHS commenters a privilege, not a right. Unfortunately, in a few instances I'm beginning to see this being taken advantage of.
Being intentionally vulgar is not the way to stick it to Howard Berger. We are getting noticed not only for the efforts and insights the blogging team brings to the table but for the breadth of Leafs knowledge among our users, backed by a strong sense of community. Pension Plan Puppets' sports bar analogy was a good one and I similarly am not going to nitpick at every curse word - if this is how a poster opts to express himself and it's within reasonable limits, I'm not going to ask anybody to change the manner or mood in which they want to communicate their thoughts. Unfiltered dialogue helps create the virtual club house I spoke about striving for in an interview last summer, where fans can relax and chat with a passionate crew who have something informed to say about their favourite sport and team. What is absolutely unacceptable is personal attacks, allowing of course for some friendly banter about Jordan's grammar. [more…]
Hang in there folks, we're almost into September...
The Globe and Mail has got a very interesting article up discussing the latest developments in the ongoing [more…]
Today's midweek rumblings include the implications of the Joey Macdonald signing, Zherdev bolts for the KHL, a preview of the Coyotes afternoon hearing, a possible Senators throwback jersey, a whole lot of nothing on Phil Kessel and the National Post's take on winners/losers of free agency. [more…]
Hitting the links bright and early on a Thursday morning: Jim Balsillie and the city of Hamilton get new life, Kadri's WJC tryout experience, an update on the Justin Pogge situation, Leafs sign a young defenseman, a mid-summer recap of the offseason festivities, and the Marlies coaching staff announced. [more…]
Judge Redfield T. Baum has ruled that Jim Balisillie cannot use bankruptcy law to force his purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes.  The judge has also ruled that the NHL's relocation requirements do not violate anti-trust legislation.
The interview between league Commissioner, Gary Bettman, on Toronto radio station, FAN590 segment "The Game Plan" featuring Doug Maclean and Jack Armstrong, was a first hand look at the battle the relocation to Hamilton has become. Stating that after Jim Balsillie's attempts at hijacking the Nashville Predators to Hamilton, the commish indicated he sat down with the billionaire outlining what it would take to become an NHL owner.
In the non-surprise of the century, Jim Balsillie put in an offer on the recently-bankrupted Phoenix Coyotes before the ink had even dried on the bankruptcy papers.   With a condition, of course: that he would have the right to move the team to Southern Ontario.
It's not so much the offer that is of note - it's been rumoured for months that he was targeting the franchise - but the timing of it is quite intriguing.  Could there be some legs to those rumours of a second team in the GTA after all?
This proposed offer to purchase the struggling Phoenix Coyotes by Jim Balsillie may be a better possibility this time around. It may seem impossible to fathom another NHL club so close to its flagship franchise, the Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres, but it's not jurisdiction that's at the heart of the issue here.
It's the salary cap, revenue and a return to the dead puck era.
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