Confirmed with Link: Senators are for sale - and it’s a Gong Show

[JackieDaytona]

Oh so you want your proverbial cake and to eat it too.

I don’t know what this means.

 

[Samsquanch]

Oh so you want your proverbial cake and to eat it too.

I mean yeah, don't you too?

Beggars can't be choosers. It's true. But if we have our choice of several wealthy suitors, we arent exactly beggars now are we?

And I don't think many of us care if the team sells for slightly less dollars to an ownership group that's a better fit. It doesn't affect you or me.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

I am doubtful of the Sparks group being able to make a higher acceptable bid than some of the other potential bidders. Too many individuals involved.

Which if true puts it pretty damn high if these guys intend to come in at 950 mil and would get outbid.

 

[aragorn]

When Melnyk bought the team he brought the Eagles here for a free concert to season ticket holders, one of the best concerts ever.

I dunno how I feel about a group of SoCal richies with ties to entertainment and tech industries and big ideas about how to change the ‘experience’ of watching hockey taking over tbh. What do they know about hockey, about hockey fandom in Canada, about the culture that already exists? Not to say they couldn’t get it right or that changes aren’t welcomed (change will be good imo), just concerns here over other hinted groups who might have a more conventional approach, and understand things from a personal firsthand perspective in terms of Canadian culture and hockey.

Ultimately we don’t need someone to come in and IDEO the sens with disruptive design approaches and see the opportunity as a plaything experiment space(especially as a committee), we just need deep pockets and committed support for team and community.

This post reminds me of the California Golden Seals & their owner Charley Finley forcing the players to wear white skates? Now he was an interesting & funny owner.

Here is a funny quote from a guy who made a film abot them. "So difficult was it to cram all the innovative, goofy and embarrassing tales of Bay Area’s original hockey club into 90 minutes, Greczmiel has a DVD just as long stuffed with stories you’ll never hear.

From white skates to orange pucks, from Hell’s Angels to a bare-naked lady, we highlight the 17 most interesting bits from a wild nine-year NHL run of the Golden Seals."

 

[Emerica]

Wait I thought they opened the books to the interested parties back in the middle of December? Mendes's article states that they won't be doing that until 2 weeks from now. That NY based firm sure is slow as shit to moving this along.

Pretty sure i remember reading somewhere the issue is on the Sens side. Believe they haven't provided the complete financials yet and the website won't be open until then

 

[Golden_Jet]

When Melnyk bought the team he brought the Eagles here for a free concert to season ticket holders, one of the best concerts ever.


This post reminds me of the California Golden Seals & their owner Charley Finley forcing the players to wear white skates? Now he was an interesting & funny owner.

Here is a funny quote from a guy who made a film abot them. "So difficult was it to cram all the innovative, goofy and embarrassing tales of Bay Area’s original hockey club into 90 minutes, Greczmiel has a DVD just as long stuffed with stories you’ll never hear.

From white skates to orange pucks, from Hell’s Angels to a bare-naked lady, we highlight the 17 most interesting bits from a wild nine-year NHL run of the Golden Seals."

Agreed, that was a great concert, pretty much new every song they played.

It was cool with all the Sens players and wives in the front rows.

Pretty sure i remember reading somewhere the issue is on the Sens side. Believe they haven't provided the complete financials yet and the website won't be open until then

Also the NHL is doing a deep dive on potentials that sign up to see, they won’t let tire kickers see the books it sounds like.

 

[Cosmix]

Agreed, that was a great concert, pretty much new every song they played.

It was cool with all the Sens players and wives in the front rows.


Also the NHL is doing a deep dive on potentials that sign up to see, they won’t let tire kickers see the books it sounds like.

Agree to both points.

The Eagles concert was great.

The deep dive on prospective vendors its absolutely required because some could be triflers, not have the financial ability to make such a purchase and ask for concessions, and/or have a bad reputation that would not fit well with the league's operations.

 

[Sun God Nika]

I absolutely want to avoid another Melnyk situation, he will go down as one of the worst owners in league/sports history. I don’t think any other owner in this league uses their teams to supplement their living expenses.

With that said , I want the biggest and richest GROUP of people to buy this team and give it the financial stability to be a cap team even if it means bleeding money

 

[Samsquanch]

I absolutely want to avoid another Melnyk situation, he will go down as one of the worst owners in league/sports history. I don’t think any other owner in this league uses their teams to supplement their living expenses.

With that said , I want the biggest and richest GROUP of people to buy this team and give it the financial stability to be a cap team even if it means bleeding money

I think you'd be really, really surprised to be honest just how far from being one of the worst owners in sports history Melnyk actually was. Hell even within our own league Bill Wirtz and Harold Ballard put Eugene to shame in terms of successfully giving the middle finger to their own fans, and meddling within team affairs.

I know the last decade in particular was extremely painful for us. But I cant help but think that this fanbase should be the at least the slightest bit grateful that Melnyk 100% saved the team from being relocated. Full stop - this team would not be here if not for him.

How can the person that saved your team also be the worst owner in sports history?

So as bad as it sucked having him as the owner from an overall standpoint, he was an ass-hat to be sure, at the end of the day the guy kept the team afloat for long enough that you and I can talk about the Ottawa Senators here today.

 

[jhutter]

Pretty sure i remember reading somewhere the issue is on the Sens side. Believe they haven't provided the complete financials yet and the website won't be open until then

Exactly. I have a very hard time believing that a firm charging a large commission is doing anything to slow things down.

It's likely that the books were a mess and there's a few skeletons that need to be buried. Can't say that was unexpected.

 

[Pancakes Pancakes]

Exactly. I have a very hard time believing that a firm charging a large commission is doing anything to slow things down.

It's likely that the books were a mess and there's a few skeletons that need to be buried. Can't say that was unexpected.

Ian Mendes' article literally says that the delay is due to the NHL wanting to vet every potential group before giving them access to some fairly sensitive financial information about the Sens and to a lesser extent the NHL. Which can obviously take time if you have as many groups as being reported.
Nowhere does it say that the delay is on the Sens side, people just love to make shit up.

 

[Micklebot]

Pretty sure i remember reading somewhere the issue is on the Sens side. Believe they haven't provided the complete financials yet and the website won't be open until then

Both can be true, the sens might have had difficulties getting things organized on time prior to xmas, and the league may be delaying things to do the vetting, particularly if there are a lot of interested parties

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

I think you'd be really, really surprised to be honest just how far from being one of the worst owners in sports history Melnyk actually was. Hell even within our own league Bill Wirtz and Harold Ballard put Eugene to shame in terms of successfully giving the middle finger to their own fans, and meddling within team affairs.

I know the last decade in particular was extremely painful for us. But I cant help but think that this fanbase should be the at least the slightest bit grateful that Melnyk 100% saved the team from being relocated. Full stop - this team would not be here if not for him.

How can the person that saved your team also be the worst owner in sports history?

So as bad as it sucked having him as the owner from an overall standpoint, he was an ass-hat to be sure, at the end of the day the guy kept the team afloat for long enough that you and I can talk about the Ottawa Senators here today.

He made out like a bandit with the team about to sell for what looks to be around a billion dollars. That's his thanks and as a businessman, it was obviously a great investment, he just didn't live long enough to reap the benefit himself and instead left it to his children. He paid what? $100 million? Talk about buying low and selling high.

Did the other guys also have constant rumors and damning articles written about them and the abuse of their staff? honest question, I don't know much about the Wirtz/Ballard era's.

 

[Bileur]

The market has internal challenges to having consistent sell outs. If a group has new ideas to make the product more interesting to the next generation and a more inclusive to draw from a larger pool of potential customers that has to be a good thing.

I’m also curious about what an immersive experience outside the rink means.

The traditional game experience from Canadian arenas is nothing special, I don’t need to hear cotton eyed Joe any more than we currently do.

 

[jhutter]

Ian Mendes' article literally says that the delay is due to the NHL wanting to vet every potential group before giving them access to some fairly sensitive financial information about the Sens and to a lesser extent the NHL. Which can obviously take time if you have as many groups as being reported.
Nowhere does it say that the delay is on the Sens side, people just love to make shit up.

Then why did everyone think something would happen by January? Is the league just realizing right now that potential owners need to be vetted? That doesn't add up.

 

[Golden_Jet]

He made out like a bandit with the team about to sell for what looks to be around a billion dollars. That's his thanks and as a businessman, it was obviously a great investment, he just didn't live long enough to reap the benefit himself and instead left it to his children. He paid what? $100 million? Talk about buying low and selling high.

Did the other guys also have constant rumors and damning articles written about them and the abuse of their staff? honest question, I don't know much about the Wirtz/Ballard era's.

Ballard era was a mess , much worse.
Guy spent time in jail in Kingston,
Not going into some of it, as don’t want to break any rules here. Let’s just say there was an “abuser” employed there, as one example.

 

[h2]

Idk how I feel about a consortium that large, 13-15 investors? Everything else about it sounds great though.

Actually sounds like an interesting prospective ownership group.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Ballard era was a mess , much worse.
Guy spent time in jail in Kingston,
Not going into some of it, as don’t want to break any rules here. Let’s just say there was an “abuser” employed there, as one example.

Crazy, I did not know that.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Crazy, I did not know that.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5180362

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5180362

Yikes, that's disturbing. 10 isn't enough either.

 

[StoicSensFan]

“One of the major partners is a major force in the music industry. He has worked with everybody from Jay Z to The Weeknd to Drake,” says a source. “They have relationships with individuals with high visibility that can be ambassadors for the team.”

J BIEBS

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

 

[swiftwin]

Then why did everyone think something would happen by January? Is the league just realizing right now that potential owners need to be vetted? That doesn't add up.

Maybe the team got more interest than they were expecting?

 

[Butchy Dakkar]

J BIEBS

My God

Reynolds = cool, envied by all

Bieber = the butt of jokes forever

What a swing that would be

 

[Micklebot]

Maybe the team got more interest than they were expecting?

Alternatively, they may have interest from groups that are more difficult to vet, like 12-15 person consortiums...