I understand this, but it seems to contradict the original plan to leverage the franchise to have the government rezone the land from farmland (which would raise the value tremendously), and then leverage the asset to get the money to afford the franchise.
If I recall, Firestone's group simply didn't have the money for an NHL team otherwise. They were one of the only groups that didn't blink at the franchise fee, even if they didn't have it. The NHL seemed poorly run at the time, which I am glad, otherwise we would never have gotten a team here.
I'm not saying he is lying. I simply don't understand the order of events or why it was a possibility for that group to plan to build an arena anywhere other then Kanata, at least in the early stages.
1990, Gretzky is in LA, the national hockey league is growing. Everyone is assuming Hurrah!!! the good times are here.
their step brother, the NBA. Had Magic and Bird and Jordan. They were, as a league, way smaller than the NHL was in 1978/79. Way less successful. The owner and main tenant of the Boston Gardens are the Bruins. Ditto for NY and the Gardens. Chicago, Detroit, Phili. By 1990, they NBA was massive.
And so John Zeigler assumed Shangri-La. Our turn. He assumed, everyone would jump in. NO ONE DID. So, he had egg on his face, as did the league and they accepted any bid that came.
Yes, the Ottawa bid was a near Ponzi scheme. The government saw it and stopped them. Now the original group was backed into a corner. They salvaged things as best as they can and we are today, where we are!
The hope remained that out of chaos, we can still get something good. The moratorium on construction on the land was a fixed time. In 1995/96, Kanata was assumed to be silicon valley North. The hope was by 2015/2016 Kanata is now San Jose.
By 2000/2001 Kanata and silicon valley north went PPPFFFTTTTT.... Remember the ads for "job agent". Let us negotiate your work terms for you. See if they were still running by 2000/2001. Torontonians who flocked here for work, ran right back out.
Now as for Daigle. I saw him play in a QMJHL/OHL All-Star game in 1992. At the old Montreal Forum. Chris Pronger was there for the OHL squad. All he did was float. He hung around the blue line and looked for breakaways. It was a joke watching him.
Once he got here, and played against men. Against structured NHL players. Against players with the size and speed to keep up and pound him into submission. He was finished.
he entered the NHL when Jacques Lemaire was running things. When the trap was king. When you could mug players and get away with it. When guys like Lindros were getting their brains beaten in. Daigle never stood a chance.
Draft a player for Sales and Marketing and this is the result. Pronger or Paul Karya were way better choices. But a Ponzi scheme needed "Vanna White".
