Balsillie screwed by the NHL

Billionaire creator of the Blackberry, and passionate hockey fan Jim Balsillie purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins, saving them from eventual doom. The NHL should be happy a franchise was saved, and by an owner with such a belief in the game.

Instead, word comes today, that Balsillie withdrew his bid to buy the Penguins. At first listen it sounded like he was just backing out because he thought twice. But as details emerged, it's all due to the NHL making absurd demands for him to accept if he wanted the team.

To wit: The NHL says he cannot move the Penguins, no matter how bleak it got financially for him. Then, if it does get financially fucked for him, then the NHL will assume ownership from him - and he can kiss his 170+ million dollars goodbye.

Sign on the dotted line Mr. Balsillie ..............................................

Well, the guy didn't become a billionaire for being a retard. And the NHL becomes a laughing stock once again for thinking so. This isn't Charles Wang.

Why would the NHL make such absurd conditions? Even if you had to buy a house, would you buy one in an undisclosed city - and you must keep them there according to Remax? Would you buy it in a ghetto stricken area, and if the house depreciates in value - agree to just hand it all over at a loss to you for full price whenever Remax decides it's gone too far down in value?

Of course not. And that's a 150,000 dollar investment. Now make that 150 million plus. Why would the NHL do this? A few reasons come to mind:

- The NHL is afraid that Balsillie would move the Penguins to Canada. Like he said he would consider. Why is this so wrong? A guy owns a team, and wants to move it to a feasible area, where people will guarantee to show up. Where were these absurd conditions when the Nordiques were bought and moved to the US? The NHL still holds this idea that teams should move to random US markets, despite past teams blowing it by doing so.

- The NHL wants Sidney Crosby in the Eastern seaboard, especially the NE division so he plays in NYC 8 times a year. Which is somewhat understandable, the game's biggest star and the NHL wanting him in the area. But, it will not matter how often a star plays there - it's the competive aspect that keeps fans around. The Rangers and the US had their biggest ratings when the Rangers won the Cup in 1994. Even Sports Illustrated had a cover story saying "Why the NHL is more popular than the NBA".

But it was the Rangers winning the Cup, not when Gretzky played his last years in NYC, not when Pavel Bure joined the Rangers, and today, not when Jagr is a Ranger. Sidney Crosby is not the key to boosting ratings by being in the area. Market the guy, no matter where he is, and presto... ratings all over. Not just in NYC.

If the Penguins didn't have Crosby, Malkin or Lemieux playing, do you really think the NHL would make such conditions on the new owner? Never.

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The amazing thing of all this is that the NHL had a high bidder, from a passionate owner, and they nixed it because he didn't want to roll the dice on a new arena.

But the real reason why is underlined in the condition they made that if the Penguins start to fail and don't have a new arena - that the NHL can take control of the team. It's nothing but greedy bullshit that made them do this. They know the team cannot survive in Pittsburgh without an arena - and if that falls through, the NHL wants control of where this team goes. Balsillie would move them to a proven market, the NHL would move them to an untested market for their own idea that the NHL will one day thrive if it moves to random US markets.

So the Penguins don't get the deal they want with the arena/casino. The NHL takes over and moves them to Houston, Kansas City, Portland or Seattle. If Balsillie owns them - the team goes to Hamilton, Kitchener/Waterloo, or Winnipeg.

That's why this went down. Believe that.