Balsillie – the Rogue Owner

Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research In Motion, the company that makes the Blackberry, is trying to bring another NHL team to Canada – Hamilton, Ontario to be exact. This is what the public has heard, and our emotional reaction as patriotic Canadians is, “What a Saint of a man, he’s bringing us another team!” This cleverly orchestrated response is what Balsillie hopes will push forward his movement, putting pressure on the NHL and allowing him to move the team.

All of this is a shroud of smoke that Balsillie has created to cover up what he is actually doing. He is, in fact, attempting to take over the Phoenix Coyotes without NHL approval and relocate the team, again without NHL approval. Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes has reportedly lost $300 million since buying the team 8 years ago, and he has now filed for bankruptcy, with Balsillie offering to purchase the team contingent to relocation. The purpose of the bankruptcy filing is that it circumvents the NHL’s decision making body, taking the power out of their hands and putting it into the courts of America.

Balsillie has created a website, called “makeitseven.ca”, to rally Canadians behind his cause. However, since the issue is not about if Canada wants or could support another team, perhaps his website should be addressed “helpmecircumventNHLrulesbecausethatstheonlywayi’llgetateam.ca”. He'd better check GoDaddy to make sure the domain isn’t taken. Balsillie has tried on two previous occasions to buy American NHL franchises and relocate them, and he has been stopped due to various reasons including encroachment onto Maple Leaf’s territory and the NHL’s commitment to the cities in which it has teams. Perhaps the reasons behind not allowing movement need to be reviewed, but breaking the rules is not the solution. A rogue owner who plays by his own tune is the last thing the NHL needs, and they must look only as far as Mark Cuban – owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks – to see why.