Step 1 in selling the Predators…. Fans can keep Preds here.
News 2 sports has learned that Predators owner Craig Leipold has reached an agreement to sell the Preds to Blackberry founder Jim Balsille. This is the first of many steps before the deal is a done deal. The deal is finalized when the NHL owners OK the sale.
I’ll cut through all the particulars because the only way the Preds can move is if they fall short of averaging 14,000 next season. The Preds cannot move until that happens. They cannot move before the 2007-2008 season. And frankly it is up to hockey fans to buy tickets next season if they want the team to stay.
What do you think. Will enough fans show up next season to save the team from leaving?
By the way, the Preds could hold a press conference as early as Thursday. We’ll have team coverage for you as soon as they announce a date and time. See you then.
7 Responses to ' Step 1 in selling the Predators…. Fans can keep Preds here. '
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on May 24th, 2007 at 11:12 am
Personally I hope this is the beginning of the end for them. Of course I am not that big of a fan of hockey either so this comment is a little slighted. All they have done for the last 2 or 3 years is cry about lack of support for them. All I can say is to be able to draw an average of 13,000 fans in the deep south for a sport that is not well known or understood is a miracle and they should be happy! If you had told me 10 years ago they could even average 10,000 I would have said no way ! The fans turned out like they wanted for the playoffs and you see what they gave them in return,a lack luster effort with only 1 win. Hockey is probably one of the hardest sports to create a championship quality team with year in and out and to do it here in the deep South is really a tall task. Besides they cost this city a top of the line Arena Football team, that would have loved to have their average attendance figure, simply because the Predators would not negoiate the rent contract for Gaylord to be more flexible for the Kats to make money. Now we have a floundering rebuilding Arena team that is having to scratch from the ground up. The message I have for the Predators is beggers can not be choosers so be happy with what you have got or MOVE ON!!!
on May 24th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
PREDATORS PLEASE DON’T LEAVE!!!!!!
I love the Nashville Predators. They are an awesome hockey team. It’s breaking my heart to hear that the team has been sold and will be relocating to another city. Thanks to the Predators I have a new found love and appreciation for the game of hockey. I just can’t understand why some people here in middle TN don’t support them like they deserve? We are fortunate enough to have one of the best hockey teams in the NHL right here in Nashville, and we can’t support them? This is insane! The Predators had one of the best regular season records in the league this year, not to mention that head coach Barry Trotz was named as the assistant coach in the NHL’s All Star Games. And just because the Preds were eliminated in the first round of the play-offs, doesn’t mean they aren’t an awesome team. At least they made it to the play-offs (with several key players on the injured list), that’s more than I can say about some of the other NHL teams that didn’t make it to the play-offs. The Predators are also classy and dignified off the ice. You never hear about one of the Preds getting into trouble with the law. They set a great example for our youth on how professional athletes should act and carry themselves. On the other hand you have the Tennesse Titans who have had players to get into different mishaps and troulbe with the law. Which in turns only puts a negative cloud over Tennessee. But they get more than enough support from fans and corporations. I find that really ironic. Maybe if the Predators acted a fool in public and constantly got in trouble with the law, more people would support them. Despite all of the hard work that Govornor Bredeson has done to try and make Nashville a thriving metropolis, obviously Nashville is just a hick town with small minded hick people. come on Nashville, there is more to life than football and country music. I just have one thing to say to the Predators, please let me know where you are moving the franchise to so that I can start sending out resumes and looking for a place to live where ever the team is moving. Black Barbie11
on May 24th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Today two things happened to show that Nashville Predators should not be here. I am a season ticket holder and when the biggest thing that has happened to the CITY, is not shown on any of are local channels to say that if we what to keep this team and keep good money coming to downtown on the weekday nights and weekends, is by buying tickets. Also to say that if the Sommet group knew about this and still put there money on the new name for the old GAC. Shows me that the only way people and business will get on the Preds band wagon was to do a “Titans” and go all the way the first year and lose in the Super Bowl. Cause it is sad that this city has no pride in a winning team because the sport is Canadian base and we are American and can’t understand the rules of Hockey. Whatever thank you Channel 2 , 4 , 5, and Fox 17. For supporting your local hockey team by not showing it live. Maybe we need a Pac-man to get a live feed on TV. I am so down because once again no media pick up on hockey sure they will talk about it on the 5:00 and 10:00 news reports but soap opera’s are so more important to the city then hockey. The only media had it live on the air waves was radio. Media and People is what we need to make this work, so now do it. If it does not work we will have an Arena just sitting there to host AFL. (we know that has failed once) If we want to keep the city going we need this city to step up and do this. Please I am doing my best to help. Now it is up to everyone else to put there best into this game cause it will help this city.
on May 24th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Tiffany/James
Please do a little research and you will see this is not just a Nashville issue. The game of hockey is having trouble throughout the league and in some of its more hockey savy towns. The Red Wings could not even sell out their arena for the first round of playoffs. Face it Hockey is not among the big 3 sports and is a weak #4 at best and to think it would take this area by storm is just misguided hope . Hockey has a small limited hardcore fan base to choose from and it is quiet obvious that there are about 10 to 13 thousand of them in this area on a good night and another 3 or 4 thousand that can take or leave it and go to select games. If the owners feel that is not enough then so be it. They had to have known coming in it was going to be a hard sell. Nashville will not suffer in the long haul for the loss, if I remeber right there was a big question mark when they came here if this city could support more than 1 or 2 PRO sport teams. Well now you have your answer. If the reason you moved to Nashville was for the Hockey then its probably best you did move on .
on May 25th, 2007 at 9:20 am
James, you are a complete, and utter idiot.
on May 26th, 2007 at 10:54 am
and so are you Bill
on November 26th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
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