Gagliardi Meets in Hamilton Monday About Thrashers

((HT: The Hamilton Spectator/Peters and Powell))

A Vancouver-based hockey group is interested in relocating the financially troubled Atlanta Thrashers to Hamilton, The Spectator has learned.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger is expected to meet with the second hockey group on Monday.
Eisenberger wouldn't disclose any details of the second group, believed to be led by Vancouver developer Tom Gaglardi, or when the meeting would take place.

But an inside hockey source told The Spectator that Gaglardi is interested in moving the Thrashers to Hamilton, possibly in time for the 2010 season.

Gaglardi heads River City Hockey Inc., a group including NHL stars Jerome Iginla, Mark Recchi, Shane Doan and Darryl Sydor, which purchased the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League in 2007.

A source confirmed this week that Gaglardi, president of Northland Properties, the parent company of Sandman Hotels, is the key principal in the second hockey group interested in Hamilton. Gaglardi failed in his bid to buy the Vancouver Canucks five years ago.

Hamilton is suddenly a hot property for people looking at the possibility that some financially troubled NHL teams may be looking to relocate.

Gaglardi's group is Steeltown's second NHL suitor. There are now rumours of as many as five groups looking at Hamilton and Copps Coliseum for an NHL team.

City staff are already working on a proposed lease of Copps Coliseum to Waterloo billionaire Jim Balsillie, who hopes to buy and relocate the Phoenix Coyotes to the city for the 2009 season.
Balsillie, who has made a $212.5-million US offer for the bankrupt Coyotes, is battling the NHL for control of the franchise. That battle is being waged in a Phoenix courtroom.

Gaglardi has business ties to fellow Vancouver developer Nelson Skalbania, the former owner of the Edmonton Oilers, who was the driving force behind the relocation of the former Atlanta Flames to Calgary. It is unclear whether Skalbania is involved in the possible second relocation of an Atlanta hockey club north of the border.

One source said the Atlanta move to Hamilton would be permanent.
Gaglardi was unavailable for comment yesterday.

One source revealed that Gaglardi will argue his proposal has more NHL governor support than Balsillie's, which could be a convincing selling point for Hamilton politicians.

Eisenberger told The Spectator yesterday he expects by Tuesday the city should have a "clear picture" of its NHL strategy. That is just one day before a May 13 deadline for sealing a deal to lock up Copps Coliseum requested by Balsillie.

"By next Tuesday we will have a clearer picture of where we are. We're in the middle of discussions with Mr. Balsillie and his group and I will be meeting with the second group. We need to understand their intentions. It's fair to say I will be talking to that second group," Eisenberger said.

The mayor raised some eyebrows this week, however, when he refused to commit to a Balsillie request to have the lease approved by city council by May 13.

"They do have a deadline in mind. I'm not prepared to share with you what it is but they did indicate that end of June is when they expect the court proceeding to wrap up," he said.

But Balsillie spokesperson Bill Walker said his client's representative told the mayor in a Thursday meeting that his client wants a lease pact in place by May 13.

Balsillie is said to be quite upset that Hamilton is considering a second NHL relocation proposal.
There could be conflict next week. Hamilton Councillor Terry Whitehead will convene a meeting Monday morning of the city's NHL subcommittee to hear details from city staff about the proposed lease. Whitehead added the subcommittee may even ask for a Balsillie representative to appear before the group before a lease recommendation heads to city council for final approval.

How that plays with Eisenberger, who has stated publicly that he is the only Hamilton council member who can speak publicly about the Hamilton's NHL pursuits, is unclear.

A well-placed source in the business community, speaking on condition he not be named, said the frenzied climate around NHL hockey, Hamilton, Toronto and Vaughan has made it impossible to separate legitimate bids from possibilities and mere rumours.

He described five scenarios that continue to crop up in conversations, though he emphasized there is no way to know how solid some of them are, especially with many of the potential players simply testing the market before making commitments.

"I don't know what's real and not real," the source said.

Here are five scenarios circulating, in descending order of certainty:
* Jim Balsillie's well-publicized and confirmed bid for the Phoenix Coyotes.
* Property developer Tom Gaglardi leading a group from Vancouver that is coming to Hamilton this weekend in preparation for a Monday meeting with city officials about moving an existing NHL team other than Phoenix to Hamilton.
* A Toronto group offering to pay cash to establish a new NHL franchise in southern Ontario, possibly Vaughan or Hamilton.
* A Toronto group that wants to buy another troubled NHL franchise and move it to Vaughan, possibly setting up temporarily in Hamilton before moving to a new arena there.
* A third Toronto group that would buy and move a team to somewhere in southern Ontario.