guncurug: hockey

Vancouver is Happy, NBC Not So Much

20.15

Former Player Sues Anaheim Ducks for Anti-Semitism

05.26

Jason Bailey, formerly a forward for the Bakersfield Condors, the then ECHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. has filed suit against the Ducks alleging that he was the victim of anti-Semitic treatment while he was a member of the Condors. The complaint, filed in Orange County, California, names the Ducks, the Condors, Martin Raymond and Mark Pederson, the then head coach and assistant coach of the Condors as defendants and seeks unspecified damages.

The complaint alleges that Bailey was the victim of a "barrage of anti-Semitic, offensive and degrading verbal attacks regarding his Jewish faith" from both Raymond and Pederson. In addition, the complaint alleges that Bailey was deprived of the resources necessary to become a better hockey player. He was denied ice team, was not given the proper practice drills, was often left undressed for games and even was left behind on the team's first road trip and instructed to catch up with the team in a few days.

When Bailey complained to the Ducks about his treatment, the complaints were ignored and then he was sent to the Iowa Chops for two months where he was not given any playing time. The coaches were instructed to write apology letters to him, which were self-serving and made light of the situation. At the end of the season, Bailey asked to be traded and he was shipped to the Ottawa Senators who sent him to their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators. His numbers in Binghamton have not been overwhelming: appeared in 17 games, a healthy scratch in 29. He is -1 with no points and 11 penalty minutes.

This is the first time I can recall a professional sports franchise, particularly a major league franchise, being sued for anti-Semitism. If Bailey's lawyers can prove in court the allegations in the complaint, then I think the Ducks have a real problem on their hands. I suspect that the Ducks know as much and this will get settled before it goes to trial. That is assuming, of course, that Bailey is not looking to make a public spectacle of the Ducks organization for the way he was treated; an assumption that is certainly no guarantee.

Atlanta Thrashers

Possible Sale of Three NHL Clubs Highlights Difference Between Rich and Poor

06.45

As the NHL Board of Governors gathers for its winter meetings, the sale of three clubs tops the agenda. The sale by the league of the Phoenix Coyotes is the most urgent since should a sale not close by the end of this month, the Commissioner Gary Bettman has said that the club is free to leave Arizona. Florida businessman Matt Hulsizer has been approved as a potential owner but he still needs a lease. There is no deal in place with the City of Glendale on a lease for the use of Jobbing.com Arena, which has been the major sticking point in the sale. Winnipeg, the 'yotes former home, is standing by with bated breath for New Years Day to arrive without Glendale's approval of a deal.

The other two sales on the agenda are the Sabres and the Stars. The Sabres are being sold to Terry Pegula, a businessman from western Pennsylvania who has lived in Buffalo and whose wife is from Rochester. The Stars, whose current owner Tom Hicks, is experiencing some financial difficulties with his investments in sports, may also have a sale to discuss although a buyer has not yet been disclosed.

What the sales also demonstrates is the current financial state of the NHL. What we have now, in year six post lock-out is a two-tiered league. On one side are seven clubs who generate a combined $241 million in operating income, with no club generating less than $13 million. On the other side are 16 clubs in the red, with six biggest money losers generating a combined $63 million in operating losses.

Why such a big disparity? Like Major League Baseball, the difference among clubs is primarily based on revenue from a club's local television contract and premium seating. Toronto, Montreal and Dallas each make at least $25 million from television and $40 million from seating. In contrast, clubs at the other end like Phoenix, Atlanta and Tampa Bay earned less than $10 million from television and less than $15 million from premium seating It's worthy of note that only one Canadian club, Ottawa, falls into the group of sixteen money losers.