Thursday, June 19, 2008
MSG To Be Kicked Out of NHL
ESPN:
...WTF? Are they kidding me? I have never heard of a owners being kicked out of the league over a website. I remember last year how they were getting fined for not turning over their website after every other team had already done so, but I never thought it would be taken this far. This 'threat' should not be taken serious at all though. The NHL is at one of its low points attendance wise and getting rid of the 'top' New York team is not going to help at all. It would be one of the dumbest moves ever so who knows Bettman might actually do it. Simply put the last time the ratings were high was in '93-'94 when who else, but the Rangers won the Stanley Cup. Now I know it says they wouldn't be kicking the Rangers out and that it is the owners and MSG, but where would they play then? The Rock or Coliseum? I don't think so.NEW YORK -- The NHL is threatening to kick the owners of the New York Rangers out of the league as punishment for accusing league officials of violating antitrust laws.
The NHL filed court papers Wednesday that included a draft letter from commissioner Gary Bettman proposing discipline against Madison Square Garden, L.P. that could lead to suspension or termination of its ownership of the Rangers.
In its court filing, the NHL asked a judge to agree Madison Square Garden breached its contract by challenging league rules.
Madison Square Garden sued the NHL in September, saying it violated antitrust laws by monopolizing control of team promotions. A judge ruled in November that the league seemed within its rights to take control of the team's Web site.
Madison Square Garden, L.P., which is owned by Cablevision Systems Corp., owns the Rangers, the NBA's New York Knicks, the WNBA's New York Liberty and several venues, including Madison Square Garden -- the home of the Rangers, Knicks and Liberty.
Messages left with Madison Square Garden officials were not immediately returned.
