Baldwin trying to buy Ducks...

[habsfannova]

Sportsnet has been saying Baldwin (Fmr. Penguins/North Stars/Whalers owner) and a group of others has offered $50mil (Interestingly, the expansion fee the Ducks paid) to Disney for the Mighty Ducks. Remember, Baldwin persued the Penguins for the purpose of being a tennant at the new KC arena.

[DEAD!]

I say bring these guys aboard

[jkrdevil]

Sportsnet has been saying Baldwin (Fmr. Penguins/North Stars/Whalers owner) and a group of others has offered $50mil (Interestingly, the expansion fee the Ducks paid) to Disney for the Mighty Ducks. Remember, Baldwin persued the Penguins for the purpose of being a tennant at the new KC arena.

Isn't he they same guy who ran the Penguins into bankruptcy? Why would the NHL want him back in as an owner? The other NHL owners would have to approve the sale.

[Magus]

maybe the baldwins can rename the team to something less embarrasing.

[habsfannova]

Sportsnet has been saying Baldwin (Fmr. Penguins/North Stars/Whalers owner) and a group of others has offered $50mil (Interestingly, the expansion fee the Ducks paid) to Disney for the Mighty Ducks.  Remember, Baldwin persued the Penguins for the purpose of being a tennant at the new KC arena.

Isn't he they same guy who ran the Penguins into bankruptcy? Why would the NHL want him back in as an owner? The other NHL owners would have to approve the sale.

First question: Yes.

Second: Because he has money and intrest, maybe? I know I wouldn't want him in my league, that's for sure. Although, a midwest move would really make the NHL a bit more interesting.

[IronChefShark]

the ducks should be moved out of anaheim but not to kansas city. kansas city is just not a hockey town the hockey gods say so

[Ez Street]

the ducks should be moved out of anaheim but not to kansas city. kansas city is just not a hockey town the hockey gods say so

Can you imagine it ICS, San Jose vs. KC...........the hockey gods would weep.

KC, KC, KC!!!!!!!

[fiasco!]

the ducks should be moved out of anaheim but not to kansas city. kansas city is just not a hockey town the hockey gods say so

ah....beautiful notoriety!

my mother would be proud.

or not.

[DEAD!]

I think we should just leave the San Jose vs KC match-up with the soccer gods

[fiasco!]

maybe the baldwins can rename the team to something less embarrasing.

perhaps the 'magi'?

or the 'zealots'?

conservatives?

thrashers fans?

[Ez Street]

Ex-Penguin Owner Makes Bid for Ducks

By Chris Foster and Bill Shaikin

Times Staff Writers

September 10, 2004

A group headed by Howard Baldwin, former owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hartford Whalers, has offered to buy the Mighty Ducks, a source familiar with the negotiations said Thursday.

Baldwin, who owned the Penguins from 1992 to '98, heads one of three groups discussing the purchase of the team from the Walt Disney Co. Texas businessman David McDavid, who nearly purchased the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers and NBA's Atlanta Hawks, and Henry Samueli, whose company operates the Arrowhead Pond, are also interested, according to separate sources.

Baldwin's group, which is believed to include at least one local partner, is said to be further along.

Baldwin is believed to have offered $50 million, the figure Disney paid for the Ducks to join the NHL as an expansion franchise in 1992. The source said Baldwin's bid would be financed and might require Disney to defer payment of some of the purchase price. It is uncertain whether Disney would accept such an offer.

The NHL is on the verge of a lockout that could cancel some or all of the 2004-05 season, and franchise values figure to appreciate when owners and players reach a new labor agreement. By waiting out a lengthy lockout, Disney could gamble on the payoff of a higher sale price, but the company would have to endure millions more in losses and could find the market crowded with other NHL teams up for sale.

Disney spokeswoman Leslie Goodman did not return a call seeking comment. An assistant to Baldwin said he was traveling Thursday and unavailable for comment.

Once a cash cow for Disney when sellouts were commonplace and their merchandise was among the most popular in sports, the Ducks are believed to have suffered losses of as much as $25 million in recent seasons.

The team has been on the market for four years but has attracted only scant interest. Joe and Gavin Maloof, whose family owns the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, investigated buying the Ducks last fall, going as far as to meet with Duck management to discuss the team. The Maloofs' interest has cooled since then, according to a King official.

Baldwin's interest in buying the Ducks might coincide with efforts to build a new arena in Kansas City. Tim Leiweke, vice president of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which will invest $50 million in that arena, has said it would have an "anchor tenant," either an NHL or NBA team.

The Ducks would need to give the city of Anaheim two years' notice on their intention to move, plus pay damages for early lease termination.

The earliest the team could move would be 2007, which is when the Kansas City arena is scheduled to open.

Disney chief Michael Eisner has said that the Ducks would remain in Anaheim even if they were sold. But the possibility of the team's moving could prompt Samueli to make a stronger bid for the Pond's main tenant.

Baldwin's group recently bought the Des Moines franchise of the American Hockey League, which could become a minor league affiliate.

Baldwin, 62, has an extensive history with the NHL. He founded the Whalers and served as managing general partner of the franchise for 17 years. His time as the Penguins' owner was marked by the team's going into bankruptcy in 1998. He was also part owner of the Minnesota North Stars.

[pcgd]

So this guy never has owned a team that hasn't moved, or was threatened to move(Penquins right?)

Even the teams he was part owner of moved....jeesh!

[NJTank]

maybe the baldwins can rename the team to something less embarrasing.

perhaps the 'magi'?

or the 'zealots'?

conservatives?

thrashers fans?

Only one of the Baldwins is a conservative Alec Baldwin is as liberal as they get he once threatened to leave the US is Bush won in 2000, and he was on O'Reilly ripping Chenney just last month. Stepehen or is it Billy I get them confused is a conservative that must be fun at Thanksgiving.

[habsfannova]

maybe the baldwins can rename the team to something less embarrasing.

perhaps the 'magi'?

or the 'zealots'?

conservatives?

thrashers fans?

Only one of the Baldwins is a conservative Alec Baldwin is as liberal as they get he once threatened to leave the US is Bush won in 2000, and he was on O'Reilly ripping Chenney just last month. Stepehen or is it Billy I get them confused is a conservative that must be fun at Thanksgiving.

I don't think Howard has any relation.

[Mac the Knife]

What's funny is that Howard Baldwin is the Bill Veeck of the NHL in one respect - the money he uses to buy his teams is not his own. He begs, borrows, does whatever he can to raise $$$ to buy clubs, move 'em, then sell 'em off.

He's a Grade A scuzbucket in my book.

[wheateater]

PLEASE!!! Take them! Take them! Take them! They're too much of a damn embarassment and too much of a pain in the ass of Kings fans. Move them anywhere you want, and lose the kiddy name!!!

[Ez Street]

As bad as it sounds, i couldn't care how he get's the money to get teams. In likelyhood AEG will own the team if he is tied in with them. I just want a fricken team, and if it means the Ducks move....GOOD. L.A. dones't need two teams.

Kansas City Mighty Ducks

Sorry Roger Clemente.......

[habsfannova]

Hmmm, looking at this via realignment...you'd probably put KC in St. Louis's division.

BUT, looking at the long run, if you take a Pittsburgh/Winnipeg move, you could put Nashville in the SouthEast, put Washington in the Atlantic, put Winnipeg in the Northeast, KC in the Central and Colorado in the Pacific.

That's a semi-decent lookin' NHL.

[Ez Street]

NHL's Mighty Ducks arise as potential arena tenant

By RANDY COVITZ

The Kansas City Star

The Anaheim Mighty Ducks have emerged as the first possibility of a National Hockey League franchise relocating to the recently approved Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City.

A group headed by Howard Baldwin has offered to buy the Mighty Ducks, according to newspaper reports in southern California. Baldwin previously has targeted Kansas City as a market in which he'd like to operate a team.

Baldwin, a former NHL club owner in Pittsburgh and Hartford, said Monday from his office in Santa Monica Calif., that he could not comment on the Anaheim situation but added, ?You know I am anxious to get back in the NHL, and anything can happen.?

The earliest the club could move would be 2007, when the 18,000-20,000-seat Sprint Center is scheduled to open. The matter is delicate for anyone looking to move the franchise, lest they create, ahem, a lame-duck situation for Anaheim.

?First, you have to get a team,? Baldwin said. ?Then you've got to get a team that has some portability. And, of course, Kansas City is extremely attractive. I've said that before. I like Kansas City as a potential NHL market.?

Baldwin has had past business relationships with Anschutz Entertainment Group, which will invest $50 million in the facility and manage the building. AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke has vowed the Sprint Center will have either an NHL or NBA franchise as an anchor tenant.

?Howard has vast NHL experience and represents one of the ownership groups that has expressed a strong interest in the Kansas City market,? said AEG vice president of communications Michael Roth, ?but as regard to specific negotiations, we have no comment.?

Roth also said that because AEG owns the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, Leiweke, as a member of the league's executive committee, could not publicly discuss anything related to the Anaheim issue.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Baldwin heads one of three groups discussing the purchase of the Ducks and made an offer of $50 million to the Walt Disney Co. That is the figure Disney paid to join the NHL as an expansion franchise in 1992.

The Ducks, who played in the Stanley Cup finals in 2003, have suffered losses of as much as $25 million in recent seasons and have been on the market for four years. Texas businessman David McDavid, who nearly bought the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers and NBA's Atlanta Hawks, and Henry Samueli, whose company operates the club's home arena, the Arrowhead Pond, also are interested, according to the newspaper.

The Times said Baldwin's bid would be financed and might require Disney to defer payment of some of the purchase price, and it is uncertain whether Disney would accept such an offer.

Baldwin's group owns the Des Moines franchise of the American Hockey League that will begin operations in a new arena starting with the 2004-05 season. It could provide a top minor- league affiliate for Kansas City.

Meanwhile, the NHL's collective-bargaining agreement with its players expires Wednesday, and a work stoppage could delay or cancel the 2004-05 season. Several other franchises could be looking to relocate, depending on what kind of labor agreement is reached.

?It's going to be a shell game,? said Paul McGannon of NHL21, a local organization seeking to attract an NHL franchise to Kansas City. ?I think the NHL in two years is going to look totally different than it does right now.?

Mayor Kay Barnes doesn't mind if Kansas City is used as leverage by several franchises that could be on the move.

?That's just the nature of the industry,? Barnes said, ?and I'm comfortable with that because we have a tremendous amount to offer any franchise ? We'll be in contention in more than one situation.

?The good news for Kansas City at this point ? even though this is an initial step on Howard Baldwin's part ? is evidence that there is serious interest being demonstrated for potential for an NHL franchise.

?I know from discussions I have been in and what others have told me, there is a lot of talk around the country about Kansas City and its new arena for both hockey and basketball, and that's very exciting, and we should all feel good about it.?

[JamesCraven]

Hey, sell the team to the guy who owns the Angels, Art Moreno and let them stay in Anaheim.