Checketts buys the St.Louis Blues

[BCBoy]

Checketts Buys the Blues

Discuss.

[Mac the Knife]

This is the same guy who took NYR and basically ran them into the ground, right?

Sorry, St. Louis, can't see a cup in your future anytime soon.

[STL FANATIC]

No, I've read nothing about him ever owning the Rangers. I could be wrong though.

He led (don't think he owned them though..but maybe) the Utah Jazz way back. Then he owned and led the New York Knicks during the '90s.

Currently he owns Real Salt Lake City of the MLS and some minor league hockey team.

I think when he owned the Knicks he owned MSG, so that might explain why you have him tied to the Rangers.

Besides, whoever owned the Rangers then couldn't do what they did now. You can't spend like crazy anymore.

This sale puts the Blues in great shape. A young goalie in Curtis Sanford and young players like Lee Stempniak and Dennis Wideman has mixed with semi veterans like Barret Jackman and Christian Backman and a veteran in Kieth Tkachuk and emerged into a pretty solid core for the Blues over the last month (albeit they've returned to their losing ways the last few games).

The Blues are something like $30 million under the cap I believe I read which should allow them to aquire some good talent to aid the core. There's probably a 50/50 shot Doug Weight returns to the Blues in the offseason, and same with Mike Silligner. Also they'll be getting Eric Brewer back from injury next year to add to the core.

Yeah, I'm optomistic, but I really think the Blues will contend for and get a playoff spot next year.

I've been leaning on the Blues needing to get sold to an owner dedicated to winning when I've made that statement before, and now we have one.

[STL FANATIC]

Oh, now I have read in that article that I guess MSG has the rights to the Rangers and WNBA's Liberty? So I guess he did own them...I dunno.

I'm really not worried about us having the Rangers problems though.

Besides, it mentions the Knicks reached the finals in 1994 and 1999 under Checketts watch...if he owned the Knicks and MSG in 1994, and MSG owned the Rangers or whatever, doesn't that mean the Rangers won the Cup under his watch?

Perhaps the thing I like the best is that Checketts is gonna move out to St. Louis, at least part time. I love an owner who will get close to the team and involved in the community.

[STL FANATIC]

Alright, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, here is Checketts history.

Checketts' sporting past: From Utah Jazz to Rangers, to Knicks, to Blues

By Tom Timmermann

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

03/24/2006

Dave Checketts, the new owner of the Blues, was born in Utah, lives in Connecticut and has had a lifelong relationship with professional sports.

His earliest connections are with the NBA. At 28, he became president and general manager of the Utah Jazz, making him the youngest chief executive in NBA history. He then spent a year as the general manager of NBA International, where he worked to increase the league's presence around the world.

He became president of the New York Knicks in March 1991, and in his four seasons as president, the team made it to the Eastern Conference finals twice and went to the NBA Finals in 1994. The team set records for attendance, television ratings and revenue under his watch.

He went on to become president and chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden, the company that owns the New York Rangers, New York Knicks, New York Liberty of the WNBA, Madison Square Garden and the MSG television network. In 1997, MSG acquired Radio City Music Hall. From 1997 to 2001, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs four straight seasons despite having one of the highest payrolls in the NHL.

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In September 2001, Checketts founded Sports Capital Partners, a consulting and investment service firm for sports teams. In 2002, SCP acquired SportsWest Communications, a syndicated broadcaster of college sports. In July 2004, he established a Major League Soccer team in Utah, Real Salt Lake, which began play last April. He also owns a radio station in Salt Lake City.

His MLS team had been playing at the University of Utah, but Checketts announced late last year that Real Salt Lake would build a $145 million soccer complex in Sandy, a Salt Lake City suburb. Just this week, he met with the Salt Lake City Council to try to get $45 million in hotel tax money to help pay for the project.

Checketts, 50, attended the University of Utah and got an MBA from Brigham Young University. After graduation, he joined the Boston-based consulting firm of Bain & Company.

So, I guess he wasn't an owner, or at least a primary owner of the New York teams or MSG, he was just president of the company that owned them. And it appears he wasn't involved in the Rangers Cup win, and definatley was involved in their awful streak of overspending and losing.

That said, I'm still not worried. I believe he'll spend to win, but they'll be restrictions on how he can spend now, and I think whoever he decides to leave in charge of running the team will do a fantastic job at it.

Rumors have John Davidson being named president and Neil Smith GM. We'll see in the offseason.

[NJTank]

Checketts background is basketball, and his primary intrest was basketball while he ran the Knicks when Paramount sold the Garden, Knicks and Rangers Checkets became President of teh Garden and thus ran both teams. He paid far more attention to the Knicks and led to Messier's departure in 1997. That would be the only complaint there. Owning just 1 team in St. Lousi it would be different I'm sure.

[steiny_ramone]

This sale puts the Blues in great shape. A young goalie in Curtis Sanford and young players like Lee Stempniak and Dennis Wideman has mixed with semi veterans like Barret Jackman and Christian Backman and a veteran in Kieth Tkachuk and emerged into a pretty solid core for the Blues over the last month (albeit they've returned to their losing ways the last few games).

The Blues are something like $30 million under the cap I believe I read which should allow them to aquire some good talent to aid the core. There's probably a 50/50 shot Doug Weight returns to the Blues in the offseason, and same with Mike Silligner. Also they'll be getting Eric Brewer back from injury next year to add to the core.

Yeah, I'm optomistic, but I really think the Blues will contend for and get a playoff spot next year.

I've been leaning on the Blues needing to get sold to an owner dedicated to winning when I've made that statement before, and now we have one.

that's what i thought about the leafs this year. *ba dum ching*