Since I got mentioned without answering, I guess I'm obliged. I'm actually going to side with the Rangers on this one. OK, the Rags sued, then lost. I can see the league having control, as they are, in a sense, franchises. But now that the league won, it's going to punish them for being bold enough to say something bad about the NHL. Seems very petty to me, but that's Buttman for you.
Now that I have said this, I can't wait for MSG to take The Garden away and go home, if the NHL does manage to force a sale. We don't have a team, you don't get a place to play!
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Long Island Rangers! (or New Jersey Rangers)" I wonder if they will have to pay a territorial fee to either the Isles Or Devils if they are forced to play in either arena?
Edit- No worries, I was just bored at work. It gets slow after Father's Day and for the summer.
Move them to Vegas, now that's funny right there!
LITY- Isn't that payment simply for accounting purposes? If they own both the team and the arena, and the team is taken from them, doesn't it stand to reason that they aren't obligated to let the team play there? Unless they jack up the lease sky-high to force the league or new owners eslewhere.
Yang bought the Islanders, but didn't move it, so I would think there wouldn't be a territory fee in that instance. Plus they already paid a 4 million territory fee to the Rangers when they entered the league as an expansion franchise. I was referring if MSG plays hardball back at the NHL if the league takes the team away, so MSG retaliates by forcing the Rangers to play elsewhere as owners of The Garden by either raising rates so high or cancelling the lease. It would take a minimum of 3 years to build a new arena, I would guess.