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wow...don't know what to say but wow...hope this guy doesn't get it for the NHL sake.

Balsilie must have a good case if the evil empire has finally chimed in. He'll buy them off, after all, money is what MLSE is all about.

give me a break..... there could be two teams in toronto and a team in hamilton and the leafs would still sell out and have people begging for tickets..... this is just plain greed.

This is a scare tactic that might have worked with other potential owner but not Balsillie. He has more than enough money to fight any lawsuit the Leafs bring against him if he wants to and he is used to being in court with RIM. While I could see him just buying them off just to save time, he might also fight them in court just to prove a point that the Leafs don't own Southern Ontario.

Oh please! You've got to be kidding!

The Leafs right now are the only game in town, so even though the area could support a couple teams, any new team will take money out of their pockets, that is all they care about. They don't have to worry right now about people in that area buying another teams merchandise. The more demand there are for tickets, the more they can keep increasing the ticket prices. We all know that Southern Ontario can support another team, but no matter what a new team will take money out of the Leafs pocket. That is the only thing they care about.

That is ****! The leafs are losers, maybe they should work on making them a winning team for once and not wine about another team trying to move into their territory...hell NYC can have 3 teams and LA 2 teams GIVE ME A BREAK!

1,000% against it? A bit dramatic, no? And the Leafs will sue all teams that travel to play there? Nice try. How about I sue them for being jackasses?

they should strike deal that forces Bald-silly tomove the team back to Winnipeg.

I've been waiting for a report like this. No way in hell do the Leafs let someone just walk into their backyard. It's forever going to remain a pipe dream and nothing more.

Maybe if Toronto had a team worth playing in the NHL and able to win then maybe fans would take this tactic seriously. Another team in the area would only make more money for the Leafs and for the NHL. Maybe their owners would wake up and put a better product on the ice then. Hamilton can only make a bad situation better for all involved. Rules are meant to be broken or at least circumvented.

As a Leafs fan, I find this a bit silly. What do they have to be afraid of? They have a huge following of loyal fans, and plenty of money. The area can probably support another team, and if it can't, then the new team would end up moving away. If the new team makes it though, then another great rivalry is created. How can that possibly be bad? Spend the energy putting a better Leafs team on the ice please.

This is Balsillie's THIRD attempt to bring a team to the Toronto area and the Maple Leafs stand has been the same for all three attempts.
I'm impressed/shocked/disappointed that SI made it seem like this news was new.
A story like this is usually reported by NY Post.

The Leafs need competitions here. They sell tickets for $100+ each, in the TOP BOWL!!!!!!!!! And they still sell out every game. And the only team to raise ticket prices for next year, the Leafs!!!

If that is true then I will never be a leaf fan again. MLSE is the worst owner in all of sports. So greedy.

There is no substance to this story at all. From a legal standpoint, it is already clear that the NHL is against Balsillie moving a team to S. Ontario. If it is allowed it would only be by a Judge's court order and would still have to be approved, or rather Balsillie would, to be approved by the NHL's board of Govenors.
Not happening guys...this is pure rumour. Nothing else.

There is no legal basis for the Leafs stand.

Territory rights are sketchy at best in the NHL. Buffalo is a mere 120 km. away from Toronto, so there is nothing precluding another team from taking up roost somewhere in between. The Leafs cannot legally claim their territory any more than the Sabres can, and Buffalo would have zero chance of winning this case.

The Leafs franchise has enjoyed the largest monopoly in the league for 100 years now, the banquet is over MLSE. Start accepting the fact that some day in the not-so-distant future, your territory (the richest area by far in the league) will HAVE to house another team, be it Balsillie's Screaming Blackberry's or another ownership group down the line.

QUOTE(#9):

Originally posted 09:26 AM ET  06.05 by LGP: Stanley Cup Champs

1,000% against it? A bit dramatic, no? And the Leafs will sue all teams that travel to play there? Nice try. How about I sue them for being jackasses?

It's the new math they're teaching the kids these days...(Isn't Toronto the team that's owned by the Teachers Union up there? I forget which one it is...)

Maybe fans should sue THEM every time our teams have to play them, just for sucking so much. What a shame...you would think a team with such a storied and wonderful history would welcome the challenge and competition....then again, this IS a T&R post we're talking about and, as such, is likely to be utter BS.

And exactly who is this source? Gary Bettman?