Francesco Aquilini Nets Winning Goal

Posted by Karl
Filed in Sports
January 10, 2008

While local hockey fans are focusing on which Sedin will go to the All-Star Game; Luongo and his pregnant wife and the fact that the team is beating off Calgary and Minnesota for the division lead, more important matters are taking place.

The legal donnybrook for ownership of the Vancouver's NHL franchise, between Ryan Beedie, Tom Gaglardi and Francesco Aquilini, has concluded and Justice Catherine Wedge has ruled in favor of the current owner.

It's been a long ride, 15 months to be exact, and Francesco Aquilini can now say unequivocally that he is the owner of the Vancouver Canucks, which is alright by me.

Aquilini seems to be a good owner.

He's visible, unlike former owner John McCaw and like the Griffiths Family before that; he seems to take a hands off approach.

But I'm happy with the ruling for another reason.

I'm sure Beedie and Gaglardi would be good owners, but the Aquilini victory in court ensures one thing that will benefit the Canucks.

Continuity.

There seems to be a good framework in place from management all the way down to the players and there is no longer any risk of anything being uprooted or changed.

There is a chance that if they had won, Beedie and Gaglardi might've wanted to their own people running the show.

But like they say if it ain't broke, why fix it?

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Good grief. Can't we have even one media outlet in Vancouver that isn't in the pocket of the Aquilini family? Go to a game sometime. Prices are up significantly. Everything in the arena has been branded - every moment the puck isn't in play we're subjected to sales pitches. The team has been rebranded so thoroughly that Stan Smyl's retired number and the divisional and conference championship banners hang from the rafters with the "new" Canucks corporate design - colours almost none of those players have ever worn. The new ownership is exploiting the team for every penny it can (next up, development of land on the site with condo towers) but has no respect for the game.

Our team is owned by self-aggrandizing slumlords. I'm supposed to be happy about that?

Posted by: Erling at January 14, 2008 2:13 PM | Quote Comment

A little math and economics lesson for you. If you write on a volunteer basis, you aren't getting paid, therefore you can't be in anyone's pocket.

Furthermore, this is the 21st century, like it or not, pro sports is all about business and profit, it sucks but that's the way it is.

Would you rather have logoless ice and boards and see the team move to Oklahoma in two years?

Don't like it or the high prices? Go watch the Giants or go watch the UBC hockey team or better yet, buy your own team.

Btw I agree about Smyl's No. 12 they should have kept it the same. Seeing it in diarrhea yellow hanging from the rafters on top of the Orca blue navy was very esthetically pleasing.

Posted by: karl at January 14, 2008 2:31 PM | Quote Comment

Ah. I was trying to be polite when I said you were in their pocket. What I first intended to write is that you have your head shoved up their collective ass.

Is that better?

Thank you for letting me know that 21st century sports are all about business and profit. I had no idea this was such a recent development. Perhaps you should fill in Ted Lindsay, the poor slob.

God, BR must be really hard up for writers these days.

Posted by: Erling at January 23, 2008 4:03 AM | Quote Comment

Wow! A "head shoved up the ass" line, really original.

I'm dealing with a real, hardcore member of Mensa here.

If business and 21st century sports isn't a revelation to you, why did you whine about about "branding" and "sales pitches" then?

Very ironic that someone who resorts to overused cliches will knock me for my writing.

Posted by: karl at January 25, 2008 1:31 AM | Quote Comment