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Sunday, December 5, 1999
Why not aid Sens?
It is likely that some time in the next two or three weeks the fate of the Ottawa Senators will be determined.
And we all know what the outcome will be.
Senators owner Rod Bryden was not bluffing, grandstanding or even threatening when he announced the other day the team would be sold and moved unless the Canadian federal government offered tax concessions amounting to roughly $4 million a year.
Bryden, like the rest of us, knew pointing the gun at the heads of the feds in public would not exactly prompt them to announce any immediate tax reforms.
And he was right -- the feds didn't flinch.
But the message, still abundantly clear, is he is tired of waiting and wants an answer on the tax question now.
If the answer is no, fine, he will move and the government will take the blame, at least from those who care whether the Senators stay or go.
It is fairly obvious, though, that while Bryden may not have a deal in his hip pocket right now, he is confident one can be arranged in a hurry. So the question which must be answered quickly is this -- should the government offer help?
The answer -- why not? The money professional teams generate in tax revenues is far greater than anything they are asking for in tax breaks. It is simple math, and don't cloud the issue with mindless talk about school and hospital closings and cutbacks. That is an issue of allotment, of how the government chooses to spend its money, not of whether there is enough of it.
The bottom line is deciding whether helping professional teams is the right thing to do from a business standpoint and as a cultural consideration.
It says here that offering such help now would be the right thing to do, to give the Senators a chance of making it work, but that doesn't mean the government has to keep digging deeper and deeper forever more.
THIS AND THAT: Rumours persist out of New York that the Islanders are trying to deal goaltender Felix Potvin and his $2.7-million US contract. The Blackhawks made inquiries but deemed the price too high. Vancouver has also been scouting Potvin. It appears Islanders rookie goalie Roberto Luongo, up from the minors, is there to stay. That means Potvin and his salary must go ... The Islander with the most tenure is ex-Leaf Kenny Jonsson, whose first game was in March, 1996 ... Former Dallas Stars winger Benoit Hogue, who underwent reconstructive knee surgery during the off-season, is skating again. An unrestricted free agent, he is offering his services to the Stars again ... Earlier this season, the Red Wings offered winger Brendan Shanahan a three-year, $15-million US contract. His current deal expires this summer. Shanahan and agent Rick Curran will meet with the Wings again prior to Christmas to continue negotiations ... Edmonton has decided to pass on signing Wendel Clark ... The NHL might want to consider having a chat with Devils centre Bobby Holik, who had this to say while serving a three-game suspension for butt-ending Anaheim's Steve Rucchin: "I felt there was some kind of agenda from Colin Campbell because of the way he dealt with it. That is my personal feeling."
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