From: golchowy@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Gerald Olchowy)
Subject: Re: Fight over the Oilers
Organization: University of Toronto Chemistry Department
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 19:24:03 GMT

In article <1iuu5eINNgbi@iskut.ucs.ubc.ca> FELSKE@ERICH.TRIUMF.CA (FELSKE, WAYNE W.) writes:
>	 I think the revenue stream has little to do with it. I think it has
>more to do with empire building. If your going to pay huge amounts of cash 
>for a place to play it would make sense to pour it into your own mortgage 
>payment. On the other hand the initial years of a new place will actually lose
>money so the team will be no better off but the owner will be building his
>empire. Nothing really wrong here, it's just business.
>

You're absolutely wrong...the way of the future in the NBA and NHL is
for a team to own and control their own building, and the entire revenue
stream from concessions to parking from it.  If Pocklington builds his
own building, if he is lucky, he might be able to keep the Oilers
revenue at about half that of teams like the Hawks, the Flyers, and the
Bruins, when they get their new buildings...staying in Northlands with
the lease they have, the Oilers would probably at best generate 33% of
the revenue of new buildings in big markets.       

If I read the papers right, Pocklington's planned location is in
South Edmonton closer or amongst the more affluent parts and suburban
areas of Edmonton, whereas Northlands is in the relatively depressed
central northeast part of the city.  

>	The Griffith's in Van are building an empire too!
>     They just play that part of the game and stay out of the day to 
>     day job of building a winner. They leave it to Quinn. Pock used to do
>     that too. Slats built the team around Gretzky and Pock tore it down.

Tearing down is relative...since Gretzky was traded, the Oilers have a
Stanley Cup and more playoffs series victories than any other team
except Pittsburgh and they are only 1 behind Pittsburgh...other
franchises would be so lucky to be "torn" down that way.

>	If only He would sell.
>	I have for a long time thought that Slats is the best
>	G.M./whatever  (anything but coach) in the league. And now 
>	he has to put up with the cheapest and by far the worst owner
>	in the league. I wonder if Slats is getting a cut when he sells
>	 a player rather than trades?
>

The Canucks payroll was lower than the Oilers payroll was last year.
That Pocklington is cheaper than other owners is a myth promulgated
by members of the media who are envious of the Oilers success and
who dislike Sather and Pocklington.  The fact is that the Oilers
have the 4th lowest ticket prices in the league, a payroll in the
middle of the league, and in the top third of small market clubs
as of last season.  The combined salaries of Manson, Corson, and
Gilchrist this season are about 1 million more than the combined
salary of Manson and Damphousse last year...and the Oilers have
the worst arena lease in the league.  The vampire in Edmonton is
the city and Northlands who are driving their prime tenant out
of the city...and the fans who dwell on the personality of the
owner rather than on the results on the ice.

>> >>Although people acknowledge the problems involved in running a
>> >>small-market team, they are fed up with Puck selling the best
>> >>players in order to earn money for his own pocket. Trading vetran
>> >>players isn't bad; just make sure you get good players for them.
>> >>(or at least put the money earned back into the Oiler's organization.)
>
>	Thats just it. Sather must be sick at all the talent he has let go
>       for cash and not for other talent. 

Exactly which deals do you not approve of...I know which ones I sort of
dislike, but I understand the rationale for most...Sather has not traded away a
single player exclusively for cash. 

> >...the Oilers have a Stanley Cup, and come out of their division
>> >3 times in 4 years...spoilt fans...Edmonton fans deserve Harold Ballard.
>> 
>	No... but they deserve better than Pock !!
>

You cheer for the team, not for the owner...Satan could own the team,
if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, I wouldn't care.

>> >I am sentimental too, but the Gretzky trade was unequivocally a good
>> >thing, the Oilers could not afford to pay a declining Messier $2.5
>> >million...it would be a waste of money..., 
>
>	I would agree with that except that the trades were done to feed 
>pocks pockets and basically ignored any kind of respect which needs to go both
>ways. After the obvious crap in the 99 trade it's no wonder Mess wanted out
>irregardless of the money.
>

Messier would have been perfectly content to stay in Edmonton if the
Oilers would have paid him the $2.5 million he wanted and deserved, 
instead of the $1.5 million the Oilers could afford and were offering.
After a year of frustrating negotiations, and realizing the difference was
irreconcilable, Messier expressed his desire to be traded.  Sather
and Messier are still on pretty good terms...Messier and Pocklington,
probably not...

I wonder how long Trevor Linden is going to be happy earning half of
what Mike Modano is...

>
>	It would seem to me the poor job is more than appearence.
>	Pocklington has been slowly stripping the team in a cash grab for 
>	years and now it's catching up with the team.
>

The Oilers are not as bad as their record...when the malcontents are
cleaned out and the roster settled.  They may miss the playoffs this
year...I am sort of almost resolved to that...they would have to catch
LA...(Winnipeg should catch and pass LA fairly easily, I figure)...
if the Murphy and Nicholls and Tikkanen trades get made fairly soon,
the Oilers might have a fourth place run in them, and might give
Pat Quinn a big April migraine...but Vancouver is essentially so
strong this year, and the draft is so deep, that this is not such
a bad year to choose to really restructure completely.

>	When it comes down to it I guess all the owners are in it for thier 
>own interests but most at least try to run a respectable operation and try to
>give the appearence of being good corporate citizens while they become filthy
>rich. Pock has ignored everything but the filthy rich part.
>
 
Only Pittsburgh has a better on-ice playoff series record than the Oilers
post-Gretzky...the product is there...the personality of Pocklington
is irrelevent if the team is producing on the ice...which it has been.

Gerald