Blues Pay For Past Mistakes
The National Hockey League went medieval on the St. Louis Blues,
slapping the club with the largest penalty a team has ever been Zsa
Zsa Gabor-ed with -- for a crime committed four years ago.
On Jan. 4, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the league
would fine the Bluenotes $1.5 million and one or two first-round
draft picks for tampering with New Jersey Devils' captain Scott
Stevens before he became a free-agent on July 1, 1994.
"I view the Blues' conduct with respect to Mr. Stevens to be
abhorrent and deserving of the harshest sanctions," Bettman said.
"Violations of the no-tampering provisions directly undermine the
integrity of the league and the game."
St. Louis was fined the maximum $1 million for violation of NHL
By-Law 38, tampering with a player under contract with another
club. The team was fined only $500,000 for not disclosing the
contract with Stevens to the league, violating By-Law 15. The
$500,000 penalty was the maximum for the penalty when it was
committed in June 1994.
A violation of that By-Law is now a $5 million fine.
In addition to the monetary reparations, the Blues must also give a
first-round pick to New Jersey in one Entry Draft from 1999-2003,
with the Devils holding the right to take another first-round pick
in a different year within that same period if they so choose.
The violations occurred in 1994 when Jack Quinn was President/CEO and
Michael Shanahan was Chairman/Governor of the Blues.
Now, Chairman Jerry Ritter, President/CEO Mark Sauer and General
Manager Larry Pleau must pay for their predecessors' mistakes.
"I am appalled at the severity of the penalty imposed on the Blues,"
Ritter said at a Jan. 4 press conference. "The loss of a No. 1 draft
pick in one year and the switch in order of selection in another year
are tough medicine.
"But I'm more appalled at the legacy left to the Blues and their fans
by the management team led by Mike Shanahan and Jack Quinn. Of course,
Mark and I don't know the detail of how this violation came about, but
it's management's responsibility to make certain that events of this
nature are not allowed to occur on their watch."
Even though these harsh fines have been levied against his team, Ritter
is confident his club will overcome them.
"Now, the past is behind us. We have a strong, professional management
team which is committed to overcoming the challenges that these actions
present. Our continuing goal is to provide the hockey fans of St. Louis
with a competitive, winning, and exciting hockey team. And I know they
can deliver."
Fuhr Won't Play Into Next Millenium
On Jan. 7, the Blues were getting ready to play just another regular
game against division-rival Chicago.
Head coach Joel Quenneville said to his team that Jamie McLennan
would start between the pipes for the Blues, since he was on a
mini-hot streak and starting netminder Grant Fuhr was still nursing
a sore knee.
That's when the pieces started to fall into place for one of the most
shocking comments the Blues had heard all season.
"No, they didn't tell me Jamie was playing," Fuhr said following the
game when asked about McLennan's start. "I only work here. As long as
we're winning, that's all that matters. Jamie's been playing well, so
it doesn't surprise me.
"Besides, they need me to get somebody ready. They're going to have
to replace me after next season, anyway. One more year after this
one, and that's it."
The announcement of Fuhr's retirement after the 1999-2000 season was
a shock to Blues' head coach Joel Quenneville.
"It's news to me," Quenneville said. "I guess at this stage of his
career, he knows best."
Last season, Fuhr was in the final season of his contract with the
club when he signed a two-year deal for $3 million per year. During
those negotiations, neither Fuhr nor his agent displayed any signs
that this deal may be the 36-year-old netminder's last.
"What can I say?" Pleau said. "It's the first time I've ever heard
of it. "In my talks with Grant and his agent last year, when we did
his new contract, nobody indicated anything to me like that."
Fuhr's decision may have been fueled by injuries that have hampered
him over the last couple of seasons. His troubles started in the
1996 playoffs when he injured his knee in a first-round series with
Toronto. Since then, he has suffered a slue of injuries, but that
wasn't a concern to Pleau.
"He rebounds from injury so well. I haven't even thought about that.
He's been playing well this year."
Fuhr has called five cities home during his 18-year career, with
stops in Edmonton, Toronto, Buffalo, Los Angeles, and now St. Louis.
He is most-remembered for his 10-year stint in Edmonton when he was a
member of five Stanley Cup championship teams and won the Vezina
Trophy in 1988.
Note to Ownership: We Need Cash!
On Dec. 30, the partnership that owns both the St. Louis Blues and
the Kiel Center asked its ownership group for a $17.7 million cash
infusion and prepared to ask the investment banking firm of Goldman
Sachs to help discover ways to substantially decrease financial
losses of both the Blues and their home arena.
"Our contribution to the city of St. Louis and the entire area is
enormously positive, both directly and indirectly," Chairman Jerry
Ritter said. "But, we simply have large, ongoing losses that we
must address. Our goal is the long-term stability and success of
the Blues and Kiel Center."
The Blues are owned by Kiel Investors, L.P., a group of 19 St. Louis
companies that agreed to purchase the club from Harry Ornest in
1986. At that time, Ornest had threatened to move the team to
Hamilton, Ontario. In 1990, the companies comprising the alliance
agreed to build a $135 million state-of-the-art arena in St. Louis
that would bring prominent events to the city. The Kiel Center
hosts approximately 200 events per year, from National Hockey
League games, to NCAA basketball tournament, to a visit by Pope
John Paul II this month.
Since the construction of the arena, however, the Blues have
struggled to make ends meet. The Kiel Center was privately
financed, making it the only arena in the United States built with
private funds that doesn't share time with a tenant team from the
National Basketball Association. Because of this, Kiel Investors,
L.P. has incurred a $96 million debt on the arena.
"We privately financed Kiel Center as requested by the mayor of St.
Louis to keep the Blues secure in this community while replacing
two old, outdated facilities that were publicly financed - Kiel
Auditorium and the Arena on Oakland Avenue," Ritter said.
But what irks the Blues' ownership is the fact that the city,
county, and state all contributed to build the Trans World Dome for
the National Football League's Rams when they left Anaheim for St.
Louis in 1996. Kiel Investors, L.P. has also made financial
mistakes when it comes to the hockey side of the operation. From
large contract to paying departed players with deferred contracts,
the Blues themselves have struggle with understanding the financial
side of the game.
It is for these reasons and economic miscalculations that Kiel
Investors, L.P. is asking assistance from Goldman Sachs, a firm
that counseled the NFL on the purchase of the expansion Cleveland
Browns and lended a hand with television deals for the 1996 Atlanta
Olympics and the NFL.
During the inquiry, Ritter ensured the public that the examination
with have no impact on the day-to-day operations of the Blues.
Two Blues Go To Tampa...So Far
When the National Hockey League's 49th annual All-Star Game commences
Jan. 24 in Tampa, at least two of the players will have a Bluenote
sewed on their jerseys. (That is, if the NHL decides to put team
logos on the jerseys.)
St. Louis defenseman Al MacInnis was named a starter for the North
American All-Star on Jan. 7.
Joining him at the contest will be Czech-born left winger Pavol
Demitra playing for the World Team. It will be Demitra's first
All-Star appearance.
The game will be MacInnis's fifth career start and 10th appearance.
Chris Pronger is expected to be named to the North American roster
when reserves are announced later in the week.
Gill's Gone...Who's Next?
After the Blues waived defensemen Todd Gill, Gill said he told his
agent that he wanted to play for Detroit, the team that had
eliminated the Blues from the playoffs in the past three years.
His wish came true and, since then, he's been more than content with
his new home.
"It's a good feeling to be here," Gill told the Detroit Free Press. "I
put in a word to my agent that I'd like to go here."
So, Todd's happy with the efforts of the Blues' hockey player
relocation program.
Will there be any other Blues to leave St. Louis as the team tries
to get back the glory it had last season and make a run in the
playoffs?
Only time will tell, but rumors have left wing Jim Campbell being
shopped around to teams who need some help on the right flank. His
stock has dropped as the member of the 1997 NHL All-Rookie team has
struggled this season with only 11 points coming on two goals and
nine assists. But, of course only time (and money reserves) will
tell what Larry Pleau will decide to due before the Blues enter the
playoffs...if they make it seeing as they are six points away from
ninth-place in the Western Conference.
Maybe they need that help now???
