- Scott Burnside of ESPN: Bill Foley wouldn’t give ESPN their season ticket sales numbers, but sources saying they are now over 10,000.
Down payments on those tickets reflect grass-roots buyers, individuals and small businesses throughout the Las Vegas area. Now Foley is reaching out to larger corporations in Las Vegas, including major casino operations. Large banking institutions, telecommunications companies, food services operations and logistics enterprises like UPS or FedEx also are in Foley’s sights.
Another source saying some individuals and business owners are willing to buy tickets once Vegas is awarded a team. Foley has already talked arena lease with AEG and MGM Resorts, as well as having preliminary talks with the NHL about an expansion fee, which is expected to be between $450 and $500 million.
- Scott Lewis of Sportsnet: Stephen Brunt on Sportsnet 960 radio on the Maple Leafs.
“Part of what’s gone on here is that they’ve managed to produce a team that is not just bad, but appears to not give a damn,” Brunt told Boomer and Rhett. “It’s almost rubbing it in people’s faces – the lack of try, the lack of effort.”
“They are the least likable group of professional athletes I think I’ve ever been around,” said Brunt. “I don’t know these guys. Just the way they play, outside of the arena, the way they come across – they come across as the opposite of plucky underdogs that are trying really, really hard even if they’re not quite good enough. This is talented guys who are getting paid enormous amounts of money who stopped trying a long time ago and are kind of laughing at everybody. And that’s a bad vibe if you’re a consumer.
“That’s a bad vibe if you’re a fan, to think they care way less than I do. And that’s how it’s coming across whether that’s 100 per cent true. It is really, really sour here.”
Steve Zipay: Rangers Martin St. Louis won’t play tonight.
- Adam Vingan: Predators James Neal and Shea Weber won’t play against the Canucks, but will ready for the playoffs.
- Stephen Whyno: Lightning Victor Hedman was injured last night. Slater Koekkoek has been recalled.
- Corey Pronman: With the Bruins signing college free agent Austin Czarnik, he will become one of their top 10 prospects in their system, “Skilled, smart, hard working player even if small.”
- Aaron Portzline: Blue Jackets active Matt Calvert from the IR and he’ll be in the lineup tonight.
- Fluto Shinzawa: Possible Bruins lines when Brett Connolly is ready to return to the lineup: Marchand-Bergeron-Smith Lucic-Krejci-Connolly Kelly-Soderberg-Eriksson Talbot-Spooner-Pastrnak.
- Nicholas Gross: Bruins lines this morning: Marchand-Bergeron-Krejci Lucic-Spooner-Pastrnak Eriksson-Soderberg-Smith Kelly-Campbell-Talbot.
- Lance Pugmire: Ducks lines: Sekac-Getzlaf-Perry, Maroon-Rakell-Palmieri, Cogliano-Thompson-Silfverberg, Etem-Wagner-Fleischmann.
- Steve Zipay: Rangers lines: Nash-Brass-Zuke; Kreider-Step-Miller; Hags-Hayes-Fast: Glass-Moore-Sheppard
- Ansar Khan: Red Wings power play units: Nyquist-Zetterberg-Pulkkinen, Abdelkader (net front), Kronwall. and Helm-Datsyuk-Tatar, Sheahan (net front), Zidlicky.