The only thing harder in Vancouver than tending goal for the Canucks is being the man who decides who has the privilege.
General manager Mike Gillis knows all about it, after the two-year crease conundrum finally came to an end with his surprise dealing of Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils.
Roberto Luongo’s hefty contract that nobody else seemed interested in assuming gets the blame for his lack of buyers. The controversy might never have happened, save for those two costly losses in June 2011 during the Stanley Cup finals.
Luongo’s obvious Italian-Canadian cultural connection with the Aquilini family can’t be discounted for the last-minute switcheroo. Neither can Schneider’s activities on behalf of fellow players during negotiations to end the lockout. The Boston College finance degree-holder became heavily involved in negotiations and spoke out on behalf of his union brethren. You won’t hear “Solidarity Forever” on the public address system at any NHL arena.
Luongo had put his Yaletown penthouse on the market for $4.2 million, but sources say ownership may have a family friendly solution in one of their properties on Vancouver’s West Side.
The distance and difference between Vancouver and South Florida has always been an issue with Luongo’s wife Gina, who prefers warm and bright winters.
The news was welcomed by one of Luongo’s local sponsors. BC Lottery Corp. (BCLC) CEO Mike Graydon sent Luongo a public tweet to his @Strombone1 account, inviting him to keep playing online poker with PlayNow.
Luongo was paid $160,000 during the 2012 fiscal year to endorse the legal site. BCLC also paid for his entry to the World Series of Poker last year in Las Vegas.
Watch and see if BCLC re-hires Luongo for another ad campaign.
The NHL’s salary cap for 2013-14 will decline by $6 million to $64.3 million.
Even before ticket revenue is counted, the Canucks have a rosy financial forecast – even if the likelihood of being a Stanley Cup contender diminishes with the increasing age of the Sedin twins. New head coach John Tortorella hopes to prove critics wrong.
TV and radio rights, both regional and national, worth $40.5 million in fiscal 2012 are expected to gross $72.54 million in 2013 for the Canucks.
Deals with more than 110 sponsors, split between Vancouver Canucks Limited Partnership and Vancouver Arena Limited Partnership, were forecast to bring in $27.5 million.
Senate gamesmanship
The wild and woolly Senate of Canada, including the infamous Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin, skedaddled for its summer break on June 28 without finishing business.
The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) was not amused. Provincial lottery corporations and casino operators will have to wait until mid-September before any possible movement in Bill C-290, the amendment to the Criminal Code that would enable single-event wagering. The voice of Canada’s gambling industry issued a news release on June 28 to express its “frustration and disappointment.”
“Continued shameful inaction and procedural delaying tactics by the Senators only serves to fuel organized crime and illegal offshore bookmakers, because they are the ones who profit from illegal single-event wagering,” said Bill Rutsey, the CGA’s CEO.
Lacrosse to Langley
Vancouver is back in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) after the Everett-based Washington Stealth announced the move north to the 5,500-seat Langley Events Centre.
The team could be a pro sports trivia answer to the question of which team played a championship before playing an exhibition game at its home rink. (Stealth lost to Rochester at LEC in May when the game was moved north because of a scheduling conflict at the Comcast Arena.)
The Vancouver Ravens were the area’s previous try at NLL, from 2002 to 2004 at Rogers Arena.
The Stealth moved to Everett for the 2010 season from San Jose, California, and averaged a league-low 3,944 per game.
Three years later, they grew marginally to 4,184 but remained in the cellar.
Single-game tickets in Langley will range from $27 to $55, which is substantially higher than last season’s $17 to $42 game-day price to see the American Hockey League’s Heat at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. The Stealth might benefit from the compact nine-game home schedule and being closer to lacrosse hotbeds like Vancouver, Surrey and New Westminster.•
