Make It Seven. the NHL and Canadian Nationalism

Byline: Pete Toms The past five months I have followed, with great interest, Jim Balsille's attempts to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and move them to Hamilton ON. I was initially interested in Mr. Balsille's efforts because if he succeeded, there was real potential (appeals would have been inevitable) that the structure and governance of professional sports leagues in North America would change dramatically. I followed the developments in the bankruptcy proceedings from many sources, beat writers, columnists, trade publications and sports business / sports law blogs. There was a large amount of thorough and informed reporting on both sides of our border but in Canada Mr. Balsille's efforts also became a nationalist rallying point.