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Lightning Sale Is Moving Forward

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 1, 2008

TAMPA - While there has been plenty of silence and secrecy surrounding the potential sale of the Lightning, whispers are beginning to surface that a deal could be on the horizon.

Although no sale agreement has been reached, talks between current Tampa Bay owners Palace Sports and Entertainment and Oren Koules, head of OK Hockey, have begun to quickly move the process toward a resolution.

Koules, the Hollywood producer behind the "Saw" movie franchise and the main financier on a previous failed purchase attempt, retained exclusive negotiating rights to purchase the team, the lease to the St. Pete Times Forum and 5.5 acres of adjoining land in December. At the time, the sides announced their hope to have a deal in place by the end of January.

The calendar has now turned to February, but that doesn't mean the deal is on the verge of falling apart. The deadline for the exclusivity is not a hard deadline, and there is flexibility based on how the process is moving. Since the sides are still talking, possibly even face-to-face, things appear to be moving forward.

At last weekend's All-Star festivities in Atlanta, Lightning President Ron Campbell said he expected things to pick up this week. He reiterated that sentiment on Thursday.

"Yes, I believe, as expected, the sides have been a bit more intense this week. Deadlines have a tendency to do that," he said. "There is still nothing to report, however."

During his question-and-answer session at last weekend's All-Star Game, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said there were no "red flags" in regards to the discussions and that he is being kept in the loop as far as where things stand.

Bettman had to negotiate a settlement between Koules and his former partners at Absolute Hockey when the first attempt to buy the team, which was announced in August, ended in a lawsuit between the two sides.

And while the silence during the first attempt had some questioning where the sale was heading, the whispers this time around suggest it is altogether different.

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835 or eerlendsson@tampatrib.com.

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