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Bettman: Franchise Is Fine Financially

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 20, 2009

RALEIGH, N.C. - Despite rumors of the Lightning's financial situation sitting on shaky ground, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Tampa Bay's ownership group is on solid footing.

"Rumors are rumors," said Bettman, who took in Friday's game at RBC Center. "Anytime you have new owners, they make a lot of changes and sometimes they take time for everyone to adjust."

Among those churning through the rumor mill, the most persistent is that former owner Palace Sports and Entertainment, led by Bill Davidson, would resume control of the franchise. Palace Sports is the primary lender on the sale of the team and the two sides recently worked out a restructured financing deal. Should a situation ever arise where OK Hockey would not be able to fulfill its financial obligations to Palace Sports, Davidson would assume the franchise.

"It's no secret that they did some of the financing of the deal, which happens to be a good thing because it means the franchise is in solid financial condition," Bettman said. "That's why I don't think people should be focused or worried about it."

The team also recently announced that all building employees must pay to park starting March 1 and paychecks to the players - normally direct deposited - were live checks withheld until after 1 p.m. during the past two pay periods. Those situations help churn the talk of financial instability, which Bettman said is unfounded.

"Teams all go through up and down phases. You make it sound like the team is in some kind of trouble when it's not," he said. "You have very committed owners there. They are passionate about the club and they want to make sure that this team is performing on and off the ice as well as possible. But as with new owners in any sport, there is always a learning curve and when you make a lot of changes sometimes people tend to make judgment before you get to see the full effects."

RECCHI RESTS? Tampa Bay interim coach Rick Tocchet said RW Mark Recchi sat out Friday's game to give the 41-year-old a night of "body maintenance."

But Recchi, who played in the opening 58 games of the season and is tied for third on the team with 37 points, wasn't happy being told to take a night off.

"I had five scoring chances Thursday against New Jersey. You don't get that if you are tired," Recchi said.

JUICE FLOWING: Former Lightning LW Jussi Jokinen, traded to Carolina on Feb. 6, said he's fitting in fine with his new team, although it's in a similar role as a third-line center.

As far as his brief time with the Lightning, he said he never felt fully appreciated when new ownership took over as he was shopped around the league since the summer and was placed on waivers twice by the team.

"They signed lots of forwards during the summer and they tried to figure it out pretty much the whole year," Jokinen said. "They are first-year owners and I think they've done as good of a job as they can."

BEHIND THE MIC: Lightning radio voice Dave Mishkin will be featured on a 30-minute episode of "Voices" on the NHL Network on Thursday.

A camera crew followed Mishkin on Jan. 15 when Tampa Bay hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. The "Voices" series has been running on the NHL Network this season, profiling radio play-by-play broadcasters of each of the 30 teams in the league.

NUTS AND BOLTS: Dallas scouted Tampa Bay for the second consecutive night. Other teams in attendance Friday were Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Edmonton and Pittsburgh. ... D Lukas Krajicek (lower body) was a late scratch.

Erik Erlendsson

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