Kevin Compton: Coyotes Fiasco A "Joke"

by Mr. Plank on Nov 18, 2009 4:00 AM PST in Special Features Comment 8 comments

Sharks co-owner and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Kevin Compton has seemingly offered his support of Jim Balsille's three-year bid to purchase an NHL franchise, with the eventual intention of moving that team to Southern Ontario.

Compton is on a five member committee of San Jose Sports and Entertainment Enterprises, a list that consists of CEO Greg Jamison, Tom McEnery, Gregory Reyes, and Brent Jones. He has been a partner of Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers since 1990, investing heavily in the enterprise software and telecommunications industries, as well as serving on the board of several companies which include, but are not limited to, Citrix Systems, Verisign, and Kodiak Networks.

Via Mirtle, here is the relevant portion of the Sports Business Daily article:

Compton said Research-in-Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie should be an NHL owner and called the Coyotes fiasco a "joke." Compton said, "Jim loves hockey. Jim's got a lot of money. Jim's got a lot of passion." Compton said he was "100%" certain Balsillie will be an NHL owner in the future. When asked why the owners were locking out Balsillie, he said he did not know. He added, "Owners aren't."

Meanwhile, Compton said that the NHLPA turmoil reflected the distance between older players who are hardline labor advocates and younger players, who are paid well and don't always understand what the union does. He added, "They (the union) have to figure out a way to bring value to the young players." He added that they have not done a good enough job explaining what the union does for them. On the news that Don Fehr will be assisting the NHLPA, Compton said, "I've had better days than when I read that." He described Bettman negotiating with Don Fehr as something that would make "good television."

The San Jose Sharks joined in the league-wide unanimous vote against Jim Balsillie's bid for ownership this summer. Compton's comments to Sports Business Daily signal that either he has changed his opinion on the Phoenix Coyotes' ability to become financially viable, was never in agreement with the Sharks final decision to begin with, or that overwhelming pressure from the league office influenced their decision to join the 25 other owners who took part in this process. And who's to say that pressure was only felt in San Jose? Implying that the league's owners weren't the ones locking out Jim Balsillie is a pretty damning statement.

In a recent interview with Canadian magazine MacLean's, Bettman stated (in regards to Balsillie), "The owners decided they didn’t want him as a partner," eventually going on to say, "It’s not something that I foresee any time soon." The contrast between Bettman's and Compton's statements seems to indicate there may be more at play than just a candid interview-- Compton's investment in the telecommunications industry raises a flag, as Kodiak Networks signed a global licensing agreement with Research In Motion during January of 2007 for the Push-to-Talk technology to be used on Blackberry cellular phones. With Compton serving on the board of Kodiak Networks, and Jim Balsillie the co-CEO of RIM (developers of the Blackberry), it is possible that they have formed an amicable business relationship that may have led to these comments.

So where does that leave us? It is uncertain whether or not the views shared by Compton represent anything close to a substantial opinion amongst the league owners, but for a group that was supposedly ironclad in their dissatisfaction with how Balsillie attempted to bull his way into the league, it would be hard to argue that this is not a symbolic break in the ranks. And an unprecedented one at that.

With the NHLPA currently in the midst of an ongoing saga of their own in search of something that vaguely resembles stability, and a co-owner of one of the league's franchises contradicting statements made by the Commissioner, you have to wonder just how the upcoming CBA negotiations are going to shake out when the agreement expires in 2011.

With Donald Fehr in the mix, it's a long shot to think they'll be anything other than a firestorm.

For more information on the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy, visit Fear The Fin's archives and fromtherink.com.

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I have never heard anyone from the organization this vocal besides DW or Jamison. This is weird to hear something from ownership.

Proud member of the "Don't Trade Marleau" club.
Fear the Fin: Where Sharks Fans Aren't Like Other Sharks Fans.

by SharksFanEst.1994 on Nov 18, 2009 7:55 AM PST reply actions

That’s what I told Mirtle last night. (well, assuming he got my tweet) It’s very odd to hear from the ownership like this.The organization is tight lipped and controls it’s image pretty carefully.

resident cartoonist @CouchTarts Lightning is seven times as hot as the surface of the sun.
That’s still not as hot as Douglas Murray. -mymclife

by CTGray on Nov 18, 2009 9:58 AM PST up reply actions

I think we shouldn’t read too much into this until other owners are willing to share their voice as well. This is one out of many. As I recall, there was a vote, and Balsillie was not wanted in their tree house. To turn around months later and say, oh just kidding, well it’s a little late for that. Either others need to step up to the plate and explain, or they need to stick with the plan they have set in motion.

Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality? (boycott Hollywood!)

by ang6666 on Nov 18, 2009 8:56 AM PST reply actions

One swallow does not a summer make

I’m going to remain guarded about this statement. On the one hand, he is an NHL owner. On the other hand, he’s a co-owner, and a business interest of Jim Ballsilie. I gather that this may be more corporate positioning rather than a San Jose Sharks, Phoenix Coyotes or NHL issue. But I’m definitely interested in seeing if this story gains any traction.

They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn

by ElvisVF101 on Nov 18, 2009 9:15 AM PST reply actions

If that is the case, and it very well could be, why would Compton even delve into the issue of who was locking out Balsillie? Whether or not his intentions come from the business front, that statement breaks from the party line significantly.

While I’m sure the league is going to issue a gag order behind closed doors like they did during the court proceedings, I hope someone attempts to overturns some stones. Phoenix was the biggest story of the summer.

With some hard questioning, this could turn out to be one as well.

Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution

by Mr. Plank on Nov 18, 2009 8:54 PM PST up reply actions

Key words in article = ' Co-CEO with Jim Ballsillie"

Jim Ballsillie is a fucking snake. I apologize for the language, but living in Phoenix and seeing the destruction one power hungry gajillionaire can cause over the span of a few months still makes my blood boil.

Anyone remember when Ballsillie was gonna buy Nashville? Tell Ballsillie that if he wants a franchise, do it the right way, instead of picking at the lowest hanging fruit on the NHL tree. Make no bones about it, we’ll have to hear Florida Panther/TB Lightning rumors with Ballsillie’s name in there by the end of the year. Jim Ballsillie can take his Blackberry and shove it up his ass.

Even his lawyers are snakes. During one of the depositions this summer, one of the lawyers tried to make a point that Phoenix people know nothing about hockey by picking out a person in the court and asked ’ You look like Guy LaFleur. Do you know who Guy LaFleur is" ? Problem was, the lawyer was the one who didn’t know his hockey. The person he asked? Jerry Moyes, the guy who was already bankrupt and trying to sell the franchise to Ballsillie.

I like my goals like I like my booze..... Top shelf.

by GhostOfLinkGaetz on Nov 18, 2009 10:44 AM PST reply actions

Frankly, nothing saddens me more than see empty arenas in places like Phoenix or Atlanta or even Denver. Growing up in Russia, we always admired NHL because they seemed to always have full arenas and that was the difference – the magic NHL atmosphere vs large empty rings in Moscow that typically has 6-8 teams represented in the league.

For these reasons alone, I hope Coyotes move somewhere where players like Doan, Bryzlagov, Michalek etc can be appreciated.

Also, reading all the drama surrounding the NHLPA and NHL, I really fear that our league is headed for another lockout. There is nothing worse for a hockey fan..

by Ivano M on Nov 19, 2009 12:29 AM PST reply actions