Darren Dreger
TSN.com
4/8/2009 12:41:17 AM
What we know at this point is that the marketing groups who have been hired by George Gillett recently to establish his worth in all of his holdings are working hard. That includes BMO investigating the worth of the Montreal Canadiens and all that goes into the Montreal Canadiens, including the Bell Centre. So obviously this marketing group wants to establish the legitimate interest in the team, and potential worth of this team.
But a high-ranking source says that there is no clear indication that Gillett has any intention of officially putting this team up for sale, or selling off the Montreal Canadiens. He may be interested in selling off a portion of the team, but again marketing groups are establishing the worth of all of his holdings, so if Gillett is able to sell of one or more of his other holdings, including the Liverpool soccer team of the English Premier League, then there’s no question that the Canadiens would not be sold.
This is all part of the marketing group’s assessment of Gillett’s vast empire to determine the ultimate wealth. If he can’t move one of those properties, and if Gillett, as some speculate, is feeling some financial and economic duress, he may not have a choice. He may have to bring in investors, he may have to sell off a portion of the Canadiens and the Bell Centre, but it doesn’t sound like they’re at that stage just yet.