Campbell Blames Part Of NHL's Financial Woes On 'Stupid' Act

PITTSBURGH -- The National Hockey League is in financial trouble but not only because of the multi-million dollar bidding war with the World Hockey Assn. NHL president Clarence Campbell says the league is being bled to death because "we were stupid enough to give a franchise to a schoolboy who played good golf and wore a Princeton tie." He said the NHL's takeover of the California Seals franchise has cost the league $2 million the past two years in legal fees alone. The internal problem, he said, far outweighs the NHL's economic stroggle with the WHA.

"The WHA isn't going to be with us very long." Campbell said. "We just have to weather the storm a little longer. It's a matter of economics. Where will they get the money to pay those people? We've got to resolve the Oakland situation or we will bleed to death." The Oakland team entered the NHL with five other expansion teams in 1967 under the direction of Barry Van Gurbig and "50 backers," Campbell said. "We were mesmerized by all of them, but none of them put his name on paper. When money was needed, they wouldn't come up with it."

Van Gurbig "threatened the Oakland fans with moving if they didn't turn out," according to Campbell, then asked for league permission to move to Vancouver, where he intended to unload the franchise. The move would have bucked NHL tradition of never moving a franchise under fire. The league rejected the request. Van Gurbig filed suit when the NHL placed the Canucks franchise in Vancouver, claiming he could have retained the franchise if lie had received permission to move.

An Oakland court ruled last summer in favor of the league, but Campbell said the case is still a thorn in the league's side because "we're still waiting to see if he'll appeal." In the interim, the club changed hands several times and finally went to Oakland A's owner Charles Finley for about $6 million. Finley unloaded the poorly drawing Seals on the league this summer for a sum of $9 million. "The Seals had been a good club," Pittsburgh Penguins owner Tad Potter said. "But Finley's relations with athletes is history and when the WHA came about, some of their best jumped leagues."

Campbell said he believes the salary battle between the NHL and WHA has levelled off. "Economics have dictated a peak in salaries." he said. "Agents are an enormous problem. But they can only sell what they've got and we can only buy what we can afford." Campbell said after the initial expansion in 1967, the average team needed $1 million per year to operate. "The expansion brought the cost up to $1.5 million. An arena holding 12,500 people was more than ample to support a team. But with the WHA even if the arenas are full every night, it isn't enough."

"Economically, there's no way they (WHA) can survive. We're going to have hundreds of unemployed hockey players."

[source: upi]