ELMONT, NY — Former Research In Motion CEO Jim Balsillie is reportedly leading a consortium of investors seeking to purchase the CPHL New York Islanders and relocate the team to a new facility in Mesa, Arizona.
Although league executives have publicly dismissed the idea, citing "unbalanced conferences" and a desire to avoid franchise instability, Balsillie released a statement on Saturday morning expressing his intent to enter aggressive negotiations with Islanders ownership and CPHL commissioner Jiri Hrdina.
"After trying to purchase and move the NHL's Phoenix franchise once before, we here at the Mesa Movement organization are intent upon righting our past wrongs — and correcting the shortsighted action of the CPHL to remove pro hockey from the Valley of the Sun," Balsillie said. "We have sourced hundreds of millions in an unspecified online currency to achieve our goal of moving the Islanders franchise to the desert."
Balsillie went on to assert he would initiate a "hostile takeover of the whole f---ing league" if the Islanders did not agree to his terms, citing his business acumen and birthplace of Waterloo, Ontario as testaments to his bargaining ability.
"I had Mike Lazaridis put Wayne Gretzky on my speed dial for if we need to add another backer to our group," Balsillie claimed.
The Islanders are currently estimated to be one of the CPHL's most valuable franchises, with recently-acquired cornerstones such as Pavel Buchnevich, Erik Karlsson, and Dougie Hamilton helping the club's sale price balloon by a reported 400 percent in recent weeks.
Two CPHL franchises have already relocated this off-season. As recently announced by league leadership, the Nashville Predators will play out of Boston, Massachusetts in the 2023–24 season, while the previous Coyotes franchise will now set up shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
"We feel the CPHL is missing out on the burgeoning Phoenix market as a result of its recent franchise changes," Balsillie said. "Of course, we'll have to play out of the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena for two seasons while our Mesa Megaplex is completed."
It remains to be seen whether the hostile takeover of the Islanders will go through. The club played the 2022–23 season at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY, finishing last in the league despite having traded their 2023 first-round pick.
Hostile takeover in progress on Long Island!?
