Political Notes
by Bruce Dobie
Nashville’s dance with the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers has been a slow one, and it may be complicated by the formidable presence of Gaylord Entertainment Co.
Earlier this year, the city made an unsuccessful attempt to woo the New Jersey Devils. Still dangling out there, for any team to see, is an eight-page agreement detailing the concessions Nashville would make to attract its own major-league hockey team.
Basic to the agreement is the stipulation that, should Nashville secure a hockey team, Gaylord would manage the downtown arena. Gaylord’s chief operating officer, Dick Evans, has an extensive background in professional sports, dating back to his Madison Square Garden days. Meanwhile, Evans is the man Mayor Bredesen has charged with the mission to bring a hockey team here.
And yet, there is a rub:
Florida Panthers owner H. Wayne Huizenga has major holdings in Blockbuster Entertainment Co., which owns Leisure Management, the company now managing the arena. If Gaylord brings major-league hockey to Nashville, Leisure Management’s contract would fall apart.
Leisure Management has not been comfortable in discussing that possibility. Leisure Management Vice President Russ Simons, the company’s top dog in Nashville, has even been pitching in to help the city lure a hockey team.
Simons’ show of good will, however, began long before the Panthers entered the picture. If the Panthers move here, would Leisure Management simply be asked to step aside? The educated guess is, probably not.
Still, it’s doubtful that Bredesen would cut a deal with the Panthers without the involvement of Gaylord. Bredesen wants a team badly, but it’s unlikely that he would burn a bridge with what may well be the city’s most powerful company, a company that has supported his initiatives for quite a while.
Thrown to the voters
Don’t be surprised if a few Metro Council members soon begin the call for a referendum on the stadium issue. There are some rumblings that anti-stadium forces will seek the 6,800 signatures needed to put the question on the ballot this March.
If that were to happen, expect the pro-stadium contingent to mount a public relations blitz, the likes of you’ve ever seen. Supporters of the venture can point to polls that give them the advantage. Their margin, however, ain’t all that huge.
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