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Report: NHL may buy Ducks
By
Toronto Sun Staff
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The NHL has a plan to take over the Anaheim Mighty Ducks should the Walt Disney Co. try to sell the team for less than what the league thinks is market value, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times.
League executives, concerned about the value of other franchises, would purchase the team from Disney then find a buyer, the Times reported. The NHL has stepped in to run teams previously, most recently the Buffalo Sabres in 2002. But the league did not buy the then-bankrupt Sabres; it maintained the team until a buyer could be found.
Disney, which is entertaining a few offers for the team, is not likely to complete a sale until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached to end the owners' lockout. The NHL would make a move only if the Ducks were to be sold at a reduced price, according to the Times.
Asked about a plan to take over the Ducks, Frank Brown, spokesman for the NHL, had no comment.
The Ducks are valued at $108 million by Forbes magazine, but that number appears high when compared with recent NHL team sales.
