Wouldn’t it be fun to try and negotiate a contract with Oilers ownership?

 

All Katz has done is be born and raised in Edmonton, go to the U of A, make a gajillion dollars, offer to buy the team for more than twice what was paid for it in 1997, and offer to finance a huge chunk of a new arena.

What a bastard.

From the way the EIG are treating him, you’d think that he was Peter Pocklington incarnate, coming to town to reclaim his former glory. We’re glad that the EIG claims to be acting in the interests of Edmonton, but one has to wonder how much of this is old-man ego.

Short of getting West Edmonton Mall tattooed on his back and changing his legal name to “City of Champions,” we can’t think of anything else that Katz could do to prove he is more committed to keeping the team in town.

Have you seen the 65,000,000 square foot home he’s built in the city that spans from Laurier Heights to Castledowns? That thing ain’t on wheels, for heaven’s sake. I think the man is committed to living here.

Imagine trying to negotiate a players contract with these people? It’s nice that the EIG meets behind closed doors excluding Katz, in the interests of keeping the negotiations a private matter. Yet these are the same people that are calling numerous press conferences afterwards, leaving Katz out of the loop so he basically has to tune into TSN like the rest of us to find out what’s going on.

What does Katz do? He ups his bid, and plays by the EIG rules. Hell, he even took Butler out for coffee, which is about as Edmontonian as you can get.

How about one of the owners sons Terry Bean commenting on why Katz sent his lawyer to a marathon meeting yesterday? “I would have liked for him to be here. I am disappointed. I think we scared him away. I think that’s unfortunate.”

Stay classy EIG. And careful who you piss off… this is the man who controls the bulk of the hip painkillers and heart medications in this town. You might find your next bottle of Viagra has been replaced with a double dose of Killitol.

Just an idea Daryl; no one would ever know.