Just talked to a National Hockey League source who confirmed what the News reported last week: that former Texas Rangers' CEO Chuck Greenberg is seriously interested in buying your Dallas Stars.
The Stars have been for sale since Tom Hicks' sports empire went kaput, and for a long time it appeared that Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi would wind up with the team. But after Gaglardi's exclusive negotiating window expired in May, he asked for and received an extension into June. After that one expired he asked for another extension and was denied, opening the door for tire-kicking, due-diligence-doing from potential buyers such as Greenberg, Mavs owner Mark Cuban, oil man Billy Quinn and minor league Allen Americans owner Doug Miller.
The source said Greenberg has filed the necessary paperwork and is already approved as the Stars' potential owner.
This, of course, would be great news for the Stars. And an ironic twist to last year's Rangers court proceedings.
Greenberg is a savvy businessman and aggressive marketer who would not only keep the Stars in Dallas, but also make them viable and visible in the community. I still feel like the Rangers are fools for letting him go kicking him out.
Odds are that Gaglardi will soon sign a purchase agreement, only to have the Stars lurch into bankruptcy court where Greenberg -- playing the last-minute roll of Cuban from last summer -- could win the hockey team via auction.
Greenberg, who still owns a couple of minor league baseball teams, helped the Pittsburgh Penguins out of bankruptcy in the '90s and worked on arena and ownership deals with the Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers. As good as he is with baseball, his hockey relationships/knowledge exceeds it.
With best player Brad Richards gone to New York and with their relevance vanished, at the very least Greenberg would immediately provide the Stars with a positive face of the franchise.
