Sunday, July 18, 2004
Fun WHA article by Ken Campbell. First:
The Toronto Toros picked disgruntled Boston Bruin Joe Thornton fifth and used their second-round pick on Ilya Kovalchuk, which will give the Toros a devastating offensive punch if there's an NHL lockout and if Thornton decides not to play in Switzerland after all and if the Toros can sign them and if they find a place to play and if Ted Nolan agrees to coach them and if there's even a league to play in once all these annoying wrinkles are worked out.
And of course:
Some wonder about the league's leadership, starting with Hull and co-founder Allan Howell, who brings to the WHA a string of failed ventures.
Howell convinced Chicago millionaire Horn Chen to invest in the Ottawa Rough Riders, then resigned as the team's CEO amid 58 criminal charges of fraud and forgery that were later dropped. He then moved on to the ill-fated American Basketball Association in 2000, then became president of something called the Canadian Indoor Football League, which will not be coming to an arena near you anytime soon. He was also president of the former Ottawa Loggers roller hockey team. In 1990, he was convicted of insurance fraud and sentenced to 18 months probation.
I guess I just don't have enough money to understand the mindset of people who still want to give this guy their money.
The Toronto Toros picked disgruntled Boston Bruin Joe Thornton fifth and used their second-round pick on Ilya Kovalchuk, which will give the Toros a devastating offensive punch if there's an NHL lockout and if Thornton decides not to play in Switzerland after all and if the Toros can sign them and if they find a place to play and if Ted Nolan agrees to coach them and if there's even a league to play in once all these annoying wrinkles are worked out.
And of course:
Some wonder about the league's leadership, starting with Hull and co-founder Allan Howell, who brings to the WHA a string of failed ventures.
Howell convinced Chicago millionaire Horn Chen to invest in the Ottawa Rough Riders, then resigned as the team's CEO amid 58 criminal charges of fraud and forgery that were later dropped. He then moved on to the ill-fated American Basketball Association in 2000, then became president of something called the Canadian Indoor Football League, which will not be coming to an arena near you anytime soon. He was also president of the former Ottawa Loggers roller hockey team. In 1990, he was convicted of insurance fraud and sentenced to 18 months probation.
I guess I just don't have enough money to understand the mindset of people who still want to give this guy their money.
# posted by JC @ 5:19 AM 
