There is unrest in the ownership group. There is dissension in the ranks. And, almost one year to the day after OK Hockey took control of the franchise, the possibility of a messy divorce between bickering owners is a real possibility.
Oren Koules and Len Barrie are scheduled to have a meeting today with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to determine which one of them will have the authority to make decisions for the franchise. In essence, the commissioner is determining custody of a hockey team.
But, today, the fissure seems wide. The talk is that Koules wants to keep Lawton as GM, wants to trade Lecavalier to get out from under his $85 million contract and wants to pare the payroll to the low $40 million range. Barrie is not as solidly behind Lawton, wants to build around Lecavalier and is in favor of signing some free agents to get the payroll closer to $50 million.
The point is these differences must be resolved immediately. The draft is days away, and Lecavalier's no-trade clause kicks in on July 1. It is no exaggeration to say the fate of this franchise, for years to come, could very well be decided in the next 10 days.
Barrie doesn't like Lawton, wants to keep Lecavalier and raise payroll while Koules is taking the opposite approaches to each according to the article but Koules always seems to get a free pass while Barrie gets bashed all the time.
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"Embrace and savor the moment." -- WF
Barrie doesn't like Lawton, wants to keep Lecavalier and raise payroll while Koules is taking the opposite approaches to each according to the article but Koules always seems to get a free pass while Barrie gets bashed all the time.
I told you man, its the hair. People hate the hair.
As a fan, I am getting a little bit tired of all of this crap. Enough is enough already. I read on another board that the rumor was they were 3 weeks away from filing for bankruptcy. I have no idea if it is true or not, but I am beginning to hope so. It's time for them to go...
Wow. I feel completely turned around. 10 minutes ago I would have taken OK over Barrie without batting an eyelash. But after reading this article, if what it says is true, I'm completely behind Barrie. Goodbye Oren.
Awesome. Can't wait for some of the usual posters to bash the franchise and the fanbase on the main board.
I guess it isn't the Lightning without some sort of ownership debacle. It would have been nice if Mr. Davidson actually liked hockey, everyone seemed to bash the guy for not having a high payroll but he's the best owner the team has had.
Wow. I feel completely turned around. 10 minutes ago I would have taken OK over Barrie without batting an eyelash. But after reading this article, if what it says is true, I'm completely behind Barrie. Goodbye Oren.
And I never thought I would ever find myself agreeing with this. On a related note, does anybody else feel like this has been the longest year ever?
Barrie owns the majority of the franchise, seems it should be easy to decide who has final say. Koules has always come off as the face of the ownership but only put in 20 million. I can't find exactly how much money Barrie put in but it's more than 20 million.
Seems easy to decide who has final say. Barrie sounds like the better owner for the franchise. I would also say that once he sells Bear Mountain he will have more time and cash than Koules.
I am hoping this expedites Barrie buying out Koules and his partner Mark Burg because Barrie seems to be the better owner.
Awesome. Can't wait for some of the usual posters to bash the franchise and the fanbase on the main board.
I guess it isn't the Lightning without some sort of ownership debacle. It would have been nice if Mr. Davidson actually liked hockey, everyone seemed to bash the guy for not having a high payroll but he's the best owner the team has had.
Someone has to be best when choosing between the Yakuza, a redneck who only bought the Lightning because he couldn't afford the Dolphins and OK hockey.
Barrie owns the majority of the franchise, seems it should be easy to decide who has final say. Koules has always come off as the face of the ownership but only put in 20 million. I can't find exactly how much money Barrie put in but it's more than 20 million.
Seems easy to decide who has final say. Barrie sounds like the better owner for the franchise. I would also say that once he sells Bear Mountain he will have more time and cash than Koules.
I am hoping this expedites Barrie buying out Koules and his partner Mark Burg because Barrie seems to be the better owner.
God we can only hope that whoever takes over is the one who would rather spend than destroy. By the sound of that article, we're either going to get feast or famine. Jesus, this next week is going to be unreal...
I'm not a fan of Len or Oren, but if Barrie wants to spend closer to $50 million, keep Lecavalier, and isn't 100% sold on Lawton, then I hope he gets control. I also think Barrie will be less hands-on compared to Koules, which is good for the team and Lawton.
I hope Barrie takes over if this is the case... this article changed my position on the matter. I don't think OK making the moves would be as beneficial to the team and fans as Len making them would.
Great... I've alway thought of Barrie as a loudmouth idiot, and Koules as the better choice...
If what was in the article is true... I'm pulling for Barrie to end up with control of the team and Koules to go make more movies and stay the heck out of Tampa...
I'm not a fan of Len or Oren, but if Barrie wants to spend closer to $50 million, keep Lecavalier, and isn't 100% sold on Lawton, then I hope he gets control. I also think Barrie will be less hands-on compared to Koules, which is good for the team and Lawton.
The timing isn't a bad thing in my opinion. It's better to get this done now and decide who has final say before the draft and possible Lecavalier deal. If this leads to one of them being bought out and just one voice from the owners box it will be better for the franchise in my opinion.
i told you guys about this months ago, its very very messy, and needs to be dealt with quickly, all arose at deadline when one wanted to trade vinny and one didn't.
I've alway thought of Barrie as a loudmouth idiot, and Koules as the better choice... 
