PromoTheRobot Posted October 22, 2019 Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) https://theathletic.com/1312341/2019/10/22/seals-of-approval-buying-oaklands-team-gave-the-sabres-their-ticket-to-the-nhl/?source=dailyemail I never knew this. Quote The (Oakland) Seals, meanwhile, continued to sink. The group that bought the other 80 percent when (eventual Sabres owner Seymour) Knox secured his (20%) share in 1969 was a fraud and relinquished control. The NHL chose Charlie Finley as a new owner rather than Bills founder Ralph Wilson, who bid for the team along with Kansas Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams, Oakland Raiders owner Wayne Valley and roller derby promoter Jerry Seltzer. “Wilson would have been part-owner of the team if that deal had gone through,” Shapiro said, “but the NHL decided they wanted a single owner, didn’t want a roller derby guy and they didn’t want the bigwigs from the football league who had more money than many of the NHL owners at that time.” Edited October 22, 2019 by PromoTheRobot
clayboy54 Posted October 22, 2019 Posted October 22, 2019 I remember when this was happening to the Seals. Ralph's object was to save the team. In the end, Charlie Finley did save them for a few years, gave them white skates, like the A's shoes, and invested a ton of money into a sinking ship. Oakland just could not support a hockey franchise.
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