From: "Glenn Meadows" 

Here's the letter sent out to former ticket purchasers:

Craig Leopold
Nashville Predators
501 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203

May 24, 2007

Dear Predators' Season Ticket Holders:

June 25, 2007 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the awarding of the NHL
franchise to Nashville that became your Nashville Predators.  It's been an
incredible 10-year journey for me.  I can't tell you enough how much I
appreciate your strong emotional and financial support of the Nashville
Predators.  You are a big part of the team's on-ice success.  On behalf of
the entire franchise, I thank you.

Ten years ago, I couldn't call myself a hockey expert.  Today, my family
and I are as passionate and competitive about the game as the most hardcore
fans.

When the franchise began, I said we would run it as a business in order to be
successful.  We developed a game plan both on and off the ice.  We became
an integral part of the community, especially downtown Nashville.  We made
sure we had some fun.  And, we indicated that making a huge profit was not
a top priority ? but we certainly didn't make plans to lose a significant
amount either.

As part of those plans we developed a loyal fan base ? every team should be
fortunate enough to have a Cell Block 303 and the loudest arena in the
league.
We built a team that the community could be proud of on and off the ice. We
grew our hockey skills exactly as general manager David Poole outlined,
using the draft as a foundation and then supplementing at the appropriate
times
with trades and free agents.  We gave back to the community ? well over $2
million in grants and in-kind donations through the Nashville Predators
Foundation.  We created an entertaining in-arena atmosphere for every game
night.  And, we did it all while keeping our ticket prices near the bottom
of
the league.

Unfortunately, the success on the ice has not translated to success for me as
business owner.

Here are just a few facts as to why:



The Nashville Predators tallied up 216 points in the last two seasons,
fifth most in the NHL, yet because of below-average attendance, the team
will still
have a real cash loss of $27 million during that time.  Additionally, that loss
is despite receiving the most money in the league from revenue sharing. Over
the last five years, the team has lost over $60 million.

We've invested heavily in sales and marketing efforts, spending over $50 million
in 10 years, most of that with locally-based businesses.

Our average regular season attendance this past season was 13,589, up from the
year before, but still 2,000 below the NHL average.  A low turnout,
combined with a low ticket price results in a poor financial situation.

The new NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement with revenue sharing is not a
cure-all.  Each local market must still support its local team. In
addition, this attendance does not qualify us for our full revenue sharing
allocation under the collective bargaining agreement.

While individual fan support has always been strong, we've worked aggressively
to increase our local business support since Season Four.  We've tried a variety
of approaches with minimal success.  Our records show today that corporate
support for the Nashville Predators makes up about 35% of our season ticket
base.  The average in other markets is around 60%. During our first two
years,
approximately 4,000 businesses owned season tickets. Today, only 1,800
businesses have season tickets.

While my heart and my love of the game tell me we can still be successful, the
facts outlined above suggest otherwise.  I've reached the only possible
conclusion and it's one of the most difficult decisions of my personal and
professional life.

Later today, I am announcing an agreement to sell the Nashville Predators
franchise and Powers Management to Jim Balsillie.  We plan for the sale to
be
final in early July after a short period of due diligence and approval from the
NHL Board of Governors.

I've carried the franchise as far as it can go from a business standpoint. It
has been well-reported that we have attempted to attract local ownership since
2002.  The truth is, we had only one serious inquiry in that time from someone
who was interested in a small minority share of the team.  Jim Balsillie is
interested in full ownership.

It's time to give someone else a chance to take the Nashville Predators to the
next level in terms of local business support.  Last week's announcement that
the Sommet Group has signed on as a naming rights partner for the arena is
a strong first step in the right direction.  The new energy and leadership
of Jim
Balsillie will be another.

Jim Balsillie is co-CEO of Research in Motion, the company which developed the
Blackberry device.  He is an avid hockey fan who still plays recreationally. I
know he is dedicated to putting a great team on the ice.


The past 10 years have laid a foundation, but there's still much to be done to
both build corporate support and to win a Stanley Cup.  I know Jim shares
my passion for the game and my commitment to a strong franchise to pursue
the greatest trophy in sports.

Despite the financial challenges we faced, owning this franchise has been the
thrill of a lifetime.  I've made many friendships here in Nashville.  It's been
an exciting 10 years, and as I move on from the ranks of team ownership, I'll
always remain a fan.


Sincerely,

Craig L. Leipold


--

Glenn M.
"Rich Gauszka"  wrote in
message news:4655fbee$1{at}w3.nls.net...
> Glenn Meadows wrote:
>> Yea, that's the big question mark.  Total shock here in town, especially
>> since Leopold (current owner) said it's been in the works for a couple of
>> weeks now.  There are some REALLY pissed off fans, who have already
>> re-upped for next years season tickets.
>>
>> The big question has to do with the current lease at the arena.
>>
>> It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
>>
>
> speculation on the local sports talk in Detroit is a team move to Waterloo
> or Winnipeg Canada. The new owner appears to be into Ws.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5