TORONTO, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The governors of the National Hockey League are in informal talks about putting a second team in Toronto, the Globe and Mail reported Tuesday.
Several of the governors who didn't want to be identified confirmed the notion was being considered, and the co-chief executive officer of Research in Motion Ltd., Jim Balsillie, was the likely beneficiary.
Balsillie came to the financial aid of the ailing Nashville Predators, and also has proposed moving the Predators to Hamilton, Ontario, 50 miles west of Toronto.
That didn't sit well with the NHL governors, who said it would impact attendance at Buffalo Sabres games, and the city of some 500,000 was too small to support a major league team.
One of the governors dismissed claims a second team would take fans and revenue away from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"The Maple Leafs would not be hurt one bit. In fact, it would help them," he said. "They could make all kinds of money renting the Air Canada Center to the other team."
