Perhaps Dave Checketts had a good reason for declining the bid of Calgary businessman Max Chambers and his group. According to some research done by the Toronto Globe and Mail, there’s actually very little to be known about this investor – and as we learned with the Atlanta Thrashers saga, unknown entities need not apply.
From the article:
The trouble is, next to no information on either of Chambers’s alleged companies can be found. There were no telephone numbers or addresses available nor was Chambers listed in the telephone directory.
Someone whose business involves checking out potential buyers of professional sports teams said he asked several people in Calgary, including some bankers, about Chambers. No one had ever heard of him.
Oh, well that doesn’t bode well. The article gets deeper, mentioning that Chambers has also tried to buy a CFL expansion team, along with the WHA 2 league’s Jacksonville Barracudas and the Orlando Seals. The sale fell through because Chambers didn’t pay the $100,000 deposit on the teams. It sounds like fans who were upset at Checketts for not taking the offer that Chambers’ group made jumped the gun a bit. Unless he walked into the office with a suitcase full of bills, I’d be hesitant in accepting an offer from him too.