Tom Hicks is Struggling

Friday, April 3, 2009, 2:44pm CDT
Hicks Sports Group misses interest payment
Dallas Business Journal
Hicks Sports Group, owner of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars, is not making payments on the interest of $500 million in bank loans, according to FINatlernatives.

Missing the payment, which was due March 31, puts the company at risk of being placed in default next week, according to FINalternatives, a Web site dedicated to hedge fund and private equity news. Hicks Sports Group is owned by Tom Hicks.

Representatives from Hicks Holdings LLC, the parent company, did not immediately return calls seeking comment Friday.

HSG is reportedly trying to negotiate with lenders. According to FINalternatives, Hicks defaulted on a $350 million bank term loan, $100 million second-lien loan and a $75 million revolving credit facility.

Hicks recently announced that he wants to sell up to 49 percent of both the Rangers and Stars. Such a sale could add between $400 million and $500 million in cash to the HSG reserves.

Link to Article

Wow... this comes on the heels of lots of speculation about what the Stars will do when it comes to offseason trades and signings and draftings... Struggling...

-DickieDunn

From the Darkroom

A smattering of photographs from the Winter 2009 Bronze League season... If you have some more you'd like to share, send em to dickiedunnblog@gmail.com




-DickieDunn

Pulling back the contract curtain

Thanks to the greatness of Bob Sturm for mentioning this site on the Stars Postgame show tonight. This offseason is going to be critical for the Stars, we'll probably draft pretty high and we've got lots of young talent that has caused some discussion of what offseason moves might be made. You could channel all that energy you would have spent watching Stars playoff hockey, into figuring out what stunts the GM-Twins should try to pull off.

Get ready for your sports-talk pants to go crazy:

www.NHLNumbers.com

-DickieDunn

Demise of the West Rink

According to the Brahmas web page yesterday, it's official. All of the rumors about the west rink being thawed and turned into a soccer arena have apparently been true. It's probably a good thing for NYTEX from a business persppective but fewer sheets of ice in our area causes a little concern for the sport in general.

Maybe it's an economy thing. If soccer players will pay about the same for the square footage and they don't have to run thhe ice plant, it makes sense. I also wonder if the powers that be forsee a decline ein new hockey players taking uup the sport because let's face it, not everyone will spend a thousand bucks on equipment to try a nnew sport at a time when everyone seems to be hanging on to their pennies pretty tight.


So will we now see shin pads, cleats, firecrackers, and throwing darts being sold at the pro shop?

Overheard...

Certain members of the Senators leadership were overheard to say last night...

"Arc Angels are going down. Not because we want to win, but we want Bill Ivey to lose."

Hockey Skills Class - just do it.

I went to the hockey skills class they do on Wednesdays this week and it was pretty cool - lots of good skating drills and lots of good passing and shooting drills. If you can figure out a way to make it out there at 6:15 on Wednesdays, I highly recommend it.

Also met some good-strong Blog P-1's, Chad, Fred, and Jo. Shout out.

-DickieDunn

Playoffs are Set

Looks like tiebreakers in points are
First, Regular season head-to-head results (Stingers over Lady Stars, Ice Gators over Indians. Mid-Air Collision over Silver Bullets)
Second, Goals Against Average (Arc Angels over Senators)


Saturday, Apr 4
Winter 2009
(#)= Seed
Jaguars (10) @ Spider Monkeys (9) 5:00pm NYTEX Brahmas 2
Ice Gators (3) @ Indians (4) 6:30pm NYTEX Brahmas 2
Stingers(1) @ Dallas Lady Stars (2) 8:00pm NYTEX Brahmas 2
Arc Angels (5) @ Senators (6)9:30pm NYTEX Brahmas 2
Silver Bullets (8) @ Mid-Air Collision (7) 11:00pm NYTEX Brahmas 2

It looks like our comrades from the South, those Arlington Boys and Girls, will have their own playoff schedule. No word on whether or not they will be joining us next season.

So the Stingers and Dallas Lady Stars will be vying for the Stanley Keg. This is not shocking news, although coming into the final weekend of the regular season, it was really anyone's to win or lose among the top 4 NYTEX Teams. Ice Gators' opportunity evaporated faster than a zamboni spray at the Parks Mall when they lost on Thursday, and the Mid-Air Collision totally controlled (get it, they are air traffic controllers - rock me) the Keller Indians on Saturday.

BIG PROPS to Don I., who played goalie for the Indians, who earned the only star I am giving out this week - Don is inbetween Chemotherapy treatments and still found enough energy in his reserves to play in goal versus MidAir late Saturday night. In fact, all three of this week's stars go to Don!!!!!