The Molson family is close to completing its takeover of the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens for about $575 million, with most legal documents completed, financing lined up and closing expected in the next few weeks.
The family said on Thursday that its acquisition partners include BCE Inc, Canada’s biggest telecom company; the Woodbridge Co Ltd, the investment vehicle of Canada’s billionaire Thomson family; Quebec’s QFL Solidarity Fund; and investors Michael Andlauer and Luc Bertrand.
Beer brewing powerhouse Molson Coors Brewing Co will remain a key Canadiens sponsor. As well, the Molson family group plans to take over Molson Coors’ 19.9 percent stake in the team as part of their bid.
That part of the deal is still subject to an agreement on final terms and Molson Coors board approval.
The Molson group is buying the team, and Montreal’s Bell Centre arena, from businessman George Gillett, whose holdings include a part of English Premier League soccer club Liverpool.
The Molsons have a long history with the Canadiens, having owned the team in its glory years from 1957 to 1971, when it won many Stanley Cup championships.
National Bank Financial is leading the debt financing and is forming a banking syndicate with Desjardins Group and Bank of Nova Scotia.
In July, a spokesman for Montreal’s Molson family said that earlier financing agreements with CIT Group Inc had fallen through while CIT fought to avoid bankruptcy.
The Boston Red Sox wanted Victor Martinez(notes) because he could help them at first base, catcher and designated hitter.
He’s turned out to be a pretty good pinch-hitter, too.
Martinez came off the bench and hit a three-run double to break a seventh-inning tie, leading the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over Baltimore on Wednesday night. It was his second pinch-hitting appearance since coming to Boston at the trading deadline; he is 2 for 2 with four RBIs.
“I think he enjoys that situation, for sure,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “I think he’d rather have been starting, but it’s nice on nights that he hasn’t started, that he’s sitting there ready to hit.”
Billy Wagner(notes) (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh inning, striking out two, for his first win in more than two years and the first AL decision of his career. Jonathan Papelbon(notes) got four outs for his 35th save, giving up one run but keeping the Red Sox two games up in the AL wild-card race over Texas, a 10-0 winner over Cleveland.
Nick Markakis(notes) had three of Baltimore’s 12 hits, but the Orioles stranded 12 baserunners.
“We had the same opportunities,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. “It didn’t happen for us. It happened for them.”
Martinez split his time at catcher and first base with Cleveland, but the three-time All-Star was rarely out of the lineup over the first 7 1/2 years of his career. He was 9 for 25 with the Indians as a pinch-hitter, never getting much more than a handful of at-bats in a season.
He has been in a rotation with Mike Lowell(notes), Jason Varitek(notes) and David Oritz since coming to Boston, but Martinez has made it difficult for Francona to leave him out of the lineup. His other pinch-hitting appearance for the Red Sox, on Aug. 25, he hit a game-tying single in the seventh against Chicago and then doubled in the eighth for an insurance run.
“Every time I come to the plate, my goal is to be a tough out,” said Martinez, who said he enjoyed being in a pennant race while the Indians struggle. “When you’re in a race, it’s always interesting. When you get to the ballpark, you know you’re playing for something.”
Jason Bay(notes) had three hits for Boston, which is 13-2 against the Orioles this season.
Matt Albers(notes) (2-5) faced three batters, giving up two hits, including Dustin Pedroia’s(notes) comebacker that bounced off Albers’ leg toward third base for a game-tying single.
Brian Roberts(notes) doubled in the fifth inning to become the fourth player in major league history to have three seasons with at least 50 doubles. Hall of Famers Tris Speaker, Paul Waner and Stan Musial are the others.
“It’s probably one of the only things that I’ll be in that company for,” said Roberts, who is the third second baseman with consecutive seasons with 50 doubles. “I had about 30 games. I figured I’d could dink one in there at some point. A lot of my friends have been grinding me pretty good lately.”
Roberts drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to tie the game before Felix Pie(notes) singled up the middle to give Baltimore its only lead, 4-3.
In the seventh, Kevin Youkilis(notes) and Bay singled, then Lowell walked to load the bases. Martinez lined a double to left-center and Brian Anderson(notes), who ran for the gimpy Lowell, raced around from first to score and give Boston a 7-4 lead.
Paul Byrd(notes), who allowed seven runs in 2 1-3 innings against the Chicago White Sox in his previous start, gave up two runs in five innings Wednesday night.
Bay had a two-run single in the first inning, giving him 100 RBIs to go with his 30 homers. He’s the fifth Red Sox left fielder to reach that milestone, joining Manny Ramirez(notes) and Hall of Famers Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski and Ted Williams.
NOTES: The teams combined to use 13 pitchers. … Baltimore’s Luke Scott(notes) was 0 for 16 before his fourth-inning double. … One day after hitting six homers, the Red Sox had just two extra-base hits, Martinez’s three-run double and an RBI double by Jason Varitek. … The Red Sox had two runners thrown out at the plate. … Red Sox RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka(notes) made a rehab start in Single-A Salem of the Carolina League in a playoff game against Winston-Salem, going 6 2-3 innings and allowing one run, three hits and a walk, striking out seven. … The Orioles acquired LHP Sean Henn(notes) from Minnesota for a player to be named or cash. To make room on the roster, they moved OF Adam Jones(notes) to the 60-day DL.
A lawyer for a Nevada casino worker accusing Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her last year at a Lake Tahoe resort wants a list of every woman the Steelers quarterback has slept with and any who have claimed sexual misconduct on his part.
Reno attorney Calvin Dunlap filed the request late Tuesday as part of a court filing opposing motions to have the civil lawsuit dismissed. Dunlap also requested, among other things, Roethlisberger’s telephone and e-mail records and for him to undergo psychiatric and physical examinations. His lawyers have suggested the same for his accuser, calling her “disturbed and calculating” and a “sex addict.”
Dunlap declined to comment beyond the court filing.
On Wednesday, Roethlisberger’s attorney, David Cornwell of Atlanta, rejected an offer by the woman to drop the lawsuit on the condition Roethlisberger admit to the sexual assault, give a written apology and donate $100,000 to charity.
“Her proposal is bizarre, and it insults women who have legitimately suffered from sexual misconduct,” Cornwell said in a statement. “We will not participate in a destructive farce.”
Cornwell couldn’t be reached for further comment.
Last month, Roethlisberger’s lawyers offered to pay the woman’s legal fees and to not sue her if she cooperated in a case against Dunlap, whom they accused of knowingly filing a frivolous lawsuit.
The woman claims Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her July 11, 2008, at the Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino, where she worked as a VIP concierge. Roethlisberger was staying at the hotel while attending a celebrity golf tournament.
The Tribune-Review doesn’t name alleged victims of sexual assault.
The lawsuit also accuses several Harrah’s employees of participating in a cover-up scheme.
Roethlisberger has denied sexually assaulting the woman. His lawyers filed court documents stating that she boasted to co-workers about having sex with the football star and fantasizing about having his child.
Dunlap’s latest court filing refuted those claims, saying his client obtained a “morning-after pill” to end any unwanted pregnancy. Dunlap also told a judge that he has a note from a Harrah’s doctor indicating he was aware of the woman’s claim and had inquired to see if there was a “corporate obligation” to report such an incident.
Those famed Friday night lights will be shining for more than just high school football players this week.
For the first time, the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks falls on a Friday — a night owned by prep football around the country. Some schools are going all out to remember those who died in the attacks and served in the two wars that have followed.
Veterans, for instance, will get free admission to see the Blaine Bengals play Minnesota prep rival Centennial. Before kickoff, color guards from all four branches of the military will march onto the field, where a gigantic American flag will be unfolded at the 50-yard line. The school band, accompanied by fireworks, will play each branch’s song with a silent tribute to those who have died in combat coming next.
A moment later, four T-6 Thunder airplanes will perform a flyover, followed by a handshake by the two teams.
“I think it’s going to bring some tears to eyes,” said Blaine coach Shannon Gerrety. “If we can help people remember and honor the people that are there, we’ll do it.”
In Ohio, New Albany High School will hold a moment of silence before its game against DeSales. Groveport Madison, just outside of Columbus, is painting a red, white and blue ribbon on both sides of the field.
In Florida, ROTC cadets will hand out mini flags to fans who attend the game between Fort Pierce Central and Melbourne in St. Lucie County. The flag will be dropped to half staff during a pregame remembrance of those who have died, then raised again once the game begins.
In Texas, the Killeen School District, which is near the Army’s Fort Hood, will host a morning event in the main football stadium. It will include military and civilian dignitaries in a ceremony similar to one it has done every year since 2001.
Defensive assistant coach Steve Guider organized the ceremonies in Blaine, outside Minneapolis.
“I’ve always been pretty patriotic,” he said. He’s wanted to have a military appreciation night for one game and the anniversary “just added some motivation to make things bigger and better and get it done this year.”
For him and the Bengals, the chance to capitalize on the drawing power of high school football to honor veterans and military families could not be passed up.
Families like the Juneaus.
Sue Juneau’s son, Tom, played football at Blaine earlier this decade and was recently honorably discharged from the Army after deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her cousin, Bill Juneau, was a civilian security contractor who was killed when a roadside bomb struck the Humvee he was driving in Iraq in 2007.
And her youngest son, Stephen, is a junior safety on the team and will be singing “America The Beautiful” with the choir before the game.
“Any respect that we can continue to rally, especially once you’ve experienced the tragedy we have,” said Sue, placing her fingers to her neck to try and stop herself from choking up, “you just realize how many times in history that it’s been repeated and how many times people haven’t had the support that we’ve had and how many people are just left alone to deal with their sadness.”
That won’t be the case on Friday night, when thousands will pack the football stadium in Blaine, waving miniature American flags while they cheer for their heroes — and the Bengal football team.
“I think it’s great,” Tom Juneau said over dinner at his parents’ home. “The amount of support we receive now makes our job over there so much easier. I never could imagine how it was in Vietnam where they didn’t quite have the patriotism that we have now.”
Thick-skinned and a little bit on the cocky side, Tom Juneau said he won’t be shedding any tears during the ceremony.
Then a soft voice chimes in from across the dinner table.
“I’ll be the emotional one,” says Bridget Sura, the twin sister of Bill Juneau.
Wearing a T-shirt with Bill’s picture on it and his dog tags around her neck, Sura cried as she thought about what it will mean to watch such a display put on for her brother, who was a football fanatic before he died while helping train Iraqi police.
“I think it’s going to be overwhelming,” she said. “But I hope that the message comes across as clear as its meant to come across, so that they know, whether they’re there or back home or not here anymore, that what they’ve done or what they’re still doing is more than we could ever thank them for.”
Denmark’s Soren Hansen carded a seven-under par 65 to open up a one-shot lead after day one of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Germany.
England’s Chris Wood lies second, one ahead of David Drysdale, Ross Fisher, James Kingston and Scott Strange.
Wood, whose round turned on a run of birdies from the 11th to 13th holes, was on course to be overnight leader.
But an eagle three at the 13th followed by birdies at the 15th and 17th helped Hansen end the day in top spot.
Welshman Stephen Dodd set the early pace, going four under after 10 holes, before a three-putt bogey on the short 11th cost him a shot, with another one going after he found a bunker on the 16th.
A drive into the rough at the final hole threatened to cost him another shot but he pitched to five feet and saved par to end the day three-under.
“Conditions were just perfect and I think there’s a good score out there,” he said.
“I feel like I left a few on the course and it was a bit disappointing in that respect.
“My form’s suffered over the last six or seven years for whatever reason. It comes and goes and if we knew the reason why we would all be millionaires.”
