FanHouse

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman did what he had to do yesterday when he handed down an indefinite suspension of Anaheim Ducks owner Henry Samueli after the Ducks owner pleaded guilty to lying to investigators looking into the backdating of stock options at Broadcom, a company Samueli founded.

In addition, Samueli's wife, Susan, informed the league that she will abide by the terms of her husband's suspension to avoid any appearance of a conflict. In the interim, however long that lasts, Ducks chief executive and alternate governor Michael Schulman will take day-to-day control of the franchise.

So what happens next? The next critical date on the calendar for Samueli is August 18, where he is expected to be sentenced according to the terms of a plea agreement he came to with the government yesterday. However, that agreement is subject to the approval of the court -- which explains why Schulman told the Orange County Register that "it's not over yet," when he was asked about Samueli's sentence.

My guess is that the NHL will wait until everything is official before deciding on the length of his suspension. So how long does Samueli deserve? If you're Rick Westhead at the Toronto Star, the only fitting punishment for Samueli is forfeiture of the franchise. Then again, this is the same Rick Westhead who mused out loud about how the possible ejection of the Rangers from the NHL would open up a spot for a lucrative expansion franchise, without also noting the incredible damage the loss of an Original Six team would have to the NHL brand, never mind the lengthy and destructive legal fight the league would have to engage in to make it happen.

An NHL owner has been booted out of the club before, when former Buffalo Sabres owner John Rigas was indicted on fraud charges amidst the disintegration of Adelphia Communications. Ultimately, billionaire Thomas Golisano purchased the team out of bankruptcy. But if you haven't been paying attention lately, few creditors are willing to finance the purchase of a hockey team.

We've seen that play out in Tampa, where the current owner of the team is financing the purchase of the Lightning by Oren Koules and Len Barrie. And I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone of the situation in Nashville, where an essentially penniless William "Boots" DelBaggio only managed to scrape together enough money to buy a stake in the Nashville Predators thanks to a secret loan from NHL owners Phil Anschutz and Craig Leipold.

So yes, count on Samueli being suspended -- and if I had to bet, I'd say he and his wife will be out of the executive suite for one full season. But no, don't expect him to get booted out of the NHL club, not at a time where credit has become so tight as to make the purchase of the team cost prohibitive for most potential buyers.

Then again, there's one potential buyer who has all the cash he needs ready and waiting. If I were him, I'd be asking this question: "What do I have to do to get a chance to buy an NHL team, get arrested?"