Imagine, if the Byzantine buyout process that is supposed to yield harmonious, indisputable Tampa Bay Lightning ownership winds up with incumbent Oren Koules in partnership with real estate investor Jeff Greene. Might happen.
Koules needs some deep pockets to facilitate his buy out of current partner and erstwhile chum Len Barrie. Greene, reportedly worth more than $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine, could be Koules’ ticket to incontestable ownership. But for the record, nobody is saying anything official yet.
But this much is known. Neither Koules nor Greene made their money the old-fashioned way. Koules, the Hollywood producer, made his with the gratuitous-gore, slasher “Saw” movies. Greene was a pioneer in credit-default swaps and got out before the financial implosion. And for what it’s worth, Mike Tyson was the best man at Greene’s wedding.
Imagine, this eclectic tandem might be the solution to a dysfunctional-ownership scenario that more than concerns the National Hockey League. The Bolts have to get it right this time.