Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407160049
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
\ Mike Keenan, who last month coached the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, shocked the team Friday by saying he was leaving because of a "breach of contractual obligations."
"I'm here to announce that I'm no longer the coach of the New York Rangers," Keenan said at a news conference at the headquarters of The Sports Network in Toronto. "The obligations were not fulfilled" by the Rangers, he said. "There's quite a significant amount of money involved."
The Rangers said Keenan's departure was news to them.
Madison Square Garden Corp., which owns the team, said it was "stunned at the capricious actions of Mr. Keenan and his agent, [Robert] Campbell, and will take all necessary actions to preserve all of its rights."
Keenan was a member of the Roanoke Valley Rebels team that won the Southern Hockey League championship in the 1973-74 season. He was a teammate of current Roanoke Express general manager Pierre Paiement.
MSG said it learned of Keenan's 4 p.m. news conference through the media.
"As of noon today the management of Madison Square Garden was completely unaware of the plans of Mike Keenan to hold a press conference and announce he was no longer part of the Rangers organization," MSG said.
Keenan, 44, declined to elaborate on the contractual differences with the Rangers because of what he termed "legal implications."
"If you had remuneration coming to you at a certain time and you didn't receive it . . . ," he said, declining to provide further details.
Keenan presumably referred to, among other things, his bonus for winning the Stanley Cup.
At the same time, Keenan stressed that he was leaving the door open for a possible return to the Rangers should the "contractual obligations" be fulfilled.
Keenan said his agent attempted to reach Rangers general manager Neil Smith on several occasions to resolve the issue but was unsuccessful.
That's not the version the Rangers gave.
"At 2:20 p.m. today, Kenneth Munoz, general counsel of Madison Square Garden, received a fax from Robert Campbell, Mr. Keenan's agent, informing the organization that the Rangers were in breach of contract for failure to meet certain `financial obligations,' " MSG's statement said.
"This alleged breach refers to a one-day delay in Mr. Keenan's receipt of his bonus, which is one payment in a multiyear, million-dollar contract.
"Within an hour [by 3:25 p.m.], MSG's legal counsel responded in writing to Mr. Campbell that Mr. Keenan's check was prepared and ready to be delivered to him.
"Neil Smith is on vacation, as everyone in the organization knows, and therefore didn't receive Mr. Campbell's calls, and could not respond," the statement said.
by CNB