Stars owner found guilty on environmental charges, can now concentrate on line combos
On the same day that it was announced that Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi would be purchasing the franchise’s AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, he was found guilty by a provincial court judge in Kamloops of two counts of harmful alteration of fish habitat. (Gaglardi’s father was found innocent of the same charges.)
According to the Kelowna Daily Courier, Gaglardi’s home, otherwise known in the areas as "Tom's Shack," had been undergoing renovations for the past four years and the Stars owner and the team’s parent company, Northland Properties, had workers manipulate a lake while building a launch for his boat.
When authorities were hipped to what potentially was going down on the property, Gaglardi did what he could to make it appear like everything was kosher.
During the trial, former Northland employee Jim Parks said he was ordered to destroy documents and throw his computer hard drive “in the lake” when federal investigators began looking into alleged environmental improprieties at Tom’s Shack.
Aside from a potential $1 million fine, there is also the possibility of jail time for six months. An Aug. 21 sentencing date has been set.
Even while he was dealing with this trial, Gaglardi apparently still had the Stars on his mind:
Gaglardi wrote in his notebook throughout the trial, alternating between notes on the proceedings, Northland business and what appeared to be line combinations for the Dallas Stars. He also had to be told repeatedly by sheriffs to turn off his iPhone, which, at one point, he concealed in a book.
With a net worth of around $1.6 billion, facing a seven-digit fine wasn’t enough to take Gaglardi's mind away from finding the perfect third line.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
