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Montreal Canadiens majority owner George N. Gillett Jr. Thursday vehemently denied that his hockey club is for sale, contradicting a rumored Forbes magazine report that ultimately never was published. The phantom Forbes story deflected a little of the spotlight off the Canadiens' unveiling of Centennial Plaza, the ribbon-cutting for the Bell Centre concourse tribute to the club's history coming on its 99th birthday. And that deflection had Gillett much less than pleased, according to The Gazette.

The Colorado resident's finances have been ripe for speculation in recent days. His cash flow and debt load have been scrutinized in several published reports, especially related to his co-ownership of the Premier League's Liverpool Football Club.

Gillett flatly denied comment when first asked about a sale of the Canadiens, rumour of a Forbes story making the rounds early in the day but finally proving to have never been reported by the magazine.

Yet later, after a lengthy, spirited, off-the-record discussion with a small group of reporters, he spoke for the record, saying that neither he nor as far as he knew anyone in the organization has spoken to any individual or party about the sale of the Canadiens.

"The Montreal Canadiens club has never been for sale," Gillett said. "We have never prepared documents, materials. (I have) never authorized anyone, never prepared materials to that end. I'm angry that I need to keep denying (that the club is for sale)."

Source: The Gazette