 Although William Davidson, longtime owner of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), was thought to be the frontrunner, the buyer turned out to be insurance tycoon and motivational speaker Art Williams, who previously owned the Birmingham Barracudas of the Canadian Football League (CFL).The team was $102 million in debt at the time the sale closed.Williams knew very little about hockey, but was very visible and outspoken, and immediately pumped an additional $6 million into the team's payroll.