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Michael Lewis’ new book could be bad timing for Panthers’ new owner

Florida Panthers Opening Night with Vincent J. Viola

Vincent J. Viola, Chairman, Owner and Governor of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment, the Florida Panthers Hockey Club and the BB&T Center speaks to sponsors during on Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Mr. Viola is currently the Chairman and CEO of Virtu Financial and is one of the nation’s foremost leaders in electronic trading. (Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP)

Omar Vega/Invision/AP

A new book by Michael Lewis, the author who brought the baseball world Moneyball and the football world The Blind Side, could have an effect on the fortunes of one of hockey’s newest owners.

From the Irish Times:

The release of Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt comes after years of public debate over the lightning-fast trading systems which have grown to dominate a fractured terrain where multiple exchanges and bank-run trading platforms compete for orders.

In the two weeks before publication of Mr Lewis’s book, Goldman Sachs has suddenly thrown its weight behind market reform after years of investment in HFT and has also taken the highly unusual step of telling staff to publicise its support for a competing trading platform.

Some market executives have even discussed with Virtu Financial, an HFT outfit preparing the first IPO of a global proprietary trading firm, postponing its share sale amid heightened scrutiny of its core business. Virtu declined to comment, but its roadshow is expected to kick off next week.

Virtu, if you thought you’d read that name before on PHT, was founded by Vincent Viola, the new owner of the Florida Panthers. Just a few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal wrote the following about the company’s planned IPO:

High-frequency trading could soon officially mint its first billionaire.

Vincent “Vinnie” Viola, the founder of Virtu Financial Inc., could have his stake valued at around $2 billion once the company sells shares to the public, according to two people familiar with the matter.

We’re quite certain Viola won’t be out on the street if Virtu’s IPO doesn’t go perfectly, but certainly the timing of the book’s release isn’t fantastic.

Related: Panthers owner: ‘We intend on being in the free agent market in a significant way’