Mario wants to be treated fairly...
Chilly Willy said:
Mario the player - magnificent
Mario the owner - sheer stupidity.
He's had his chances to make this team stable financially, he wins the Crosby lottery and now he's suddenly come down with the case of arrogance? Man in a year or 2 when he loses money again, he'll be building up some stupid hype about a new owner.
I am a huge fan of Mario the player, not soo much of Mario the owner and operator.
Come on, that's pretty harsh on Mario. I mean, all the Pens want is to be treated the same as the Pirates and Steelers don't they? Didn't those 2 teams get some public funds for their new stadiums? If so, then Mario should ask for the same treatment from the city. If the Pirates and Steelers didn't use any public funds for their stadiums, then Mario and the Pens should shut up and build the rink themselves with private funds.
The arena issue is still there because it takes 2 years to build a new rink, so with the out clause for the Pens from the Mellon Arena in 2007, a decision on a new rink has to be made very soon. I mean, if the 05-06 season ends without a decision on a rink, then why should Mario keep the team in an arena where he'll lose money?
If Cuban wants the team and wants to spend his own money on a new arena, fine, sell the team to him.
Personally, I don't see Mario remaining as an owner past his re-retirement from the NHL. I think once Mario leaves as a player, he'll probably want to pack it in as an owner as well.