"Pittsburgh Penguins" sale/arena/slots/etc. thread

[skullman80]

To stay in Pittsburgh it would have taken the kind of deal the Steelers and Pirates got..... and that would have been completed along time ago.... the existing lease ends (I think) June 2007 ... not enough time.

Actually the lease that has been drawn up by the politicians is just as good if not better than the lease that the Pirates/Steelers got.

The lease is ready to go, it's how much money the owner h as to put in that's in question. If the IOC wins the license, it's a free arena, if they don't then there is contributions from the owner etc...

That being said the lease here in Pittsburgh supposedly would include all revenue(tickets/parking/concessions etc) from both hockey and non-hockey events, which the current lease does not. That's what the main issue is.

 

[igneous]

Never happen. Won't be supported in CA, they'll stay in the states. Got 3 teams out west and 3 closer together in East. Next team to be Americanized will be Vancouver....after that, prolly Calgary. Eventually only be 4 CA teams in NHL

 

[td_ice]

Actually the lease that has been drawn up by the politicians is just as good if not better than the lease that the Pirates/Steelers got.

The lease is ready to go, it's how much money the owner h as to put in that's in question. If the IOC wins the license, it's a free arena, if they don't then there is contributions from the owner etc...

That being said the lease here in Pittsburgh supposedly would include all revenue(tickets/parking/concessions etc) from both hockey and non-hockey events, which the current lease does not. That's what the main issue is.

Well said.

If Mario wanted to sell this team, and did not care about it moving, he could have done so at anytime in the last 7 years. For those not familiar with the whole saga, that is how long Mario has waged the "good fight". And he basically got no where.

Now, the arena plan(s) ACTUALLY DO EXIST, and the plans are that their most involved point that they have ever been. Land has been bought and will be cleared in January. Two different plans exits that involve significant money toward an arena.

Why in world would Mario go through all of this hassle and aggravation to "save the team" and at the last minute, basically say, "oh heck with it, I will simply let the team leave town." It is Mario that has kept the team in Pittsburgh, not the politicians. They could have cared less.

But the tremendous amount of support that the fan base has shown, has made the politicians come up with two different arena plans.

It would make no sense, to now have the politicians "care" (as evidence of the effort they put into the arena plans) and Mario not care (sell to buyers he knows will move the team.)

No sense at all.

 

[Artyukhin*]

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=39dc456d-a3db-4326-8249-26d17f8b34cd&k=46176

Under that proposal, the team would have to pay $8.5 million upfront, and $2.9 million a year, while forgoing $1.1 million a year in naming rights. The casino company would pay $7.5 million a year, and the state would contribute $7 million a year from the money it makes on slots.

A new owner intent on moving the team to another city could simply refuse to participate in the backup plan. Penguins' owners have not responded to a Sept. 15 letter from Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, urging them to endorse the proposal.

During a conference call Tuesday morning, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he is confident the Penguins will remain in Pittsburgh. "Why would we want to leave a hockey hotbed like Pittsburgh?" he said. "The only thing that could drive us out of town would be the inability of those in charge of government entities to provide a new building, as was provided for the Steelers and the Pirates."

 

[Jaded-Fan]

........... and Bettman says it again. First word's out of his mouth when asked for comments on the impending sale was that the team stays in Pittsburgh:

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday night in Raleigh, N.C., the league is intent on keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh as long as a new arena is built.

Bettman declined to say whether the Balsillie group is close to completing the deal.

"I'm not in the position to announce anything or to confirm or deny anything they haven't spoken on," Bettman said. "Obviously the club is for sale and they are actively engaged in the sale process. But the most important message to take away from it is we believe the Penguins should be in Pittsburgh, and as long as there's a new building coming, our goal and objective will be to keep the team there."

http://www.570news.com/news/sports/article.jsp?content=s100481A


.

 

[Artyukhin*]

........... and Bettman says it again. First word's out of his mouth when asked for comments on the impending sale was that the team stays in Pittsburgh:

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday night in Raleigh, N.C., the league is intent on keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh as long as a new arena is built.

Bettman declined to say whether the Balsillie group is close to completing the deal.

"I'm not in the position to announce anything or to confirm or deny anything they haven't spoken on," Bettman said. "Obviously the club is for sale and they are actively engaged in the sale process. But the most important message to take away from it is we believe the Penguins should be in Pittsburgh, and as long as there's a new building coming, our goal and objective will be to keep the team there."

http://www.570news.com/news/sports/article.jsp?content=s100481A


.

Penguins should be in Pittsburgh

"as long as there's a new building coming"





gary leaves himself the ultimate out clause . the balls in someone else's court

 

[watson]

Kansas City Penguins....

already have a new home waiting at the http://www.sprintcenter.com

and he is a business man

The Penguins are a minimum of 4-5 years away from a new arena in Pittsburgh, why wait when kansas city has a fancy new building looking for a team?

Politics in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania will assure no new arena anytime soon

 

[watson]

It would make no sense, to now have the politicians "care" (as evidence of the effort they put into the arena plans) and Mario not care (sell to buyers he knows will move the team.)

No sense at all.

Politicians care now cause there is an election on Nov 7...after that they will care less and the Plan B will crumble, Plan A by Isle of Capri is a long shot at best cause IOC is the underdog to get the license, that is why they hoped to boost their chances by saying "we will keep the pens here"

No other license applicant has agreed to Plan B or A, or anything else

The License will be award in December, then the announcement of the team moving out of town will be in January, book it

 

[God Bless Canada]

If you think that, deep down, he wants to keep the team in Pittsburgh, I have ocean front property in Hamilton to sell you. He doesn't want to stay in Pittsburgh. He's coming in, saying the right things, but it's posturing. If a deal falls through, he'll get to come out and say "I wanted to keep the team in Pittsburgh, but I couldn't. So now we're moving." We've seen this song and dance in other sports before.

Copps is not ready to accommodate the NHL right now. Ironic, too. 20 years ago, it was the finest rink in the league. (Along with the Saddledome). It seemed like only a matter of time for Hamilton to get a team. 20 years ago, very few people would have believed that Hamilton wouldn't have an NHL team. Now, the one-time palace is outdated. But renovations could

For southern Ontario fans: what kind of rink do they have in Kitchener-Waterloo? How close is it to NHL ready? And would players be pining to play in Kitchener-Waterloo? (Not that they'd be thrilled to be in Hamilton, either).

One thing to note: about 10 years ago, the NHL went through the process for its final expansion. Hamilton was one of 11 communities in the running. They were dropped on the first ballot. I think the league is warmer to having a team in Hamilton or Winnipeg than it was 10 years ago. (Ten years ago, Bettman wouldn't have been upset to lose Edmonton, Calgary or Ottawa. Not anymore). The question is, do they actually view Hamilton as a viable option, and will Buffalo find a way to stop it? This is not St. Louis moving to Saskatoon, but it might not be far off.

I hope that a new arena deal is reached for Pittsburgh. It's a good hockey market. I'm disappointed any time a championship franchise is forced to leave. (A reason why I wanted to see Edmonton and NYI - two teams that gave us dynasties - survive). Pittsburgh has a rich hockey tradition dating back to the game's early days. Some of the game's greats have passed through Pittsburgh. It'd be a shame to lose them.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Kansas City Penguins....

already have a new home waiting at the http://www.sprintcenter.com

and he is a business man

The Penguins are a minimum of 4-5 years away from a new arena in Pittsburgh, why wait when kansas city has a fancy new building looking for a team?

Politics in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania will assure no new arena anytime soon

Because Kansas City is [the rest of this post was deleted by God for being naughty in nature]

 

[colonel_korn]

For southern Ontario fans: what kind of rink do they have in Kitchener-Waterloo? How close is it to NHL ready?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchener_Memorial_Auditorium_Complex

The actual auditorium consists of a major arena ice rink (the Dom Cardillo Arena) with seating for 5,822, and two smaller rinks (the Kinsmen Arena and Kiwanis Arena). It also has a baseball diamond (the Jack Couch Stadium), a track and field stadium (Centennial Stadium) and a skatepark outside the building. It is home to the Kitchener Rangers, of the Ontario Hockey League and the Kitchener Panthers, of the Intercounty Baseball League.

The original arena was built in 1950 and has been expanded more than once since then.

So not very. But RIM is loaded, they've put a ton of money into various parks, technology centres, etc. in the area. If we're talking about time needed to build a proper facility though, that could take a while.

And would players be pining to play in Kitchener-Waterloo? (Not that they'd be thrilled to be in Hamilton, either)

They would if they like sauerkraut, sausage, Mennonites, and Canada geese.

 

[God Bless Canada]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchener_Memorial_Auditorium_Complex

The actual auditorium consists of a major arena ice rink (the Dom Cardillo Arena) with seating for 5,822, and two smaller rinks (the Kinsmen Arena and Kiwanis Arena). It also has a baseball diamond (the Jack Couch Stadium), a track and field stadium (Centennial Stadium) and a skatepark outside the building. It is home to the Kitchener Rangers, of the Ontario Hockey League and the Kitchener Panthers, of the Intercounty Baseball League.

The original arena was built in 1950 and has been expanded more than once since then.

So not very. But RIM is loaded, they've put a ton of money into various parks, technology centres, etc. in the area. If we're talking about time needed to build a proper facility though, that could take a while.


They would if they like sauerkraut, sausage, Mennonites, and Canada geese.

Thanks for the answer on the arena. But if our own Bob McKenzie is right (and when has Bob McKenzie ever been wrong), Hamilton is the focus.

Clearly it would take a considerable amount of time to build a new rink in Kitchener/Waterloo. And would the new owner want funding from the provincial government for a new rink? If the sale goes through, the Penguins will either be in Pittsburgh or Hamilton.

 

[Injektilo]

guys, it's not happening in kitchener waterloo. If it happens in Canada, it'll be Winnipeg or Hamilton, that's about it.

The Auditorium is where the Kitchener Rangers play, you know, the OHL team.... it's a ways away from an NHL team.


KW is growing, and Waterloo especially is a pretty rich city, but it's not that rich, and its certainly not that big.

 

[Injektilo]

They would if they like sauerkraut, sausage, Mennonites, and Canada geese.

And attractive female university students.*








*applies to WLU students only.

 

[colonel_korn]

And attractive female university students.*

*applies to WLU students only.

As a UW alumnus I know this all too well.

 

[white_tiger]

i hoe they stay in Pittsburgh rather than moving to Hamilton. Going from a smallish market to an even smaller market doesn't make much sense.

Coming soon to the Blackberry arena near you the Pittsburgh/Hamilton/Ok City/Kansas City/Las Vegas/Portland/Seattle Penguins. (did i miss anyone?)

Winnipeg?

 

[Bruinaholic]

A picture of Mario in his house moments after the sale

Lemieux should slap the Million Dollar Dream on Bettman, then stick a hundred dollar bill in his mouth as hes unconscious

 

[skullman80]

Kansas City Penguins....

already have a new home waiting at the http://www.sprintcenter.com

and he is a business man

The Penguins are a minimum of 4-5 years away from a new arena in Pittsburgh, why wait when kansas city has a fancy new building looking for a team?

Politics in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania will assure no new arena anytime soon

Actually a new arena is set to be open by the 2009 season. Land has been purchased and demolition to start early next year, with construction to start in July.

It's not 4 to 5 years aways, it would be ready in two hockey seasons.

 

[Motown Beatdown]

........... and Bettman says it again. First word's out of his mouth when asked for comments on the impending sale was that the team stays in Pittsburgh:

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday night in Raleigh, N.C., the league is intent on keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh as long as a new arena is built.

Bettman declined to say whether the Balsillie group is close to completing the deal.

"I'm not in the position to announce anything or to confirm or deny anything they haven't spoken on," Bettman said. "Obviously the club is for sale and they are actively engaged in the sale process. But the most important message to take away from it is we believe the Penguins should be in Pittsburgh, and as long as there's a new building coming, our goal and objective will be to keep the team there."

http://www.570news.com/news/sports/article.jsp?content=s100481A


.

Everything depends on Pittsburgh getting a new arena. If that falls through they'll be gone so i wouldn't get to excited until they actually break ground.

That being said, it would be a shame if the politicans and the NHL couldn't find a way to keep the team.

 

[grapepul*]

Actually a new arena is set to be open by the 2009 season. Land has been purchased and demolition to start early next year, with construction to start in July.

It's not 4 to 5 years aways, it would be ready in two hockey seasons.

You can't talk sense to these people, their heads are so far up their arse they don't know where they start or where they end

 

[jamiebez]

It will happen, Copps was designed to be expanded (by lifting the roof of the facility) to accommodate the NHL and future private boxes, it presently has a 17,500 seating capacity, he already has a lease agreement with the City of Hamilton in principle for the arena, He was aware prior to submitting his bid that Pittsburgh would not come up with a new arena, if Mario could not do it he won't and his is aware of the fees to put the team in Hamilton(Toronto and Buffalo) the demographics of the area support three teams which his business case shows, there are approx. 7 milion people to draw from, this is not an expansion team where Toronto or Buffalo could stop the move, the leafs do not want to because of the natural hate for Hamilton.

He has been working on this for at least a few months, I know this because, well I just do.

My impression was that they didn't need to raise the roof to expand - that there was room to add private boxes between the lower & upper levels. Raising the roof is a costly enough proposition that they might want to consider building a whole new building

I've been to Copps, though, and I'm skeptical that that building could be made NHL ready simply by adding in some new suites. Lighting, scoreboard, signage, club seats and concessions are all in need of upgrading, too. There aren't many 20 year old buildings left in the NHL. I believe Bettman was on Leafs Lunch recently and deemed the building "unsuitable for the NHL". I don't know if he thought it could be renovated.

Having lived in Hamilton, I'm also skeptical about the market's ability to generate sufficient revenues, but I'll leave that for another post.

 

[Artyukhin*]

My impression was that they didn't need to raise the roof to expand - that there was room to add private boxes between the lower & upper levels. Raising the roof is a costly enough proposition that they might want to consider building a whole new building

I've been to Copps, though, and I'm skeptical that that building could be made NHL ready simply by adding in some new suites. Lighting, scoreboard, signage, club seats and concessions are all in need of upgrading, too. There aren't many 20 year old buildings left in the NHL. I believe Bettman was on Leafs Lunch recently and deemed the building "unsuitable for the NHL". I don't know if he thought it could be renovated.





Having lived in Hamilton, I'm also skeptical about the market's ability to generate sufficient revenues, but I'll leave that for another post.

Copps could be used for 2 or 3 years until a new one is built .
where did the Ottawa Sens play when they first came in the leauge?

Civic Center 10,500 seats


there could throw money at 17,500 seat Copps to hold it over until the new one is built .

 

[HandshakeLine]

Copps could be used for 2 or 3 years until a new one is built .
where did the Ottawa Sens play when they first came in the leauge?

Civic Center 10,500 seats


there could throw money at 17,500 seat Copps to hold it over until the new one is built .

Yeah, nothing like operating at a loss for several years to maybe make money. That's some smart business!

And the economics of the NHL have changed enormously since the Sens came back into the league in the early 90's. I don't see why they're even relevant.

I know you Canadians are dying to reclaim a team, but there's a lot of hurdles the Pens would have to face for relocation.

 

[HandshakeLine]

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NA...8&call_pageid=1112274690688&col=1112274690734

Straight from the horse's mouth.

$100 million for renovations alone, and a "willingness to accept losses of $20 million a year for several years", seems to suggest you'd better wait on buying your Hamilton Penguins jersey for a bit.

 

[Egil]

#1 Copps is probably comparable to the Igloo at this point in time, so it would work as a temporary home.

#2 Kitchener - Waterloo is probably in a better position than Winnipeg for a team. The population of the immidiate area Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge is 440,000 compared to Winnipeg at 619,000 are close, and the surrounding "TV" area is MUCH, MUCH bigger (potentially 6-7 million people). And a properly placed building on the 401 would be under 40 minutes from Mississauga (pop 695,000) and 45 minutes from Hamilton (pop 714,000), and would be easier traffic wise to get to from those locations than the ACC in downtown Toronto.

Not only that, but RIM has a vested interest in making Waterloo a more "interesting city". The other RIM guy is chancelor of the university AND invested $200 million for a world class Physics research center. The other tech companies in the town (and RIM) would surely love an NHL team when recruiting employees.

Now, the biggest hurdle is the lack of a buidling. I don't see this happening any time soon, but its not as funny as it seems at first glance.