Penguins Get Arena Deal Done

[Ez Street]

Not too shabby Rog.

I will have to dial up the old concept machine and crank out a few.

[Guest]

I pray my pens stay in pittsburgh

Who else had to do a double-take?

[Ez Street]

not KC as I dont want to cheer for the same team as that Fatass from Topeka... Streeter...lol...

But you could go see "your" Pens. They would only be 18 hours away.

But I guess Calgary, Edmonton, Denver, Minnesota would be closer to see them at an away game

You should be rooting for them to land in Winnipeg.

[Fred T. Jane]

Who else had to do a double-take?

o/

[zig]

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma City business group says it's interested in landing an NHL franchise and expects a formal invitation to be extended next week for the Pittsburgh Penguins to visit the city's Ford Center arena.

The Penguins and owner Mario Lemieux have been seeking a new arena in Pittsburgh and already have an offer to move to Kansas City.

"We've always had an interest in the NHL or anything that contributes to Oklahoma City or the Oklahoma environment," Bob Funk, the founder and CEO of Express Services Inc. and the owner of the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team, told The Oklahoman. "I think the NHL has a good future."

Funk and Brad Lund, CEO of Funk's Express Sports, met with Oklahoma City leaders Thursday and tabled for the weekend a decision to invite the Penguins, the newspaper reported.

"It's Pittsburgh's team to lose, and Kansas City is well ahead of us," Lund acknowledged.

Funk said he would not go forward without consultation from Oklahoma City leaders, who have sought to bring an NBA franchise to town on a permanent basis. Oklahoma City currently hosts the NBA's Hornets, who are scheduled to return to New Orleans after this season.

"Like we've talked about before, the first team in certainly would have the advantage," Funk said. "That ended up being the NBA. If the NBA is not going to be here, then I would think there would be corporate support for hockey."

Funk also speculated that an NHL team could land in Tulsa, if an NBA team is in Oklahoma City. Tulsa is building a new downtown arena scheduled to open in 2008.

"I'll talk to Tulsa," Funk said. "That's always a possibility, too. We have very successful [Central Hockey League] operations in Tulsa. Our operations over there are doing very well and they have been for a long time."

Despite the possible move, Penguins players and coaches know their focus must remain on the ice.

"We're curious at what's going on, but it doesn't effect us at all," coach Michel Therrien said. "We are focusing on what we have to do, but we read stuff in the papers like everyone else does. But focus isn't on that. We've got confidence and a lot of faith in the people who manage our team, and they all have our support."

Given the highly-transient nature of hockey rosters, players are aware they might have to uproot their lives and families to move to another town.

The vast majority of the team is foreigners with no ties no any U.S. city -- let alone Pittsburgh.

Ryan Malone is the exception.

Born just south of the city, the 27-year-old played high school hockey in Pittsburgh. His father, Greg, is a former Penguins player and head scout.

"I tell all the guys here, hopefully at the end of year we are in the playoffs, and then you can tell this town is quite a hockey town," Malone said.

"Obviously, myself, I'd rather the team stay. But Mario has been very patient, so he's exploring other options," Malone said. "He'll probably take the best deal on the table, so you've just got to put it in the back of your mind and go out there and play hockey."

Pittsburgh is known as a football town, but the Penguins have played to almost 94 percent of capacity this season. The franchise won two Stanley Cups in 1991-92.

Not too many players are worried about a possible relocation, defenseman Ryan Whitney said.

"I think everybody thinks this is a great place to play," he said. "The crowd is unbelievable. If we get a new building, I know myself and other people want to be here a long time. It's a great place to play, a great city, a great sports town. We all hope we end up staying here."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2722259

[Lee.]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, OKC is a pretty good hockey market. They supported the Blazers in the 70s-80s version of the Central league, and they support them now (I think at one point in their history, they drew 12,500+ a night in their old arena, but I might be mistaken). "Sun Belt" be damned, I wouldn't mind seeing OKC getting a team, if for no other reason than to provide a true regional rival for the Stars.

That being said, though, I do hope Pittsburgh stays put. Nothing against Streets or any of the other KC fans, but they (and OKC, and Seattle, and even Winnipeg, although I know should the NHL is never going back) should probably go after one of the other "troubled" teams that are having a tough go of it, Florida or Tampa, maybe even Raleigh or Phoenix. I'm not a Pens fan, but it would be a shame to rip that team away from the fans after the last 40 years, they don't deserve to leave.

Funny how Pennsylvania "found" $230M all of a sudden to put towards a new building, though...

[yh]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, OKC is a pretty good hockey market. They supported the Blazers in the 70s-80s version of the Central league, and they support them now (I think at one point in their history, they drew 12,500+ a night in their old arena, but I might be mistaken). "Sun Belt" be damned, I wouldn't mind seeing OKC getting a team, if for no other reason than to provide a true regional rival for the Stars.

OKC would have been a good market about 10 years ago, and yes, I was at the Myriad Arena the night they drew 13,000 for a game vs Tulsa in 1993. However, with all eyes squarely focused on landing a permanent NBA tenant, OKC's passion for hockey seems to have waned a bit. On my recent trip down there I took in a weekend homestand where the announced attendance was 4500 one night and about 4000 the following afternoon. OKC is still an attendance leader in the CHL, and there is a sizeable, dedicated hockey follwing there, however it seems like, at least for the time being, the fixation is on keeping the Hornets or bringing in the Sonics and thus I don't see OKC as being a viable expansion or relocation market for the NHL at this time.

[Ez Street]

OKC, is a little late to the show aren't they. Did Funk & Lund just wake up from a nap. Idiots.

He could have been in the bidding if he would have been out there activley looking for a team. But they are focused on the NBA, which they should try to get.

I think KC's chances are slim to none to get the Pens. If I'd put an odd to it, I'd be generous and say 3-1.

My thoughts can be found at http://kansashockey.blogspot.com/

I've grown tired of waiting to hear something each day. I think that the Pens are currently working on a deal with Pittsburgh. That's why things are quite. KC made thier bid, but it forced Pittsburgh to finally cave to the Pens. This all will make KC and attractive market for the NHL. Expansion or Relocation will be the continued focus of AEG. Though no other team out there is in a position to move lease-wise.

If by chance the Pens move to KC, it will be because of the ties each of the people involved has.

[zig]

Portland and Houston now enter the race

First, it was Kansas City and Oklahoma City. Now, other cities are reportedly showing interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sources have told TSN of Canada that Portland and Houston are also interested in landing the team.

The news comes a day after a Pittsburgh city councilman proposed a "Plan C" to keep the Penguins in town. Councilman Bill Peduto told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that local officials should offer the team something to better other cities' bids, such as a share of profits in the Mellon Arena redevelopment.

"This is the perfect opportunity for [Detroit businessman Don Barden], the Penguins, the city, the county and the state to partner together," Peduto told the newspaper. "It's a great way to keep the team in Pittsburgh, redevelop the Hill, get Barden more involved in the community, and lessen the impact on taxpayers."

Peduto believes adding potential redevelopment profits would make it very difficult for other interested cities, like Kansas City, to match. According to the report, such a plan would be similar to deals held by the Steelers and Pirates, who both receive a piece of revenue profits for Heinz Field and PNC Park redevelopments.

The Penguins and owner Mario Lemieux have been seeking a new arena in Pittsburgh and already have an offer to move to Kansas City.

Over the weekend, an Oklahoma City business group said it was interested in landing the Penguins and was expected to extend a formal invitation next week for the team to visit the city's Ford Center arena.

"We've always had an interest in the NHL or anything that contributes to Oklahoma City or the Oklahoma environment," Bob Funk, the founder and CEO of Express Services Inc. and the owner of the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team, told The Oklahoman. "I think the NHL has a good future."

Funk and Brad Lund, CEO of Funk's Express Sports, met with Oklahoma City leaders Thursday and tabled for the weekend a decision to invite the Penguins, the newspaper reported.

"It's Pittsburgh's team to lose, and Kansas City is well ahead of us," Lund acknowledged.

Funk said he would not go forward without consultation from Oklahoma City leaders, who have sought to bring an NBA franchise to town on a permanent basis. Oklahoma City currently hosts the NBA's Hornets, who are scheduled to return to New Orleans after this season.

"Like we've talked about before, the first team in certainly would have the advantage," Funk said. "That ended up being the NBA. If the NBA is not going to be here, then I would think there would be corporate support for hockey."

Funk also speculated that an NHL team could land in Tulsa, if an NBA team is in Oklahoma City. Tulsa is building a new downtown arena scheduled to open in 2008.

"I'll talk to Tulsa," Funk said. "That's always a possibility, too. We have very successful [Central Hockey League] operations in Tulsa. Our operations over there are doing very well and they have been for a long time."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2725413

[Ez Street]

No dallying in dealing to lure Penguins

By KEVIN COLLISON

Columnist

Whichever way Kansas City?s courtship with the Pittsburgh Penguins goes, the Sprint Center is turning out to be aptly named.

The speed with which Tim Leiweke and the Anschutz Entertainment Group were able to put an enticing deal on the table for the NHL club speaks volumes about the nimble contract AEG negotiated with the city to operate and manage the new arena.

?It?s pretty easy for us to have these negotiations with them,? Leiweke said at a news conference last week. ?We?re a one-stop entity and we have more flexibility.?

When Penguins owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle and team president Ken Sawyer came last week to look over the arena ? due to open next October ? and meet with AEG executives, it was the negotiations equivalent of a breakaway in hockey.

Nobody stood between AEG and its goal, the Penguins.

On Wednesday, AEG pitched a proposal that asked for the Penguins to pony up $27 million to play at the Sprint Center. That demand disappeared overnight after the two sides began talking. There?s no way that kind of rapid-fire deal-making would have happened if this process involved City Hall.

?Our rate of return went down badly. We?re a private company,? Leiweke quipped about the deal AEG was offering: no upfront fee, no rent, and a 50-50 split of the arena revenues.

Meanwhile, back in Pittsburgh, the hockey execs are trying to cut a deal to build an arena that has them skating with the governor, county executive and mayor as part of the process.

The county exec already has ruled out using the mechanism that funded much of the new homes for the Pirates and Steelers. Layers of legislators also may be involved before it?s over.

Leiweke is right about the Penguins being a long shot, but Kansas City couldn?t be better prepared to respond quickly and effectively.

?If you sat down and wrote a book and did the final chapter about a speculative arena, this would be the team you?d dream to get,? said Leiweke, president of AEG.

That book began in spring 2004 when Mayor Kay Barnes announced the city had an agreement with AEG to contribute $50 million and be its partner in developing, operating and managing the planned arena. It took a long time ? eight months ? to negotiate and approve a final pact.

What made that final deal attractive to the city was that AEG agreed to accept the cost of any construction overruns and operating losses. What appealed to AEG was that in return for fronting about one-fifth of the cost, it got the keys to a state-of-the-art facility and the opportunity to keep all the revenues.

And yes, the deal gave AEG the freedom to react quickly in a fierce marketplace where professional sports franchises tend to have all the cards.

?We have one good shot here, and we?re giving this our best shot,? Leiweke said.

City Manager Wayne Cauthen said the city?s greatest enticement to the Penguins is building the Sprint Center.

?The revenues were given to AEG,? he said. ?They need to figure out how to transfer them to an anchor team on a prorated basis. That?s their discussion.?

There was a hint from Leiweke that the city may be asked for a little extra help to finish the deal should Pittsburgh stumble. Without going into detail, he said that there are other ?pieces of the puzzle? the city could help with, but that there would be no risk to taxpayers.

The Cordish Co., the developer of the seven-block entertainment district being built across the street from the Sprint Center, also might be asked to assist, Leiweke said. Again, no details.

Blake Cordish said the Penguins would be a nice fit with what his company is building downtown.

?An NHL team would be a great addition to the Sprint Center and terrific complement to the Power & Light District,? he said. ?Sports venues belong in downtowns, and the synergy between the venues and surrounding entertainment districts is incredibly powerful.?

[yh]

My spidey senses are tingling (or perhaps it's just the Buffalo wings I had for lunch today). I'm starting to get the feeling that there's something more going on here than just public shadow dancing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. I suspect that the NHL is allowing this courting ritual to play out in order to gauge the practicality of expanding to 32 teams. Sure, let the Pens draw all of the would-be suitors out of the woodwork, let them put their cards on the table and then determine which of those markets out there might be ready to host NHL hockey within the next year or so. If the league firmly believes its got all of its financial kinks worked out, why wouldn't it make sense to add a couple more markets to the mix right now, and what better way to find out who's ready than to have the Pens do most of the heavy lifting regarding the evaluation of those potential markets? I'm sure the league is in no hurry to resolve this situation until they have all the information they need.

Just a thought.

[zig]

My spidey senses are tingling (or perhaps it's just the Buffalo wings I had for lunch today). I'm starting to get the feeling that there's something more going on here than just public shadow dancing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. I suspect that the NHL is allowing this courting ritual to play out in order to gauge the practicality of expanding to 32 teams. Sure, let the Pens draw all of the would-be suitors out of the woodwork, let them put their cards on the table and then determine which of those markets out there might be ready to host NHL hockey within the next year or so. If the league firmly believes its got all of its financial kinks worked out, why wouldn't it make sense to add a couple more markets to the mix right now, and what better way to find out who's ready than to have the Pens do most of the heavy lifting regarding the evaluation of those potential markets? I'm sure the league is in no hurry to resolve this situation until they have all the information they need.

Just a thought.

The problem is that the NHL really doesn't need that much expansion. We have already gotten 4 new teams since '98 and 9 since '91

We've also seen 4 relocations since '93

That is 13 Changes with teams since '91

[Ez Street]

http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/1...941/detail.html

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- More professional teams have expressed interest in making a home at the new Sprint Center.

However, the Anaheim Ducks aren't one of them. The Ducks' general manager denied a report that the team is considering a move to Kansas City.

KMBC's Jim Flink reported that the Pittsburgh Penguins are still the first option for the Sprint Center, which offered a $27 million deal to the hockey team last week.

Click here to find out more!

The Penguins are expected to make a decision within the next three weeks.

Meanwhile, Sprint Center officials said they don't plan on waiting around. Other teams have come calling after hearing about the deal Kansas City is offering.

"It would be easy to sit here and say, 'I don't think we'll get an anchor tenant, so let's just sit back and wait for the phone to ring.' I don't believe in that," said Tim Leiweke with the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which will operate the arena.

Flink reported that the LA Clippers and two other franchises have expressed interest in the Sprint Center.

"We are not going to count on Pittsburgh to solve our problems here, and there are no guarantees we're going to have an anchor tenant come Oct 15. That said, we're going to get an anchor tenant here -- you have our word on that," Leiweke said.

In two weeks, the NHL All-Star Game takes place in Dallas. That's when the commissioner and the other owners will meet about Kansas City's situation.

[ZapRowsdower8]

This afternoon, local Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden stated that he has a good source that claims that the Pens and government officials may have a deal worked out as early as Monday to keep the team in Pittsburgh. He did clearify the "may" many times. Say what you will about Madden, but when it comes to Penguins news the guy is usually spot on.

I don't want to get too excited yet, but it's looking good Pens fans! Keep those fingers crossed.

[kid3737]

This afternoon, local Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden stated that he has a good source that claims that the Pens and government officials may have a deal worked out as early as Monday to keep the team in Pittsburgh. He did clearify the "may" many times. Say what you will about Madden, but when it comes to Penguins news the guy is usually spot on.

I don't want to get too excited yet, but it's looking good Pens fans! Keep those fingers crossed.

Madden usually is very spot on in his Penguins news. His sources have proved to be reliable enough times that although what he says is speculation, I am taking it as almost fact.

[Maz]

This afternoon, local Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden stated that he has a good source that claims that the Pens and government officials may have a deal worked out as early as Monday to keep the team in Pittsburgh. He did clearify the "may" many times. Say what you will about Madden, but when it comes to Penguins news the guy is usually spot on.

I don't want to get too excited yet, but it's looking good Pens fans! Keep those fingers crossed.

Madden usually is very spot on in his Penguins news. His sources have proved to be reliable enough times that although what he says is speculation, I am taking it as almost fact.

Man, I hope you guys are right.

[Ez Street]

Gee, Flounder states what many have speculated since after the meeting. Good job.

Sorry, but even I've come to the realization they are staying.

[Ez Street]

Current progress.

[Maz]

looks kinda fake.

[Ez Street]

looks kinda fake.

Indeed.

Sounds like there is a meeting Monday about the Arena in Pittsburgh. Might be all done with next week.