Well, this is not the news I was hoping for. Arguably the most exciting team in the NHL right now is poised to relocate out of Pittsburgh after talks broke down yesterday in negotiations between ownership and state and municipal leaders.
This has been an ongoing concern for the NHL, the Penguins, and their fans. I don't like the idea of the Kansas City Penguins...I'm sure they'll have to change their name if they move. This will be a shame considering the hockey history of the Penguins and the amazing thing is that it's not due to poor attendance..it is due to a breakdown in negotiations over facilities and funding. Kansas City just so happens to have a brand new arena/stadium ready to go and have been actively pursuing the Penguins. Here is an excerpt from a CBC news article from yesterday. To view it in its entirety...click here.
"It looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins will be leaving Pennsylvania after all. Penguins ownership confirmed Monday that it will actively seek to relocate the franchise elsewhere after declaring an impasse in negotiations with state and municipal leaders on a new arena.
"We can do no more," Penguins owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle said in a letter to Gov. Ed Rendell, Allegheny County chief executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
"A project of this scope, with so many complex issues, can ill afford further delays that add more risk and more uncertainty. The risk has been magnified by what we perceive as a lack of collaboration from the public sector in the negotiations."
Lemieux and Burkle stated that they agreed to commit $120 million US over 30 years toward the cost of building a $290-million US arena and construction overruns, but have yet to reach a deal because government officials reportedly seek $4.1 million US annually.
"I thought it was close," Onorato said. "I thought we were moving in the right direction."
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