[Rock]

Could these Penguins take off?
Moving the team is `much more than speculation. It's a viable alternative'
Dec. 1, 2006. 06:10 AM
MORGAN CAMPBELL
SPORTS REPORTER
http://www.thestar.c...l=1044442957278


NHL commissioner Gary Bettman all but issued an ultimatum to Pennsylvania's gaming commission as they considered which of four casino proposals they should license for Pittsburgh.

If the board didn't choose the proposal tabled by the Isle of Capri group — a plan that includes building a $290 million (all figures U.S.) arena for the Penguins at no cost to taxpayers or the team — Bettman warned Tuesday the NHL team would have to leave Pittsburgh.

Anything that pushes the Penguins toward leaving town might be bad news for Pittsburgh hockey fans, but just might cheer up the folks in southwestern Ontario.

The Penguins have been trying to replace the 50-year-old Mellon Arena for nearly a decade. And if there's no arena agreement by June, the team's new owner, Waterloo native and Research in Motion CEO Jim Balsillie, is free to move the team.

So if the casino-arena deal collapses and Balsillie decides to move the Penguins, might the franchise land in Kitchener-Waterloo or Hamilton?

It's possible.

"(Moving the team) is much more than speculation," said Drew Dorweiler, a Montreal-based business valuator who helps Forbes magazine compile its annual NHL franchise value rankings. "It's a viable alternative."

Hamilton's outgoing mayor, Larry Di Ianni, said his city has been ready to host the NHL for years but isn't betting on the Penguins to come to town.

"We're here and there's an arena (Copps Coliseum)," he said. "But there's no overt lobby on our part because we don't want to chase a dream and be disappointed."

Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr also says his city would welcome the Penguins if they did consider moving there, but says the city hasn't made concrete plans to host the team.

"Should the opportunity come up we would discuss it," Zehr said. "But I'm not prepared to discuss details because they don't exist. The city would have to debate any type of financial commitment. There has to be a business case for it."

Dorweiler says several factors could make moving to a place like Hamilton or Kitchener-Waterloo financially feasible:

POPULATION: According to the 2000 U.S. Census, metropolitan Pittsburgh's population was 2,358,695. The 2001 Census put Hamilton's population at 662,401. More than 275,000 people lived in Kitchener-Waterloo, with another 150,000 in surrounding cities. Add fans from the western GTA, and Dorweiler says the 905/519 areas have an NHL-sized fan base.

POPULARITY: Both Hamilton and Kitchener-Waterloo have rabid hockey fans, which Dorweiler says gives them an advantage over U.S. sites.

MONEY: Dorweiler says pro sports teams with expensive stadiums prefer cities with corporate wealth so they'll have someone to sell luxury boxes to. Research in Motion is headquartered in Waterloo.

"You have to have a loyal fan base but you also have to have a bit of wealth," Dorweiler says. "That's the problem with Winnipeg or Quebec City."

Another advantage Kitchener-Waterloo has is geography.

Each NHL team claims "territorial rights" over a 50-mile (80-kilometre) radius from its headquarters.

Hamilton lies within both Toronto's and Buffalo's territories, and Balsillie would have to persuade those owners to approve a move there. In 1992 the Anaheim Mighty Ducks paid the Los Angeles Kings $25 million to approve a new franchise in their territory.

Kitchener-Waterloo, however, sits just outside Leafs' territory.

Still, Dorweiler places Portland and Seattle ahead of any Canadian city as a potential destination for the Penguins. If he were an NHL owner forced to move a team, Dorweiler says he'd head to Las Vegas.

"It's demographically wealthy and it's the fastest-growing city in the U.S. There are no other pro sports teams there and I'm sure it would be a flash to build a state-of-the-art arena."

Besides, the Penguins may still get their arena in Pittsburgh. The state's gaming commission is slated to vote on casino proposals on Dec. 20. Dorweiler thinks a potential new arena is a big reason Balsillie paid $175 million for a franchise Forbes had valued at $133.

"Why would he have paid $40 million more than it was worth? If anything else it reflects the improved arena situation," Dorweiler said.

[njdevil26]

seattle!!! i totally guessed that a while ago.

[sandman441]

If they don't move here which they won't and has probably 1% chance of happening I could live with Seattle. It's 3 hours away and sometimes you can get cheap tickets so I could get to see a game atleast once a year.