Spider-Man NL Posted January 1, 2004 Share Posted January 1, 2004 Thu, January 1, 2004 Winnipeg wants the Penguins By Sun Media, CP and AP The deputy mayor of Winnipeg has asked Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux to consider moving his team to Manitoba. In a letter to Lemieux, Coun. Dan Vandal points out that the NHL is facing "difficult decisions" with an imminent labour shutdown, and says Winnipeg is poised to welcome the struggling club if it can't make things work in Pennsylvania. The league is expected to suffer a long shutdown because of a strike or lockout when the players' contract expires in September, as teams which face spiralling multi-million-dollar salaries deal with flagging attendance. "If and when a whole bunch of different things happen" to bring in team revenue sharing or a salary cap, Vandal says, Winnipeg would be able to again ice a big-league franchise. "We have to be cognizant of the changing issues in the NHL, and position ourselves to capitalize on those changes," Vandal told Sun Media in explaining his inquiry to Lemieux, which is dated Dec. 9. "The quality of the fan here is second-to-none -- so consider us." Vandal's letter, which is not an official city inquiry, has received no response from Lemieux or the Penguins. A Penguins spokesman did not return calls for comment yesterday. Winnipeg lost the Jets to Phoenix in 1996. Since then, construction has begun on a 15,015-seat arena which will open in November. Former Jets ownership partner Randy Moffat says Winnipeg would be able to support an NHL club only if the league's financial structure changes "considerably," and he doubts that will happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
=CH= Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 This week's Canadian city wants NHL team story from TSN.ca : Lawyer trying to bring NHL to Hamilton Canadian Press 2/4/2004 TORONTO (CP) - A Toronto lawyer is making another attempt to bring a National Hockey League team to Hamilton, city officials said. Richard Rodier, who represents HHC Acquisition Corp., will appear before a committee of Hamilton's city council Wednesday, with a proposal to take over the management of Copps Coliseum. City councillor Terry Whitehead said Rodier's plan is to acquire an NHL team, move it to the Coliseum and then take over operation of the arena. He added the city is interested in the idea but remains cautious. ``We are all approaching this cautiously and with lots of cynicism because we have been down this road before,'' Whitehead told the Globe and Mail. Whitehead is also the vice chairman of the current operator, city owned Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. The city contributes about $2-million annually to HECFI. Rodier declined to comment Tuesday on any plans for an NHL team or who is backing the proposal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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