Kansas City Penguins

[Shifty]

That guy is a horrible blogger. If Bettman made that annoucement wouldn't it be on TSN?

 

[Badger]

That guy is a horrible blogger. If Bettman made that annoucement wouldn't it be on TSN?

Spoiler

I posted it as a joke, because I don't think the Penguins are going anywhere and I'm sad.

 

[Shifty]

Spoiler

I posted it as a joke, because I don't think the Penguins are going anywhere and I'm sad.

The NHL never goes very long without a franchise in trouble. Remember Ottawa was very close to leaving before a Canadian bilionaire stepped in. Before that Edmonton and then Pittsburgh was bankrupt and Buffalo's owners were arrested. Before that Hartford, Winnipeg, Quebec, Minnesota all moved.

Nashville, Florida, Washington, Phoenix and Atlanta have trouble at the gate. The Penguins mess will be settled, if they get a new arena they will still play in the crappy old one but with a better lease deal or they move to KC or Las Vegas. If they stay the NHL will turn their attention to Nashville (no corporate support) and the other teams. The league needs to be strong in all 30 markets before expansion to KC or somewhere else happens.

 

[Badger]

Agreed - Doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

[Shifty]

Agreed - Doesn't mean I have to like it.

What page does the NHL usually have stories on in your local newspapers? Is it on the front of the sports section or couple pages in? Or what sports get covered the most in the winter once the NFL and MLB are done?

 

[Badger]

Usually NHL is somewhere in the middle of the Sport Section and has its own page with standings and results. Right now, since the Chiefs are done and spring training hasn't started yet for the Royals, its mostly College Basketball (KU and MU). There has been more Hockey coverage as of late and a front page story every few days, because of the Penguins.

 

[Shifty]

Usually NHL is somewhere in the middle of the Sport Section and has its own page with standings and results. Right now, since the Chiefs are done and spring training hasn't started yet for the Royals, its mostly College Basketball (KU and MU). There has been more Hockey coverage as of late and a front page story every few days, because of the Penguins.

Good to hear that with the potential move its getting better coverage. But in the October-April span it still looks like a KC NHL team would be in the fourth spot followed after the NFL, MLB and college basketball.

How would an AHL franchise go over in KC? It could be just for a short while until an NHL team move there but would the city go after an AHL team if the NHL didn't pan out? The AHL is at 28 team I believe and some team is always relocating.

 

[Badger]

Judging by the buzz around here; if we were to get the Penguins, there would be little worry about support and coverage. Baseball during that time-frame is just talk and print and Chiefs games are next to impossible to get into, not to mention the NHL already plays a limited schedule on Sunday. As far as college basketball, it won't really hurt hockey attendance. However, it is one of many reasons KC will probably never support the NBA.

Well KC supported the Blades for 11 years before the IHL folded, so I would think they'd get good support for a AHL team.

 

[Shifty]

Judging by the buzz around here; if we were to get the Penguins, there would be little worry about support and coverage. Baseball during that time-frame is just talk and print and Chiefs games are next to impossible to get into, not to mention the NHL already plays a limited schedule on Sunday. As far as college basketball, it won't really hurt hockey attendance. However, it is one of many reasons KC will probably never support the NBA.

Well KC supported the Blades for 11 years before the IHL folded, so I would think they'd get good support for a AHL team.

You may have to settle for that if the NBA would struggle and the Penguins don't move an owner may look at KC and hopes they would get a good deal for an AHL franchise.

Home news CJOB News
Doors Open To Further Talks About NHL's Return to Wpg
JAN 25 2007 04:20 PM

Manitoba Moose owner Mark Chipman released a statement concerning his interest in obtaining an NHL franchise for Winnipeg. But it doesn't really amount to anything concrete.

It says they are encouraged by the comments made by League commissioner Gary Bettman on Hockey Night in Canada Wednesday night, when he said under the current NHL business model, Winnipeg could probably support an NHL franchise.

Chipman also says over the past few years, they have remained in close contact with the NHL who understands and acknowledges their interest in returning the league to Winnipeg if and when a viable opportunity presents itself.

Chipman says he will continue to be proactive in attempts to explore the matter with the NHL.

CJOB News

He's not getting the Penguins, before Crosby was drafted there was always a Penguins to Winnipeg rumour. Nashville would be a team to scoop up and co-own with the Preds current owner and media mogul David Asper.

Bettman on board?Commish raises city's NHL hopes

By CHRIS KITCHING, STAFF REPORTER

By softening his stance on Winnipeg's chances of again becoming an NHL city, commissioner Gary Bettman has spurred local fans' hopes of once again calling a franchise their own.

It may be a pipe dream, but, for the first time, Bettman publicly said something positive about Winnipeg's potential, even though it was just a tiny nugget of an offering.

He made the remarks during Wednesday's NHL all-star game broadcast on CBC-TV.

"Even though we haven't done the homework, I believe, in an ideal world under the partnership we have with the players and the salary cap, that Winnipeg probably could support an NHL team," Bettman told Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean.

Whether Bettman was being genuine in his comments or playing to the Canadian audience is anyone's guess.

Regardless, Manitoba Moose governor Mark Chipman, who is interested in bringing the NHL here, said he is encouraged.

"Mr. Bettman's assessment is consistent with the conclusions we have arrived at after examining the NHL's new framework for ourselves," Chipman said in a statement. "We have been and will continue to be proactive in our attempts to explore this matter with the NHL."

"What the commissioner said, in my mind, I find very positive," Mayor Sam Katz said.

"That's certainly a good step because you certainly want the commissioner on side."

Earlier this week, media mogul David Asper told a Toronto radio station he would be interested in backing Chipman's efforts if such efforts exist. Both Asper and Chipman attended the all-star game in Dallas.

Bettman, however, did not say if Winnipeg is actually on the league's radar. The league seems more intent on growing the game in America than expanding in Canada.

It will take more than a change of heart from Bettman to get a franchise in the River City.

Private investors -- be it an individual or a group -- must pony up millions to relocate an existing team or to start one from scratch if expansion is approved.

Such a deal would require the participation of Chipman's True North Sports and Entertainment, Katz said. The company owns MTS Centre and its tenant, the AHL's Manitoba Moose.

One thing that works in the city's favour, pundits and now Bettman say, is the CBA, which is favourable to small-market teams. Player salaries are controlled by a salary cap, and a revenue sharing system is in place.

Whispers around the NHL suggest the league is considering future expansion, although it's a topic the league's governors have not discussed.

One idea being circulated is the addition of two new teams, with the league moving to a balanced two conferences with 16 teams in each. MacLean suggested Winnipeg and Halifax during the interview.

Speculation pegs the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators as two franchises that could become candidates for relocation. Both teams don't have a solid fan base and are struggling to make a profit.

Despite leading the league in points, Nashville ranks near the bottom in home attendance.

Predators owner Craig Leipold wants to sell up to 40% of his stake, but no buyers have shown interest, according to a report in The Tennessean.

Leipold told the newspaper he does not want to move the team to Kansas City, which has been a rumoured destination if the Penguins leave Pittsburgh.

 

[Badger]

If anyone is interested there is a forum dedicated to the Penguins possible move to KC.

KC Penguins Forum

Also here are some pictures as to what the Sprint Center will look like when completed.

 

[Badger]

You may have to settle for that if the NBA would struggle and the Penguins don't move an owner may look at KC and hopes they would get a good deal for an AHL franchise.

Any hockey in KC is alright by me, but the management group for the Sprint Center will hold out for NHL or NBA? They'll just book other sporting events (college basketball games and tournaments) and concerts untill one of those comes through. Currently it does have one tennant when completed, our Arena Football team.

I just don't see them putting minor league hockey in there. I'm guessing they'd make more money off concerts and such.

 

[Stevens25]

They had better stay. The loss of the Pens would be one of the worst days of my life. I've been a die hard Pens fan since 1989. Keep them in Pittsburgh!!

 

[Badger]

Mellon Arena visitor’s locker-room. I sure the visiting teams would like to see them leave.

My high school had better visiting locker-rooms

Yes, either way there will be new everything. But the sooner the better, for the sake of those visiting Pittsburgh.

 

[ScottyBBadd]

Houston and Oklahoma City were in the running when Nashville got the Predators. They could end up in one of those cities.

 

[Badger]

Oklahoma City took themselves out of the running, they want to focus on a NBA team. Houston is still a possibility, but the ownership group for the Penguins have yet to visit Houston.

 

[Immortalfire]

That thing looks like a takeout bowl from my local Mexican restaurant.

 

[Badger]

That thing looks like a takeout bowl from my local Mexican restaurant.

Then thats one awesome takeout bowl.

 

[Immortalfire]

Indeed.

 

[Shifty]

SPORTS | It’s time for some northern exposure
GET ON THE STICK Get on the stick: We help you become a hockey fan
Not a hockey fan, eh? Odds are KC will one day have a team, so we help you get ready.
By EDWARD M. EVELD and LISA GUTIERREZ
The Kansas City Star
Mario Lemieux and entourage swept into town recently to gaze into Kansas City’s giant mirror ball under construction downtown.

That made hockey fans in Pittsburgh nervous, so they held a rally.

Some waved posters. One said, “Go to hell, KC.” Another was more thought-provoking: “KC Scouts … Gone, KC Kings … Gone, KC Penguins, Why Bother?”

Indeed. We have football, baseball and soccer. Can we handle another sport, ladies and gentlemen? More to the point: Can we create a hockey culture out of not much, wear hockey jerseys to bars, to work and to church, shuttle our kids to hockey practice, slap the occasional “eh” on the end of sentences?

Sure we can.

While the odds are long we’ll snag the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins, our spanking-new Sprint Center will surely lure other teams. The time is now to get hockey-smart.

“If you’re born Canadian, then you don’t have to learn how to be a fan,” said Lyle Semchyshyn, an Overland Park actuary who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. If not, “then you probably have to work at it a little bit,” he says

Browse the Web

First stop is nhl.com. There’s news, history and stuff for kids. Mark Uvodich of Overland Park uses the site to catch up on news and see great plays. That’s only when he’s not coaching his twin boys’ Bantam team at Ice Sports Arena in Shawnee or playing on his adult team, the Sparties.

Also try: nhlfa.com, the National Hockey League Fans’ Association site.

To keep tabs on amateur and Olympic hockey, visit usahockey.com.

Two of Semchyshyn’s favorite hockey sites are Canadian: tsn.ca, sort of a Canadian ESPN, and cbc.ca/hockey, one of the country’s biggest broadcast networks. Semchyshyn runs inyourfacehockey.com, a hockey fantasy league.

Watch live games

You can see games right here, featuring hundreds of area hockey players, from youngsters to adult leagues. And watching can be instructive.

“The basics are always going to be there,” said Curtis Mullen of Olathe. “It’s the same as, ‘You’re a Chiefs fan, do you still go to watch amateur football?’ Yes, you do.”

Head to Ice Midwest Center, 12140 W. 135th St. in Overland Park, (913) 851-1600, icemidwest .com. It’s also home to the University of Kansas Hockey Club (kuhockey.com).

And to Ice Sports Arena, 19900 Johnson Drive in Shawnee, (913) 441-3033, icesportskc.com. Or to Line Creek Ice Arena, 5940 N.W. Waukomis Drive, (816) 513-0760.

Attend an NHL game

Denny Matthews, radio voice of the Kansas City Royals, has been an avid hockey fan for decades and plays once a week.

His view: Nine out of 10 people who like to watch sports will be hooked on hockey after attending just two NHL games.

“This is pretty good stuff. It’s fast. It’s lively. And it’s an emotional game,” said Matthews, who’s not prone to overstating things. “I can vouch for that.”

Teams closest to Kansas City are the St. Louis Blues, 250 miles, and the Minnesota Wild, 450 miles.

Read ‘The Hockey News’

It’s the authority on hockey, published since 1947, and claims 225,000 North American hockey fans as readers. Matthews is one of those fans, a subscriber going back to about 1960. The Web site is thehockeynews.com.

The magazine’s Yearbook edition is coveted by fans, said Mullen, who grew up in small-town Saskatchewan.

Watch hockey movies
“Slap Shot,” the 1977 George Roy Hill film starring Paul Newman, is a staple.

Fans never get enough of the miraculous 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. Rent “Miracle on Ice,” the 1981 offering starring Karl Malden, and “Miracle,” the 2004 movie with Kurt Russell.

“Youngblood,” a 1986 movie starring Rob Lowe and Cynthia Gibb, has admirers and detractors among hockey folk.

Some fans have fun with “Mystery, Alaska,” a 1999 movie from the “Austin Powers” director starring Russell Crowe and Mary McCormack.

“The Mighty Ducks” from 1992 stars Emilio Estevez and is kid-friendly.

Play pretend hockey

Madden, Schmadden. Try “NHL 07” from EA Sports. Also “NHL 2K7” from 2K Sports.

Watch it on TV

On cable, FSN Midwest carries Blues games, and Versus carries some NHL games. Addicts like Semchyshyn subscribe to NHL Center Ice, a cable subscription package of regular season games played by teams other than your local one — well, if you had a local team — and first-round Stanley Cup playoff games. It costs about $150.

“I get 40 games a week,” Semchyshyn said.

As long as you’re going to watch from home, “You have to watch the game on a high-def TV so you can track the puck. It’s small, and it moves fast,” said Karen Kuphal of Shawnee, who plays hockey three nights a week on the Sharks, a team at Ice Midwest.

Other fans said the best strategy for TV hockey watchers is this: Stop trying to follow the puck. Instead, watch the players and you’ll know where the puck is.

Wear a hat

Every good hockey fan knows, said Chris Johnston, head coach of the Kansas City Junior Outlaws high school hockey team and originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, that when a player scores three goals — a hat trick — fans throw their hats on the ice.

“It’s very cool,” he said. “You can get literally thousands of fans who do it.”

Uvodich recalls a Blues game he attended when Brett Hull scored a third goal (he ended up with four that game) on what happened to be “hat night.”

“They had to take the nets off and use them to scoop up all the hats,” he said.

What else to bring to the game? Hockey fans love to wave those foam fingers. As for the cowbells so popular at local rinks, they leave Kuphal cold.

“They can be obnoxious in a small arena. They can be pretty distracting,” she said. “When you’re out there on the ice it doesn’t really bother you. It probably disturbs the other fans more than the players.”

Boo!

Kansas City fans are nice Midwesterners sometimes scandalized by booing at the home team. The intensity of hockey makes booing OK, Johnston said.

“In Canada they live and breathe hockey, and they’re not afraid to get on their team when they need to pick it up,” Johnston said.

Buy hockey stuff

It’s all out there, the car window flags, the banners, the key chains, the posters. Even NHL Monopoly. Instead of real estate, buy teams and arenas, which will help you learn your NHL conferences. One of the player tokens is a Zamboni!

Semchyshyn’s basement, where he keeps his autographed Gretzky jersey, tabletop hockey game and thousands of hockey cards, is his “hockey central,” he said.

“A true hockey fan would own the jersey of their favorite team,” said Mullen, a Calgary Flames fan.

Kuphal owns a jersey of her favorite player, No. 19 for the Detroit Red Wings, retired center Steve Yzerman.

A good fan also owns a poster or photo or anything with “The Cup” on it, “The most coveted sports trophy of all time,” Semchyshyn said. That’s the Stanley Cup, you know.

All hail the Cup.


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Hockey speak

•Sin bin: The penalty box.

•Dipsy-doodle: A quick move, or series of moves, by the puck-carrier showing awesome stick-handling skill.

•Sweater: Old-school for hockey jersey.

•Changing on the fly: Making substitutions while play continues. No stopping the action like in basketball. Hockey is fast, man, fast.

•Dump in: Shooting the puck deep into the opponent’s zone.

•Goal suck: Derogatory term for a player who spends more time waiting near the blue line for a chance to score than he does defending.

•Rink rats: Players who spend way too much time at the rink.

•Five hole: The space between the goaltender’s legs. The other prospective scoring holes are the four corners of the net.

Sources: proicehockey.about.com

and local players.


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Hell on ice

In Boston, Chicago, oh, and Pittsburgh, hockey is just as popular as NBA basketball. Will it be in Kansas City? It could if we learn what the game is all about.

Those 12 gladiators on the ice have one goal: Move that black disc of rubber into the nets at each end of the ice rink.

The game unfolds in three 20-minute periods, moving so fast that a typical player doesn’t stay on the ice for much longer than a minute or so before taking a breather.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/16554878.htm

If you can't follow the puck, take a bath with a toaster. Fox Trax

 

[Badger]

I actually saw that article earlier today. And, yes I agree following the puck isn't complicated and Fox Trax set hockey on tv back a decade.

 

[Immortalfire]

I picked up hockey's basics faster than I did football, lol.

 

[Badger]

One Pittsburgh hero may push the other out of town

PITG Gaming Gets Pittsburgh's Slot License
Casino To Be Built On North Shore

POSTED: 11:53 am EST December 20, 2006
UPDATED: 11:11 am EST December 21, 2006

PITTSBURGH -- The only black casino operator in the United States was awarded the city’s sole slot license on Wednesday morning.

Don Barden’s PITG Gaming LLC plans to build the Majestic Star Casino on the North Shore of the Allegheny River between the Carnegie Science Center and the West End Bridge.

Barden is from Detroit and is owner of five casinos.

Former Steeler Jerome Bettis is a PITG partner.

Shortly after the slot license announcement was made, Bettis told Channel 11 News that he was very happy to hear that the Gaming Control Board awarded the license to PITG, but that he was sad his father -– who was a big part of the development plan for the North Shore casino –- could not be there.

Bettis said that he and his family are excited and that the city of Pittsburgh should be excited as well.

The development is expected to include restaurants and nightclubs.

Bettis told only Channel 11 that he will be opening a new restaurant on the North Shore to join the casino.

He also said his construction company will help in the redevelopment.

Gladys Bettis and his father John, who recently passed away, were partners early on.

Gladys told Channel 11: “We've been working on this with Don for some time. John was so positive and said, ‘Don't worry about it, it's going to happen.’ He saw the vision he saw. Him and Don saw it and he hung right in there with him. He studied it. He did everything and it's just so beautiful it's happening."

The Majestic Star plan is that the casino will have 3,000 to 5,000 slots.

It is slated to open in March 2008 and would provide $7.5 million a year for a new Penguins arena.

But according to the NHL that's not enough. They are warning the Penguins may not stay without a new home.

Heavy hitters on the North Shore were not happy with the Gaming Board's decision.

The Majestic Star slots parlor will be a next door neighbor to Heinz Field and PNC Park and neither franchise is happy about it.

According to Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy, putting a parlor in an area already congested on game days is a bad idea.

McClatchy said he doesn't think the slots crowd will be compatible with the family atmosphere PNC Park tries to promote.

Stay with Channel 11 News and WPXI.com for continuing coverage of this story.


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Statement from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman:
"The decision by the Gaming Commission was terrible news for the Penguins, their fans and the NHL. The future of this franchise in Pittsburgh is uncertain and the Penguins now will have to explore all other options, including possible relocation. The NHL will support the Penguins in their endeavors."

Statement from Ken Sawyer, CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins:
"We congratulate Don Barden and PITG Gaming on their successful bid. Obviously, we are very disappointed that the Isle of Capri was not awarded the slots license. We want to thank them for their effort over the past year, including an unprecedented offer to fully fund construction of a new arena had they received the license. We also want to thank the dozens of local leaders and thousands of fans and concerned citizens who voiced their support for what they believed was the best plan for our region. Had Isle of Capri been selected, it would have ensured the long-term future of the Penguins in Pittsburgh and would have delivered a $1 billion development opportunity to the Lower Hill and Uptown. At this point, our franchise enters a period of uncertainty, with our lease at Mellon Arena set to expire this summer. We will re-evaluate all of our options before deciding on a course of action and making further comment."

Statement from the Carnegie Science Center:
"Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, of which Carnegie Science Center is a part, is invested in the economic vitality of Pittsburgh, and we support sound urban development in our neighborhoods. We believe the slots license process has been fairly handled, and we congratulate Don Barden and PITG Gaming on their success. We look forward to working with them as good neighbors on the North Shore."

Statement from Art Rooney II:
"We are extremely disappointed in the decision of the Gaming Commission to award the casino license on the North Shore. It seemed it was a process that was designed to give little weight to local interests and the result is indicative of that. We will have to consider all of our options in determining how to respond to this decision."

 

[WhiteRat]

Kanas City Penguins just sounds ******ed.

agreed but then again so does St Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals.That would really suck if it happened but it wouldnt surprise me.That seems to be the thing to do these days is movie sports franchises.

 

[bored]

I wouldn't be surprised if they changed the name if the team moved to KC.

 

[Immortalfire]

agreed but then again so does St Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals.That would really suck if it happened but it wouldnt surprise me.That seems to be the thing to do these days is movie sports franchises.

Utah Jazz