NHL 2006-07

[Jesse James]

Just so there's no confusion Brent, the deal for an arena was just announced like an hour ago tops...  So what I was saying is that an arena coming to Pitt was an inevitable thing, but not the Pen's getting it...  The arena's used nightly for almost anything you can think of, so a new building was coming...  just how, and who/what would be in it was in question.

KDKA was the only station saying it, but they're also the one that supports the Pens the most locally, so I'd believe them over the others too.  They said tonight a deal was 100% done and the Penguins are staying in Pittsburgh and getting an arena they'll pay 4 million a year for, for a while, and 500,000 to a parking garage.

Those points were sticking points with us here too Brent (concessions, parking, etc.), and supposedly the kinds of things that held up talks so much after the Isle of Capri deal fell through for a casino attached to the new arena.

Either way it's seeming that we have an arena coming and our Pens will still be in it.  Thank god.  Sidney Crosby in KC? 

[Morgbug]

Oh yeah, that I had no desire to see. 

Some of the re-expansions have worked out.  I have no grudge with Colorado at all, it seems like a decent hockey place.  I'm ecstatic Minnesota got a team again, that was about the dumbest move of the bunch IMO.  But KC doesn't fly for me much more than Atlanta would.  It's not bad, but not necessary.

Incidentally, I can't recall if I ever said they ****** up the arena here or not.  They did.  It's a really nice building (though individual stalls for urinals instead of a trough was a very bad idea and though they don't openly admit it, it really affects the concessions) but it's a) too small b)seats are too close together c)no parking revenue.

They've always wanted a downtown arena (they being politicians, businessmen, etc.) because it draws business and provides a focal point for an area otherwise decaying due to suburbanizations.  There was no space until a local landmark/retailer went under.  The Timothy Eaton company is a rough Canadian equivalent of Sears in the US and had prime real estate occupied by a failing six story retail store.  When it closed, that became the site for the arena.  The problem being the space was a shade too small.  Rather than building a 20K arena, they went for 16K.  The seats are seriously uncomfortable for me at 6'1" tall and there's little room to move (like to the concessions or bathroom) when you add in typical winter gear and normal sized people (not elfin folk like Jeff ). 

So even if we could have an NHL team, I'm still not entirely sure they'd fly well in that arena. 

BTW, I miss HoloE in these conversations.

[Jesse James]

And the deal's done and announced, with a 5-4 win after a SO in OT over Buffalo, who had a TON of obnoxious fans down in our arena tonight (douchebags kept jumping up in front of the cameras when they could).

The new arena's gonna go over the to the left (if you're facing downtown) of where the current arena is, and hopefully it'll help revitalize the 5th & Forbes corridor that runs along there too...  That area needs some new buildings and things, and there's now to be a ton of development to go with the arena.  I cannot wait, and I'm gonna bust ass to get tickets for opening night of the new arena.

I'm happy...  I feel like break dancin'.

EDIT:

By the way, I'm seeing some seriously ugly **** around forums...  People really being cry babies and stuff.  I gotta say I'm disappointed with some of the people up in Canuckle land too (obviously not you guys, but I'm citing some angry people who felt the Pens going ot KC was somehow a good idea, but clearly they had more of a desire to see a team move to THEIR city and Pitt just became their sounding board I guess).  I mean, guys in Hamilton Ontario crying they didn't get the Penguins...  Are they serious?  They have Toronto and Buffalo on either side... 

But that said, there was some pretty seriously tasteless behavior from people in KC over the Penguins debate, and their new mantra is that this is all the fault of Bettman, and nothing more...  Nothing to do with KC being a horrible city for the NHL (a horrible city in general, I've been there too many times by my count), Pittsburgh being a great NHL city, Lemieux & Co. LIKING Pittsburgh more than KC for their personal lives, or the government officials actually making necessary concessions to keep the team here... 

Like I said in this thread, the issue of us getting an arena wasn't in question and people seem to forget that when they cite "but we have the Sprint Center right here for you!" and such.  That's great, but Pitt's getting an arena built to an NHL team's specifications, it's just a matter of paying for it...  And the Penguins got that hashed out, thank god...  But now everyone who wanted to see the team leave Pittsburgh are saying it's all a screwjob and that they were a done deal to go to KC and things.

I personally don't believe that in the slightest.

[jjks]

First off congrats on the Pens staying put Jesse, I was really thrilled to hear that and immediately thought how relieved you must have felt.

On to slightly more current events though, what does everyone think of the Tootoo suspension? The more I think about it, the more it ticks me off. Sure I'm a homer for Toots, but five games for defending yourself from a guy that was about to clobber you is just stupid. To make matters worse, Modano gets absolutely nothing for doing a one-handed Chris Simon, and then his owner has the balls to bitch about us not celebrating his goal when he should have never been on the ice for that power play to begin with. Rampant inconsistency with the suspensions that are being handed out this season.

Thoughts?

[Scott]

Thoughts?

Toots might be the best sports nickname of all time

[jjks]

 

Stay on topic.

Speaking of Toots, it's one of my favorite local eating establishments. Good food and fun.

Toots. Good Food & Fun!

[Scott]

I think Scotty P's and Toots should combine forces...only, I wonder what the new place would be called?

BTW...to stay on topic...



Go Wild!

[jjks]

The only Forsberg picture allowed to be used is this one:



Makes me wish Jason still posted here. I know he'd appreciate it. Since he had to witness it in person 

[Jesse James]

Thanks Jamie...  The Preds came up a LOT during all this because of attendance issues there and people were saying (by People I mean KC people), "well if we can't have the Pens fine, we'll get the Predators".  My response to that is that I don't think ANY team should go to KC, Preds included, but man it's gonna be tough in Nashville I think because even with the outstanding team they have filling the seats has been rough I guess?  I hope it works out for you there though...  I just know everything I heard coming up during the Pen's fiasco the whole time. 

It'll be nice getting a new arena, especially as it'll move slightly down over the hill onto the main corridor that leads from DOwntown to Oakland (where Pitt, Duquesne, CMU, and some other universities are).  That area needs revitilization with good business and tearing down/rebuilding some stuff down through there.  Let it start with a new arena and expand from there IMO.

Anyway,  about the suspension...  I dunno.  I didn't see video of the hit actually to know all the details, I just know what I've read...  The grey area I see is, if it's dropped gloves to me it's a fight and suspensions go out the window.  If it's a guy barrelling into a scrum and someone cold cocks him (IE: Neither guy drops the gloves), then I think there's some shakey ground there for Toots...  I don't know that a massive suspension was due him, I didn't see the actual number of days it was for actually so I apologize for not being well informed there, but I do know the gloves hurt, and really I think that's what knocked the guy out more than anything.

From what I read the league had sort of a knee-jerk reaction to it, I think because of the Simon incident and the severity of the punch (knocking him out).  I dont' know if it was dropped gloves and things though either.  If those 2 dropped the gloves, to me the whole thing is moot and nobody should've gotten anything but incidental fighting penalties that cancelled each other out,a nd one guy just lost...  badly.

I hate the thoughts of them cracking down on fighting though.  I've feared that over the years...  Trying "clean up" the sport as people say.  To me, this is the only sport where it's contained while the others can't control their fighting is all.

[Jesse James]

Too early for NHL playoff predictions?

[Jesse James]

I guess so.

[Jeff]

Considering both the East and the West are too volitile still to even know what the match-ups will be, yeah it's too soon for me to make any bold predictions... 

[Jesse James]

Yeah I was looking at the bottom of the East...  Guys in the like 10th and 11th spots have a chance at sneaking in the 8th, especiallyt he way some of the lower teams have played down the stretch this season.  Then big teams dropping games to Boston and Florida and stuff...  It's weird this year, and just gotten weirder at the end with lower ranked teams pulling wins out their asses over the top guys.  Fun to watch though.

[Jeff]

Man, 7 teams in the West with 100+ points.   

Looks like my Wild are headed to a showdown with the Ducks...  The guys I split season tickets with are running a playoff lottery today, I should find out about which games I get later today. 

[Jesse James]

Penguins are seemingly headed for Ottawa...  It's now down to who gets home-ice which is coming down to the wire.

On a separate note, Pen's tickets are going up next year, no surprise there... 

And now those same asswipes people from the Hill DIstrict that a couple month ago were saying, "What have the Penguins ever done for us?  We don't want a Casino in 'the hill' that will bring crime and other problems with it", are all in line with their hands out saying they want revenue from the development of the new arena, and they want the Penguins to give to the Hill District...

Funny how that works huh?  They're making demands that even the minority leaders on city council are saying are pretty outrageous and greedy.  I hope the mayor, city council, and the Penguins tell them to go sit and spin because those ******** were part of the problem in the first place and why there was talk about the Pen's moving, the casino going to someone else, etc.  "Not in my backyard", was the mantra...  Well, since they weren't smart enough to see something was going to be developed regardless of the slots deal, and regardless on whether the Pens left or not, they got a case of foot-in-mouth disease and now want handouts...  screw them.    Since they weren't team players, they shouldn't be involved in the current plans at all.