You know all this Pittsburgh talk is really getting on my nerves.
I don’t get it.
Why won’t the city build this team an arena? I mean, the minor league baseball team they have got a new stadium. I would possibly understand if the Penguins were the worst team in the NHL and there was no interest at all in the hockey club.
That’s far from reality here. I was in Pittsburgh earlier this week covering hockey and the city is absolutely nuts over the Penguins. Fans were lining up outside the dump they call Mellon Arena hours before the puck even dropped.
We all know the Penguins belong in Pittsburgh. That part is obvious, there is no need for me to explain why moving the Penguins is the dumbest idea since I’ve seen in hockey since the Owners locked out the players and forced the league to cancel the NHL season a few years back.
The bottom line though is simple. If you don’t have the proper business infrastructure you are making it nearly impossible to survive.
You need a state of the art arena, with sold out suites and a building full of season ticket holders if you want to make money.
You don’t think the Penguins could make a killing from luxury suites. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the organization is there any reason to have a sales staff? Do these people actually have to work? No offense, but selling advertising for the Pittsburgh Penguins must be the easiest gig in the NHL.
When you think about where the best fit would be for the Penguins if the team is forced to relocate, it’s hard to ague against Kansas City.
A campaign called NHL 21 led by Paul McGannon got off the ground in 2000. Since then a state of the art arena already named the Sprint center has broken ground. All 72 suites have been sold, deposits are in hand and many of the suite holders have signed ten-year lease agreements. There is now a waiting list to purchase suites.
An individual by the name of William Del Baggio who is a minority Owner of the San Jose Sharks has assembled a private group who combined have a net worth of one billion dollars. He would obviously have to sell his share of the Sharks if he were to own a different NHL club.
Del Baggio looked into purchasing the St. Louis Blues a year ago.
We know Mario Lemieux has now taken the Penguins off the market and has publicly stated he will explore all options on what he plans to do with the organization.
Lemieux and Del Baggio have a relationship that goes back several years. They own a United States Hockey League team together in Omaha, Nebraska called the Lancers. Luc Robitaille and Mike Eruzione also own a portion of the Lancers.
Del Baggio has already signed a lease with the Sprint Center to put an NHL team in the building. Documents are signed and done.
NHL 21 feels they need to know no later than the All Star game to prepare for the NHL to arrive for the 2007-2008 season. They need to get the ball moving and begin to roll out season ticket plans.
Kansas City has shown passion for the NHL selling out a St. Louis/Chicago pre-season game in 2003 two weeks prior to the game. Coming out of the lockout they sold 11,000 tickets in 59 days for Stl/Nsh exhibition. There are over 1,200 kids currently playing organized youth hockey.
If Lemiuex is looking to seriously move the team, Kansas City is looking like a realistic destination. Lemieux should view K.C. very similar to the way former Cleveland Browns Owner Art Modell looked at Baltimore.
Modell basically held up his arms and said we can’t get it done here in Cleveland. Baltimore had already sold out every suite in the Ravens stadium prior to the Browns even moving there.
If the Penguins move expect the name to stay in Pittsburgh. Sources tell me the league is planning on retiring the name and the colors until a team is brought back to the city, like they did with the Ottawa Senators. If a team ends up in Kansas City, Houston, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, or Canada don’t expect the team to be called the Penguins.
Pittsburgh won’t go away easy. I wouldn’t be surprise at all if a deal was struck in the eleventh hour to build a new arena in Pittsburgh. I love the atmosphere and tradition of Mellon Arena, but c’mon, can you really expect people to spend $100.00 a ticket to sit in a seat with gum on it? Your hand feels like you just touched a slobbery lollipop after touching it. I sat in a front row seat during the Penguins morning skate and the seat was broken. I nearly sunk all the way to the floor.
The construction of a new arena would take two years to build.
If Pittsburgh moves to K.C, New York Islanders director of Scouting Ken Morrow could play a role with the organization. Morrow is a long time resident of K.C.
If you are reading this and you are a Blues fan, it may not be bad ideas to root for K.C. to win the second Sidney Crosby sweepstakes. It would be interesting to see Malkin, Crosby, and co. roll into town four times a year. Those would be four guaranteed sold out dates.
Blues Owner Dave Checketts told me he would support a Pittsburgh move to K.C. Certain minor issues such as carving up broadcasting territories would need to be worked out.
There’s No Place Like Home!
On Thursday Checketts became an official resident of St. Louis.
Checketts moved into his new fully furnished condo in downtown St. Louis. Inside he had a tall wood spiral staircase installed with a large Blue note carved into the floor.
Checketts took in the second period of the Blues win over L.A. from the stands. He chatted and shook hands with fans while the game was going on. Captain Dallas Drake was also on hand.
Detailed Specialist!
New Blues Bench boss likes to do things his way. He asks that his players begin each drill four feet off the wall, not three and a half.
He wants the coaches to arrive at the rink no later than 7:00 am sharp. Medical and Equipment Trainers are asked to pick up breakfast every day for the players before they show up to work.
Often the menu will include such items as toast, bagels, and cookies.
If you look at the board to see what time practice is, it may say 10:30-11:19 0r 10:30- 11:22. And he will end it right on time.
Murray says he’s a first key/last key kind of guy meaning he’s the first to arrive and last to leave the rink every day.
His players absolutely love the guy so far. This isn’t a matter of players all of the sudden turning into good players, but they have all bought into his approach and have given more from within.
He keeps players straight. He was speaking to the club between the second and third periods of a recent game and he told Peter Cajanek to look at him when he was talking. He was already upset with the effort Cajanek was showing. He then started Cajenek to begin the third period to see if he lit a fire under him. Right off the bat Cajanek took a penalty and was benched the rest of the game.
Murray was less than thrilled that Backes was named the first star in the Blues win on Thursday. He told Backes in so many words not to get too cocky. The following day the Blues were watching film and Murray purposely left his first career goal out of the team film session, instead showing a careless Backes neutral zone turnover.
He leaves notes for players under their hotel room doors and then quizzes them in team meetings when they arrive to the rink.
He has a certain approach that allows player to understand exactly where they stand. He never curses at players, which is different from what most guys are used to hearing.
He can also get certain guys to raise their level of play.
Eric Brewer is finally playing like the player the Blues thought they were getting. As much abuse as this guy has taken I think it’s fair to point out when he is making positive strides. Brewer is playing far more under control, he’s making plays, leaning on guys in the corner, and skating as well as he has since the 2004 season.
Murray has coached Brewer in the past at the World Championships and seems to understand Brewer, who is a pretty reserved guy.
Mark my words when I say Murray wants both Eric Brewer and Keith Tkachuk back in St. Louis next season.
He feels Tkachuk, who is back to having fun after spending most of the season doubting his ability to play at the level he has shown his entire career. Murray has motivated Tkachuk who has really hit it off with his new head coach.
It may take a lot of magic from Murray to convince President John Davidson not to trade him or to bring him back next summer.
Davidson will meet with Larry Pleau, and Al Macinnis in January to determine what they want to do with Tkachuk and several other current members of the St. Louis Blues.
Tkachuk has invited Blues rookie David Backes to live with him for as long as he wishes. Backes idolized Tkachuk growing up in Minnesota.
Players have been giving Backes trouble asking if Keith makes him breakfast in the morning and calling him Tkachuck’s son. The type of goal he scored the other night he did look like a little Walt. Tkachuk asked Backes to move in his house on the plane after the game in Pittsburgh.
Tkachuk has offered Erik Johnson to move in as well next season.
What a week for Backes who got engaged on Sunday, called up to the NHL on Monday, registered an assist in his first NHL game Tuesday, then scores his first career goal on Thursday.
The line of Jay McClement, Lee Stempniak, and Jamal Mayers has been the Blues most impressive line since Murray has arrived except for the Pittsburgh game. Mayers, the Blues most underrated player, loves playing with the fast, offensive, hard working Stempniak and McClement. Mayers has told them to put pressure on themselves to make a difference. They know they can play offensive and realize if they play well then they’ll play often.
The league has until December 31st to pick up the option to continue airing NHL games on the VS Network next season.
Blues Clues!
Dallas Drake will be eligible to come off IR on Christmas. He skated Friday morning. It may be difficult to remove a player out of the lineup, but I don’t think Murray would sit Drake when he comes off IR.
Martin Rucinsky had his jaw wired shut after breaking it in Pittsburgh Tuesday. He will have his jaw wired for five weeks. Give credit to Rucinsky who played more than two periods with a broken jaw.
It is believed Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, and Rucinsky were all given no trade clauses in their deals. Tkachuk’s carried over from his previous deal.
Credit the Blues forwards for the team’s much improved defense. The consistent back side pressure has slowed down the opposition when they enter the offensive zone. The d-men have done a nice job of clogging up the middle of the ice by playing up at the red line. If the defense is sitting too far back you will see Murray yelling at his guys to move up.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
[email protected] 
St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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