KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Pittsburgh Penguins could play
rent-free and be equal managing partners in the new Sprint Center
if they move to Kansas City, under an offer unveiled Thursday by
the arena's operating group.
Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, said the
Penguins would not have to buy into the management agreement. The
$276 million Sprint Center is scheduled to open in October.
"They have told us they will make a decision within 30 days. ...
We will know within 30 days whether they are going
to work out their issues in Pittsburgh and get an arena built, or
whether they will ask the NHL for permission to move the team to
Kansas City."
-- Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Penguins' owners, unhappy with the 45-year-old Mellon Arena,
the NHL's oldest venue, have been exploring a move since a new
arena deal fell through last month.
"We are not trying to steal the Penguins," Leiweke said. "We
have been very respectful of their process. We understand that this
is Pittsburgh's to lose, and we respect that."
Anschutz officials, including former Pittsburgh star Luc
Robitaille, met Wednesday and Thursday with Penguins owner Mario
Lemieux, his partner, Ron Burkle, and other team representatives.
"They have told us they will make a decision within 30 days,"
Leiweke said. "We will know within 30 days whether they are going
to work out their issues in Pittsburgh and get an arena built, or
whether they will ask the NHL for permission to move the team to
Kansas City."
Pittsburgh has been trying to keep the Penguins in town with a
Plan B agreement involving Detroit-based gambling company owner Dan
Barden. Lemieux and Burkle were scheduled to meet later Thursday
with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Chief Executive
Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
If a revised Plan B is enough to keep the Penguins in
Pittsburgh, Leiweke said, Anschutz won't try to outdo it.
"We gave them our best shot today," he said. "There's not
much left to negotiate. I never underestimate a community's
wherewithal to save its team, and I fully expect Pittsburgh to save
its team, and I respect that."
"We are not trying to steal the Penguins."
-- Tim Leiweke.
The Penguins' owners did not attend Thursday's news conference,
and the team had no immediate comment on the visit.
Finding a permanent tenant, either in the NHL or NBA, has been a
priority for Kansas City. Officials are counting on the Sprint
Center and an adjoining entertainment district to anchor downtown
revitalization efforts.
But so far, the arena has commitments only for the 2008 Big 12
men's basketball tournament, which was once a fixture in Kansas
City, and the annual BCE Classic, a four-game tournament sponsored
by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
The association's hall of fame, which will include a
40,000-square-foot interactive exhibit dubbed College Basketball
the Experience, is being incorporated into the Sprint Center
project.
Last month, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board denied a slots
contract bid by Isle of Capri Casinos that would have guaranteed
the construction of a $290 million arena. Lemieux and the other
owners took the team off the market after that decision.
William "Boots" Del Biaggio III, the venture capitalist who
has an agreement with Sprint Center management to own any NHL team
that relocates to Kansas City, co-owns a minor league hockey team
with Lemieux.
Kansas City has not had an NHL franchise since the Scouts -- now
the New Jersey Devils -- left town for Denver in 1976 after two seasons in
Kemper Arena.
The NBA's Kings, who relocated from Cincinnati in 1972 and spent
three seasons splitting their home games between Kansas City and
Omaha, moved to Sacramento in 1985.
If the Penguins stay put, Leiweke said, there's no guarantee any
other team would get as generous an offer from AEG.
"There's something special about this franchise," he said.
"This is the best young team, not only in the National Hockey
League, but the best young team in sports."
The Penguins' 19-year-old Sidney Crosby is the NHL's leading
scorer.
"For people who know basketball, he's our LeBron James," said
Robitaille, who is overseeing development of the Sprint Center.
"There's no doubt that everybody's banking on him around the
league. He's the guy you want to bank on. He's the next Gretzky."