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Sunday, February 4, 2001
Bettman on arena: 'The sooner, the better'
Associated Press
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DENVER -- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Saturday the
Pittsburgh Penguins badly need a new arena to replace 40-year-old Mellon
Arena, now the league's oldest.
Bettman and Penguins owner-player Mario Lemieux have discussed a
timetable for a new arena, one that Lemieux could unveil later this
year.
"They need a new arena," Bettman said at the NHL All-Star
Game. "And the sooner, the better."
With its dome-like retractable steel roof, Mellon Arena --
nicknamed the Igloo -- is one of the NHL's most recognizable arenas.
However, it was originally built in 1961 not for hockey but for an
opera company, and it lacks the large number of club seats and
luxury boxes that produce substantial revenue in the NHL's newer
arenas.
Without such revenue, the Penguins rank in the bottom third in
the league in arena-generated income.
Last year, the Penguins investigated renovating Mellon Arena,
which has undergone numerous facelifts over the years, but
concluded that would cost nearly as much as a new arena.
Lemieux's ownership group has moved cautiously until now on
lobbying for a new arena, aware of the unstable political climate
in Pittsburgh. Mayor Tom Murphy is up for re-election, and many
taxpayers were unhappy that tax dollars funded approximately 75
percent of the construction cost of the new Pirates and Steelers
stadiums.
But with the Penguins financially stable since Lemieux's group
bought them 18 months ago in federal bankruptcy court, and the team
selling out nightly with him playing again, they probably will make
a strong push for a new arena later this year.
"What they're tearing down is 10 years younger than what we
play in," said Penguins executive Tom Rooney, referring to
30-year-old Three Rivers Stadium, which will be demolished next
week.
A new arena could be built adjacent to Mellon Arena on land the
Penguins already own or control. In November, a development company
affiliated with the Penguins spent $8 million to buy a former
hospital that could provide space for the new arena.
The former St. Francis Central Hospital, shut down by the St.
Francis Health System to save money, is located directly across the
street from Mellon Arena.
"We view it as a prime piece of property and potential site for
a new arena," Penguins vice president Tom McMillan said.
And, while the new Pirates and Steelers stadiums were built only
after extended public battles and a failed tax increase referendum,
a new Pittsburgh arena could be an easier sell politically.
First, Lemieux is wildly popular in Pittsburgh, and the Penguins
have averaged about 200 fans per game more than Mellon Arena's
listed capacity since he returned. If Lemieux makes a public plea
for an arena, he probably would receive a much more favorable
response than, for example, the Pirates initially did.
Also, an arena can be used year-round for concerts, conventions
and shows -- unlike a football stadium, for example, which often is
in use only a few dozen times a year. The Penguins also estimate a
new arena would cost about $200 million, tens of millions less than
the Pirates' PNC Park or the Steelers' unnamed new stadium.
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ALSO SEE
2001 NHL All-Star Game coverage
Lemieux will return next season and play for gold
All-Star players awed by Lemieux
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