I just saw this report that the Mario Lemieux, owner of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, is meeting today with "officials" in Kansas City to discuss the possibility of moving the franchise into the Sprint Center when in opens next fall.
This meeting follows the defeat of a proposal in Pittsburgh whereby the Penguins would have received a sparkling new arena courtesy of the Isle Of Capri in exchange for the casino company receiving slot machine licenses.
Part of me wants to be encouraged by today's development. Surely the meeting between Lemieux and the Sprint Arena people can't be a bad thing. It keeps the possibility of KC getting a major NHL franchise back in town real.
But the cynical part of me sees today's meeting as a leverage maker for Lemieux. Since it comes before a "scheduled get together with state and local government officials in Pittsburgh, who are keen to discuss "Plan B" to try and keep the Penguins from leaving."
What better way for Lemieux to put pressure on the powers that be in Pittsburgh than to appear to be close to finalizing his deal in KC.
Still, we can hope and dream that this deal doesn't go down the icehole.
tagged: hockey, Kansas City, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sprint Center, Mario Lemieux, sports, NHL
Nice "Johnny Dangerously" reference.
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