Oilers Ownership Playing Hardball with City, Goes to Visit Seattle

[RGM81]

Katz and crew really aren't doing any favours for themselves (and by proxy, the NHL) in the PR campaign when it comes to the new arena deal with Edmonton, eh?

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey...rs-eye-seattle

EDMONTON—With plans for a new arena in doubt, the Edmonton Oilers say they are considering a move to Seattle.
Oilers owner Daryl Katz, team president Patrick LaForge and Kevin Lowe, president of hockey operations, are in Seattle for meetings about a possible relocation to the city.
The Oilers said in a statement that while they hope to reach a deal with Edmonton on a new arena, the team is also listening to proposals from a number of potential markets.
Seattle City Council approved hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen’s plan for a $490-million arena Monday that both sides hope will become the home of an NBA and an NHL team.
The Oilers and the City of Edmonton had agreed on plans for a proposed $475-million cost-shared arena that would begin construction early next year. But the arena and the Oilers’ future in the city were thrown into doubt earlier this month when the team told councillors it wanted millions of dollars in new concessions from taxpayers.

They're even tweeting veiled threats about a relocation.

http://www.coppernblue.com/2012/9/23...ens-relocation - the tweets have since been removed but the damage is done.

I like the Oilers. They're a fun team to watch with great young stars...when those stars aren't being locked out by the NHL. To heap scorn upon that injury, now the ownership is threatening the fans to take them away entirely.

[adamslogik]

I love that Bettman won't even CONSIDER moving the coyotes, but that the oilers actually think the league will approve a move for them.

Empty Threats from a bunch of greedy scumbags.

[30ranfordfan]

I've been a huge fan of Katz' ownership to date, but this is a horrible ploy by him.

Like owners of most teams, in most sports, he wants to the city / province / feds (whomever, really) to pay for a new building.... or at least some of the cost. I get it, can't blame him for that... not like it hasn't happened before.... but this move reeks of stupidity.

I don't buy it for a second, that he would seriously think about moving the team. He's an Edmonton Boy, and bought the team out of fandom, as much as it was a business opportunity. This will NOT help him though. Edmonton has been through this nonsense before, with Peter Puck and his proposed sale to Les Alexander (in Houston) and it's only going to burn bridges with the fans, not pressure the city into doing a deal that they don't like.

At the end of the day, I firmly believe that the notion of pouring public money into a pro-sports stadium is wrong. VERY WRONG. While I can see some merit in the government chipping in when it involves a massive project re-developing and entire area of the city (which Katz has proposed) the governments (at what ever level) need to be very careful how they buy into projects like this, and should only be doing deals that genuinely provide value for their people. Not the value of having a new building for their hockey team, but value in terms of revenue generation that will pay for their investment.

[HOCKEY68]

Katz wants that arena,spend your own billions and build it.

[centrehice]

I know Pat Laforge, he's not really interested in leaving Edmonton for a second, however they must get some community commitment before they can have a real secure future there.

The area that Northlands is situated, is without a doubt the worst place an arena has ever been placed, anywhere in the World.

I think that they are just posturing at this point, and if push comes to shove, Edmontonian will rally around and try to get a building deal done.