KCRag Forum

Singing the financial blues in St. Louis, Pittsburgh

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/c ... lues_x.htm

Relocation? Southern teams not scapegoat anymore

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2223552

Here comes Kansas City. Tim Leiweke is president of a corporation that is building and will operate a new 18,500 seat arena in downtown K.C. He is also the CEO of the Los Angeles Kings and a member of the NHL executive board.

Last week in Kansas City he said, "If Pittsburgh doesn't have an arena deal done a year from now, they're gone. The Pittsburgh Penguins can be the Kansas City Penguins, no question about it. That team will be a huge, instant home run here."

Leiweke is looking for a primary tenant for his building. It could be an NBA team or one from the NHL, which explains his interest in the Penguins. Sixty of the 72 suites in the new arena already have been sold at $110,000 to $115,000.

Just curious: do any "in trouble" franchises have trouble selling luxury boxes?

B/c if they don't, then how is KC adding any value here?

I think it is more the amount of boxes.  Most arenas don't have 72 luxury boxes.

i would think most newer arenas have 72 boxes. you take out older obscelete places like pittsburgh, msg, edmonton, and focus on newer cities, mci center, ford center, staples center, sprint center, most of those, i would think, do.

KCPowercat wrote: http://www.courant.com/sports/hockey/hc ... nes-hockey

Gray said the sports commission is staying neutral. The city would welcome an NBA team, but Gray admits the market cannot support both professional basketball and hockey.

Good article. I much rather have the NBA but I will take what I can get.

KCPowercat wrote: http://www.courant.com/sports/hockey/hc ... nes-hockey

Interesting comments from my grad school buddy (and NHL nut), now living in New Hampshire:

"The Anschultz folks run the Verizon Arena in Manchester, and own the Monarchs --
in the top 3 every year in AHL attendance...so these guys know the game, know
how to run a good venue (pretty surprising some of the non-hockey attractions
they get into Manchester, actually!), and they have a solid handle on marketing
hockey.  The fact they're on board won't go unnoticed in the bigger picture...

Ready for this? -- I'd pick up the phone and call Bill Wurtz.  The Blackhawks are
so far from being important in the Chicago sports landscape, that you could
probably actually buy and move an original 6 franchise, and no one there would
hear the proverbial tree fall.  No question that he's easily the most
disconnected owner from his team, the fans, the league, the on & off ice
product, etc.   You'll love this -- Buccigross wrote earlier in the season he'd
bet $500 Wurtz couldn't name all 29 other franchises in the league and another
$500 he couldn't name 20 of the guys on his own team.

Wirtz is not Raplph Wilson old (more on
that in a minute), but he's old enough that if you fanned a reasonable amount of
money in front of him, he might just take it, 'cause there ain't long to enjoy
it, and he can actually make money if he were only in liquor distribution.  Who
ever thought the Baltimore Colts or the Cleveland Browns would move?"

Meh. I'd still rather have an AHL franchise.

if we had the choice of NHL or AHL, you would pick AHL????

These articles bore me to death.

We're building an arena.
Paul McGannon thinks we're a good market for the NHL.
Kevin Gray babbles something incoherent.

Blah, blah, blah.

DowntownBryan wrote:

if we had the choice of NHL or AHL, you would pick AHL????

Yea, because I think KC can support AHL better than the NHL. Of course the NHL is a better product, but I'm looking for the best long term interest for hockey in KC.

KCMax wrote: Yea, because I think KC can support AHL better than the NHL. Of course the NHL is a better product, but I'm looking for the best long term interest for hockey in KC.

exactly. look at how many no shows are already piling up for the brigade. you do NOT want the nhl in kc right now, the town is just not going to support the team unless they are winning lord stanley's cup every year. then, they might sell out. MIGHT.

I'm cluless about the NBA...not a big fan.

If you're thinking hockey won't work, then does that mean you think NBA would have a better chance?  Are NBA games cheaper/fewer in the season?  I know hockey season is quite long, but I thought NBA was as well.

No Kard - NBA has no shot here.  First off, College hoops is big here.

Second, those tix average $50 or so, vs. the $35 or so in the new NHL.

Doesn't matter anyway tho.  When JackO handed Glass-Hole that blank check, they ensured we'd have shitty baseball here for 2 decades.  Forget the other opportunities we might have had, with our sparkling DT arena.

Kard wrote: I'm cluless about the NBA...not a big fan.

If you're thinking hockey won't work, then does that mean you think NBA would have a better chance?  Are NBA games cheaper/fewer in the season?  I know hockey season is quite long, but I thought NBA was as well.

i do not think, at the present, either league would work in kansas city. any team that comes to kansas city would be seeking attendance asylum to the tune of 16k every night, win or lose. look at the pittsburgh penguins, in a shitty falling apart arena, dead last, yet, still averaging over 16,000 strong. you really believe that kansas city will support a last place nba or nhl franchise? how about a barely .500 one? we both know the answer is no.

now, if in say 4-5 years, there is a nba nhl team on the prowl, looking for a new home, and, the sprint center has been open 2-3 years, the power and light district has been open 2 years, the east village is done, kansas city has just voted on lrt and passed it, bartle is expanded yet again, a new convention center hotel is built, the performing arts center is built, there are 5-10,000 new homeowners living in downtown in condos, then, kansas city, hopping, alive and well, pursues one of those leagues, then, yes, it might work.

right now, any dream of moving an nhl or nba franchise to kc is ludicrous.

i think that kansas citians are so desperate for a playoff atmosphere that they'd come out in droves to support it.  even if it's a sub .500 team (3 of them making the nba playoffs this year) or a near .500 team (a couple in the nhl this year).  mlb and the nfl are too selective in their playoff structures so we might as well welcome one of the two leagues where half the league gets in.

i guarantee you the brigade would be selling out if they were 5-5 or maybe even 6-4.

shaffe wrote: i think that kansas citians are so desperate for a playoff atmosphere that they'd come out in droves to support it.  even if it's a sub .500 team (3 of them making the nba playoffs this year) or a near .500 team (a couple in the nhl this year).  mlb and the nfl are too selective in their playoff structures so we might as well welcome one of the two leagues where half the league gets in.

i guarantee you the brigade would be selling out if they were 5-5 or maybe even 6-4.

the brigade may very well sell out if they were .500. but, if not, they are already losing at the box office ( in terms of attendance, not dollars ) and that is just how this market is. if you put a league there now and they put up .500 or less results, they will founder in kc, and then move.

i want one of those 2, or both in kc, just, make sure you are ready. if not, they will talk about us in houston and seattle the way we are about nashville, columbus, pittsburgh, okc, watching, and salivating.

Let's not forget however, that all the suites at Sprint Center are sold out, and a team would be much more profitable at Sprint Center than at Kemper, or a number of outdated arenas teams are currently playing in like Pittsburgh Civic Arena.

KCMax wrote: Let's not forget however, that all the suites at Sprint Center are sold out, and a team would be much more profitable at Sprint Center than at Kemper, or a number of outdated arenas teams are currently playing in like Pittsburgh Civic Arena.

our 72 suites are sold out versus the 30 something at mellon in pittsburgh, but, something can be said for the 16k that pay for tickets too. and those 72 suites will look far less attractive when there are only 11k coming to see the hockey game because the team is 30-33-4. and dont forget, some teams that are looking relo may be getting a bigger cut of the pie on suites and what not where they are, verus kc where there are already 2 hands in the pot, with the pot cut up already without a tenant. that gets sticky too.