2009 NHL off-season trades, rumours, draft thread

Is there no chance they could sell it out most night?

 

Initially, bet the novelty would sell it out. But if it's run like MLSE, some will start to stay away.

Not to mention that a 30,000-seat isn't too unlike playing college basketball in a dome built for American football. Pack in the people, but the venue lacks atmosphere, the seats aren't aimed properly at the court and it ends up being more a stunt than a legitimate operation.

 

They could probably sell it out, it would just be friggin' huge, half the seats would be a mile from the ice. I remember when a lot of the new buildings like the United Centre were being built and a lot of people complained about lack of atmosphere because they were too big at 20,000. 30,000 you are talking probably a fourth deck and the seats being garbage.

 

The proposed rink would be at the northern end of the city, pretty much in the middle of nowhere and about 10 miles from downtown. It'd be close to the 401, the twelve lane expressway that goes across the top of the city. The area has all the charm of a Stalinist Gulag.

 

So, it's been well thought through then. ;D

 

The story I laid out tonight from CP said it they have a $1 billion plan (all private dollars) for the franchise, so I am assuming that there would be some commercial development that went along with the rink. However, they also said they only had about 25 per cent of the funds lined up.

 

According to the story in the Star, the claims of $1 billion in financing are dodgy at best:

Carnegie has ties to Investors Group, which has $100 billion in assets; Pellegrini, president of the Sussex Strategy Group, has ties to many investment companies, including Power Corp., and Onex Corp.


http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/646049

Having a billion in financing lined up and having "ties to many investment companies" are two quite different things.

This will end being a story by Monday.

 

But they are fun though, comical in the least.

However, I can imagine the NHL being pissed that another story is drawing attention away from the cup. If it's not everybody reshuffling the front office, it's Balsillie and the Coyotes, or it's these guys with the clipart logo.

 

The league's response was basically, "We've never heard of these guys".

 

So you're saying the end result is MLSE-type hockey? Perfect!!

 

Hey, I've got money invested with Investor's Group. Guess I'll be part of the ownership group too!

From today's Toronto Star:

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/646557

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/646599

 

There's too many WTF's in this whole thing but my favourite is that Downsview, where they plan to build their 100,000 30,000 seat arena is on federally owned parkland.

Why don't they just announce they're building it on Parliament Hill?