North Stars May Consider Calif. Move

The Minnesota North Stars may consider moving to California if improvements are not made to the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington, team President Lou Nanne said today.

“I know we are serious about getting the building fixed,” Nanne said. “All we are saying is that the building is going to be 24 years old and we want it to be state of the art.”

Asked what the team would do if the improvements are not made by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, Nanne replied, “From what I’m hearing now, then we won’t be here.”

USA Today reported today that owners Gordon and George Gund have discussed with Oakland Coliseum officials the possibility of moving the team to California. George Gund lives in San Francisco.

The team has also talked with the Golden State Warriors about being joint tenants in a proposed new Oakland arena, the newspaper said.

Nanne said he does not know any specifics about the negotiations to move the team. But he said improvements are needed by next season for the team to continue playing at Met Center. He said the team has been negotiating for the past six weeks with the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission to make the improvements, which would cost about $15 million.

“They are putting $15 million into the Metrodome for the Super Bowl, and that’s just one day,” Nanne said of the commission’s decision to meet NFL requirements to host the 1992 Super Bowl.

The North Stars have 25 1/2 years left on their lease at Met Center. But they are drawing fewer than 11,000 a game in an arena that seats 15,093 in Bloomington, a Minneapolis suburb.

The North Stars already have ties to Oakland. The California Golden Seals, who played in Oakland, became the Cleveland Barons in 1976, then merged with the North Stars in 1978.