Penguins get Pittsburgh arena
The Pittsburgh Penguins reached a financing deal for a new arena that will keep the NHL team in the city where it has played since 1967.
Gov. Ed Rendell announced what he called a 30-year agreement Tuesday at the Pennsylvania Gaming Congress. He said money from the state’s new slot machine parlors would help finance the arena.
The Penguins had threatened to leave Pittsburgh if they couldn’t secure a new rink. Their lease at 46-year-old Mellon Arena, the oldest facility in the league, expires June 30 and the team is free to leave after that.
Team officials visited Kansas City, Mo., and Las Vegas to discuss a possible move. The Penguins were offered free rent and half of all revenues if they agreed to play in Kansas City’s soon-to-be-completed $262-million Sprint Center.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the arena would be completed by the start of the 2009-10 season. The Penguins would pay $3.8 million a year for construction and $400,000 annually for unspecified capital improvements, the newspaper reported.
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