March of the Penguins

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t believe Mario Lemieux was being pessimistic before the start of the 2005-06 seaon, when he said he believes there is only “a slim chance” the Penguins will remain in Pittsburgh after their lease at Mellon Arena expires in 2007.

Rather, Bettman said before a Penguins-Blues preseason game in St. Louis that he thought Lemieux “very realistically” assessed the situation.

Lemieux, the Penguins’ primary owner, and other team officials have said for years that the team needs an up-to-date arena to be financially viable, and Bettman reiterated his support for that position.

“It’s a situation that needs to be rectified,” he said. “This team needs a new arena. Nobody can dispute that. Nobody has disputed that.”

Bettman listed seven cities – Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Portland, Ore., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Quebec City and Hamilton, Ontario – that have expressed some interest in getting an NHL team, but said the NHL is “not looking to relocate” any of its franchises. He allowed, though, that “circumstances may cause it.”

The Penguins’ lease expires in June, 2007, and it allows them to begin soliciting offers for the franchise a year earlier. Bettman said last night that “at some point in the process,” the Penguins “have to explore their alternatives.”

Many see Kansas City as the most-vaible of those alternatives. The 18,954-seat Sprint Center is currently under construction in downtown Kansas City, and city leaders are actively courting both the NHL and NBA in hopes of landing franchises.

Kansas City is also seen as a favorite among league owners, who have repeatedly cited its close proximity to other key NHL markets such as Chicago and Dallas.

The NHL has tested the Kansas City market once before. The Kansas City Scouts called Kemper Arena their home from 1974-76 before relocating to Denver.

Yet the NHL would prefer to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

Bettman mentioned several times that the Steelers and Pirates play in venues that were built, in part, with public money, and said that having new facilities “gives them a great advantage” over the Penguins in the competition for support from fans and sponsors.

Bettman said he is in “constant contact” with Lemieux and team president Ken Sawyer about the state of the franchise, and that he believes the Penguins can be a successful operation.

“I believe Pittsburgh is a good hockey market,” Bettman said. “We belong there.”

The Penguins finished the season in the Eastern Conference basement, recording a 22-46-14 record (58 points).