Franchises come and go and one thing that Vancouver fans can realize is that the Canucks, Lions and Whitecaps are content to play and stay in Vancouver.
We hear about some franchises that want the cities to “pony-up” to pay for a new home or they given them the mandate that they just relocate causing several to lose their jobs as well as revenue to the city involved.
Latest team to jump on the band-wagon are the Calgary Flames President Ken King who dropped the bombshell last week on the city Fathers.
This apparently after discussions with the City were unproductive and now it’s released that the Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi wants a new arena built near the Saddledome either as his lasting vision or possibly his long lasting legacy should he not be re-elected in the next City election.
Apparently not pleased with the response from Mayor Naheed Nenshi the President of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation isn’t taking it lightly and is firing back as best he can.
One has to speculate that the Flames will keep and maintain the use of the current arena and it’s reported that the Flames ownership are willing to contribute $200 million toward the new arena.
This might just be a move by the owners to force the “hands” of the City Fathers but being realistic things don’t look all that great for the Flames to stay in Calgary.
For those living on the West Coast it’s long been discussed and would be welcomed by many if the NHL would move for a franchise, existing or new to Seattle, but don’t hold your breath.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi stated “As we have stated before, it was very disappointing to hear the position of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation earlier this week.”
“Earlier this week I presented a vision, a bold vision, of how an arena can play a really important role in a new cultural and entertainment district in east downtown, tying together many investments that this council has prioritized over time.”
But King said there hasn’t been a “table” for a month-and-a-half and he suggested that the City let the process drag on too long and mentioned “if they were not planning to accept the Flames’ proposal, they should have said so right away.”
Not finished he continued “On July 31 we met with them behind closed doors,” he said. “And we expressed our position to them, we expressed our frustration. And we surrendered. That was the word I used, ‘we surrender. It doesn’t look like it’s going to work.’ They were there, they knew we were clear.
The city proposed paying a one-third share of $185 million, with Calgary Sports and Entertainment paying another third and the remaining one third paid for via a special surcharge placed on tickets sold to all events that are held in the new building.
It’s reported that the Flames would get all revenues from the new arena, but the city wants Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation to pay property tax on it.
Mayor Nenshi told the media “You’ll notice that even in this model (CSEC) gets 100 per cent of the revenues and profits from the arena,
Stay tuned, this might get better by the week and it’s just a matter of time as to when it will get finalized, but we know it’s going to be a fun ride and given the politics involved when it comes to professional sports teams.
What’s next, cause we all know that MONEY TALKS!!!!
