Pittsburgh Penguins get first pick - Page 2

IggyWH · #11 07-22-2005, 07:00 PM

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I understand the NHL has changed a lot since then, but if you don't think Pittsburgh's going to get a new arena deal and become the second most popular team in the city behind the Steelers, well, I'm not sure what you're thinking.

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Some of you need to do a little research. For 1, the Pens were always the 2nd team in Pittsburgh. For 2, now that slots have been approved, money from that has already been secured for a new arena.

The only problem now is them getting off their ass and finally getting those slot licenses sold so the money starts flowing in. Why our state gov is pissing around is beyond me.

kerssens · #12 07-22-2005, 07:00 PM

I predict they'll draft somebody I've never heard of.

JoeC · #13 07-22-2005, 07:02 PM

Become the 2nd most popular team in Pittsburgh?

I understand they've fallen on tough times, but you seriously overestimate the popularity of the Pirates... unless you're talking about the Pitt Panthers, which is a marginally acceptable answer.

IggyWH · #14 07-22-2005, 07:04 PM

I'm sure many of you heard how Roenick said they should fix the draft lottery so crosby goes to NY Rangers. Did they fix it so the Pens got the pick?

I understand the kid's supposed to be really good and he's from Canada, but everytime I turned around I saw him on Pittsburgh TV and heard him working out with Lemieux. Seemed like they knew something the rest of us didn't...

IggyWH · #15 07-22-2005, 07:06 PM

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<I>Become</I> the 2nd most popular team in Pittsburgh?

I understand they've fallen on tough times, but you seriously overestimate the popularity of the Pirates... unless you're talking about the Pitt Panthers, which is a marginally acceptable answer.

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Not even that... we can't even sellout Heinz field for 6 home games unless it's Miami, VaTech or WVU. Of course scheduling home games against teams like Ohio and Youngstown State don't help much.

Pitt isn't as huge as it should be because a lot of Pittsburgh is made up of PSU fans also who could care less about Pitt.

JoeC · #16 07-22-2005, 07:22 PM

I agree with this post....don't you just hate PSU fans?

#17 07-22-2005, 07:24 PM

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I personally hate Lemieux. He only bought the Pens in the first place because he was owed so much money from the past owners and bought the Pens so he could get some money back. It's very obvious to me, but to many morons here, they're too busy blowing him to realize what he is/was doing. I wouldn't have a problem with it if he'd just come out and say it. I declared when they traded Kovey that I would no longer follow or support them which I didn't.

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Correct me if I'm wrong ... they didn't have any other buyer if not for Lemieux, right? So if he didn't buy the team, they had to fold? I don't recall anyone else being interested -- at least to buy the team and keep it in Pittsburgh, but I'm not there and didn't follow the saga as closely as you folks in town would have.

Triumph36 · #18 07-22-2005, 07:28 PM

Sorry I don't know the exact ranking of professional teams in Pittsburgh. Do research? It was a rhetorical point, give me a break.

As for the arena, I didn't know that. That kind of money has a way of disappearing, so I won't believe it until they break ground on the new building. Which I think they definitely will, as a result of today's draft lottery.

Evgeni Malkin and Crosby are going to be unstoppable. They could put Kris Beech at center on that line and he'd get 60 points.

IggyWH · #19 07-22-2005, 07:29 PM

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Correct me if I'm wrong ... they didn't have any other buyer if not for Lemieux, right? So if he didn't buy the team, they had to fold? I don't recall anyone else being interested -- at least to buy the team and keep it in Pittsburgh, but I'm not there and didn't follow the saga as closely as you folks in town would have.

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Pretty much true and that's why he's got a free pass for having a crap roster for so long. The truth is though if he didn't buy the team he was out 30 million in backpay. I think he only added like 10 million of his own money (which was backers money, not his own) to actually buy the team.

So for the last 5-6 years he's been milking the team just to get his money back. Now that he has, he's sold most of his controlling interest in the team.

Like I said I wouldn't have a problem if he was upfront about this, but he wasn't. He just kept feeding crap about reducing payroll to be competitive. How that is possible I do not know...

IggyWH · #20 07-22-2005, 07:37 PM

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Sorry I don't know the exact ranking of professional teams in Pittsburgh. Do research? It was a rhetorical point, give me a break.

As for the arena, I didn't know that. That kind of money has a way of disappearing, so I won't believe it until they break ground on the new building. Which I think they definitely will, as a result of today's draft lottery.

Evgeni Malkin and Crosby are going to be unstoppable. They could put Kris Beech at center on that line and he'd get 60 points.

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I was joking about the research... really the only way to do that is to live here and I don't wish that upon others [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

The Pens are still in the running to get one of the slot licenses, and if they do, they'll pay for the arena on their own mostly. If not, it's already been guaranteed that the money will go towards a new arena, even though they really don't have room for it anywhere. It's 50 million flat payment to buy the slot license and I believ Allegheny county (Pittburgh's county) has claim to 2 of the 14 allotted by the state.

Here's to hoping they actually sign Malkin. Last I heard he's getting paid some good loot in Russia and under the new CBA, the Pens can't pay him near the same amount. He's also never shown interest in playing in the NHL from what I've heard.