Pittsburgh Penguin owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle are in Kansas City this week in regards to possibly brining the NHL franchise to the Sprint Center.
The Penguins’ lease at their current home – Mellon Arena – expires in June and Pittsburgh residents have already said “no” to a new arena. Team officials have grown uneasy about the decision and are open to the possibility of relocating.
“We are meeting with officials in Kansas City today as part of our effort to explore all of our options regarding a new arena,” Lemieux said in a statement on the team’s Web site. “We have heard many great things about their new building, which is scheduled to open in time for the start of the 2007-08 NHL season.”
This is the first meeting between the Penguins front office staff and city officials that have expressed interest in hosting the team.
Kansas City isn’t the only city that has shown an interest in the Penguins. Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Portland, Winnipeg, and Hamilton, Ontario all might be interested in the Penguins.