A Melting Igloo In The Winter

There are few arenas as storied and old as that of Mellon Arena, nicknamed in the Igloo in Pittsburgh, PA. Scratch that, it is in fact the OLDEST arena in the NHL, pushing at least 40 years by now. It has certainly become a hazard and one of the least pleasureable places to play a hockey game, and that's not just because of the rabid fanbase. Lately, the blue collar town has become synonymous with something it's not known for: money and lots of it. They don't have it, they need it, real bad.

The Penguins, their fan base, and owner and hall of famer Mario Lemieux have been struggling in Steeltown for sometime now. The issue stems from before the lockout, money had always been tight for the hard luck Pens. The salary cap and new CBA helped some of that, but only the luck of being able to draft the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal has really been putting butts back in the seats. But revenue from TV ratings and attendance isn't the issue here, it's the arena. Pittsburgh is not a town that can easily afford something like this and Lemieux has shelled out so much already that it's the last thing he can afford. We're talking about a team that sent down Marc-Andre Fleury last year to avoid paying him bonuses for playing too many games.

What the Pens really needed was someone new to buy the team and take the hassle away. But it wasn't all that easy. Not only did they need a prospective buyer with the cash to put up, but that buyer would also have to provide the funds necessary to build a new arena in Pittsburgh AND promise to not move the team. After going through many options, it had been thought early this season that Jim Balsille had come to their rescue. Made rich off of his sales of the Blackberry device, Balsille had the money to back it up. But when the NHL stepped in, rather late at that, and stated that Balsille had to promise that he would NOT move the team, Balsille backed out. He's expressed interest in still buying the team, but this move irked Lemieux and the fans, essentially showing that Balsille was likely intent on having the team play anywhere but Pittsburgh.

However, this move was bad in both ways. Balsille looked a little foolish when he left, making those involved despise him for wanting to move the team. Yet the NHL dropped the ball, too. Waiting until nearly the deal was to be signed to basically sneak in and say "Oh by the way, you aren't planning to move the Penguins, are you? Cause if so, deal's off." Doing this handcuffed the Pens even more and leaving them with even less time to work something out.

During this time though, the real Plan A was established through the Isle of Capri gambling company. Pittsburgh was prepared to be awarded a gambling license and Isle of Capri made it known, that if the Pens would have them and they won the license, they would shell out of just about ALL of the money needed for a brand new arena and promised to not move the team. This is one of those too-good-to-be-true kind of things and sadly it was. Though IoC was clearly determined to save the franchise, they were not awarded the license. Pennsylvania was well aware of how this would affect a sports franchise but still made the other decision.

Where does this leave the Penguins now? The group that won the gambling license is still willing to put up some money, but the rest has to come from the state/taxpayers and the team, something Lemieux's group know is virtually impossible to afford. This is a town that already helped pay for the new stadiums of the Pirates and Steelers, they can ill afford another. So Lemieux had no choice but, for the time being, to take the team off the market.

Bottom line, the Penguins are now perusing the possibility of moving the team. Kansas City, Las Vegas, Houston, Winnipeg, Toronto(2nd team), Portland, who knows where the team will end up. Gary Bettman claims he wants the team stay and on top of that says that the possibilty of any contraction or movement is not desired by the NHL. Well Gary, you should have thought of that before you waited until the last second to intervene.

For the loyal fans of this storied franchise, home to Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and countless other past stars, and now to future studs Crosby and Malkin among others, the story of the Pittsburgh Penguins may about to hit its end. The team could be moved as early as this offseason and if so, another chapter will begin, but the Pitt Pens could all be lost. And if there is any town that loves its team enough and doesn't deserve to lose them, it is Pittsburgh. When the crowds won't come out for Washington, Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago, the New York Islanders or New Jersey Devils, it's a true shame that a team that is so on the rise as the Penguins may lose it all to money.

One way or another, the lease with Mellon Arena ends after this season and they will never return to that arena. I hope the Penguins can salvage their stay in their city that has embraced them, but I can say this for a fact: Good riddance to the Igloo.

See you at the red line, Penguins fans.