News / Sports
Pittsburgh Penguins Reach Deal for New Arena, Staying in the Steel City
The Pittsburgh Penguins have reached a deal with the city to keep the NHL franchise in the city where it won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992.
Team owners had threatened to move the Penguins if the city could not provide a new rink to replace the 46-year-old Mellon Arena they currently play in. They had visited Kansas City and Las Vegas as potential new homes but in the end Pennsylvania’s Governor Ed Rendell announced that a deal had been reached to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
The new rink, expected to be completed by the start of the 2009-10 season, will be funded in part by the state’s new slot machine parlors. Team owners would pay $3.8 million a year for the construction as well as $400,000 annually for capital improvements.
With the agreement in place, the Penguins will remain in Pittsburgh for at least another 30 years. They have been playing in Pittsburgh since 1967 and are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
