|
|
At that time, the parent Penguins paid the arena authority $1 million for the rights to operate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton AHL franchise, calling all the shots and reaping any profits.
If the parent Penguins are sold or moved, however, the arena authority has the right to repay the $1 million, reclaim control of the team and look for a new NHL club to operate it.
"If they moved the Pittsburgh Penguins to Portland, the authority would examine all the options available," Blaum said. "We would see what was out there. I'm sure there would be several NHL teams who would want to come here. It's an attractive franchise. It's the most exciting building in the league."
There's no indication, however, that anything that drastic is imminent.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins CEO Jeff Barrett said that the immediate impact of Friday's news will be close to nil.
Barrett said that he had not yet received official confirmation of the letter of intent, but even if he does, it would just be the first step in a months-long process to transfer majority ownership of the team.
"What I've been told, basically, is that there will be no management changes in Pittsburgh and for us, it's business as usual," Barrett said. "We're out looking for players. We're having meetings with our coaches. This has no effect on us."
If Del Biaggio's group does take over majority ownership of the parent Penguins, he would have to get the approval of the arena authority to operate the local club.
Blaum would not predict how that process might unfold, since he had not yet spoken to Del Biaggio. In fact, Blaum called it a "faux pas" that the prospective owner did not try to contact the arena authority before the letter of intent story broke.
The last time the ownership of the parent Penguins changed hands, the arena authority approved the switch enthusiastically. That was in 1999, when Mario Lemieux brought the NHL team out of bankruptcy.
"Who wouldn't want to work with Mario Lemieux?" Blaum said. "Although we would like to see him come to Wilkes-Barre a little more often."
