Edmonton's proposed new arena

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I will be very surprised if something doesn't get done. I just can't see the Oilers moving.

 

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I will be very surprised if something doesn't get done. I just can't see the Oilers moving.

As much as I like to poke fun at the Oil (and they do make it really easy), it would be a big hit to the Flames if the Oilers left Edmonton.

/I really don't see it happening, Katz is just playing the leverage game trying to squeeze municipal and provincial pockets.

 

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“I’m focused on making this deal work — God knows, I’ve spent enough money,” Katz said. “My wife thinks I’m nuts, OK?

“If this deal doesn’t work, what can I say, obviously all bets are off and we’ll have to figure out what comes next. And I don’t know what that will be.”

Katz said he chose to speak up about stalled negotiations because, “there’s a lot at stake and people in Edmonton need to understand the full picture.”

?All bets are off? if arena deal doesn?t work: Katz

 

[jstewismybastardson]

i saw a quote ... (didnt read the link so maybe its in there) where Katz says Edmontons a great hockey city but not a great hockey market

 

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i saw a quote ... (didnt read the link so maybe its in there) where Katz says Edmontons a great hockey city but not a great hockey market

I do know that the Flames owners are very closely monitoring what happens regarding municipal and provincial funds towards the new arena in Edmonton, as they will be next at the trough (so to speak).

 

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i saw a quote ... (didnt read the link so maybe its in there) where Katz says Edmontons a great hockey city but not a great hockey market

It's buried in this very long transcript, jstew...He also says that ticket revenues are not relevant and laments the fact that Edmonton doesn't have a huge corporate base of support (as compared to Calgary).

DS: You called Edmonton, when you were first talking to us here, the smallest of small markets. My understanding, though, it’s more like a market right now in the range of the No. 10 market in the NHL, in there, and that you pay into revenue sharing in the NHL. So it’s not, right now, a small market. Some people would say it’s not a small market and that means that the Oilers are in a position to build the arena largely privately. So what would you say first to the size of the Edmonton market right now, the size of the Edmonton market going forward, and this notion you should be doing more to build this privately as we saw Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver.

DK: Well, No. 1, I can tell you the way we look at the markets. Markets are determined by the size of their media market. The size of the media market determines TV revenue, advertising and sponsorship revenue. Edmonton and Winnipeg are tied for the smallest markets in the league. That significantly affects revenue and the ability to grow. So I don’t know where you’re getting your numbers, but we in the league don’t look at it that way.

DS: Well, from ticket revenues would be the …

DK: Ticket revenues are not relevant. Everybody should sell out if they win, if they have a winning team. Further, ticket revenues – the way the NHL looks at it – have foreign-exchange risk. So in our view, if you have a winning team, everybody should sell out, that’s just the way it is, but what some markets have that others don’t are enormous media markets, and that drives an enormous part of a team’s revenue. So when I say Pittsburgh, who on paper – I described their deal – is three times the size of Edmonton, Dave, that’s the size of their media market that controls television, advertising, sponsorship and the like, OK? That’s the big variable.

DS: Does not Edmonton, though, have a larger base of people who are willing to pay top dollar for NHL tickets and does that not also something (that’s used for) a formulation of how big the market is?

DK: No, it doesn’t. Edmonton could be viewed as a very loyal hockey market but you have to also understand we have the lowest corporate season-ticket base in the National Hockey League. We have more of an individual season-ticket base when you look at every other team in the league. That’s something that’s a challenge for the Oilers. To be frank, that’s something that the Calgary Flames, for instance, don’t have. They have a very big corporate base. Relative to your question to the need for public money to sustain the NHL or professional sports, let’s be frank, the only privately funded NHL arena that hasn’t been a financial disaster is ACC (Air Canada Centre) in Toronto, where they have the Leafs and an NBA franchise. Everyone else lost their shirts. Dave, you know that. They lost their buildings and their teams, right?

Transcript of interview with Oilers owner Katz

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

It's buried in this very long transcript, jstew...He also says that ticket revenues are not relevant and laments the fact that Edmonton doesn't have a huge corporate base of support (as compared to Calgary).

DS: You called Edmonton, when you were first talking to us here, the smallest of small markets. My understanding, though, it’s more like a market right now in the range of the No. 10 market in the NHL, in there, and that you pay into revenue sharing in the NHL. So it’s not, right now, a small market. Some people would say it’s not a small market and that means that the Oilers are in a position to build the arena largely privately. So what would you say first to the size of the Edmonton market right now, the size of the Edmonton market going forward, and this notion you should be doing more to build this privately as we saw Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver.

DK: Well, No. 1, I can tell you the way we look at the markets. Markets are determined by the size of their media market. The size of the media market determines TV revenue, advertising and sponsorship revenue. Edmonton and Winnipeg are tied for the smallest markets in the league. That significantly affects revenue and the ability to grow. So I don’t know where you’re getting your numbers, but we in the league don’t look at it that way.

DS: Well, from ticket revenues would be the …

DK: Ticket revenues are not relevant. Everybody should sell out if they win, if they have a winning team. Further, ticket revenues – the way the NHL looks at it – have foreign-exchange risk. So in our view, if you have a winning team, everybody should sell out, that’s just the way it is, but what some markets have that others don’t are enormous media markets, and that drives an enormous part of a team’s revenue. So when I say Pittsburgh, who on paper – I described their deal – is three times the size of Edmonton, Dave, that’s the size of their media market that controls television, advertising, sponsorship and the like, OK? That’s the big variable.

DS: Does not Edmonton, though, have a larger base of people who are willing to pay top dollar for NHL tickets and does that not also something (that’s used for) a formulation of how big the market is?

DK: No, it doesn’t. Edmonton could be viewed as a very loyal hockey market but you have to also understand we have the lowest corporate season-ticket base in the National Hockey League. We have more of an individual season-ticket base when you look at every other team in the league. That’s something that’s a challenge for the Oilers. To be frank, that’s something that the Calgary Flames, for instance, don’t have. They have a very big corporate base. Relative to your question to the need for public money to sustain the NHL or professional sports, let’s be frank, the only privately funded NHL arena that hasn’t been a financial disaster is ACC (Air Canada Centre) in Toronto, where they have the Leafs and an NBA franchise. Everyone else lost their shirts. Dave, you know that. They lost their buildings and their teams, right?

Transcript of interview with Oilers owner Katz

Damn!!

If Katz can't make this deal work he's got a team many cities will be clamoring for. He's going to have his choice of cities to move the Oilers too.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

interesting timing

Mayor wants new facility for FC Edmonton soccer | Edmonton Journal

 

[jstewismybastardson]

yikes Coilers fans


Ian Furness‏@IanKJR

Breaking. A group representing the #Edmonton Oilers, including team president, owner was in Seattle today taking a tour of Key Arena. #NHL

 

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yikes Coilers fans


Ian Furness‏@IanKJR

Breaking. A group representing the #Edmonton Oilers, including team president, owner was in Seattle today taking a tour of Key Arena. #NHL

It's time for a little Queen and David Bowie methinks...

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Gretzky has really been helping the organization out lately ... with signing Schultz ... now in meeting the seattle politicians

@mattpitman: Just walked right past Wayne Gretzky in a throng of people outside C-Link

 

[Bizzle McDizzle]

it looks like a giant comma

random, comma use, where not needed can, be, annoying

 

[Bizzle McDizzle]

Gretzky has really been helping the organization out lately ... with signing Schultz ... now in meeting the seattle politicians

@mattpitman: Just walked right past Wayne Gretzky in a throng of people outside C-Link

I read that quick and wondered if Wayne was in a thong, or was the tweeter in a thong when he walked past Wayne.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Chris Daniels‏@ChrisDaniels5

I can also confirm, as @IanKJR did, that Edmonton Oilers representatives are in Seattle, per source, "evaluating the market".

 

[jstewismybastardson]

MAKE IT 6!!!

As talks on new arena drag on, could Edmonton Oilers really relocate? - CBSSports.com

 

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MAKE IT 6!!!

As talks on new arena drag on, could Edmonton Oilers really relocate? - CBSSports.com

Katz is playing hardball!!

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Katz is playing hardball!!

And edmontons mayor seems to want to play soccer

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Lol cant wait for the next episode of oil change

 

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Lol cant wait for the next episode of oil change

Sounds like they may have to find the car first...

 

[Destroydacre]

I kinda like the idea of seeing Hall, Eberle and RNH in Seattle, but I really don't like the idea of Kevin Lowe being in any way affiliated with my team let alone its president. While I think this is nothing but posturing from Katz, it's nice to see that there's already interest in the Seattle market from an NHL owner. Hopefully it means there will be an NHL team there sooner rather than later.