From: golchowy@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Gerald Olchowy)
Subject: Re: Fight over the Oilers
Organization: University of Toronto Chemistry Department
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 01:15:34 GMT

In article <1993Jan12.230833.9289@sol.UVic.CA> pevans@sanjuan (Patricia Evans) writes:
>In article <1993Jan11.191600.2199@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca> golchowy@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Gerald Olchowy) writes: [marked by G]
>>In article <allan.726773093@st-lina> allan@cs.UAlberta.CA (Allan Sullivan) writes: [marked by A]
>>
>G>Pocklington could be saving the $20 million for building the
>G>new arena...that money, plus preselling the private boxes (if 
>G>people and Edmonton decide to buy them) will go along way to
>G>financing the modern facility necessary to be competitive.
>
>G>The city and Northlands are vampires sucking the Oilers dry with
>G>a lousy lease arrangement with the Oilers.
>
>Northlands maybe, not the city. They're not the same thing, as the city
>found out a while back when they had a dispute with Northlands. The
>people in charge of Edmonton Northlands are very tough negotiators,
>and they don't want to renegotiate the Oilers' long-term contract with them.
>Perhaps for the good of the team they should, but the good of the team
>isn't necessarily their concern. Pocklington's talk about building a new
>arena has sounded a lot like a bluff to try to convince them to give
>him a better deal.
>

Isn't Northlands really just a creature of the city...albeit arm's
length?

>A>>Northlands is an OK building... It needs more private boxes, for sure,
>A>>but it does have a good seating capacity, and the ice itself is probably
>A>>the best in the league. A better deal for the francise on concessions/parking
>A>>might help a little.
>>
>G>Northlands is obsolete as a modern facility...there isn't enough
>G>parking, nor to the Oilers get enough of the concession or parking
>G>revenue...   
>>
>
>Is that how you decide what makes a facility modern, Gerald... Parking
>spaces? It's a large enough building and has an excellent ice surface, 
>but somehow you don't think it's modern due to it not having what you
>consider to be enough parking spaces. Strange how people in Edmonton don't
>seem to mind this much -- maybe it's because of the rapid rail transit
>that stops right beside the Coliseum. Pocklington's proposed new arena
>would, if built, be on the outskirts of town and inaccessible except by car.
>

The Palace at Auburn Hills is a modern facility...Northlands Coliseum is
not...essentially every franchise in Canada, except perhaps Canada right
now is scheming to get a modern facility.  The Oilers are going to
need private box revenue to remain viable.

Judging from the Oilers attendence, it doesn't look like the Edmonton
middle class likes to take the light rail transit to Northlands...if
you stick a new arena out in the south Edmonton suburbs...where the
middle class is...maybe they'll show up.  South Edmonton is really
more accessible to all parts of the city by car than Northlands is...
in my opinion.  

Toronto papers never exactly say where Pocklington is hoping to put
his arena...I gather its somewhere between Sherwood Park and Mill
Woods.

>Aside from only having a few private boxes, the only thing not modern
>about Northlands is the antiquated deal they have with the Oilers, which
>should be a warning to all other teams not to sign similar long-term leases.
>It's not the facility that has problems, it's the management.
>
>Patricia Evans       (former Edmonton resident)
>pevans@sanjuan.uvic.ca
>

Gerald (also a former Edmonton resident)