Edmonton Oilers to stay where they are according to Commissioner Gary Bettman -NHL Update
Edmonton Oilers fans were certainly shocked to hear the news about how their long time team could possibly be headed to Seattle due to a deadlock with the city administration on a new playing arena, but luckily for them, it is National Hockey League (NHL)
Commissioner Gary Bettman to the rescue.
Bettman came out a day after the news had broken about the top Edmonton Oilers brass on a high level visit to Seattle to survey the hockey playing conditions in the American city, but Bettman has termed the deal that the franchise wants with the Canadian
city as an ‘achievable’ one.
The commissioner also went on to add that a new arena should not be the only centre point of attention for the entire scenario as both sides had their reasons, which ultimately resulted in the deadlock. There is still much potential to be explored in the
city of Edmonton and having the historic Oilers team leave would be devastating for the NHL market.
Daryl Katz, owner of the Edmonton Oilers, has voiced a major concern, which is that the team’s lease of the Rexall Place, where the franchise currently plays, is set to expire in 2014 and could wreck havoc for the management and their aspiration of continuing
to stay in Edmonton.
According to the team website, Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel came out on a TV interview and completely denied all such reports by saying that a move to Seattle would be devastating for the team as they would not be able to sell out games like they have been
doing in the Canadian city. That is not surprising to hear at all since Canada is home of hockey and not only that, but according to reports, the Oilers have not seen an empty seat in the Rexall Place for over 200 games in a row now.
The NHL is reportedly in the mood to have another franchise created or relocated to Seattle with previous rumours of the city being ripe for hockey, but in all cases, they are not willing to move a team from Edmonton at any cost.
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