Pittsburgh, Tampa in the running for 2012 NHL draft
by John Fontana on Jul 28, 2011 1:15 PM EDT
in Tampa Bay Times Forum
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Revisiting a topic from last month when I dropped the idea of Tampa hosting the 2012 NHL draft, word comes from Triblive.com that the Tampa Bay area is indeed in the running to host the event:
But, the Triblive article focuses on the Pittsburgh Penguins and Consol Energy Center as the leading candidate to host the event:
The city actually might be marked for the 2012 NHL Draft, though speculation on popular social-media platforms that the event is a lock to land at Consol Energy Center is inaccurate, according to the league.
″(The Penguins are) one of the teams in (the) 2012 draft bid process,″ said Jamey Horan, the NHL's vice president of player development and event communications. ″But no decision has been made yet.″
There is no immediate timetable to announce a destination for the next NHL Draft, which is convened annually in late June. The Tampa Bay Lightning also is a leading contender to host the event.
The Penguins have not hosted the NHL Draft since 1997 at Civic Arena.
Pittsburgh can boast a longer and more prestigious NHL history, and the Penguins are one of the marquee teams in the league with some of the marquee players of the sport (hello, Sidney Crosby...). The city of Pittsburgh also has a much more temperate climate during the summer, compared to the constant heat and humidity of the Tampa Bay area.
But could the fact the Penguins have hosted another marquee event recently (the 2011 NHL Winter Classic) work against them? Would the NHL actually be wary of continuing to over-sell Pittsburgh? Doubtful, but it's worth considering.
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There’s also the idea of showcasing the greenest builing in the NHL – which is, interestingly enough, in Pittsburgh. It’s the first LEED gold-certified building in the NHL. Which means that it’s one of the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly sports arenas in North America. The NHL might want to show that off, too.
Counting down the days until players report to training camp. Is it September yet?
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on Jul 28, 2011 1:53 PM EDT reply actions
Oh man. Both Erlendsson and Corcoran are saying its unlikely. :(
Bummer. The year Nashville hosted the draft we got both Weber and Suter. I would have liked to see that pattern continue for Tampa (but not for any other team that hosts the draft. I’m not sure how to get that to work out.)
"I'm a firm believer that in life, if you're happy then happy things will happen for you."--Bernie Parent
Part Predator, part Lightning.
Why not come to MSG
we’re gonna have a newly revamped building to show off and haven’t hosted a major NHL event since the 94 all star game and besides…its "New Effin’York City " as someone with an affinity for Swedish Fish told me
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
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A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
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I’ve read that Toronto wants to host the ASG, the draft, and have a Winter Classic in the buildup to their 100th anniversary in 2017. Not all at once, naturally, but over a period of years. I guess they want to get what the Canadiens got – plus more, if possible.
Counting down the days until players report to training camp. Is it September yet?
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on Jul 29, 2011 8:09 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m not against MSG hosting it at all.
Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.
by John Fontana on Jul 29, 2011 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
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