The Whalers "are close to reaching a deal" to play at
Minneapolis' Target Center, according to Al Strachan of the
TORONTO SUN. If the deal is completed, Ogden Corp., which
manages the Target Center, "would pay" the Whalers' exit fee
of $20.5M to the state of CT. The SUN's Strachan notes that
in Minneapolis, Whalers Owner Peter Karmanos "won't get a
great deal as a tenant," but that Ogden's exit fee payment
"partially makes up for that." Strachan adds that Karmanos
was eyeing Columbus, but "serious problems" with that site
included a recent poll which showed a referendum on tax
support for a new arena trailing by 17%. The Whalers "had
been led to believe the proposal would pass" (TORONTO SUN,
4/10). Karmanos visited Columbus on Tuesday and spent three
hours with the Franklin County Convention Facilities
Authority to "discuss the proposed Downtown arena and the
kind of lease he would be expected to sign" (John Futty,
COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 4/9). Karmanos toured the NC Triangle
area on Wednesday, saying he was "very impressed with the
area." But the NEWS & OBSERVER's Matthew Eisley writes that
"some folks at Raleigh City Hall were skeptical Wednesday of
Karmanos' intentions" (NEWS & OBSERVER, 4/10).
