NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman attended groundbreaking
for the $130M St. Paul arena which will house the expansion
NHL Wild, according to Curt Brown of the Minneapolis STAR
TRIBUNE. Bettman "apologized" to the fans, saying that the
NHL "never should have left Minnesota five years ago and
promising it will thrive in St. Paul in the next century."
Bettman: "We are thrilled to be back here once again, and
we're sorry we ever left." After the ceremony, Bettman said
that he "has no doubts the Wild will succeed," even though
St. Paul has never had a major league sports franchise.
Bettman: "Based on my understanding of the demographics of
how the Twin Cities metropolis is expanding, this is
actually the right place to be" (STAR TRIBUNE, 6/24).
FAME COMES QUICKLY: Discussions between Wild officials
and U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame officials "are pointing to
development of a satellite hall of fame exhibit" at the
Wild's new arena. Wild VP/Communications & Broadcasting
Bill Robertson said that the team has "had preliminary
talks" with the hall of fame (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 6/24).
