In Winnipeg, Paul Wiecek notes the Jets' Bell MTS Place received "new floors, new ceilings, new lights, new signage, new concessions and a new aviation theme full of steel, rivets and glass" as part of a $14M renovation this offseason. True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Jets, has now spent about $30M in the last three years "renovating and revitalizing" the arena. With the latest round of renovations, the arena has "generally been brought closer to the high standards people quite rightly expect" when attending games or entertainment events (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 9/19).
TRADING PARTNERS? In St. Louis, Lisa Brown reports TD Ameritrade yesterday closed on its $4B purchase of Scottrade Financial Services, and the deal will bring an "eventual end to the Scottrade name," including at the Blues' home arena. TD Ameritrade last October "initially said the arena's name will be changed to TD Ameritrade Center," as the "contract for the naming rights runs" through '21. But TD Ameritrade President & CEO Tim Hockey said that the company is "no longer pursuing renaming the center." He added that "no changes to the arena's name are expected" before '18 (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/19).
HEAT CHECK: SPORTSNET.ca's Jeff Blair wrote the "truth" is that the Flames will get a new arena and the team will stay in Calgary. The team last week said it will no longer pursue a new arena in Calgary. But the posturing by the Flames -- including bringing NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in to "ratchet up the pressure -- is right out of the playbook for getting a new arena paid for" (SPORTSNET.ca, 9/18). The NATIONAL POST's Scott Stinson writes the "only question is when the relocation question becomes explicit." Among NHL franchises, the Flames are "not a weak orphan, particularly in a league that is familiar with the sickly and underfed." No one should "imagine for a moment" that the Flames' relocation threat "is real" (NATIONAL POST, 9/19).
