TOP OF THE MORNIN'
Penguins’ Lemieux admits the team just used Kansas City
By JEFFREY FLANAGAN
The Kansas City Star
Back when the Pittsburgh Penguins were sort of flirting with Kansas City and the Sprint Center officials about moving here, most Kansas Citians pretty much knew we should not get our hopes up.
Yes, we had to take the flirtation somewhat seriously, just because it was always possible that Pittsburgh would muck up the financing of a new arena and then — before you knew it — presto, we’d have an NHL team.
But we pretty much knew the score.
The Penguins used that Kansas City leverage effectively and got their arena in Pittsburgh.
And now co-owner Mario Lemieux, at the Penguins’ arena groundbreaking ceremony last week, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the team was never serious about leaving Pittsburgh.
“It wasn’t a possibility,” Lemieux said. “We had to do a few things to put pressure on the city and the state, but our goal was to remain here in Pittsburgh all the way.
“Those trips to Kansas City and Vegas and other cities was just to go and have a nice dinner and come back.”
Hey, at least we gave them some good eats.
Should Kansas City be hurt about getting used like that?
“No, I don’t think so,” Kevin Gray, president of the Kansas City Sports Commission, told me Friday. “It’s part of business.
“We helped the Penguins get their arena; we helped the league. I’m not bothered by what (Lemieux) said.”
For well more than a year, the Penguins threatened to leave Pittsburgh if politicians didn’t come up with financing for a new arena.
The how-to-get-a-new-arena playbook usually then calls for team officials to visit another city praying for a team.
“(Pressure) was felt, and that was the important thing,” Lemieux said. “A lot of things happened throughout the negotiations. Ups and downs. That was just a way for us to put more pressure, and we knew it would work at the end of the day.”
But Pittsburgh Councilwoman Tonya Payne wasn’t thrilled with Lemieux’s admission.
“Every indication pointed to that they were serious about moving,” Payne told the newspaper. “I know that scared the hell out of the governor, the mayor and … it got them in gear.”
Small world
The Schottenheimer family certainly has its ties to the Brett Favre saga. Favre’s new offensive coordinator with the Jets is Brian Schottenheimer.
Kurt Schottenheimer is the secondary coach of Favre’s old team, the Packers.
Brian and Kurt’s father, Marty, was the head coach when the Packers’ current head coach, Mike McCarthy, was an assistant here in Kansas City.
The question now is: How will Brian be able to work with a legend?
“I think they’ll get along fine,” Marty said on his weekly Sirius radio show. “Brian has a considerable history with Mike McCarthy. … The teaching by Brian would be very much like the teaching with Mike McCarthy.”
So, Brian is going to “teach” Brett Favre?
@ Go to
KansasCity.com to read more from Jeffrey Flanagan in his blog "Over the Top"
To reach Jeffrey Flanagan, call 816-234-4492 and leave a message or send e-mail to jflanagan@kcstar.com
