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Tuesday, December 11, 2001

By Dave Molinari, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

There hasn't been a lot of public discussion about a new arena for the Penguins lately. Not since Sept. 11, anyway.

But that doesn't mean it isn't being talked about. Or that, in the wake of projects yielding stadiums for the Pirates and Steelers, a convention center and a convocation center for Pitt, the Penguins don't believe they have cause for optimism that Mellon Arena will be replaced.

Not quite as quickly as they'd like, perhaps -- realizing their objective of being in a new home by 2005 might be difficult -- but team officials insist they are encouraged by the feedback they've gotten from various public officials.

"I think it will be our turn, and that's what everybody has told us, privately: 'We know your turn is coming,' " said Tom Rooney, who oversees the team's day-to-day business operations. "There are four new venues that will be open by 2002. I think we're just a natural to be the fifth."

The natural order of things was disrupted three months ago, though, and Penguins owner Mario Lemieux acknowledged that the terrorist attacks had a direct impact on the team's plans.

"What happened on Sept. 11 has changed everything, around the world and also here in Pittsburgh," he said. "When you look at a new arena and [using] taxpayers' money, that might be difficult under the circumstances. We'll have to wait and see, keep talking to the politicians and see if we can get some support."

Rooney acknowledged that the attacks have delayed similar projects around the country but added that the Penguins continue to make the preparations needed for a new building.

"We've done feasibility studies, we've done economic impact studies, we've looked at development opportunities, we've hired a bevy of consultants," he said. "We're going to be prepared, sometime this spring, to basically lay out what we perceive to be the whole scenario."

Under terms of the Penguins' 1999 bankruptcy settlement, local officials are obliged to try to have a funding plan for a new arena in place by June. Despite all that has happened, Rooney said that remains "a very meaningful deadline" to the Penguins.

"We still believe in that deadline, and I think that deadline is still very realistic," he said. "We've done a lot of work on the new arena, a lot more than people know about. We're going to be prepared to be able to articulate exactly what we think we can do from our end by then.

"We've kept a very low profile on the new arena, purposefully, because we wanted to make sure we had our own act together. We're in a position now where we have a very good idea of where and when and what this building should be. We are just being very diplomatic about how we go from point to point with it. We don't want anybody to get hysterical about it."

Rooney said the Penguins have had talks with local officials -- "It's been on a low-key basis, and we certainly haven't made any demands of anyone" -- and Lemieux echoed Rooney's belief that they seem to support the idea of a new arena.

"I think everybody we've talked to has been fairly receptive," Lemieux said.

How much, if any, financial support the Penguins can expect from governmental entities isn't clear. This much is clear: Building an arena tends to be a three-year process -- one to get financing and other details in order, two for actual construction -- and the Penguins' lease at Mellon Arena expires in 2007.

"That's when the Penguins become the proverbial franchise free agent," Rooney said. "I think we, as a group, are confident we'll get something done. Maybe not as quick as we wanted to have it done, but certainly by then."

Trivia question

Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux were teammates with the Penguins for the better part of seven seasons. How many of Jagr's four team MVP awards came in those years? Answer at end.

Youth check

It will be a long time before the Penguins truly know how they fared in the trade that sent Jaromir Jagr to Washington for three 20-year-old prospects -- centers Kris Beech and Michal Sivek and defenseman Ross Lupaschuk -- but five months after the fact, they remain pleased with their end of the deal.

"We were looking for young kids and we think we got three good, quality ones," General Manager Craig Patrick said. "We like Kris Beech a lot. He's getting better all the time, as are Lupaschuk and Sivek."

Lupaschuk was a defensive-zone disaster at the start of the season -- he had a plus-minus of minus-11 after five games -- but seems to be adapting to the AHL. He has 2 goals, 6 assists and a plus-2 in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's past four games, bumping his statistics for the season to 5 goals, 11 assists and a minus-3 in 25 games.

Sivek, meanwhile, has considerable offensive promise, but it hasn't translated into production yet: He has 4 goals, 8 assists and a minus-12 in 25 games with the Baby Penguins.

Beech was regarded as the centerpiece of the Capitals' package and hasn't disappointed. His numbers -- 2 goals, 10 assists and an even plus-minus in 28 games -- aren't overwhelming, but he has performed well on every part of the ice and in every conceivable situation.

"I think Beech is going to be a great player in this league," Lemieux said. "He's just got to get a little bit faster, a little stronger. He's got a great mind for the game. He's a smart player and aggressive. I think he's going to be a good one."

The first trade

Although it won't go down in franchise history as The Trade -- that distinction is reserved for the deal a few months later that brought Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings from Hartford -- today is the 11th anniversary of a transaction that played a significant part in the Penguins' first Stanley Cup run.

On Dec. 11, 1990, Patrick sent Jim Johnson and Chris Dahlquist, two reliable, blue-collar defensemen, to Minnesota for defensemen Larry Murphy and Peter Taglianetti.

Murphy's considerable offensive talents blossomed when he got here, and Taglianetti added a feisty, physical presence to the Penguins' blue line. Each became a major asset for the team, and each benefited personally from the change.

"That move, for all intents and purposes, jump-started my career," Taglianetti said. "And I think it made Larry Murphy one of the more recognizable people in the league. When you play on a high-profile team, that happens."

Murphy continued to play through last season, and nothing except the mandatory three-year waiting period figures to separate him from induction to the Hall of Fame.

Taglianetti, meanwhile, is part-owner of a company that sells office furniture and machines and said the public's appreciation of what the Penguins did after he joined them pays off in business.

"They do remember, and it's nice," he said. "I wasn't a huge, integral part of the team, but they do remember the name. ... It does open doors and make those initial calls warm."

Trivia answer

Jagr never won -- or shared -- a Penguins MVP award in a season in which Lemieux played. Jagr received the award in 1994-95, when Lemieux sat out the entire season, and in 1997-98 (shared with Ron Francis), 1998-99 and 1999-2000, the three seasons when Lemieux was retired.