Winnipeg Penguins? Keep dreamin', Canada

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in financial trouble, and they have been for years. The team desperately needs a new building, and up until recently, retired hockey star Mario Lemieux was trying to sell the team.

But, other than landing superstar Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pens have had little luck since Lemieux hung up his skates for good in January 2006.

Lemieux and his partners reached a deal to sell the team to Canadian Jim Balsille in October of last year, but the deal recently fell through, and the team was taken off the market.

An owner with deep pockets is what the Pens need, because the franchise, founded in 1967, has already declared bankruptcy once, and a new arena doesn't appear in the offing after a proposed $250 million arena fell through with a casino builder.

I'm hoping the Pens move to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to replace the departed Jets, who left in 1996. But, more on that in a minute. (Above, Randy Carlyle, the current head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, as a Winnipeg Jet.)

It just seems like Pittsburgh doesn't want the Pens to stay, but the city seems like it doesn't want the Penguins. The team plays in the worst arena in the league (and the oldest), and it's been clear for years that it's needed a new arena. Yet, every deal falls through. And, with no new arena in site, the team is not going to stay.

My first hope, as an NHL nut, is that the Pens stay right where they are. But, with each passing day, that looks less and less likely.

So, where to next? Las Vegas, Kansas City, Portland, Houston and Winnipeg are the cities most often mentioned as possible destinations.

Vegas deserves no consideration for a pro sports team, period. It's a tourist destination, not a city with a potential loyal fan base. To people who think that a city like Vegas would be suitable, I have this to say - why not just have a team in Disney World? Oh wait, that's already been tried - the Anaheim Ducks used to be owned by Disney, and we all know how that worked out - Disney has divested itself of any interest in the team.

Houston is not a good destination, either. The Dallas Stars have been a success since moving from Minnesota, but is there really a groundswell of support for another hockey team in Texas? Dallas has enjoyed lots of success, and that's good - an example of a successful relocation. But there are drawbacks, too - it has the worst ice in the NHL, especially during the playoffs. Guess what? Houston has much worse humidity, which would make keeping ice playable a nightmare.

Kansas City? That's been tried before - the Kansas City Scouts were in town from 1 974 to 1976, and they promptly left town for Colorado. I don't doubt the passion of Kansas City fans - Chiefs fans are loyal and dedicated. I don't count the Royals, because they don't qualify as a real professional team. So, a KC hockey team might succeed simply because of a lack of competition.

Portland might not be a bad destination, since Oregon has no professional teams from the NHL, NFL or MLB. But, would the support be there? Portland's (and Oregon's) lone pro team, the Blazers, are the laughing stock of the NBA and have been for sale for some time, but no one has stepped forward to buy the team.

That leaves Winnipeg as the last destination, at least on my list. Yes, it's another "been there, done that" city, like Kansas City, but is there a country with a greater percentage of fans who appreciate hockey more than Canada? I think not. Plus, Winnipeg is a special case, too, for a number of reasons.

The best reason to bring another team to Canada is the country's loss of two teams to the lower 48 in the 90s - Winnipeg to Phoenix and Quebec to Colorado. (And very nearly Edmonton and Calgary in the mid-90s.) With only six teams left, Canadians now know the value of hockey franchises.

Best of all for Winnipeg, the city has a new arena. The barn that the old Jets used to play in was torn down long ago and a new, state-of-the-art arena was built. Yes, the MTS Centre is small (cap. 15,003), but perhaps an expansion is possible? I don't know if it is, but it's worth looking into.

I know, I know, it's very odd for an American to hope that an NHL franchise moves north of the border, but it's good for the game. And no one can make the argument to me that the team would be worse off in Winnipeg than it would be in the cities listed above, including Pittsburgh. You think a denizen of Pittsburgh appreciates hockey more than a Winnipegger? Or someone in Las Vegas, Houston or Kansas City? Yea, sure.

Anyway, I know it's a pipe dream, but I would love to see another Canadian team in the NHL.