This would be one longshot way for downstate New York to get a winning hockey team by 2007.
Unable to guarantee yesterday that the Devils will remain in New Jersey if the state doesn’t start the Newark arena, Lou Lamoriello said decision D-Day may come as soon as June 30.
“I could never guarantee [staying in N.J.] because that would be totally an ownership decision. It is not the intention of ownership, unless they have no choice,” the Devils’ CEO said.
Then Lamoriello implied that such things can happen.
“It wasn’t Dr. [John] McMullen’s intention to sell the team. But he had no choice,” Lamoriello said.
The possibility of the Devils moving to a still-to-be-built arena in Westchester or Connecticut has been raised, although it was initially believed to be a means of exerting pressure on New Jersey to help build a $320 million arena in Newark for the Nets and Devils.
Their current home in the Meadowlands is expected to be filled with 19,040 this afternoon when the Devils seek to extend their 23-game unbeaten streak over the Rangers, and Martin Brodeur tries to join all-time greats Terry Sawchuk and Jacques Plante as the only goalies to post three 40-victory seasons.
The Devils are chasing their fourth Eastern Conference title in five seasons, but this will be only the Stanley Cup champs’ seventh sellout of the season, and they fell 840 fans short of a full house against these Rangers on Jan. 6. That’s part of the problem.
Lamoriello said that New Jersey fans shouldn’t worry.
“I don’t think so at this point,” Lamoriello said. “I would hope [Newark] could be done very, very soon.”
YankeeNets and PuckHoldings, which bought the Devils during the summer for $175 million from McMullen, initially wanted to be playing in Newark in 2003. Then-governor Christie Whitman delayed in giving the Newark project her blessing until she was leaving to become EPA head under President Bush. She initially hoped to keep the teams at the Meadowlands, and sought to limit all government assistance on the Newark arena to $75 million.
She raised that figure considerably on her way out of Trenton, but acting governor Donald DiFrancesco has not been overwhelming in his support of the plan. An election is upcoming and putting heavy public money into a private arena might not be terribly popular with the voters.
“I think it’s very unfair to ownership. They were told what they had to do to get this done. That’s the reason they took the initiative to do it,” Lamoriello said. “Dr. McMullen was told that if he had the two teams, he’d be able to get it done. So they made the decision to buy the Devils.”
Lamoriello stressed that time is growing short.
“YankeeNets and the Devils will have to make a decision because a new facility is necessary, no question,” Lamoriello said. “Unless [Newark] becomes a reality in the near future, they’ll have to make that decision.
“They might have no choice.”
The Devil CEO-president-GM figures the answer could be only three months away.
“My understanding is that they’ve been told they should know something by the 30th of June,” Lamoriello said.
The Devils’ lease at Meadowlands Arena doesn’t expire until 2007, and while the Newark plan would entail the termination of that lease, it isn’t likely they’d receive any such break should they decide to move out of state.