XL Center Makeover Comes With Hefty Price Tag | The Boneyard

XL Center Makeover Comes With Hefty Price Tag

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I think it's pretty sad and telling where Hartfords future lays..... Either way this is lipstick on a pig regardless of the improvement.
 

WestHartHusk

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Sounds like a lot more money for UConn, potentially. If we must play there, unlocking concessions, parking and luxury seating is a huge win for the AD. This also explains the hockey arena on campus...if we are going to be a partner in the building there is no reason to compete against ourselves.
 
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Will reserve judgement until more details are released; but, my primary concerns are 1) where is the state going to find the money to pay for this in light of budget issues and transportation infrastructure needs and 2) still relies on UConn more than it should as the Huskies are a college sports those teams that should play a majority of games on campus and not a source of professional entertainment aimed to make Hartford a better city.
 

CL82

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“The objective is to make this building a new building,” Freimuth said. “It has to look, feel and smell new.”

Really? I thought the objective was to make smell it like a McDonald's exhaust fan outlet.

Historically, the venue has been a money-loser, about $3 million annually in recent years, a loss that typically was all or at least partly covered by the state.

Are there any projections, other than wishful thinking, as to how the renovation will change that? I haven't seen any that shows a significant ROI on this $250M investment.

The contract would make UConn more of a partner than a tenant. The deal calls for the university to play 30 games a year — men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey — for 20 years. But instead of paying rent, as it does now, and keeping the majority of ticket revenue, UConn and the arena would share all revenue — tickets, concessions, sponsorships and premium seating — with UConn no longer paying rent. “There would be a higher return to UConn than it is currently getting,” Freimuth said. “And the idea is that the revenue stream for the arena would be better than break-even.”

Seems to suggest that UConn games aren't currently making money for the university or the XL. I like the even split deal so long as there isn't an allocation of fixed expense in determining profit.

A profitable venue also would be attractive to an NHL team should one seek out Hartford, Friemuth said, because a professional team doesn’t want to subsidize operations.

"Should one seek out Hartford." LOL - kind a key modifier.

While I like the changes from a concrete box to a more open space, I haven't seen anything that shows this to be a good investment.

 
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Will this really make it seem like a brand new arena or will it mostly just be cosmetic? The sight lines are awful at the civic center and the seating is just far too steep. $285 million dollars is an obscene amount if you are just putting lipstick on a pig. I have no clue when it comes to building/architecture, does this make a lot of sense and will it feel like an entirely new modern arena? Something needs to be done, does this make more sense than building a brand new structure?
 
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I hope this happens, but it MUST be done right. I'm not 100% what "right" is ....
If it costs more than 250, do it, but audit, audit audit, no lipstick. It needs to = caliper of B1G and NHL.

This will be good for civic pride, national exposure, better for tv, recruiting, attendance, ST holders, our bladders, movement between half/periods, revenue for state and UConn, food variety, concessions, overall entertainment, the 5:00 escape, our NHL pipe dream, tournaments like NCAA bball, frozen four/regionals, nutmeg hockey tournament etc.

That said, I think they should maximize revenue and only have 16,500 - 17-500 seats. I'd rather have a really loud unique (not cookie cutter) arena that makes $ and sell out on a constient basis than a 18,000 arena that just doesn't work for hockey and bball ie barclAys
 
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Will reserve judgement until more details are released; but, my primary concerns are 1) where is the state going to find the money to pay for this in light of budget issues and transportation infrastructure needs and 2) still relies on UConn more than it should as the Huskies are a college sports those teams that should play a majority of games on campus and not a source of professional entertainment aimed to make Hartford a better city.
BINGO. This has all the components of blowing up in the city/state/university's face. They don't have the money secured, they claim they'll start construction without having the full cost budgeted, are giving an absolute best-case scenario timeline of 2019 that only will be successful if there are no hiccups of any kind (which there will), and absolutely have their head in the sand with regards to the NHL. There is a 0.0000000000000000001% chance the NHL comes back to Hartford as long as Bettman is in office, and even then there are a multitude of other cities ahead of Hartford in line for expansion/relocation. Building this arena selling the state on a bill of goods such as "it'll be attractive to potential NHL teams" is 100% disingenuous or coming from the mouths of people who have absolutely no clue what they're talking about.

Not to mention if by the grace of God an NHL team did come back, that 30-game agreement with UConn would be ripped to shreds as the NHL team would have first dibs on all game times.
 

Dooley

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I think this could be a huge positive for UConn. If the state is going to pay for it, then UConn can focus their money on renovating Gampel and Freitas while construction the new rec center. The extra revenue stream from splitting everything, including concessions, and an additional 2,000 or so seats PLUS luxury seating would be great too. An 18,500 seat arena is the type of venue that would be B1G worthy. I also like the idea of splitting up the concessions and bathroom traffic into layered concourses. It has never made any sense to me why the upper and lower level seating share the same small, narrow corridor for concessions and bathrooms.

This arena needs to be UConn-centric and not NHL driven. The NHL is never coming back to Hartford. You build this arena for UConn basketball and UConn hockey first, AHL hockey second, and concerts/misc entertainment third. UConn is the chief tenant and they will always get first dibs on scheduling.
 
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I think this could be a huge positive for UConn. If the state is going to pay for it, then UConn can focus their money on renovating Gampel and Freitas while construction the new rec center. The extra revenue stream from splitting everything, including concessions, and an additional 2,000 or so seats PLUS luxury seating would be great too. An 18,500 seat arena is the type of venue that would be B1G worthy. I also like the idea of splitting up the concessions and bathroom traffic into layered concourses. It has never made any sense to me why the upper and lower level seating share the same small, narrow corridor for concessions and bathrooms.

This arena needs to be UConn-centric and not NHL driven. The NHL is never coming back to Hartford. You build this arena for UConn basketball and UConn hockey first, AHL hockey second, and concerts/misc entertainment third. UConn is the chief tenant and they will always get first dibs on scheduling.

As usual you hit it out of the park. The only area I disagree with you is the size of the arena. It is to big for anAAC team, UConn hockey and the AHL
 

UCFBfan

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So let me get this straight....the state is in a dire economic budget crisis and it's only predicted to be a lot worse and they're going to shell out $250 million for a make over?!? I'm a huge supporter of doing everything you can to make Hartford vibrant and strong but I just can't support this. With our transportation infrastructure in dire need of all the funding it can get we can't be giving money for projects like this.....maybe it's me getting older and more aware of the long term effects of these budget cuts that need to be made as opposed to how I was in my 20's but this project is one I hope the state does not support.
 
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I love how you guys say "never" and ".000000000000000000000001" chance of NHL returning. It's makes you sound dumb. NHL needs 3 things. Arena, market, owner. Arena? Check if done right. This is going to be sold as UConn and NHL as cherry on top. Market? We are a better market than Carolina, Arizona, Florida, devils, and Columbus. Owner? There is a ownership group interested and not made public that is smart to remain silent and in the shadows until told to.

Arizona, Carolina, Florida, islanders, and possibly the Devils are in trouble. Winnipeg is a smaller market and smaller arena and "is beyond anything the NHL could dream of". If Quebec gets a team, why not fix Bettman's 20 year mistakes. We are proven NHL market and 20 years of absence would beat any enthusiasm created from Vegas or Seattle. How is KC or Houston a better NHL market than CT? Our TV contract alone would make ALL NHL owners $. The reduced travel costs would be a +. Conference alignment would be an issue, but you have at least 2 teams in the EC that are in trouble.

Do your NHL research if you continue to think "never" and .00000000000000001" chance. Enough of the blanket cynicism.
 
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I'll put money on them keeping the general structure/sight lines of the current seating bowl. Kudos to them for releasing the cosmetic improvements which from first glance will probably eat up a good chunk of the 250 mil.
 

Dooley

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The sightlines for hockey in the 200 level seats is terrible. If you're sitting on the ends in the 200s, you can't even see the goal directly under you without standing. You can address this by adding more seats to a lower bowl, then splitting upper and lower with luxury suite/premium seating, and curtaining off the entire 200 level sections for UConn and AHL hockey. If more seats are to be added to capacity, I'd rather them be closer to the action - not further away from it.
 
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I love how you guys say "never" and ".000000000000000000000001" chance of NHL returning. It's makes you sound dumb. NHL needs 3 things. Arena, market, owner. Arena? Check if done right. This is going to be sold as UConn and NHL as cherry on top. Market? We are a better market than Carolina, Arizona, Florida, devils, and Columbus. Owner? There is a ownership group interested and not made public that is smart to remain silent and in the shadows until told to.

Arizona, Carolina, Florida, islanders, and possibly the Devils are in trouble. Winnipeg is a smaller market and smaller arena and "is beyond anything the NHL could dream of". If Quebec gets a team, why not fix Bettman's 20 year mistakes. We are proven NHL market and 20 years of absence would beat any enthusiasm created from Vegas or Seattle. How is KC or Houston a better NHL market than CT? Our TV contract alone would make ALL NHL owners $. The reduced travel costs would be a +. Conference alignment would be an issue, but you have at least 2 teams in the EC that are in trouble.

Do your NHL research if you continue to think "never" and .00000000000000001" chance. Enough of the blanket cynicism.
How do you know? Because Malloy said this a couple years back? Even if their is interested potential owners, do they currently own a team? Will the NHL let those franchises be sold to outside interests? Will they be interested in a renovated 40 y/0 arena?
There seems to be a lot of blind faith in your post that makes it seem kind of silly you're getting worked up because some people are skeptical.
 
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The sightlines for hockey in the 200 level seats is terrible. If you're sitting on the ends in the 200s, you can't even see the goal directly under you without standing. You can address this by adding more seats to a lower bowl, then splitting upper and lower with luxury suite/premium seating, and curtaining off the entire 200 level sections for UConn and AHL hockey. If more seats are to be added to capacity, I'd rather them be closer to the action - not further away from it.
In the original article i remember reading that the renovation option (the one they obviously chose) would have less lower level seating than the option to build a new arena. Whether that means the same amount as it currently has I don't know but if i were a betting man from what they are telling us most of that 250 mil will be going towards the new concourse/retail space and cosmetic changes. Seems they're focusing on the modern ways generate more revenue and keeping us in the dark about addressing the actual seating bowl issues.
 
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How do you know? Because Malloy said this a couple years back? Even if their is interested potential owners, do they currently own a team? Will the NHL let those franchises be sold to outside interests? Will they be interested in a renovated 40 y/0 arena?
There seems to be a lot of blind faith in your post that makes it seem kind of silly you're getting worked up because some people are skeptical.

He's a wolfpack blogger and I despise the rangers and wolfpack, but he wrote this during the expansion period.

http://www.howlings.net/2015/07/27/cantlons-corner-is-nhl-coming-to-hartford-final-answer/

“We had discussions with a group and in the final analysis there was too short a time frame and a very cost prohibitive process, that quite frankly, Hartford didn’t have the ability and wasn’t able to enter at this time,” CRDA Executive Director Mike Freimuth said. Friemuth declined to identify the name of the investment group.

Plus check some of these out….

https://soundcloud.com/the-whaler-guys. There's 8 of them.

16 groups asked for applications for NHL expansion. I'm skeptical and as much of a debbie downer as the rest of us in CT, but it's OK to dream of the B1G for UConn, but not O.K. to dream for the NHL in CT?
 

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I'm skeptical and as much of a debbie downer as the rest of us in CT, but it's OK to dream of the B1G for UConn, but not O.K. to dream for the NHL in CT?

Of course it's okay to dream about the NHL in CT. If it ever happened, I would be one of the first to buy season tickets (again). There are just MANY more factors as to why the Whalers left Hartford than Gary Bettman.

Build up UConn to the B1G first and establish a vibrant sports market capable of sporting multiple sports. In other threads, our fanbase is quibbling over scheduling a basketball game at Gampel against Furman and a football game at the Rent against Houston that are HOURS APART. Can you imagine the horror if the Whalers had a 7PM game that same night??

UConn Nation needs to establish themselves as a full and united fan market first, then we can talk about professional sports again.
 
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I love how you guys say "never" and ".000000000000000000000001" chance of NHL returning. It's makes you sound dumb. NHL needs 3 things. Arena, market, owner. Arena? Check if done right. This is going to be sold as UConn and NHL as cherry on top. Market? We are a better market than Carolina, Arizona, Florida, devils, and Columbus. Owner? There is a ownership group interested and not made public that is smart to remain silent and in the shadows until told to.

Arizona, Carolina, Florida, islanders, and possibly the Devils are in trouble. Winnipeg is a smaller market and smaller arena and "is beyond anything the NHL could dream of". If Quebec gets a team, why not fix Bettman's 20 year mistakes. We are proven NHL market and 20 years of absence would beat any enthusiasm created from Vegas or Seattle. How is KC or Houston a better NHL market than CT? Our TV contract alone would make ALL NHL owners $. The reduced travel costs would be a +. Conference alignment would be an issue, but you have at least 2 teams in the EC that are in trouble.

Do your NHL research if you continue to think "never" and .00000000000000001" chance. Enough of the blanket cynicism.

Yes, Hartford has been and would be a good hockey market in comparison to Atlanta, Phoenix, Nashville, Tampa, etc. That's said, as long as Bettman is the NHL Commissioner, Hartford has 0% chance getting an NHL team even if Hartford built a brand new, top-of-the-line arena. If Betmman leaves, Hartford would still be behind Quebec City, (Las Vegas (a Bettman specialty), a Toronto/Hamilton team, Kansas City, and Seattle regarding possible relocation or expansion locations. Its a long shot and that does not take into account if owners in NYC and/or Boston would be against such a move .
 
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Yes, Hartford has been and would be a good hockey market in comparison to Atlanta, Phoenix, Nashville, Tampa, etc. That's said, as long as Bettman is the NHL Commissioner, Hartford has 0% chance getting an NHL team even if Hartford built a brand new, top-of-the-line arena. If Betmman leaves, Hartford would still be behind Quebec City, (Las Vegas (a Bettman specialty), a Toronto/Hamilton team, Kansas City, and Seattle regarding possible relocation or expansion locations. Its a long shot and that does not take into account if owners in NYC and/or Boston would be against such a move .
The goal of the placement of franchises in non-traditional markets was to create interest in the game in those markets. The #1 prospect for the 2016 NHL draft is from Arizona. We've had one of our UConn goalies come from AZ. NCAA D1 teams are loading up on talent from places you'd least expect. QU is ranked #3 and their captain comes from California.
 
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http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-xl-center-before-after-renderings-20151113-htmlstory.html


Good bit of detail in there, including how it affects UConn athletics and the revenues that are generated at games.

One thing I do like about this plan is that if the state is going to spend $250 million dollars and expect the XL center with UConn as a partner to be a major economic driver for Hartford, this should give our politicians incentive to do everything possible to keep UConn athletics at an elite level. This includes putting pressure on ESPN to help us out in CR.
 
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