It seems likely that the 1995 IHL-champion Grizzlies, who swept the Turner Cup finals like the Rockets swept the NBA finals, will have to move out of town after only one season in Denver.
The Colorado city is the immediate new home of the NHL's Quebec Nordique franchise, purchased by Denver-based COMSAT. And though the Grizzlies say they'd like to stay and play in Denver, too, a knowledgeable source that wished to remain anonymous says that the city, which owns McNichols Arena and Denver Coliseum, probably won't want to sign a new lease with the Grizzlies, even for the smaller coliseum. "The city is reluctant to do anything to hurt the franchise," the source said.With the probability of having to move, Grizzly owner David Elmore has been scouting locations, and Salt Lake City's Delta Center is one he's checked into. It is thought he has or will also investigate Sacramento and San Diego. Elmore apparently wants his franchise to remain in the West.
He had a preliminary meeting with Delta Center general manager Scott Williams and Jazz general manager Tim Howells on Tuesday.
Howells said he was involved mainly to introduce the two. He and Elmore served on the IHL Board of Governors together when Howells was president of the Golden Eagles, who played 25 seasons in Salt Lake before being sold some 14 months ago to interests in Detroit. Several former Eagles played for Denver this season; the Grizzlies are the top affiliate of the New York Islanders, who were the Eagles' final parent team.
Jazz vice president Dave Allred, a spokesman for Williams, called Tuesday's meeting "an opportunity for discovery," meaning that financial figures were exchanged. "It is back in Elmore's hands, whether he'll call us (back)," said Allred. "It will be him contacting us."
"Both sides are independently getting some figures together to see if we can get together," said Howells. "Dave seems to be interested, but I don't think we're his only option."
Howells said the Delta Center/Jazz group would like to have hockey back, "If we can bring hockey back to Salt Lake without having to underwrite it."
Williams has made it clear to all who inquire about using the Delta Center for pro hockey that the building would like to have a franchise if that franchise can guarantee a level of attendance or revenue that would pay the high daily costs of maintaining ice - like $700-$800 a day for electricity from October to April or May - as well as other team costs for building use.
Obviously, if Salt Lake City received the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics earlier today, it would make the city more attractive to Elmore or to others who've expressed interest in having an IHL expansion franchise here. An Olympic bid would mean a building made for hockey would likely be built. The Delta Center sightlines aren't good for hockey, which is much of the reason for the Golden Eagles' demise. One IHL source said if the Olympic bid were successful, Elmore could be interested in moving to the Delta Center this season and staying there until an Olympic venue were built.
Of the other cities most likely to appeal to the Grizzlies, Sacramento is said to want an IHL team but would like to have it more as a precursor to getting an NHL club. It considers itself a big-league town.
San Diego, however, is said to actively want the Grizzlies. "They're very interested to the point where they would work a pretty good deal with them," a source said.
San Diego has had an IHL team, the Gulls, since 1990-91, but the franchise is moving to the Los Angeles Sports Arena for the coming season, leaving the San Diego Sports Arena empty.
The IHL will expand into Orlando and San Francisco in the 1995-96 season, and an already-granted franchise in Grand Rapids, Mich., that will begin play in Fall 1996 will bring the league to 20 teams. The IHL's goal is to expand by two teams per year until it gets to 28.