Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
The Brandon Wheat Kings and the Keystone Centre are nearing a deal, according to a source close to the negotiations.
The existing deal, a five-year extension of an agreement originally signed in 1997, is set to expire at the end of May.
The new deal, which includes everything from the amount of square footage the Wheat Kings need to run its WHL operation in Westman Place to advertising rights in the arena, is in the final stages of being ironed out — “A matter of crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s,” according to the source.
Wheat Kings owner Kelly McCrimmon downplayed a potential tentative agreement between the two sides.
“I’m not going to speak to speculation,” McCrimmon said. “Both sides are working their way through the negotiating process.”
“Talks are progressing well,” said Neil Thomson, general manager of the Keystone Centre. “We’re viewing where we are at in the process as a positive thing.”
Both sides have remained tight-lipped about negotiations since February out of respect for the process.
“We both have our own focus and responsibilities,” Thomson said. “Kelly is doing the best for his Wheat King organization and I’m focused on doing what is the best thing for the Keystone Centre. We’re both trying to meet our own expectations and develop a solution that works for both parties because in the end if it isn’t a solution that works for both parties, then it’s not a good situation.”
Both sides had hoped an agreement could be worked out earlier, and delays fuelled speculation outside of the negotiating room that the team was potentially leaving Brandon. Inside the negotiation room, the relationship has remained cordial as both sides work to reach an agreement that benefits everyone involved, said George McLeod, the chairman of the Keystone Centre’s negotiating team.
“I have learned an enormous amount about the operations of a hockey club in the WHL,” McLeod said.
“These things do take time and both sides need to be cautious, but the negotiations from Day 1 have been totally cordially and I’ve been buoyed by the process and where we are at.”
» ctweed@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition May 15, 2012
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The Brandon Wheat Kings and the Keystone Centre are nearing a deal, according to a source close to the negotiations.
The existing deal, a five-year extension of an agreement originally signed in 1997, is set to expire at the end of May.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings and the Keystone Centre are nearing a deal, according to a source close to the negotiations.
The existing deal, a five-year extension of an agreement originally signed in 1997, is set to expire at the end of May.
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