Some voted for St. Paul's Civic Center, while others were partial to Minneapolis' Target Center. I can make a safe bet that NO-OOO-BODY voted for Reunion arena.
January 27th, 1993 To: North Stars Season Ticket Holders From: Pat Forciea As I write this letter, a number of proposals concerning the North Stars are under consideration. The options are being evaluated and the numbers are being crunched, but even the best financial analysis won't tell us what is on the minds of our most valuable asset: the season ticket holders of this franchise. If we are to find the wherewithal to support and nourish championship NHL hockey in Minnesota, it's critical that we have a sense of which solution our most important customers will support. To be sure, there have been 5300 of you this year who have supported North Stars hockey at the Met. More than a few have suggested that a seat at the Met Center is the seat of choice for viewing our games. We agree it's a wonderful facility, but it will be difficult for hockey to survive with the limits the Met places on us--a building where the franchise has suffered three years of crippling financial losses. We have made it clear to the City of Bloomington that we need an additional 2000 seats and a physical link with the Mall. The City of Bloomington has responded--or more accurately-- not responded, by demonstrating they have no interest in helping us find a way to stay at Met Center. The City of St. Paul currently has two proposals on the table--one of which would involve playing all of our games at the Civic Center and the the other would involve playing a portion of our schedule there. While the St. Paul proposals don't address all of the concerns we have about our future, the city's sincere, community-wide effort will certainly have an impact on any decision we eventually make. We are complimented and grateful for that major undertaking. If this were an emotional decision, it would be an easy call, but we don't have that luxury. We need to investigate St. Paul's demonstrated emotional strength to see if it can be translated into sufficient financial support to make the economics of a move to the Civic Center work. Clearly, we need to find a situation that solidifies our long-term future in the state. The economics of the game have changed throughout the league and at the Minnesota North Stars. We have the sixth highest salary outlay of any franchise in the NHL. Among other changes we need to make for next year, our ticket prices need to be adjusted to prices that are competitive with other NHL markets our size. There have been indications that the current situation at Target Center may create a one-time opportunity to give Bob Gainey the kind of resources he needs to build one of the best teams in the NHL. Norman Green has made it very clear throughout his tenure here that his defining interest lies in fielding the best possible team. We need to find a way to make the numbers support that goal and the answer may lie in finding a way to play in downtown Minneapolis. The dialogue between Target Center, the city and the Minnesota North Stars has been thoughtful and sincere. The increased opportunity of corporate partnerships, more luxury boxes and an additonal 2000 seats means the downtown proposal must be looked at seriously. But the question still remains whether you would be willing to occupy one of those seats. It's important to mention that regardless of where we end up next year, our current season ticket holders will have first choice of seats for the North Stars season. We have been in the hockey business long enough to know that if we don't take the interest of our best customers to heart, the building we play in won't make much difference. The North Stars are looking for your feedback as dirctly as we can. Please help us create a future you'd like to be part of by filling out the enclosed reply card. Sincerest Regards, Pat Forciea Minnesota North Stars |