Advantages and drawbacks to the new arena

Anyway, what are some of the advantages and drawbacks to the oilers for the new arena?

Benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. In Canada we experience such multiculturalism in our sports it has become a custom for many other families to bring in hockey to their childrens lives. Canada eats sleeps and breathes hockey. The current lockout will tell you that, every Canadian who watched hockey every saturday night now is off to find something else to do. They all say 'how am I going to survive without it.'

In Edmonton specifically, the new arena would bring about revitalization like you wouldn't believe. It would revitalize the city, the fans, the players, it would put edmonton as a destination for players who wish to be traded or free agents. At 16,839 for a seating capacity it is damn near impossible to get into a hockey game. Unless you are willing to pay through the teeth for a nosebleed ticket. 16,839 is in the bottom 5 for seating capacity around the league. In Canada that is a very large problem. For social programs or youth groups to get into a game, they have to wait weeks and usually end up seeing sub-par teams.What the new arena proposes is somewhere around 22,000 seats. Which would leave about 12,000 to the general public to be able to get down to the arena and enjoy a game. For an affordable price. It would gain much more of a fan base for the paycheque to paycheque families to be able to treat their young son to a hockey game.

New clubhouse would be a very nice draw for the team, reporters and cameramen would have the room to be able to interview players. It wouldn't look old and dingy. It would look modern and appealing. The biggest problem with Rexall place is the dinginess. It is old, falling apart, it is not aesthetically appealing in the slightest.  New restaurants and new business opportunities from foreign investment would be huge. Would create more jobs, more tourism and economic growth.

In 2006, the Edmonton Oilers put together their best 'team' season since the 1984-1990. They worked as a team, they functioned as a team. Defensemen looked out for their goalies. What that season did for the city is beyond words. Every weekend 20 somethings talk about going drinking on Whyte Ave. Well, in 2006 Whyte Ave was the only place to drink, and during away games the only place that mattered. Whyte Ave experienced a surge in economic growth, fans were happy, bartenders were happy. The city had a special Aura around it. It gave a reason for the city to believe. Believe in something as ridiculous as sports, when important political issues were going on. Cars had flags, people wearing hats, couldn't move 2 feet without seeing an oiler jersey. Fast forward 6 years

Those days are long gone. People have lost faith, nobody is surprised when the oilers lose. Nobody is proud of the team, or the house that gretzky built anymore. Optimism about hockey is lacking a pulse.

The arena could bring about that same hope that cup run did. It will bring back optimism, it'll fill the seats, they will experience the best merchandise sales. It will revitalize the downtown core, and move the eye sores that are currently plopped down. Businesses will thrive around the area of workers, and fans about to head to the game. Commute would be ridiculously easy because there are 10 buses at any given time going downtown. The LRT can get you down there in little to no time at all. It would put Edmonton back on the map in infrastructure terms, too. Businessmen, scouts, international travelers would come about just to see this hi-tech arena. After all, nobody in Ottawa would say 'we need to go see the Sens play the Oilers at Rexall Place, I hear that you haven't seen a hockey game until you have been in that arena.'

Potential drawbacks would be - the people who refuse to take transit and need to drive. It could potentially clog up the downtown streets. The money that it is being used for, may be spent better somewhere else. The constant lying about price, and the repeated changes to the blueprint makes everyone a little skeptical. 

This is Canada though, this is hockey. Edmonton needs a new arena, as every other Canadian team has upgraded and experienced a much better work environment, and much more revenue. The area that Rexall is in is one of the dirtiest places in the City. The arena could bring cleanliness to downtown and inject a new fuel for making our city more pleasant to visit.

Enough is enough, build the arena please. The Oilers could never leave Edmonton, that is just not feasible in my mind. The city will see some of the revenue of the new arena.

If the city can pay 500,000-800,000 for a pile of chrome balls to put on a side of a road, why can't we put money towards a new identity for the city.

Sincerely, A hockey fan.

Regards,
Devon