"Make it a shrine." — essential quotes on the downtown arena project, Part 1
DAVID STAPLES, EDMONTON JOURNAL
More from David Staples, Edmonton Journal
2016-08-19 50 Quotes on the Downtown Arena
Part 1: From Nichols to Katz, dreams to battles, 2005-08
The downtown arena is soon to open and to dominate Edmonton’s new cycles like it hasn’t in years, so here’s a refresher on the long, divisive and angry eight-year debate that saw the arena planned, approved and built.
I’m going to break these posts up and publish them over a few weeks. This first part starts with the announcement from Oilers owner Cal Nichols that a new arena was needed in Edmonton and ends with Daryl Katz taking over the team in July 2008 and spelling out his hope to quickly get going on the arena negotiations, which in the end would drag out five long and difficult years.
October 2, 2005, Edmonton Journal: “(Oilers owner Cal) Nichols has a new goal, one that will require the community to be mobilized in a manner it hasn’t been in decades: the building of a new arena.”
October 3, 2005, Mayor Stephen Mandel: “I think it’s something that the province should take a look at. The city will support the project as much as we can, but we have a limited capacity.”
October 3, 2005: City councillor Mike Nickel: “I have always been very skeptical of handing over millions of dollars to million-dollar owners and million-dollar hockey players.”