WILKES-BARRE TWP. — The Luzerne County Convention Center Authority approved a motion Wednesday consenting to a proposed change in ownership of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The authority’s 11-member board is in charge of Mohegan Arena in Wilkes-Barre Twp. WBS Hockey LLC, the legal name on the Penguins lease with the authority, requested approval of the proposed ownership change.
The proposed change is part of an agreement to sell the Pittsburgh Penguins, which owns the its American Hockey League affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Fenway Sports Group agreed to sell the National Hockey League’s Penguins to the Chicago-based Hoffmann family investment group for $1.7 billion, according to reports in December.
The NHL Board of Governors has to vote to approve the Pittsburgh Penguins’ sale. Fenway Sports Group bought the Penguins from the former ownership group led by Mario Lemieux for $900 million in 2021.
The Luzerne County Convention Center Authority voted to approve a document that was presented when Fenway Sports Group bought the NHL Penguins, and it was similar to what was requested for the sale to the Hoffman family, Mohegan Arena General Manager Steve Poremba said.
Mohegan Arena’s current lease with the Penguins began in 2019 and expires June 20, 2029. Annual authority revenue from Penguins games is around $800,000.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Poremba said he is expecting sell outs of the Barry Manilow concert on April 16 and the Stars on Ice show on April 24. The Stars on Ice tour features figure skating gold medalist Alysa Liu and other stars of the recent Winter Olympics.
Mohegan Arena added the Stars on Ice show after the Olympics concluded Feb. 22 and then seeing how well the Stars on Ice show in Hershey was selling, Poremba said. The Hershey show is May 2.