The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the Penguins have reached a financing agreement on a new arena that will keep them in the city. The deal will be announced before tonight's game between the Pens and the Buffalo Sabres. The deal means that the Pens, co-owned by Ron Burkle and featuring the NHL's best young player in Sidney Crosby, will stay in Pittsburgh for at least the next 30 years.
Short-term, that's bad news for AEG and the city of Kansas City, which had dangled the keys to the soon-to-be-completed Sprint Center to the Pens. The Kansas City Star speculates that the Nashville Predators may be the most likely team to move to the new arena.

And, sad news for football and wrestling fans: Ernie Ladd, the gigantic defensive end who also enjoyed a long career as a professional wrestler (including many memorable battles with Andre the Giant et al. at the Olympic Auditorium), passed away from cancer. He was 68. Here's Jerry Magee's column from today's San Diego Union-Tribune.