As the Boston Bruins are gearing up to open a new season, their former co-tenants at the Garden, the Blazers, are still searching for a home.
Back in September, the indoor lacrosse team suspended operations for the 2012 NLL?season after lease negotiations broke down with Delaware North, the company that runs the Causeway Street arena.
The Blazers were purely tenants at the Garden, paying rent and giving up revenue streams. Now, president and GM Doug Reffue told Metro, they’re looking for something more solid — ideally, an NHL team buying part of the franchise.
“We need a partner,” Reffue said. “We don’t just need a landlord.”
The Blazers, Reffue said, are “currently in discussions” with two NHL?teams about such a deal, as well as Howard Baldwin, whose company runs the AHL’s Connecticut Whale.
Reffue’s informal deadline to have a deal done is mid-February. If the Blazers cannot show the NLL they have a lease in place by May 31, control of the franchise will revert to the league.
Does that mean the Blazers are definitely leaving Boston??Not necessarily. There are arenas other than the Garden; and with the right partner, they could find a home in the area.
“We worked like missionaries to grow the sport of box lacrosse in New England,”?Reffue said. “We need an arena partner that shares that burden.”
