Venue News & Notes: ‘Material Changes’ Put Vegas Arena on Hold

Plans for a proposed sports arena on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip are in a holding pattern after developers this week withdrew their application to the county zoning board. Terry Care, the attorney representing International Development Management, said the company temporarily held the application for the Silver State Arena because “material changes” were made to the arena’s plans, which place the proposed 22,000-seat facility south of Sahara Avenue and east of Las Vegas Boulevard. The property, formerly home of Wet ’n Wild, is owned by businesswoman and former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sue Lowden…

…When it was announced that the Pontiac Silverdome was purchased for $583,000 in an auction with the intention of bringing professional soccer back to Metro Detroit, soccer fans in southeast Michigan and across the state perked up their ears. After the Silverdome served as one of the nine host venues for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Detroit seemed an obvious choice to be a part of Major League Soccer’s inaugural season in 1996. However, despite being in a top-10 media market, a lack of a committed ownership group doomed the effort. In order to get the league’s attention, a serious effort is being made to renovate the nearly 35-year-old former home of the Detroit Lions into a never-before-seen facility that would set a new standard for renovating old stadiums…

…Eight years after hosting the first outdoor game in NHL history, Canada will finally get a second crack at it. The Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames will take part in the 2011 Heritage Classic on Feb. 20 at McMahon Stadium, home to the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders. The league made it official on a warm Wednesday afternoon during a news conference taking place on the field where the NHL’s sixth-ever outdoor game will be played. “Our first regular-season outdoor game was played in Canada, and it’s great to be coming back,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “As everyone knows, the roots of our game are in Canada. And the roots of our game emanate from frozen ponds and backyard rinks in Canada. When you have a heritage as proud and as strong as we do, you want to celebrate it.”