Oilers hoping for improved arena

Edmonton Oilers president Patrick LaForge is looking for an upgrade.

The Western Conference champions are eager participants in talks and studies now going on in the Alberta capital to either retrofit the aging Rexall Place, or to be part of a new downtown arena mega-palace, LaForge said.

"It (the rink) is getting tired," LaForge said in an interview with the Canadian Press.

LaForge added the team has just over seven years left in its lease with Edmonton Northlands, the non-profit group that operates the building in the city's industrial northeast.

"It is our hope between now and when it expires, we'll find a new residence," LaForge said.

Built in 1974, Rexall Place is the oldest Canadian home ice in the NHL and third-oldest in the league, behind Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh and the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home to the New York Islanders.

In Pittsburgh, failure to reach a deal on a new rink has left the future of the franchise in doubt.