Kevin Oklobzija

@kevinoDandC

The Buffalo Sabres say they wanted to bring an NHL preseason game to downtown Rochester for the first time in more than a decade, but an antiquated arena with inadequate facilities prompted them to take the game to Penn State University.

Instead of a Sept. 26 exhibition game between the Sabres and Minnesota Wild at Blue Cross Arena at the Community War Memorial, the teams will play at Pegula Ice Arena in State College, Pennsylvania.

“The game was going to be in Rochester but we don’t feel the facility is up to the standards to play an NHL game,” Russ Brandon, president of the Sabres and Buffalo Bills, said on Tuesday.

The Sabres will announce the Penn State site, along with their entire preseason schedule, on Wednesday.

Brandon said the issues with Rochester’s 61-year-old arena, which was renovated between 1996 and 1998 at a cost of $41 million, are “wide-ranging, from suite level all the way down to how we prepare our hockey team.”

He said since the Amerks are the primary tenant, and have been for 60 seasons, the Terry and Kim Pegula sports conglomerate would appreciate more input into operations and planning.

“Being the largest tenant, we would like to have more control and active discussion in how the dollars that come in are appropriated,” Brandon said. “We’re going to need some changes down the road to ensure viability.

“There’s exciting plans for the downtown corridor in Rochester and we want to be a part of it. The arena can be a real beacon for downtown, and right now it’s far from that.”

The city recently secured $10 million in state funding for arena improvements. Mayor Lovely Warren said earlier this month that the money would be used for what her administration hopes is the “first phase” of modernization.

A city consultant recommended $16 million be spent on “priority projects,” such as upgraded concessions and restrooms, party decks and restaurant with tiered seating.

“It’s all part and parcel of what we’re trying to do for the city as a whole,” said James Smith, communications director for the city of Rochester.

He said a modernized arena is part of Warren’s vision for Rochester, where a vibrant downtown and safe neighborhoods will help attract new jobs and enhance the quality of life.

“A quality-of-life issue like an arena being upgraded is an important part of those objectives,” Smith said. “We’re proud of the facility but we realize we need to bring it up to date. We always wish we had more money; we always wish we had it yesterday.”

The War Memorial opened in 1955 and opponents to renovation say pouring millions more into the aging facility is nothing more than a temporary bandage.

Brandon believes the arena can be successfully upgraded, however. He pointed to renovation of Ralph Wilson Stadium for the Bills, a structure that opened in 1973.

“But that has been a pure partnership between the state, the county (Eric County) and the Bills,” Brandon said.

That’s why he said it’s imperative that the Sabres/Amerks have input on how money is spent on the arena. Smith said the city is certainly willing to listen.

“The city believes we have tenants that bring people into the facility and that obviously helps us pay for it,” Smith said, “so we’re interested in what their needs are.”

Brandon and Smith said the relationship between the team and city is very good, and negotiations regarding a new lease for the Amerks are on-going. Brandon said he expects to meet with city leaders when the Bills are in town for training camp (July 30-Aug. 22).

Since the city has yet to decide who will manage the arena — either current manager SMG or Philadelphia-based Spectra — the Amerks lease will be renewed for the 2016-17 season under terms of the previous lease, Brandon said.

SMG’s contract expires at the end of September. Smith said a decision on the management partner will have been made by then.

Two years ago during stalemated lease negotiations, the Sabres, under former president Ted Black, had explored the possibility of moving a portion of the Amerks regular-season schedule to Buffalo.

That plan didn’t go far. It also seems to go against the principles on which Terry and Kim Pegula have founded their sports enterprise: that teams belong in the city where they were born. Terry Pegula overspent on his bid to buy the Bills just to ensure the NFL franchise stayed in Buffalo.

“Our goal is to play every game in Rochester in an improved facility,” Brandon said.

The Sabres haven’t played a preseason game in Rochester since Sept. 30, 2005, when 5,019 fans watched Buffalo defeat the Wild 5-3. They also played the last of two regular-season NHL games in Rochester a month later, losing 3-2 to then-rookie Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in front of 8,552 fans on Oct. 26, 2005.

The last time NHL teams visited the War Memorial was on Sept. 23, 2010, when a crowd of 4,729 watched the Rochester Americans’ parent team at the time, the Florida Panthers, defeat the Amerks’ parent team from the 1970s, the Boston Bruins, 3-2.

KEVINO@gannett.com