If the Hartford Whalers don't sell 11,000 season tickets by May 1, they may move. One location under consideration is a northern suburb of Detroit, which already has the Red Wings in a downtown arena.

The Whalers' owner, Peter Karmanos, has talked with the operators of the Palace of Auburn Hills about sharing the home of the Detroit Pistons.

Karmanos, a native of Detroit who operates a junior team there, acknowledges that the National Hockey League probably would object to this. But he said that suburban Detroit would be "exceptional from a business point of view," and that it is one of several sites he is considering. Others, he said, include Atlanta, Nashville and Las Vegas, Nev.

"If nothing else works and I can get the right deal at the Palace, I have to go to my partners and say 'Guys, I have the best building in the country and the finest hockey market in the country,' " Karmanos said.