EDMONTON - A new downtown arena for Edmonton is a huge win for the city and also for the deal’s two champions.

No agreement would have been finalized without the exceptional commitment and strong work of Mayor Stephen Mandel and Oilers owner Daryl Katz. Mandel and Katz have taken a huge amount of abuse over a long period of time in regards to this arena deal, but now they have their win, with city council voting 10-3 Wednesday in favour of the new arena deal.

Coun. Kim Krushell best summed up things from the political point of view: “The mayor earns the praise. This is his baby.”

Mandel repeatedly pushed for the arena when few others would stand up. He was an eloquent spokesman for the merits of the project. He beat back the main argument of the opposing side — that this project represents an unholy public subsidy for a billionaire owner and millionaire players. He countered with two even more winning notions, that this project is about building downtown Edmonton and securing the Oilers here long-term.

Mandel is also a crafty enough deal-maker that most citizens buy into the notion that the city didn’t get snookered, that we were represented by a sharp, successful businessman, who stood up to the billionaire, fought every bit as fierce and tough as the other side.

As for Katz, his goal is to build the most ambitious development that our downtown has seen. He has agreed to lock the Oilers into Edmonton for 35 years. He pushed city council as much as anyone not to cheap out on the design of the arena.

In praising Katz, I’m mindful of one other controversial figure, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who played a crucial role in the negotiations.

Bettman’s biggest contribution came in October 2011 when Mandel and Katz met with him in New York and first hammered out the framework agreement. At that meeting, the Katz Group’s sharp money men argued strenuously that due to high construction and labour costs in Alberta, there was little doubt that the arena was going to cost far more than the number Mandel was willing to live with at that time, $450 million.

Just then, Bettman interjected: “Maybe it’s because I’m from New York, but it seems to me you can build a pretty good arena for $450 million.”

Katz might not be inclined to listen to you or me or city council, but he did listen to Bettman. Katz agreed to the $450-million price tag.

Perhaps if the arena contracts were signed right then, Edmonton’s new arena would have cost that amount, but no sooner had city council agreed to proceed on the New York framework than the Katz Group money men went back to work. They checked over every clause, looked at every risk, then argued for a $6-million annual subsidy here and an office tower contract there. They pronounced that without such sweeteners, the deal was off.

At that time, the Katz Group still nursed the belief that after its lease ran out at Northlands, it was a free agent. After all, the team was Katz’s property. He could do with it what he wanted, including move it to another city if city council didn’t come up with the right deal.

So long as the Katz Group believed this, it wasn’t inclined to bend to make a deal, only to push for more. When Mandel and city negotiators made it clear there would be no such sweeteners, Katz played what he thought was his best card, visiting Seattle and making noises he would move the team.

But Mandel and city council weren’t intimidated. And as much as the Edmonton public loves the Oilers, they backed council. Most fans were outraged and disgusted at Katz’s hard-nosed tactics.

Katz had tried on those Peter Pocklington shoes, gone for a stroll to Seattle in them, seen how they felt, and come up with nothing but blisters and stinky feet.

Negotiations went much smoother after that, but Bettman was again called upon this past Friday. With his intimate knowledge of a few dozen arena deals, the NHL commissioner was able to help broker the final deal, which saw each side put in an additional $15 million.

Now the $480-million arena needs only $100 million in funding from the province to finalize it.

Mandel sounds certain this funding will come through. Given his political skills and determination, I see no reason to doubt him.

dstaples@edmontonjournal.com