Regions Arena progress continues ahead of hockey team name release

By Daeshen Smith

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Construction crews have been working non-stop on the new Regions Arena. Workers completed vertical construction in March, and the facility was officially named Regions Arena in April. New signage renderings go before the Architectural Review Board Wednesday, which marks another milestone towards the January 2027 opening.

“It’s a $300 million investment through concerts through Mardi Gras, I think it’s going to be a very important part of what we’re trying to do in Mobile,” said Danny Corte with the Mobile Sports Authority.

Regions Arena will also be home to Mobile’s new Southern Professional Hockey League team. The Mobile Mysticks played their game in Mobile in 2002. Corte says bringing hockey back opens up new possibilities for the port city.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to build some youth leagues that will help support this team over the next several years and it’s something different. It’s kind of the dawn of a new day for pro sports in Mobile,” Corte said.

Zawyer Sports and Entertainment owns the team. Corte says the group has experience launching hockey teams in markets like Mobile. He hopes that experience plus the growth of the sport in the south and a built-in rivalry with the Pensacola Ice Flyers will help attract fans.

“It’ll be some community pride things going on and you always want to beat your competitor. This sport has grown over the last 20 years, no doubt in the south with several Florida teams winning the Stanley Cup so we just hope we can build on that excitement here,” Corte said.

Tuesday, Zawyer Sports will unveil the new name and logo for the team. Many fans are hoping the team revives the Mobile Mysticks name, but either way Corte says once the name drops, it’s full speed ahead.

“You’ve got a name, you’ve got logos all of a sudden you see jerseys start to show up in the store and that’s how you build this thing up and we’ve got 16 months until we drop the first puck,” Corte said.

The name announcement will take place tomorrow at 6:00 at the Mobile Convention Center.

Read More : Regions Arena progress continues ahead of hockey team name release

After taking Iran deal to G7 summit, Trump eyes ending Ukraine war

U.S. President Donald Trump joined global leaders on Monday at the Group of Seven summit at a French lakeside resort, where he touted his preliminary deal to end the Iran war ‌and said he would now seek to end the fighting in Ukraine and Lebanon.

Trump's arrival at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains comes as global leaders grow increasingly wary of the United States. While many of them expressed relief over a deal that could bring closure to the Iran conflict, it was tempered by unease over new Trump tariff threats aimed at France and his warnings about the dangers of immigration.

In comments to the press alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said a memorandum of understanding aiming to end the war in the Gulf has already been signed by the United States and Iran, but he was unclear on when the text would be ⁠released.

Trump said some ships were already traversing the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route for global oil and gas supplies that Iran had effectively shut down, and that they would be passing toll-free.

With the Iran deal secured, Trump said he would now turn his attention to trying to secure peace between Ukraine and Russia, while also seeking to bring closure to fighting in Lebanon.

CRUCIAL UKRAINE MEETING

Trump is due to attend a working session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the summit, whose hand has improved since Trump told him in the Oval Office last year: "You ‌don't have ⁠the cards."

Russian advances in Ukraine have slowed and Ukraine is seeking more military funding from its allies amid a barrage of attacks on Kyiv.

Zelenskiy said on Monday he had offered to meet Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit for talks to end their more than four-year-old war, but Putin was not ready to speak.

It remains to be seen if Zelenskiy can secure greater U.S. support while Trump prioritises drawing a permanent line under an Iran conflict that has dented his support domestically.

Read More : After taking Iran deal to G7 summit, Trump eyes ending Ukraine war | Reuters