Seattle May Get NHL Team in 2020

[wild.source]

 

 

 

Seattle is renovating an arena that may become the home to a potential NHL team in 2020......The arena is owned by Seattle......The Seattle City Council approved the renovations on Monday (12-4-17).

 

https://www.surreynowleader.com/sports/seattle-works-to-attract-nhl-team-by-2020/

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

These renovations to Key Arena (the NBA's former Seattle SuperSonics home arena) have been going on (or at least talked about) for quite some time.

 

Ever since the Sonics got moved, the city was wanting back into the NBA game once again, only this time, hoping to have an NHL franchise as well.

 

Many even thought Seattle would get one before places like Kansas City or Vegas, though we all know now, Vegas beat them both to it first.

 

I hope Seattle does get a team. I think the hockey presence there is pretty strong due to the Vancouver Canucks treated as the 'local' team there.....though I am pretty sure the Canucks would probably prefer for a team to NOT cut into their fanbase.

 

That all said, I think the question then becomes:

Does Seattle get a brand new NHL franchise (like Vegas did), or do they get a relocated team from a struggling market?

And I hate to pick on any one team or fanbase, but for some reason, the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes...and even the New York Islanders, who have been rumored to be a bit unhappy with sharing Barclay's with the Nets....come up as potential relocation candidates.

 

Much will depend on the continued health (or lack thereof) of some of those teams.

 

I thought expanding to Vegas was a bad idea...and it may very well still be in the long term.

However, winning has bolstered the excitement there and so far, the Vegas 'experiment' is working fine.

 

I would imagine Seattle would be better grounds to bolster fan support....I mean, if a transient city like Vegas can get people excited, why not the Seattle area who more than likely are well versed in the sport of hockey already?

 

I also wonder if this would mean NHL starved Quebec City will continue to play the waiting game....

[jammer2]

I know one team that will not be thrilled about this development, the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds. They get 7,000 out to games sometimes, and that is for jr hockey, so thinking the NHL would be a huge success is a natural jump. It might spell the end for the Thunderbirds, don't know just how much hockey that area could sustain, but the arrival of the NHL might oversaturate the market. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

10 minutes ago, jammer2 said:

I know one team that will not be thrilled about this development, the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds. They get 7,000 out to games sometimes, and that is for jr hockey, so thinking the NHL would be a huge success is a natural jump. It might spell the end for the Thunderbirds, don't know just how much hockey that area could sustain, but the arrival of the NHL might oversaturate the market. 

 

You don't think an NHL team and a junior team could co-exist in the same market?

 

Chicago hosts both an NHL and AHL team...Edmonton has an NHL team (pleas ppl, hold the "Oilers aren't a real NHL team" jokes  ) and a Jr team.

Ottawa, Toronto.....probably many others I am missing.

 

Don't see why the Thunderbirds would need to get pushed out even if Seattle does get an NHL team.

Like I mentioned before....I think Vancouver would likely be the biggest opponent of an NHL team in Sea Town.

 

Having an NHL team might actually spike MORE interest in the Thunderbirds.

 

For instance...I never gave a rat's arse about the Orlando Solar Bears or the Everblades till the NHL Lightning really became established when I lived in Florida.

 

Just saying...sometimes, something big leads to a discovery for more people of something that was already there.  NHL exposure could bring more light on the JR Seattle team.

 

[jammer2]

Just now, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

You don't think an NHL team and a junior team could co-exist in the same market?

 

Chicago hosts both an NHL and AHL team...Edmonton has an NHL team (pleas ppl, hold the "Oilers aren't a real NHL team" jokes  ) and a Jr team.

Ottawa, Toronto.....probably many others I am missing.

 

Don't see why the Thunderbirds would need to get pushed out even if Seattle does get an NHL team.

Like I mentioned before....I think Vancouver would likely be the biggest opponent of an NHL team in Sea Town.

 

 It just depends on how strong the market is. Toronto has lost a version of the Marlies about 3 times now. Some cities it works out, some it does not. Even now, the hockey crazy market is in danger of losing it's OHL team again due to bad attendance. Calgary is a city where it works out nicely. Sometimes there is enough entertainment bucks to go around, sometimes not. The OHL never caught on in Detroit, another case of not enough entertainment money to go around. 

[OccamsRazor]

4 hours ago, Devin Wieser said:

 

 

 

Seattle is renovating an arena that may become the home to a potential NHL team in 2020......The arena is owned by Seattle......The Seattle City Council approved the renovations on Monday (12-4-17).

 

https://www.surreynowleader.com/sports/seattle-works-to-attract-nhl-team-by-2020/

 

 

I didn't read through before posting. 

 

Sorry.

 

But before they expand again they need to move an underperforming club.

 

It could/should be between the Panthers and Yotes.

 

Sorry it's been to long time to fix it before expanding again.

 

That is my .02 cents on it.

[notfondajane]

3 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

These renovations to Key Arena (the NBA's former Seattle SuperSonics home arena) have been going on (or at least talked about) for quite some time.

 

Ever since the Sonics got moved, the city was wanting back into the NBA game once again, only this time, hoping to have an NHL franchise as well.

 

Many even thought Seattle would get one before places like Kansas City or Vegas, though we all know now, Vegas beat them both to it first.

 

I hope Seattle does get a team. I think the hockey presence there is pretty strong due to the Vancouver Canucks treated as the 'local' team there.....though I am pretty sure the Canucks would probably prefer for a team to NOT cut into their fanbase.

 

That all said, I think the question then becomes:

Does Seattle get a brand new NHL franchise (like Vegas did), or do they get a relocated team from a struggling market?

And I hate to pick on any one team or fanbase, but for some reason, the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes...and even the New York Islanders, who have been rumored to be a bit unhappy with sharing Barclay's with the Nets....come up as potential relocation candidates.

 

Much will depend on the continued health (or lack thereof) of some of those teams.

 

I thought expanding to Vegas was a bad idea...and it may very well still be in the long term.

However, winning has bolstered the excitement there and so far, the Vegas 'experiment' is working fine.

 

I would imagine Seattle would be better grounds to bolster fan support....I mean, if a transient city like Vegas can get people excited, why not the Seattle area who more than likely are well versed in the sport of hockey already?

 

I also wonder if this would mean NHL starved Quebec City will continue to play the waiting game....

Should the Panthers leave the Miami area the would put the Lighting in hockey no mans land similar to the Dallas Stars. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 minutes ago, notfondajane said:

Should the Panthers leave the Miami area the would put the Lighting in hockey no mans land similar to the Dallas Stars. 

 

Well, not necessarily.

 

In the Tampa Bay area, owner Jeff Vinik and his marketing crew work feverishly to make the Tampa Bay Lightning THE brand to follow in sports for the area.

They could care less if the Panthers are relevant or not.

 

With division rivals like Toronto, Montreal, Boston, and Detroit regular visitors, the Bolts, if they continue to be competitive both on the ice and in the marketing arena, can look to become "the hockey Anchor in the South" as I once heard it described.

 

Very nice!

[notfondajane]

TFG if the Panthers leave the Miami area for Seattle do you think Nashville would come east?

[OccamsRazor]

1 hour ago, notfondajane said:

TFG if the Panthers leave the Miami area for Seattle do you think Nashville would come east?

 

Great point i hadn't even thought of yet.

 

Preds would have a good rivial close by in the Canes for sure.

[notfondajane]

37 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Great point i hadn't even thought of yet.

 

Preds would have a good rivial close by in the Canes for sure.

That is exactly what I was thinking! The 'Canes may have a few sellouts in the season. 

[Howie58]

A few thoughts:

 

1) I've read elsewhere that Vancouver might actually like having a "natural" rival in Seattle.  Right now they don't have a proximate opponent.

 

2)  My backyard Panthers have been given a big tax and rent break by Broward County to put a tourniquet on Viola's losses and to keep a tenant.  The NHL does not want to lose a large media market.  I think the Panthers stay put.  

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-panthers-subsidy-vote-20151208-story.html

 

 

3) While it has failed in the past, you can't rule out Kansas City as a "relocation' market.  There is a beautiful arena, the Sprint Center, albeit a little small.  

 

4)  If I understand correctly, relocation brings owners next to nothing.  Expansion, per VGK, is $500  million or more.  Seattle is likely an expansion city, not a relocation one.  But KC could get a Canes or other relocation.

 

Adding Seattle gets to the 16-16 mark.  Relocating another eastern team throws things out of kilter...unless someone sees a 34 team league down the road.  That might mean Quebec back in the picture (but the Canadian dollar gig doesn't change), plus another Western club.  

 

Let's bring back the Cleveland Barons...or really choose a non-PC name...the Cleveland Crusaders (ouch). 

[yave1964]

seattle would be as good a location as any for an NHL team, natural rival with Vancouver. I could see it.

 

  One thing I would like to see is an end to this Western/Eastern problem, trying to fit square pegs into round holes as it were pretending for years that Columbus and Detroit are in the West for instance or that Smashville still is. I think the logical thing to do would be to follow Baseball and Football and have two conferences EACH with a Western Division ala the National and American in baseball or NFC and AFC in Football. A third of the teams are out West, not half, divide them into two Divisions, one per conference and it fixes a problem nicely. Just my two cents.

[wild.source]

On 12/5/2017 at 4:49 PM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

These renovations to Key Arena (the NBA's former Seattle SuperSonics home arena) have been going on (or at least talked about) for quite some time.

 

Ever since the Sonics got moved, the city was wanting back into the NBA game once again, only this time, hoping to have an NHL franchise as well.

 

Many even thought Seattle would get one before places like Kansas City or Vegas, though we all know now, Vegas beat them both to it first.

 

I hope Seattle does get a team. I think the hockey presence there is pretty strong due to the Vancouver Canucks treated as the 'local' team there.....though I am pretty sure the Canucks would probably prefer for a team to NOT cut into their fanbase.

 

That all said, I think the question then becomes:

Does Seattle get a brand new NHL franchise (like Vegas did), or do they get a relocated team from a struggling market?

And I hate to pick on any one team or fanbase, but for some reason, the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes...and even the New York Islanders, who have been rumored to be a bit unhappy with sharing Barclay's with the Nets....come up as potential relocation candidates.

 

Much will depend on the continued health (or lack thereof) of some of those teams.

 

I thought expanding to Vegas was a bad idea...and it may very well still be in the long term.

However, winning has bolstered the excitement there and so far, the Vegas 'experiment' is working fine.

 

I would imagine Seattle would be better grounds to bolster fan support....I mean, if a transient city like Vegas can get people excited, why not the Seattle area who more than likely are well versed in the sport of hockey already?

 

I also wonder if this would mean NHL starved Quebec City will continue to play the waiting game....

Ok, it would be good for Seattle to get an NHL team......It would make good rivals with the Nucks......So that would be good on that side of things......I also thought expanding to Vegas was a bad idea too......But they turned out to be a good team.......So they proved us wrong on that one. There would also be an equal number of teams in the league......So that would be a good thing. Who knows what Bettman will decide to do by 2020.

On 12/5/2017 at 11:50 PM, Howie58 said:

A few thoughts:

 

1) I've read elsewhere that Vancouver might actually like having a "natural" rival in Seattle.  Right now they don't have a proximate opponent.

 

2)  My backyard Panthers have been given a big tax and rent break by Broward County to put a tourniquet on Viola's losses and to keep a tenant.  The NHL does not want to lose a large media market.  I think the Panthers stay put.  

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-panthers-subsidy-vote-20151208-story.html

 

 

3) While it has failed in the past, you can't rule out Kansas City as a "relocation' market.  There is a beautiful arena, the Sprint Center, albeit a little small.  

 

4)  If I understand correctly, relocation brings owners next to nothing.  Expansion, per VGK, is $500  million or more.  Seattle is likely an expansion city, not a relocation one.  But KC could get a Canes or other relocation.

 

Adding Seattle gets to the 16-16 mark.  Relocating another eastern team throws things out of kilter...unless someone sees a 34 team league down the road.  That might mean Quebec back in the picture (but the Canadian dollar gig doesn't change), plus another Western club.  

 

Let's bring back the Cleveland Barons...or really choose a non-PC name...the Cleveland Crusaders (ouch). 

Seattle would have a "natural" rival in Seattle.......The Panthers DO NOT  have a big fanbase......I think everyone just goes to Tampa Bay games......Expansion would be the best choice......Relocation would probably not be the best idea in this case.

[OccamsRazor]

7 hours ago, Devin Wieser said:

I also thought expanding to Vegas was a bad idea too......But they turned out to be a good team.......So they proved us wrong on that one

 

 

So far it hasn't even been half of their inaugural season....we'll check back when the novelty wears off.

 

I would really concentrate on moving clubs who need it before expanding....again....further diluting the product. But that is my .02 cents.

[wild.source]

https://www.nhl.com/news/seattle-can-begin-nhl-expansion-process-says-bettman/c-293782092

 

 "A Seattle ownership group has been authorized to file an application for an NHL expansion team that would begin play in the 2020-21 season," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday (12-7-17).

The cost of the team would be $650 million. Seattle would be the only city for possible expansion. Seattle would become the 32nd NHL team. 

 

"That doesn't mean we have granted an expansion team," Commissioner Bettman said following the Board of Governors meeting. "We have agreed as a league to take and consider an expansion application and to let them run in the next few months a season ticket drive."

 

Seattle became a viable option for an NHL team this week with the agreement between the city and Los Angeles-based Oak View Group for a privately financed $600 million renovation of KeyArena, which opened in 1962 and was the home of the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics from 1967-78, 1985-1994 and 1995-2008 before they relocated to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season.

 

Commissioner Bettman said Bruckheimer and Bonderman approached the NHL this week to request permission to file an expansion application for a Seattle team. The Board of Governors approved the request Thursday.

 

 

"From everything I know viscerally I think [Seattle] will be a good market," Commissioner Bettman said. "I think the geographic rivalry with [the] Vancouver [Canucks] as potential will be nice. Building up a bigger presence in the Pacific Northwest for the NHL, a place that we know has great hockey interest at a variety of other levels, it's an intriguing possibility. But we've got homework to do."

In addition, Commissioner Bettman also downplayed the possibility of Houston as a viable market for the NHL either through expansion or relocation. He stressed relocation isn't an option for any current team.

"There is nothing going on right now with Houston," the Commissioner said.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Let's say Seattle does get that expansion team 3 or 4 seasons from now.... the NHL will somehow have to re-align the divisions again, no?

 

I mean, if the divisions are left as is, the Conferences may each have 16 teams apiece, but Seattle would be a Pacific time zone team...to be added to the .....errrr, Pacific Division? For a total of 9 teams there, leaving the Central with 7?

 

You can't really move a current Pacific team to the Central without upsetting the time zone thing...and putting Seattle in the Central doesn't make sense either for the same reason.

 

Will be interesting to see how the NHL handles that part of it.

[FD19372]

1 hour ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Let's say Seattle does get that expansion team 3 or 4 seasons from now.... the NHL will somehow have to re-align the divisions again, no?

 

I mean, if the divisions are left as is, the Conferences may each have 16 teams apiece, but Seattle would be a Pacific time zone team...to be added to the .....errrr, Pacific Division? For a total of 9 teams there, leaving the Central with 7?

 

You can't really move a current Pacific team to the Central without upsetting the time zone thing...and putting Seattle in the Central doesn't make sense either for the same reason.

 

Will be interesting to see how the NHL handles that part of it.

Just move Vegas to the Central, so they don't end up winning the Pacific Division next season (again, LOL). Seattle, goes to the Pacific.  Bettman's dream is for Vegas to win a Cup, so based on how well they are doing this season in the division, he might be the only one upset.

[MadDevil]

They could just move Arizona from the Pacific to the Central, then Seattle replaces them in the Pacific.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

11 hours ago, MadDevil said:

They could just move Arizona from the Pacific to the Central, then Seattle replaces them in the Pacific.

 

I suppose that would be the easiest route.

Since television rules when games are shown now, it seems important to the NHL to keep teams in the same time zones as much as possible within a division.

 

For some reason, I kept thinking Phoenix/Glendale was Pacific Standard time, but they are in fact, Mountain Standard Time....same as the Colorado Avalanche, who are in the Central Division.

That would make they Yotes only one hour off the Central time zone and quite doable for TV prime time purposes.

[wild.source]

I agree with what you have to say about the switching Vegas or Arizona to the Central or they could move both to the Central Division.

[OccamsRazor]

On 12/9/2017 at 1:41 AM, MadDevil said:

They could just move Arizona from the Pacific to the Central, then Seattle replaces them in the Pacific.

 

That wouldn't be a bad move.

 

Arizona has had plenty of time to get their **** together and support their club and they haven't so move them somewhere else. It could also serve as a notice to Florida as hey you're next....

[Buffalo Rick]

It makes sense.  They will draw from Portland also to help them.  So the team will pretty much be supported by Seattle and Portland I would think and if the Canucks fans want to come down they have that option.  I am not sure how tough it is to get a ticket in Vancouver as opposed to Toronto or Montreal?

[wild.source]

2 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

That wouldn't be a bad move.

 

Arizona has had plenty of time to get their **** together and support their club and they haven't so move them somewhere else. It could also serve as a notice to Florida as hey you're next....

Arizona has not went to the playoffs for five seasons.

39 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

It makes sense.  They will draw from Portland also to help them.  So the team will pretty much be supported by Seattle and Portland I would think and if the Canucks fans want to come down they have that option.  I am not sure how tough it is to get a ticket in Vancouver as opposed to Toronto or Montreal?

This will be a good thing.

[OccamsRazor]

@Devin Wieser

 

All the more reason to not draw the fans and and even better reason to move them.

 

So sad....next city!