Eventual NHL Expansion

[stone169]

Seattle is a clear cut choice. The market there should be good for an NHL team and hopefully not over saturated with the MLB, NBA, and NFL already there. I have heard that many fans will take the weekend trip up to Vancouver to catch a Canucks game. Having Seattle in the same division as Vancouver will help both clubs and I'm pretty sure some fans will make the weekend trip from Portland up to Seattle to take in a few games.

[batdad]

Van-Sea trip will absolutely happen for alot of fans. THey have been wanting a team in Seattle for decades for this. Vancouver people are a huge number of fans for the Mariners and Seahawks. So much so that both teams now come up here and do a ton of fan-player meet and greats and appearance stuff. In baseball Jays steal some of the thunder for Mariners as they are Canada's team ... supposedly. Also the soccer rivalry is HUGE between Vancouver-Portland-Seattle. Fans from all 3 cities travel to the other two for games en masse.

That being said...the Seattle (Call em the Pilots...please) Pilots will not be getting much of a fan base out of Vancouver. Except for the usual Canuck-haters. Will make eventually for a great rivalry.

Media cool down is also partly because focus on playoffs for the league. But yeah...they are not announcing yet no way no how. Will eventually though happen

[nino33]

My understanding is Seattle needs an arena built first, and to do so (i.e. to get the funding) they need the NBA to return; they've been trying to get an NBA franchise back in Seattle since 2011 without success (apparently the most recent attempt was this January when investors tried to buy Atlanta and move them to Seattle, but the NBA stepped in and said any sale must keep the Hawks in Atlanta)...so I'm not sure Seattle's close to getting a franchise

[batdad]

Nah it was Sacramento that was most recent re NBA.

yeah they need an arena. They have two competing bids and the mayor is backing the one downtown, not in the suburbs. But....if worst came to worst they could play out of Everett for a year. I still think they are 2-3 years away from actually icing the Pilots. But it will happen. Too many people want it to.

[Primis]

My understanding is Seattle needs an arena built first, and to do so (i.e. to get the funding) they need the NBA to return; they've been trying to get an NBA franchise back in Seattle since 2011 without success (apparently the most recent attempt was this January when investors tried to buy Atlanta and move them to Seattle, but the NBA stepped in and said any sale must keep the Hawks in Atlanta)...so I'm not sure Seattle's close to getting a franchise

There's a new arena proposed nowin Seattle that has nothing to do with the NBA, or the previous effort/location:

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/12773 ... eam-source

Sure sounds like the downtown arena plan is just about dead. So someone else is moving on...

Also, just a reminder.... with the Houston Aeros folding, the terrible agreement they had w/ the Rockets ownership regarding an NHL expansion team is now null and void, and the market is pretty wide open if the NHL wants in.

[nino33]

My understanding is Seattle needs an arena built first, and to do so (i.e. to get the funding) they need the NBA to return; they've been trying to get an NBA franchise back in Seattle since 2011 without success (apparently the most recent attempt was this January when investors tried to buy Atlanta and move them to Seattle, but the NBA stepped in and said any sale must keep the Hawks in Atlanta)...so I'm not sure Seattle's close to getting a franchise

There's a new arena proposed nowin Seattle that has nothing to do with the NBA, or the previous effort/location:

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/12773 ... eam-source

Sure sounds like the downtown arena plan is just about dead. So someone else is moving on...

I'm glad there's a possibility (while I'd like less NHL teams not more, a team in Seattle makes sense to me)

[batdad]

No downtown is not dead. They are just doing a study that results are not ready for.
Seattle development


And I mean come on...how good have suburbs been for arenas. Cough Ottawa, Cough Florida, Cough Arizona.

Yeah..bad idea for them to go to Tukwila. however....I could care less as long as the Seattle area gets a team. LOL at the 10-15 minute drive. Nothing in Seattle is a 10-15 minute drive at rush times.

I love how these people come out with ... I spoke with Bettman, and wow he loves me. Yeah of course he does. He also loves all the people who want to build the arena in downtown Seattle, and if that comes to fruition that would be the one he prefers. Provided Tukwila does not offer more money than the actual expansion fee.

Also love how because some guy comes out and says he wants an arena here there and everywhere, that other proposals are dead for the same region. Not the case at all. Not the case until Bettman chooses who wins.

[Primis]

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25179559

Downtown Seattle is probably not going to happen, at this point. They want NBA before they'll accept NHL, and are not budging on that it seems.

The suburban plan involves no public funding, and simply needs a green light to build as the land is already acquired owned. I don't know if building in the suburbs is a good plan or not, but right now things seem to be moving in that direction with all the opposition they keep finding to downtown.

[batdad]

The MOU from the words of the Seattle mayor....we would have to revise it and approve it in council and by me. It was not stated that it will not happen, it was stated they would have to revise it. Which they quite possibly will do. So again...not dead. In fact moved forward towards more possible if anything. The money thing is as always a tool being used for the council and city to get what it wants out of the deal. And not give up as much. Negotiating ploy. The council member in your article even says it is not dead yet, just work to do before getting it done, and that council member is one of the most negative ones.

However, that being said...I believe that it the one in Tukwila is more a possibility and that it would be a mistake to go there and not downtown. But...if the NHL wants in...Tukwila may be faster.

Although...the enviornmental report for downtown came out and the council responded right away, and may actually move forward.

[Ozzman]

So. Las Vegas it is. I guess that the name a swedish hockey-blogger made up is out of discussion. Even if Sin City Strippers would be an awesome franchise.

[archibalduk]

The franchise fee is insane. Did the owner know he could have picked up a copy of EHM for a fraction of the price?!

But seriously, I cannot imagine it being easy to recoup the initial setup costs. Although the sheer volume of tourists in Vegas will help, I guess.

[MWE]

I thought they already had 14,000 season ticket applications for their 17,000 seat arena?