The National Hockey League’s interest in having a franchise in Seattle, Washington is gaining more and more news day by day. Many critics are asking the question if a franchise in the Pacific Northwestern United States can thrive in an unfamiliar hockey market? Many people who are not from the area really do not know the particulars of the area and the ever growing fan support to rival an established NHL franchise like the Vancouver Canucks.
Seattle has a metro population of 3.6 million people, and the city is ranked 15th in the United States which can be a good base to start a team. One gem that the area has to get that hockey interest is the Western Hockey League. The WHL has 22 teams, and five of those teams play in the US Division which consists of the Everett Silver tips(WA.), the Portland Winterhawks(OR.), the Seattle Thunderbirds(WA), the Spokane Chiefs(WA.), and the Tri-City Americans. The WHL US division alone sold almost a million tickets in the 2013-14 season which proves there is a strong hockey market that is already established in the area.
NHL To Seattle, Washington?
Seattle has had it’s hands in professional hockey many years ago. The Seattle Metropolitans were an expansion team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1915 to 1924, and played their home games at the Seattle Ice Arena that was built in 1915 for the cost of $100,000. The Metropolitans were the first american based team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917, defeating the National Hockey association’s Montreal Canadiens three games to one. The Metropolitans team folded in the 1924 playing in nine seasons totaling 201 games played, 112 wins, and 96 losses.
Professional hockey may make it’s return to Seattle, but it may need the help of a National Basketball Association franchise to split the cost of a new multi-sport arena. The land for the ground breaking project is believed to be the SODO area of Seattle, which is a neighborhood that makes up part of the city’s industrial district. Billionaire CEO and president of LA-based Hudson Pacific Properties, Victor Coleman has been rumored as a “prospective NHL owner” to bring an NHL franchise to Seattle. Coleman a long time resident of Vancouver, BC. believes that Seattle is a good fit, but needs the help of Seattle-based Chris Hansen who has many failed attempts to relocate NBA franchises to Seattle such as the Milwaukee Bucks, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Sacramento Kings. Hansen’s partner in the SODO arena project is former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who purchased the NBA’s LA Clippers last week, but has mentioned many times he is not leaving the California area.
Coleman and Hansen have been talking for months about the project, and in fact have a “non-binding” agreement for the for a hockey franchise. Even tho these two investors have had many talks, this project still has to be approved by the county and city council. The Coleman/Hanson group would invest $290 million, and have asked the city and county to pay $200 million to get a deal done for a new arena. Hansen’s group has purchased all the land needed that makes up the arena site which is just south of Safeco field where the Major League Baseball team the Seattle Mariners play.
If an agreement is reached with the investors of an NHL franchise, and the Seattle City Council, the city could demand an upgrade to the current transportation system that may demand a $40 million transportation fund, $7 million to upgrade KeyArena which the WNBA’s Seattle Storm play, and an option for the city to sell the arena at the end of a 30 year lease with a personal guarantee that Hansen’s will not fall short of arena finances.
Currently the NHL has 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, and 14 in the Western Conference, which means that there could be two possible city’s out west who could get expansion teams. Besides the city of Seattle, many believe that there could be more talks into markets like Kansas City, Missouri, Las Vegas, Nevada, Houston, Texas, and Portland Oregon. Houston would be a very good place for another franchise with a metro population of 6.3 million people and an already built Toyota Center that has a capacity for ice hockey for 17,800 fans. Kansas City has the Sprint Center that has capacity for 17,544 fans, and has a metro population of 2 million people. In my opinion, it would certainly be easier to get an expansion team to a city that already has an arena in place.
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Main Photo Courtesy Washington.edu
