Metro Seattle: NHL, NBA and Arena - Part III (post #217 - arena announcement 2/16)

[JawandaPuck]

Some excellent questions from Ian Furness for Mayor McGinn in this interview, resulting in some insightful answers including these:

Host: Are we closer today than we were 3 months ago, 6 months ago, or a year ago, not to seeing an NBA or an NHL team here, but are we closer today to seeing an arena built within the Seattle city limits?

McGinn: I think we have to say we are much closer today (to building an arena within the Seattle city limits) than we were 3 months ago, 6 months ago, or a year ago. And I say that because Chris Hansen is a serious committed investor who appears to have the financial wherewithal and the business knowledge to move forward.

Host: Do you need both the NBA & NHL to be here for that arena to work?

McGinn: That's what I've been informed from their side. That's what they are hoping to do. So I presume that's important to them.

Host: So, you are not going to do an arena if you are just going to have an NBA team here or if you're just going to have an NHL team here?

McGinn: My understanding is that they're interested in both and that's an important consideration to them.

Host: Public money -- could there ever be public money spent?

McGinn: Our view is, we have to make sure, whatever the structure of the deal is, means that we are not dipping into other accounts to pay for this; we are coming up with some new tax source to go to the public for. So we have to work to figure out how to work within those constraints.​

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The Seattle Mayor says at 4:00:

"I don't think they are moving forward unless they have commitments from the NBA and NHL...my understanding is that given the way these things work, they probably have some kind of pathway..."​

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Steve Kelley of The Seattle Times wrote on Saturday that the financially strapped Sacramento Kings could become the Seattle SuperSonics as soon as this fall. Kelley joined the "Bob and Groz" on Monday to discuss why he's so optimistic about the return of professional basketball and hockey to the Puget Sound.

"I would say right now, the [Sacremento] Kings are 70-30 coming here," Kelley said. "The [Phoenix] Coyotes are probably 50-50."

"I think the Seattle stuff will be worked out quickly and if the Kings thing doesn't go through, than it could happen easily by April 1."​

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"I'm surprised it hasn't happened already," Kelley said. "You go down there for a Mariners game and there are very few places to eat, very few places to hang. I think they need more of that anyway."

Building a new arena seems simple enough if the group is willing to put up most of the funding privately, but any new facility constructed in Seattle must make a profit after an initiative was approved in 2006. One way to make a profit is by surrounding the property with apartments, restaurants, hotels and condominiums, similar to L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.​

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Jessamyn MacIntyre is the Executive Producer of ESPN Seattle Radio. She has 858 Followers on Twitter. She's been tweeting hard on the subject for the last couple days as far as I can see, including this.

Spoke to a WA govt official last night who had been in contact with #Arena investors. Says the deal is 'extremely close' #NBA #NHL​

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Interesting from the comments section...the most popular posts:

Shoreline, WA - February 4, 2012 at 8:25 PMRating: (15) approve (3) disapprove
Build it so that it can be made into an NHL arena as well. If that happens, I will put my deposit down on season tickets.

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Bellevue, WA - February 4, 2012 at 8:28 PMRating: (15) approve (6) disapprove
NBA and NHL both Please. If build a new arena, make the most of it.​

The sheer volume of voters in the NHL-specific poll (as of 10:30 pm PST) in comparison to the NBA-specific poll is quite impressive. Almost 4 times as many NHL-specific poll voters.

Where would you want a new NBA/NHL arena?
Build it in Seattle near the other stadiums. (68%, 3,423 Votes)
Are you kidding? Another arena? We don't need the NBA and NHL. (12%, 626 Votes)
Give it to the Eastside, where there's more private money. (12%, 588 Votes)
Do another big KeyArena renovation instead. (8%, 412 Votes)
Total Voters: 5,049

Do you miss the NBA in Seattle?
I cry myself to sleep into my old Sonics pillow and bed sheets. (56%, 457 Votes)
I miss the Sonics, but I can get behind a team like Portland. (21%, 175 Votes)
Good riddance. Didn't care then, don't care now. (10%, 85 Votes)
Whatever. College hoops does the trick. (10%, 84 Votes)
What the heck is a free throw? (3%, 20 Votes)
Total Voters: 821

Would you support the NHL in Seattle?
Yes! I love hockey and want more than the Thunderbirds. (63%, 1,957 Votes)
Yes, though I don't know whether Seattle cares enough about hockey. (18%, 548 Votes)
Only if it means we get an NBA team again! (12%, 362 Votes)
No. Seattleites don't care about hockey. (5%, 142 Votes)
Meh. Football, baseball, soccer and WNBA is enough. (2%, 84 Votes)
Total Voters: 3,093

Click to read more...

 

[JawandaPuck]

NBA Component

I scratch your back, you scratch mine?

Seattle is the city with buzz in NHL circles and word has now leaked out that financier Christopher Hansen has been working with city officials in the northwest metropolis to construct a new facility.

Both NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NBA boss David Stern have league-owned franchises they want to unload and there is talk they've been huddling and considering a common solution.

Two franchises in one building is good business and the relationship shared by Bettman and his old boss at the NBA is a factor. They have similar problems and with a little diplomacy they might be able to help ease one another's burden.​

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The Maloofs (Sacremento Kings owners) using Seattle as the 'relocation' card in their bid for a new arena in Sacremento makes complete sense. Last year they did the same thing with Anaheim and the Ducks owner Henry Samueli. I'm sure Samueli is now in once-bitten-twice-shy mode. He made a great offer to the Maloofs, provided financing for their relocation fee and arena improvements through a Anaheim muni bond offering backed by his Anaheim Arena Mgmt company.

It didn't work though. The Maloofs pulled the plug on Anaheim at the last moment. What scared the Maloofs off? The public facing statement was that they wanted to give Sacremento Mayor Kevin Johnson another shot at getting the financing in order for a new Sac Arena. Could it be though that Chris Hansen stepped in at the last moment last May to make the Maloofs a better offer? (Is it coincidence that Hansen's hedge fund, Valiant Capital Management, at one point last year owned $50M of stock in Samueli's company, Broadcom? Or is that part of a side deal/leverage Hansen has with Samueli to keep him on the sidelines with regard to the Sacremento Kings?)

Seattle Mayor McGinn stated that its probable that Hansen already has some sort of "pathway" with an NBA team. The hot rumor is that its the Sac Kings. That points to the Maloofs and Hansen perhaps having reached advanced talks by this point. The conversations would likely had to have started last season. NBA commissioner David Stern did admit yesterday that he did indeed take a meeting with Hansen last year.

The Maloofs though are on record as saying that they will not sell the Kings. If they need to relocate, they want to remain the owners. Its quite possible, Hansen offer provides for some sort of ownership position. However, complete ownership by the Maloofs is unlikely as they don't seem to have the longterm financial wherewithal according a SacBee columnist.

Apparently, even after selling a majority stake in their Palms Casino Resort in Vegas recently, the Maloofs still owe the city of Sacramento ~$70 million and the NBA another ~$100 million. Those parties will want their money back from them at some point. Perhaps Chris Hansen is their new Mr Money Bags.

We'll find out soon enough. The NBA has imposed a deadline of March 1 for the City of Sacremento to provide a framework for financing a new arena. Sacramento says it can probably raise about half of the $387M required. It's plan is to sell its city parking business (worth $9M/year in annual revenues) to a private company to run. It's received some a couple non-binding bids from parking management companies that look like could be worth about $185M. The City Council is supposed to meet Feb 17 to review. It will have a couple weeks afterwards to decide what its going to do.

If Chicago is any indication, this could be a bad move both financially and from a PR standpoint. The City of Chicago sold their parking business apparently for half of what it was worth, yet the private parking company raised meter rates immediately. The citizens of Chicago very quite unhappy with the whole deal.

Back to Sacremento -- because the the city budget can't really afford to be without those $9M in annual parking revenues, the City has to find way to replace that revenue stream. An option under consideration is a new tax. Arena event goers will likely be paying a surcharge on their tickets to future Kings games if everything goes through.

Maybe the City should also look at taxing visiting teams and players as well -- something that the State of Washington/City of Seattle will likely pass soon in order to pump about ~$60M into Hansen developing the new arena.

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I mentioned New Orleans Hornets in the previous Seattle thread. But these Sacremento Kings may be lower hanging fruit for Hansen. The Hornets are locked into a lease that expires 2014. Now that doesn't mean they can't be moved by a new owner if they also get the NBA relocation committee's blessing.

It will though cost the new owner more to do so since the City of New Orleans will then undoubtedly seek damages for the team breaking the lease (just like Seattle successfully negotiated damages, when Clay Bennett broke the his Key Arena lease in order to move the Sonics to OKC).

In that same article about the CP3 trade back in Dec, Stern says, "Our sole focus was and will remain, until we sell this team, hopefully which will be in first half of 2012, how best to maintain the Hornets, make them as attractive and a competitive as we can and ensure we have a buyer who can keep them in New Orleans." So it shouldn't be to much longer until we find out what happens with them too.

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The City of Seattle is using its leverage to get Hansen's partner, the unidentified prospective NHL owner, to agree to use the Key Arena rather than the Tacoma Dome as their temporary home. Smart move by Mayor McGinn et al...

Sources close to the ongoing arena negotiations suggest the future of KeyArena is a vital component of any deal.

The City-owned building, on the Seattle Center grounds, would stand to lose significant business if a new arena is constructed in either Seattle or Bellevue, and city leaders are carefully weighing that factor.

That’s part of the reason why negotiations have included potentially using the Key as a temporary home for an NBA or NHL franchise, or both, while a new arena is built.​

The reporter is Chris Daniels, who has been pretty close to the situation since news started leaking about Levin and the Bellevue option, last year. He's from the NBC affiliate in Seattle -- naturally.

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This is VERY good news for Seattle's NHL hopes. The NBA and Arena come as a bundle deal. The NHL follows in the NBA's footsteps, ie, Phoenix moves to Seattle.

And if it is the Sacremento Kings headed to Seattle next season, then the New Orleans Hornets will again, I would imagine, be in Larry Ellison's (Oracle CEO) cross-hairs to be acquired and moved to San Jose, something he attempted to do in the recent past.

Ironically, the NBA's relocation committee is headed by Clay Bennett, the one who bought and moved the original Sonics to Oklahoma City.

 

[JawandaPuck]

Regional Sports Network Component

The lucrative RSN opportunity mentioned by the arena consultant hired by the City:

Hirsh offered broad outlines but few details as part of an effort to update council members on negotiations from which they have largely been excluded. Revenue to build a Seattle arena and to cover the costs of acquiring NBA and NHL teams could come from admission taxes from events at the new facility, as well as the development of a lucrative television network...a wholly owned broadcast network, such as ones run by the New York Yankees in baseball and Texas Longhorns in college football.​

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Root Northwest is the former Fox Sports Network that is now owned by DirecTV. DirecTV is a competitor to Comcast. And DirecTV's Root Sports is a competitor to Comcast Sportsnet.

Comcast SportsNet NorthWest is more dominant in Portland OR...

Comcast SportsNet Northwest (CSN Northwest) is a regional sports network that covers local sports teams throughout the Northwestern United States, particularly Oregon and operates as a member of the NBC Sports Group. The Portland Trail Blazers and Oregon Ducks are the main attractions, but the channel also covers other northwestern U.S. sports including college and high school teams.​

Where as Root Sports Northwest is more dominant in Seattle WA...

Root Sports Northwest has coverage of the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC, Portland Timbers, Utah Jazz (via Root Sports Utah), and local coverage of the Pac-12, Western Athletic, Big Sky, West Coast and conferences. In 2008, FSN Northwest started broadcasting WHL hockey. Root Sports Northwest is still affiliated with FSN to secure its programming arrangements with the aforementioned collegiate athletic conferences.​

To make in roads in the much larger Emerald City market, Comcast needs more relevant content than this...

Comcast SportsNet Northwest carries 25 Vancouver Canucks NHL games per season, using the feed from Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. Using relationships with other Comcast-owned channels, CSN Northwest also broadcasts 35 other games from around the league; However in 2011, Comcast SportsNet Northwest announced that their NHL schedule with feature the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks. Additionally, the channel offers select Portland Winter Hawks home games from the WHL.​

Its public knowledge that Comcast is constantly bickering with DirecTV over the carriage of each others RSNs. Thats because there is a bitter war between DirecTV and Comcast over the US Northwest to the point where Comcast will use any means necessary to get an edge on DirecTV (even to the point of unintentionally upsetting their very important NBA team partner, the Portland Trailblazers [Paul Allen]).

Now, Comcast also owns NBC and NBC Sports, the new premier broadcast partner of the NHL and committed to them to the tune of $2B deal. Wouldn't it behoove NBC/Comcast to use their newly found massive leverage within the NHL to have them get an NHL team to the Seattle market ASAP (while in the process having that team sell its TV rights to CSN NW naturally).

Imagine being the Chairman of NBC Sports and seeing your RSN in the NW go from virtually no Seattle content ownership to having Seattle's NBA, NHL and MLB teams all on Comcast SportsNet NorthWest. It would certainly be a brilliant maneuver in Comcast's attempts to rival Root Sports Northwest in Seattle IMO.

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Looking at the future: a Mariners, NBA, NHL sports network? Sports and media expert agrees Mariners in line for big financial windfall in coming years.​

The author provides some real life examples as well as options for the a multi-team RSN scenario:

In speaking with Chase [Adam Chase, a Washington, D.C-based lawyer with the Media and Information Technologies practice group at the DowLohnes], there are essentially three ways the Mariners can go on this:

1) [Traditional Client-Vendor/Reseller Model]: Renegotiate their current deal with DirecTV or sign another one with rival Comcast to begin in 2015 that ups their current yearly TV rights take.

2) [Vertical Integration Model]: Form their own regional sports network, likely with one or more other pro teams as partners

3) [Hybrid Business Model]: Form their own regional sports network by teaming with an existing network


Option 3 would involve teaming with an existing cable company the way the Astros and Rockets have with Comcast in Houston. Both the MLB and NBA teams own 38 percent of that network, with Comcast owning 24 percent. (The value of that business was deemed so high that it enabled one of the worst on-field performers in baseball the past few years to be sold recently for $610 million.)

The advantage with that is, the teams don't have to lease equipment, hire talent, or cut their own distribution deals, since they are buying that existing infrastructure through Comcast. "It just gives you one less person to hire,'' Chase said.

Again, we won't know what the possibilities are until the likelihood of the NBA and NHL coming to Seattle gets spelled out further in the months and years ahead. The Mariners don't have all that much time to make up their minds.

But then again, they may not have to wait very long. We'll see.​

Based on precedence then, if MLB, NBA & NHL Seattle teams went with Option 3, I would guess that they would own 75-80% and Comcast would get the other 20-25%. As the media consultant, Chase said, in the article, if "all of those rights are combined in one RSN, it's pretty compelling programming...tough for a cable provider not to carry that.''

When the cableco carries your channel, that guarantees your RSN a huge amount of annual recurring revenues for lets say up to 10 years (which is the length of the Mariners current deal with DirecTV). Those guaranteed revenues substantially increase the values of the partnered-up franchises, something even the lowly Houston Astros experienced in the example above.

Now recall, Comcast/NBC has a $2B investment in the NHL. A Seattle NHL team will strike a deal with Comcast undoubtedly. The question is, will the Seattle NBA team and Mariners come along?

Well, it's in Comcast's best interest to get both of them as well since it would remove the Mariners from the clutches of the Seattle incumbent, DirecTV -- something that would obviously be a huge blow to the latter. And it would seem with the NBA & NHL partnering on the Seattle Arena solution, Comcast would be able to get the NBA as well. Plus, Comcast already has the Portland Trailblazers.

The Seattle billionaires are obviously aware of this big picture big dollar media opportunity. That's why I say they must be lining up to get a piece of the NHL team as owners. And IMO at the head of the line could perhaps be cableco and NHL business veteran, and Bellevue resident, one Mr. John McCaw Jr.

 

[JawandaPuck]

NHL Franchise Ownership

Chris Hansen's NHL partner is not Chicago's Don Levin. This mystery person apparently resides in Bellevue WA.

It likely has to be someone who has already done business with the NHL, since an enormous amount of credibility would be required (on both sides), for things to inch closer to conclusion simply on handshakes.

I did a quick search and found this linked article stating John McCaw Jr. is specifically from Bellevue. If this is the case, the prospective NHL owner partnering with Hansen could very well be McCaw. There is a pre-existing relationship and trust between McCaw and the NHL. And that fact that this partner is still a mystery is befitting of McCaw's low key M.O.

Also, McCaw already has the experience in running an NHL club and could very well get a relocated Coyotes up and running in Seattle relatively quickly I would think.

McCaw family once owned the 30th largest TV cable company in the US, McCaw Cablevision. Apparently John McCaw Sr., their dad, built the family wealth through cable TV in the Northwest. Unfortunately, McCaw Sr. had to sell off some stations during a debt-laden time period. And then in the late 80's his sons sold the whole cableco to another regional player, for greener pastures in cellular in the 80s (obviously the right move at that time). Ultimately, that combined cableco entity was swallowed up by, guess who -- Comcast.

Now that cable sports is the most profitable segment in the new TV industry, perhaps the McCaws are looking to leverage old NHL relationships and cable business experience, to restore the family reputation in the cable industry. With the McCaws now out of cellular, wireless, and sports, I would hazard guess one or more of them has had some of their abundant cash invested in Chris Hansen's impressive hedge fund, Valiant, which has done fabulously well investing in the likes of Apple and Google.

The McCaws and Hansen must have those same $$$$ signs in their eyes when envisioning a piece of the regional sports net action with NBA/NHL anchors for the 13th largest media market in the US (not to mention nieghbouring markets).

The John McCaw Jr. is officially on my radar.

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I'm sure Steve Ballmer is involved somehow as well. The Microsoft CEO "sold $1.3 billion in [MSFT] stock last year...and a few years ago Ballmer was part of a prospective ownership group to invest $150 million towards a $300 million renovation of KeyArena" in an attempt to keep the Sonics in Seattle.

The proximity to a rabid NHL fan base a couple hours north (think "Buffalo Sabres West"), along with a strong partnership between the NHL & NBA franchises (with regional sports network ambitions also in mind), IMO, guarantees the success of a Seattle NHL franchise over the short and long term respectively.

It's really a no-brainer once the Arena plans crystallize. Billionaires must be literally lining up in Seattle to get a piece of the action.

Seattle to Vancouver

Chris Hansen
Valiant Capital Management is a $2.7 billion global long/short equity hedge fund founded by Christopher R. Hansen in March 2008. Prior to that, Christopher Hansen was a Managing Director of Blue Ridge Capital from 2001 to January 2008. Mr. Hansen is the President and portfolio manager of Valiant and is supported by six junior partners who serve as senior analysts.

Chris Hansen graduated from San Diego State University in 1991 with a BS in Business/Finance. Prior to returning to graduate school at USC, Chris worked as a financial consultant for American Express Finacial Advisors and managed over $7 million in client assets. Upon completion of his MBA, Chris pusued a career in securities analysis and accepted a position with Montgomery Securities in San Francisco. Chris later worked for Blue Ridge Capital.

 

[JawandaPuck]

Arena Options

New Arena Options

Sodo District (South of Downtown)

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Bellevue (Former Safeway Distribution Center)

Bellevue is a Seattle suburb on the east side of Lake Washington - below is the plan for the future Light Rail route:

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Temporary Arena Options

Tacoma Dome
(renovation discussed)

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Key Arena

 

[JawandaPuck]

Seattle Market Analysis

Metro Seattle Market

Rank | Statistical Area | 2010 Pop | 2000 Pop | Change | NHL | NBA | NFL | MLB | MLS | Area Type
1|New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA|22,085,649|21,361,797|3.39%|3|2|2|2|1|CSA
2|Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA CSA|17,877,006|16,373,645|9.18%|2|2||2|2|CSA
3|Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA|9,804,845|9,312,255|5.29%|1|1|1|2|1|CSA
4|Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA|8,572,971|7,572,647|13.21%|1|1|2|2|1|CSA
5|Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-RI-NH CSA|7,559,060|7,298,695|3.57%|1|1|1|1|1|CSA
6|San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA|7,468,390|7,092,596|5.30%|1|1|2|2|1|CSA
7|Dallas-Fort Worth, TX CSA|6,731,317|5,487,956|22.66%|1|1|1|1|1|CSA
8|Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA|6,533,683|6,207,223|5.26%|1|1|1|1|1|CSA
9|Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX CSA|6,051,363|4,815,122|25.67%||1|1|1|1|CSA
10|Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA|5,618,431|4,548,344|23.53%||1|1|1||CSA
11|Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA|5,564,635|5,007,564|11.12%|1|1|1|1||MSA
12|Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI CSA|5,218,852|5,357,538| −2.59% |1|1|1|1||CSA
13 | Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA CSA|4,199,312|3,707,144|13.28%|||1|1|1|CSA
14 | Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA|4,192,887|3,251,876|28.94%|1|1|1|1||MSA
15|Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI CSA|3,615,902|3,271,888|10.51%|1|1|1|1||CSA
16|San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA|3,095,313|2,813,833|10.00%|||1|1||MSA
17|Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO CSA|3,090,874|2,629,980|17.52%|1|1|1|1|1|CSA
18|Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH CSA|2,881,937|2,945,831| −2.17% ||1|1|1||CSA
19|St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL CSA|2,878,255|2,754,328|4.50%|1||1|1||CSA
20|Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL CSA|2,818,120|2,191,081|28.62%||1||||CSA
21|Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA|2,783,243|2,395,997|16.16%|1||1|1||MSA
22| Sacramento–Arden Arcade–Yuba City, CA-NV CSA|2,461,780|2,069,298|18.97%||1||||CSA
23|Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA CSA|2,447,393|2,525,730| −3.10% |1||1|1||CSA
24|Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC CSA|2,402,623|1,897,034|26.65%||1|1|||CSA
25|Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA|2,226,009|1,927,881|15.46%||1|||1|MSA
26|Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN CSA|2,172,191|2,050,175|5.95%|||1|1||CSA
27|San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX MSA|2,142,508|1,711,703|25.17%||1||||MSA
28|Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS CSA|2,104,853|1,901,070|10.72%|||1|1|1|CSA
29|Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN CSA|2,080,782|1,843,588|12.87%||1|1|||CSA
30|Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH CSA|2,071,052|1,835,189|12.85%|1||||1|CSA
31|Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump, NV CSA|1,995,215|1,408,250|41.68%||||||CSA
32|Austin-Round Rock-Marble Falls, TX CSA|1,759,039|1,283,910|37.01%||||||CSA
33|Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI CSA|1,751,316|1,689,572|3.65%||1|1|1||CSA
34|Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC CSA|1,749,525|1,314,589|33.09%|1|||||CSA
35|Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT CSA|1,744,886|1,469,474|18.74%||1|||1|CSA
36|Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA|1,671,683|1,576,370|6.05%||||||MSA
37|Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Columbia, TN CSA|1,670,890|1,381,287|20.97%|1||1|||CSA
38|Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC CSA|1,589,200|1,414,656|12.34%||||||CSA
39|Louisville/Jefferson County–Elizabethtown–Scottsburg, KY-IN CSA|1,427,483|1,292,482|10.45%||||||CSA
40|Jacksonville, FL MSA|1,345,596|1,122,750|19.85%|||1|||MSA
41|Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT CSA|1,330,809|1,257,709|5.81%||||||CSA
42|Oklahoma City-Shawnee, OK CSA|1,322,429|1,160,942|13.91%||1||||CSA
43|Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI CSA|1,321,557|1,254,661|5.33%||||||CSA
44|Memphis, TN-MS-AR MSA|1,316,100|1,205,204|9.20%||1||||MSA
45|Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC CSA|1,266,995|1,128,104|12.31%||||||CSA
46|Richmond, VA MSA|1,258,251|1,096,957|14.70%||||||MSA
47|Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY CSA|1,215,826|1,254,066| −3.05% |1||1|||CSA
48|New Orleans-Metairie-Bogalusa, LA CSA|1,214,932|1,360,436| −10.70% ||1|1|||CSA
49|Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL CSA|1,208,453|1,129,721|6.97%||||||CSA
50|Albany-Schenectady-Amsterdam, NY CSA|1,168,485|1,118,095|4.51%||||||CSA

U.S. Local TV Market Rankings
Ranked by Number of TV Households per Designated Market Area (DMA)
As Of August 30, 2011

Rank | Designated Market Area (DMA) | # of TV Households
1|New York|7,387,810
2|Los Angeles|5,569,780
3|Chicago|3,493,480
4|Philadelphia|2,993,370
5|Dallas-Ft. Worth|2,571,310
6|San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose|2,506,510
7|Boston (Manchester)|2,379,690
8|Washington, DC|2,360,180
9|Atlanta|2,292,640
10|Houston|2,185,260
11|Detroit|1,842,650
12 | Seattle-Tacoma |1,811,420
13 | Phoenix |1,811,330
14|Tampa - St. Petersburg|1,788,240
15|Minneapolis - St.Paul|1,721,940
16|Miami-Ft.Lauderdale|1,583,800
17|Denver|1,548,570
18|Cleveland-Akron|1,514,170
19|Orlando-Daytona Beach|1,465,460
20| Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto |1,388,570
21|St.Louis|1,253,920
22|Portland, OR|1,190,010
23|Pittsburgh|1,171,490
24|Raleigh-Durham|1,143,420
25|Charlotte|1,140,900
26|Indianapolis|1,109,970
27|Baltimore|1,097,310
28|San Diego|1,077,600
29|Nashville|1,024,560
30|Hartford - New Haven|1,006,280
31|Kansas City|939,740
32|Columbus, OH|932,680
33|Salt Lake City|927,540
34|Milwaukee|907,660
35|Cincinnati|896,090
36|San Antonio|880,690
37|Greenville-Asheville|860,930
38|West Palm Beach|788,020
39|Birmingham|738,790
40|Las Vegas|737,300
41|Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York|729,440
42|Grand Rapids - Kalamazoo|722,150
43|Norfolk - Portsmouth - Newport News|718,750
44|Oklahoma City|712,630
45|Albuquerque - Santa Fe|710,050
46|Greensboro - High Point|691,200
47|Austin|686,830
48|Louisville|674,050
49|Memphis|669,940
50|Jacksonville|669,840

__________________________


Current Seattle Area Hockey Teams

WHL US Division

Team|City|Arena|Region
Seattle Thunderbirds |Kent, Washington, United States|ShoWare Center| Metro Seattle Everett Silvertips |Everett, Washington, United States|Comcast Arena at Everett| Metro Seattle Spokane Chiefs |Spokane, Washington, United States|Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena|Eastern WA State
Tri-City Americans |Kennewick, Washington, United States|Toyota Center|Eastern WA State
Portland Winterhawks |Portland, Oregon, United States|Memorial Coliseum & Rose Garden|Metro Portland

__________________________


History of Seattle Hockey
Seattle Metropolitans - 1917 Stanley Cup Champions - played at the Seattle Ice Arena, 1200 Fifth Avenue, downtown Seattle (since replaced by an office tower)

Hockey In Seattle - $15.99 Amazon

Book Description (Publication Date: November 16, 2004)
Professional, semi-pro, and junior league hockey teams have skated on Seattle ice for nearly a century. Great players like Frank Foyston, Bill MacFarland, Guyle Fielder, and Glen Goodall have thrilled fans and led their teams to championships. Hockey in Seattle is the story of these men and their teams. These stories are all here the birth of hockey in Seattle, the 1917 Stanley Cup champions, the glory years of the Totems in the 1960s, and the Thunderbirds of today. Along the way you ll meet the players, owners, and fans that make up Seattle s colorful history as a hockey town. Put on your skates, pick up your stick, and relive the memories.

About the Author
Jeff Obermeyer is a 13-year season ticket holder with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. His work has been published in Nostalgia Magazine and he helped produce a series of two-minute radio spots on Seattle hockey history heard on Thunderbirds broadcasts.


__________________________


Seattle Uniform Concepts

 

[JawandaPuck]

Seattle News Log

"Seattle sports-arena talks well under way, documents show"

The Seattle Times, February 4, 2012:

Emails and documents released by the city show that there's a far more focused effort to bring an NBA team back to Seattle and build a new arena than previously known.

A Dec. 13 agenda for a meeting between the parties shows they were talking about details such as a "Review of Basic Deal Structure," "Financing Issues," including "City Debt Capacity," and "Security for Public Financing."

The documents, released Friday to The Seattle Times under a public-disclosure request, also provide the first glimpse of how the largely unknown hedge-fund manager, 44-year-old Seattle native Christopher Hansen, approached the city about his desire to buy an NBA team and build an arena south of Safeco Field.

In an initial email laying out his vision, Hansen told city officials an arena could be built with minimal impact on taxpayers.

"Thanks for spending the time today guys," Hansen wrote in a June 16 email to Julie McCoy, chief of staff to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, and Ethan Raup, the mayor's director of policy and operations.

"I really appreciate it and look forward to making this happen in Seattle," wrote Hansen, a multimillionaire who built a fortune in the private investment world. "I genuinely mean that and am confident that with a little effort and creativity we can find a solution that meets our needs and the City's /State's desire to get a team back to Seattle without a large public outlay."

Hansen offered to provide information on "recent municipal arena deals that have been put together and some of the direct and indirect contributions that the city can make that don't require incremental taxes or direct public funding."

Those issues were on the table at the key Dec. 13 meeting, which was attended by McCoy and Raup and set up by Carl Hirsh, a New Jersey arena consultant hired by the city in July.

It was held at the law offices of Foster Pepper, one of Seattle's prominent law firms. An attorney with the firm, Hugh Spitzer, had been hired by the city in September to provide advice on selling construction bonds.

...

Hansen has acquired property south of Safeco Field's parking garage, between South Massachusetts and South Holgate streets east of First Avenue South, records show. While sources have previously said at least one business owner has declined to sell, the issue of the city using its power of eminent domain to acquire the land is no longer a concern of Hansen's group, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said during a recent interview with The Times editorial board. Holmes did not elaborate, but his comments suggest Hansen's representatives have reached some sort of agreements.

...

Although the documents don't mention how Seattle would obtain a team, they show the city has been following developments in Sacramento, which is under a March 1 deadline to come up with a viable proposal to build an arena for the Sacramento Kings. In September, Hirsh emailed a copy of an Associated Press story to Raup that outlined the Sacramento situation. If Sacramento fails, the Kings could be playing in Seattle next fall if the city and Hansen reach an agreement, according to a Seattle City Hall source who has been briefed on the matter.

In addition, National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman has expressed a strong interest in placing a team in Seattle, leading to widespread speculation that the financially struggling Phoenix Coyotes could be moved here.​

Arena and Team Announcements could come in April

The Seattle Times, February 4, 2012:

Obviously much still needs to be worked out, but an announcement of an arena plan and the opportunity to bring the NBA and NHL to Seattle could come as early as April, and this is no April Fools' joke.​

​

NHL EVP Bill Daly talks up Seattle and plays down Quebec

LaPresse, January 29, 2012 (translated):

"Yes we can. Yes you can write that the Coyotes could move to Quebec City next year. But you must also add that other cities, as well as Quebec, could inherit the Coyotes...Seattle, like Quebec, [is a city where an] arena has yet to be built. Existing infrastructure - the Colosseum and the Key Arena, which served as home to the SuperSonics basketball club before being relocated to Oklahoma City - could serve as a temporary solution.

Our relationship with the people of Quebec are still very good and their application is not worse than it was. But I think the passion with which you follow the case and the interest for the return of the League in Quebec gave the impression that things were more advanced than they actually are."​

To make the arena profitable, it will require both the NBA and the NHL...

Le Soliel, January 30, 2012 (translated):

"Our efforts are serious. There are several private groups are competing to build an arena, and what motivates them at the base is an NHL franchise," said an influential person working with the group to give Seattle franchises for both the NBA and the NHL. In order not to undermine the efforts of investors, this insider of the Seattle sports scene prefers to remain anonymous.

But on the West Coast, the NHL is not a consolation prize for the NBA. "This is a very attractive market, there is a beautiful story of hockey here. We have many links to and rivalry with Vancouver. And we have an incredible number of billionaires in the region who are willing to support professional teams," says the businessman, who now devotes much of his energy to drive this. "The desire of the business community is to have two sports: basketball and hockey. The two go together."

"I am aware of the involvement of several investors. This is very serious," says Craig Kinzer, a well known property developer in the region and former president of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. "For our investors, it is natural to aim for the NBA and the NHL... To be profitable here, it takes all three (NBA, NHL and arena)." Investors feel in recent months that all of these conditions could be met shortly, the businessman concludes.​

We have a motivated Seattle Mayor and a motivated Arena Developer...

The Seattle Times, January 13, 2012:

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn signed a $19,500-per-month contract in July with sports-facilities consultant Carl Hirsh to advise the city on the development of a new sports facility that could draw an NBA team back to town.

Hirsh said many pieces remain to be put together to make a new arena work in Seattle. And he reiterated what the mayor and council members have said, that there is no firm proposal. But he said the developer is very motivated (Chris Hansen).

"Do I think it will be easy? No. Do I think we can put together a deal? Yes."

A deal also might help resurrect the political fortunes of McGinn, who in August lost the fight over the waterfront tunnel, which he stridently opposed, and suffered defeat of a proposed $60 vehicle-license fee, which he favored.

Christian Sinderman, a political consultant, said that while the number of people who want professional basketball returned to Seattle is high, the number who think it's essential is low.

Building a new arena and bringing a team back "is not a political game-changer," Sinderman said.

But he did acknowledge that if an arena got built under terms favorable to the city, "It could show that this mayor is capable of cutting a deal and delivering."​

Levin is not the one working with Hansen...

NBC King 5 News, January 4, 2012

Don Levin has watched the Puget Sound’s arena talk closely, and acknowledges now from his office in Chicago, it’s time for the people to step forward. “Time is of the essence,” says the owner of the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves. “A city needs to step up.”

“We know Don Levin. A good man and a good hockey owner,” wrote NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly in an email Wednesday. But, he added, “We have had no recent discussions or communications with him.”

Daly also denied that the league had any further discussions with a Seattle ownership group. Multiple sources say there is one other investor or group, besides Levin, interested in bringing the NHL to the Seattle-area.

Levin said he can’t build the arena, but would like to partner with an NBA ownership group to fill a new facility. He denied recent suggestions that he’d been lobbying or working with an NBA group to make that happen.

He also said he hasn’t been contacted by a San Francisco-based hedge fund, Valiant Partners (Chris Hansen), about the fund's recent purchase of three acres south of Safeco Field. Valiant bought the land from a Seattle businessman for $21.6 million, almost $3 million more than the land's assessed value. The deal for the parcel closed on December 6th. The land is located just south of the Safeco Field parking garage. The seller has declined comment on the deal.​

Washington State Government will put up the arena "down payment" thru a sale of state bonds funded by a new event tax...

Kiro TV News, January 9, 2012

Washington state lawmakers are working on a new proposal to bring NBA basketball and the National Hockey League to Seattle, and are optimistic a new approach could work. When the Sonics were up for grabs for years ago, lawmakers refused to even vote on committing taxpayer money to help pay for a new arena.

Now, state Rep. Mike Hope (R, Lake Stevens) is trying a different approach. The idea is to charge NBA basketball and NHL hockey a license fee each time a team plays in the potential new arena. The money would be used as collateral to sell $62 million worth of bonds to help pay for a new arena in the Seattle area.

Rep. Hope said he believes the proposal will get bipartisan support because no taxpayer money is involved. "When you're looking at this, it's not going to affect a single person in Washington state," Hope said. "The people who are going to pay for this are the athletes themselves." He said the plan is similar to what other states like Tennessee and Ohio have done to help finance new arenas.

He's drafting legislation now and believes there will be a hearing in the next few weeks. The $62 million the plan is expected to raise is just a fraction of what a new arena would cost, but for supporters, every bit helps.
​

Hansen's NBA group is working with one of two Seattle NHL groups...

The Seattle Times, December 23, 2011

A wealthy San Francisco hedge-fund manager is the lead investor seeking to build a sports arena south of Safeco Field to lure an NBA basketball team back to Seattle, according to two sources briefed on the effort.

Christopher Hansen, 43, who has roots in Seattle and now heads Valiant Capital Management LLC, in San Francisco, is working with an investor group whose proposal has yet to be publicly unveiled.

Hansen, described by one source as a multimillionaire, could not be reached for comment Friday. He previously lived in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood, public records show.

Hansen is working with a Bellevue man who would like to bring an NHL professional hockey team to Seattle to play in the arena, according to the source, who did not know the name of the Eastside participant. Both men understand they need each other to make the proposal work, the source said.

Among those involved in the Sodo plan is Wally Walker, the former Seattle Sonics player and team executive, sources said. Walker was a minority owner of the Sonics, serving as the team's president and general manager from 1994 until the team was sold to Clay Bennett in 2006. Bennett moved the team to Oklahoma City after failing to secure a new arena in Seattle and reaching a financial settlement with the city of Seattle. Bennett said KeyArena, where the Sonics played, lacked the amenities required to support an NBA franchise.

If built, the arena would add a third professional sports facility in the Sodo area, joining Safeco, home of the Seattle Mariners, and CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders FC.​

_________________________


Old Threads:
Part II: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1094241
Part I: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=908743
Nickname Thread: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1096759

 

[MAROONSRoad]

Wasn't most of this stuff already posted by you in the previous threads? And you are copying and posting it again here? Nice job!

 

[MoreOrr]

Wasn't most of this stuff already posted by you in the previous threads? And you are copying and posting it again here? Nice job!

Yes, a bit of overkill, I think.

 

[superdeluxe]

I like that he is doing that, it's the first post, and any new person would find it useful.

Anyways, gooden no offense is a moron in regards to knowing about the issues,
her concerns about the
impact of all three sports
On traffic. I mean really?

 

[uhlaw97]

As nice as those Metro Area and Market Size lists are, they reveal one other thing: Houston is ahead of Seattle on BOTH lists.

We should be next in line.

 

[Melrose Munch]

As nice as those Metro Area and Market Size lists are, they reveal one other thing: Houston is ahead of Seattle on BOTH lists.

We should be next in line.

can you tell me who in houston has an interest right now in a team?

 

[superdeluxe]

As nice as those Metro Area and Market Size lists are, they reveal one other thing: Houston is ahead of Seattle on BOTH lists.

We should be next in line.

It's not just based on population size

 

[superdeluxe]

Jawanda needs to include turk's stats about rec leagues, indoor rinks, and minor league fan support into first post

 

[CBJ goalie]

Jawanda Puck: the kdb209 of the Seattle BOH threads.

Good job, it'll be a primer for those coming into the threads for the first time - and a good reference point for any discussions.

 

[ChilliBilly]

I love the innovative idea of taxing other players coming into town. Look a bucket of free money ...

Sorry, if it isn't viable on its own it shouldn't proceed. All these "innovative" ways of finding tax dollars are the wrong approach; fzcking governments need to find ways to cut spending, not "innovative" ways to steal more of my dollars ...

Either way, I would love to see the NHL in Seattle. I have 4 seasons tickets to the Canucks I can't afford already.

Having VCR, seattle, SJ, LA, Ana, Cal, Col and Edm as a division would be fantastic.

 

[superdeluxe]

Just read some of the info about Seattle being awarded a NHL Franchise in 1974. Dang, I wish it would have happened back then!

 

[gstommylee]

I love the innovative idea of taxing other players coming into town. Look a bucket of free money ...

Sorry, if it isn't viable on its own it shouldn't proceed. All these "innovative" ways of finding tax dollars are the wrong approach; fzcking governments need to find ways to cut spending, not "innovative" ways to steal more of my dollars ...

Either way, I would love to see the NHL in Seattle. I have 4 seasons tickets to the Canucks I can't afford already.

Having VCR, seattle, SJ, LA, Ana, Cal, Col and Edm as a division would be fantastic.

And if they can't figure out how to funded it NO new Arena period in seattle. Hell even if there is an agreement funding it could still not pass.

For it to get a 9-0 in favor a lot of concessions will have to be made with Hansen agreeing to a lot of things, all of the concerns will have to be addressed etc. Hansen could even decide to drop out and nothing happens. This can not be rushed. Once this proposal goes to City Hall. It could be another month or so before a vote happens or a vote could happen quickly and it fails. We just don't know where the end of the tunnel will be.

I'm moving on as if no arena in Seattle or no arena in Bellevue to not get my self disappointed.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Yes, a bit of overkill, I think.

Nuts to that, I love it. I've been keeping up with it but a lot of users don't (trying to find specific things in the other threads is often like trying to find a needle in a haystack).

As nice as those Metro Area and Market Size lists are, they reveal one other thing: Houston is ahead of Seattle on BOTH lists.

We should be next in line.

If all it took was a big population figure then Atlanta wouldn't have lost their team to Winnipeg and Phoenix wouldn't be in the kerfuffle they've been in for so long.

And where exactly is the interest coming from in Houston, exactly? There hasn't been any real interest shown by anyone in Houston, while Quebec and Seattle are racing like hell trying to get stuff put together to get a team. I'm not sure how Houston should be next in line without an interested owner.

 

[superdeluxe]

If all it took was a big population figure then Atlanta wouldn't have lost their team to Winnipeg and Phoenix wouldn't be in the kerfuffle they've been in for so long.

And where exactly is the interest coming from in Houston, exactly? There hasn't been any real interest shown by anyone in Houston, while Quebec and Seattle are racing like hell trying to get stuff put together to get a team. I'm not sure how Houston should be next in line without an interested owner.

Not only that, but being the only NHL franchise in the NW of the United states means you might a fair amount of interest from Western Montana, Idaho, Oregon.

If you have fans other teams that lived in those areas..they might make the commute to see their teams play. Same thing for people who live in BC (Canuck fans coming down to watch their team play the Seattle Steelhead etc).

 

[Awesome Sauce]

I agree, great set of first posts for the thread. I've been following the saga very closely and I still found it very interesting to read through everything again, and it is certainly a great way for newcomers to get caught up.

 

[PhillyFlying]

thanks, OP!

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Not only that, but being the only NHL franchise in the NW of the United states means you might a fair amount of interest from Western Montana, Idaho, Oregon.

If you have fans other teams that lived in those areas..they might make the commute to see their teams play. Same thing for people who live in BC (Canuck fans coming down to watch their team play the Seattle Steelhead etc).

I'll heed off the comment that will inevitably come (as it did twice in the last thread) about how wide-spread a Seattle team really would be...and I think you have it right in that they'll get a fair amount of interest in Western Montana, Idaho, & Oregon...all places that have no real rooting interest as things stand aside from transplants and people just attaching onto a random team. I'm sure Seattle has a decent amount of Canucks fans, but the further away you get from Vancouver the fewer fans there are in the northwest.

Speaking as someone who's been living in Western Montana for 5 years now...most people here identify with Seattle as their favorite 'big' city, and the Seattle teams all have a decent share of the fan base (from my experience the Seahawks are behind only the Steelers and Packers in NFL fans, the Mariners probably tops in baseball, and the Sonics were tied with the Blazers in NBA...though this state really couldn't care less about that sport in general). Putting a NHL team in Seattle would probably make them the most popular team in the league here with no real question...hockey is really only starting to build a footprint of the state (thanks in large part to the American West Hockey League and Northern Pacific Hockey League, both Tier III junior leagues (the current Seattle Totems are in this league), which have 8 teams in the state between them), but without any teams in the northwest the interest hasn't grown beyond the small-time junior hockey scene outside of transplants. There's a decent amount of Penguins and Red Wings fans here, as there's a lot of transplants here (me being one myself), and I know a lot of those fans would instantly grab onto Seattle as a secondary team.

The northwest is a barren market...the vast majority of the money that would be going into the team would be from the Seattle area, but they would become the northwest's team.

 

[gstommylee]

http://twitter.com/#!/seatowndawgtown/status/168037888632684544

a source close to the #mariners organization is telling me that the team plans to fight the proposed NHL/NBA arena in sodo.

Why am i not surprised. Mariners don't want competition.

I mean did anyone expect there not to be any group that is against the arena?

 

[tank44]

Jawanda needs to include turk's stats about rec leagues, indoor rinks, and minor league fan support into first post

Seattle & the Pacific NW DOES had the market and population interest for NHL hockey and bring a team to the US NW.

WHL: 2 teams in metro area: Seattle Thunderbirds (Kent 20mi South) & Everett Silvertips (29 mi North). Seattle averages 4k per game and Everett averages 5k per game in attendance. 2 other teams in State (3-4h hrs away) Tri-Cities & Spokane; 1 other US team within 3 hrs (Portland); 2 Canadian teams within 3 hrs (Vancouver & Victoria).

US Hockey enrollment: WA had 7,615 people enrolled in 09-10. (need to enroll to play in leagues in US for insurance purposes)
Without NHL: KS – 1,574; NV – 940; OR – 804; GA – 2,142
With NHL: AZ – 3,339; MO – 6,295; NC – 5,598; TN – 2,430; TX – 10,909
Greater Seattle Hockey League for adult rec hockey has ~110 teams. Largest in US NW and one of largest in US (previously advertised as top 5).

TV & radio:
Seattle area homes get CBC-Vancouver, NBC Sports (VS), Comcast Sports-NW (Canucks & Sharks) and NHL Network which all carry NHL games regularly. Prime Sports-NW also carries random WHL games. Ratings for various games may be misleading as many people I know watch the CBC version of the same game over the NBC version (i.e. Stanley Cup playoffs & all star game). The Stanley Cup is also misleading as previously mentioned the local NBC affiliate (KING) moved the game to their secondary channel KONG. With the games starting at 500pm locally, the local news programs took priority. I am sure similar occurred in Los Angeles & San Francisco. When a game is only on one i.e. the Olympic Gold Medal game, Seattle was ranked 14th in the US for that game with a 19.3/45 rating on par with St Louis and greater than NYC & DC.
Local sports talk radio stations (x4 in metro area) have regular NHL & WHL segments. At least 2 of these stations play Canucks games on a regular basis.

Population:
Seattle is the 12th largest metro (CSA) in the US with about 4.1M people just behind Detroit & Atlanta and ahead of Minneapolis, & Denver. The area has a steady growth rate of about 13%. Much of the population growth from immigration is from Asia and Canada for the tech industries in the area. Microsoft & Boeing both sponsor corporate hockey leagues for their employees. Many of the people in the GSHL playing are from Canada & Europe (many all-Russian teams).

Economy:
Seattle's economy is driven by a mix of older industrial companies (Boeing, Weyerhauser), and "new economy" Internet (Amazon, Real) and technology (Microsoft,) companies, service (Starbucks), design (Nordstrom) and clean technology companies. The city's gross metropolitan product was $231 billion in 2010, making it the 12th largest metropolitan economy in the United States just behind Miami & Atlanta and ahead of Detroit & Minneapolis.

Sports Market:
I had tickets to today’s 1/31 game in Vancouver vs Chicago which were the 2nd cheapest tickets on ticketmaster and cost me $350 for a pair. I sold those for about face value and have seen NHL games in Chicago, Denver, Dallas & San Jose this season for less than the that one pair cost. People from Vancouver will make the drive to Seattle to watch games as many people in Seattle currently do to go Vancovuer to catch games. This will be similar to the Seahawks & Mariners drawing people in throughout the PacificNW region. MLS& NCAA teams cater more to a local crowd and are different to those at the NFL, MLB & NHL games I have gone to. For the NHL playoffs last year, there were significant delays (above normal for weekday afternoons & late night) at the US-Canada border before & after each game which I can vouch for since I was in these lineups often. Similarly I have been in similar backlogs from Vancouver to Seattle for Seahawks games. You can tell the lineups are with the sports fans due to the decals, flags and jerseys being worn.
I imagine that Seattle would evolve into a market similar to Denver & Minneapolis for cities with the 4 major sports. There will still be strong support for all levels and success & effort will help drive gate attendance. MLB runs April-Sept; NHL run Oct-April = convenient. NFL & NCAAF is Sept-Jan but only 1 day per week. MLS is ridiculously strongly supported in Seattle and many feel that NHL will have a similar connection. MLS season is March-Nov thus some overlap but minimal. My biggest issue is that a team would need to come with a NBA team to build a new arena. I feel the NBA will be the biggest deterrent to attendance as the two seasons run in parallel. The local WHL teams are far enough away from the core of the main Seattle city to keep their local markets and provide a cheaper alternative to the NHL for the area.

Seattle NHL history:
http://www.seattlehockey.net/Seattle...d_the_NHL.html
Initial 6 team expansion in 67: Seattle was a consideration due to high attendance in WHL games (pro league back then) but no other pro-teams in town made the league look elsewhere.
1974 – Seattle awarded expansion NHL team for 76 season. Prospective owner balked at WHA team or NHL relocation. Expansion team was revoked due to local & league financing issues. 2 teams relocated in the mid-late 70s and 1 folded. Legal issues continued over a decade on this front.
1989 – NHL was expanding again in the early 90s. Seattle had 2 owner groups led by the NBA Sonics and Microsoft. Two groups merged efforts but then the NBA group walked out at the last minue leaving the Microsoft bid empty. Renovations to the Key Arena set for around this time made the arena too small for the NHL footprint thus eliminating the potential for competition in the arena.
NOW - opposite of 60s: too many teams potentially for market. Key Arena is still too small for NHL (11k horseshoe & bad sight lines/angles) and was deemed insufficient for NBA after 15 years of use after remodel. 2 WHL arenas are too small (ShoWare <Kent>- 6.5k; Comcast <Everett> - 8.5k) and the Tacoma Dome is in Tacoma and old but could be renovated to accomodate on an interm basis. The Tacoma Dome hosted NHL preseason games in the 80s-90s and the Everett Comcast Arena has recently (09) held an NHL preseason game between Tampa & Phoenix.

here we go

As for sheets of ice to play hockey in the metro area:13
Everett - 2 (including Comcast Arena)
Lynnwood - 1
Mountlake Terrace - 1
Shoreline - 2
Kirkland - 1
Renton - 2
Kent - 2 (including Showare Center)
Tacoma - 1
Spanaway - 1


I also don't think you can remove the Everett Comcast Arena from the temporary home venue. It is by far the best arena for hockey in the area and hold 8-9k. I do not know if there can be any expansion or standing room seats added but it's a beauty.