NHL to Seattle/Bellevue: Plan or ploy?

[Pepper]

I'm confident we all know that the Key Arena cannot, under any circumstances, host an NHL club. That said, I will mention the one fact that has not been mentioned yet: The Key Arena only seats just over 11,000 for hockey. No NHL team can survive with that.

And more importantly NHL teams are required to have arenas which can seat over 15.000 in hockey configuration, thus the NHL would never approve a move to Seattle without a new arena.

 

[Voice of Reason]

Don't forget all that money the team would have to fork over to Vancouver so they don't block the move...

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

If Seattle or nearby Bellevue get an arena then i would consider an NHL team there. But the situation with the Keyarena, Sonics possible move to messy. But, The Seahawks and Mariners came frightenly close to moving 10 years ago, they got new stadiums. So it can work again.

Puget Sound Entertainment is having a lot of problems,imho, keeping even minor pro basketball (ABA) in Bellevue or Tacoma and as of recently as 2005 were granted a team in Vancouver that hasn't seen action yet and the other two were recently moved to a 2007 return.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

And more importantly NHL teams are required to have arenas which can seat over 15.000 in hockey configuration, thus the NHL would never approve a move to Seattle without a new arena.

The first part is false - there is no "minimum arena seating" requirement set by the NHL. If the Rangers wanted to downsize into a 12,000-seat arena, they could do so and the League couldn't do anything about it. The NHL would just REALLY PREFER that any new arena seat at least 17,000 or more for hockey.

Ottawa struggled to survive in an arena that seated 10,500. I don't think the NHL wants to go down that road again. Besides, they'd prefer an arena where every seat could actually see the ice; in Key Arena, something like 3,000 seats or so in the upper tier can't see their end at all - meaning that on TV, the place would look barely half-full on certain angles. The fact that a huge chunk of seats can't see half the ice is more damaging than the actual capacity of the arena itself.

The second part is absolutely true - especially since there's nothing in the area that's even suitable for hockey on the scale the NHL would like. Still, among cities who've expressed interest in having an NHL team, Seattle is *way* behind other cities like Kansas City, Houston, Winnipeg, and even Oklahoma City and Hamilton.

 

[Hawker14]

Don't forget all that money the team would have to fork over to Vancouver so they don't block the move...

seattle isn't within vancouver's territorial rights.

 

[OG6ix]

Puget Sound Entertainment is having a lot of problems,imho, keeping even minor pro basketball (ABA) in Bellevue or Tacoma and as of recently as 2005 were granted a team in Vancouver that hasn't seen action yet and the other two were recently moved to a 2007 return.

The ABA sucks. NEVER EVER mention or take into consideration ABA support whenever the relocation/expansion thread comes up.

 

[Jazz]

If the Sonics move then it would be even better for the NHL to move into Seattle since they basically play during the same months, and they could take advantage of the void left by the Sonics.

Don't forget all that money the team would have to fork over to Vancouver so they don't block the move...

This is not an issue.

 

[BCCHL inactive]

seattle isn't within vancouver's territorial rights.

I've heard through the grapevine that Colorado has rights to Washington State. It's one of the two (COL or VAN) for sure.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

the grapevine

Elaborate.

 

[OG6ix]

If bettman thinks that a lot of people in the North West (US) care about the Canucks, he is dead wrong.

 

[Dolemite]

If bettman thinks that a lot of people in the North West (US) care about the Canucks, he is dead wrong.

You'd be suprised how many Canucks Season or Ice Pack Ticket holders live in the Greater Seattle Area.

 

[Dolemite]

I've heard through the grapevine that Colorado has rights to Washington State. It's one of the two (COL or VAN) for sure.

No it's true. When I was living in Seattle, I e-mailed the Canucks once about why I can't get PPV games on Center Ice and on my cable network (and even though the owner at the time lived in Seattle). The responded that the area belongs to the Avs and the Canucks area is only BC (and the Yukon if memory serves).

This is one of the big areas of the NHL that need to be fixed. Asinine territory rules.

 

[Dolemite]

Still, among cities who've expressed interest in having an NHL team, Seattle is *way* behind other cities like Kansas City, Houston, Winnipeg, and even Oklahoma City and Hamilton.

As a former Seattle resident this town is behind the rest of the know universe in a TON of other areas than just Arenas. It's one of the reasons why I moved.

 

[Voice of Reason]

seattle isn't within vancouver's territorial rights.

I thought they were.
Regardless, I would expect the nucks to make a stink about this just because.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Elaborate.

Grapevine can refer to several things.

-- A vine on which grapes grow.
-- Grapevine (dance move), a step pattern in several dances.

Places in the United States:
-- The Grapevine: A steep portion of the Ridge Route linking the Los Angeles Basin with the San Joaquin Valley; see Grapevine, California.
-- Grapevine, California is a village at the base of The Grapevine on the Ridge Route.
-- Grapevine, Texas.

-- Grapevine (television show), a television show.
-- Grapevine (disk magazine), an Amiga disk magazine produced by the demoscene group "LSD" in the early-to-mid 1990s.
-- Grapevine (band), a Japanese rock band.
-- Grapevine (Pittsburgh band), a rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
-- Grapevine ISP, an internet service provider based in Canberra, Australia.
-- Grapevine (gossip), term often used to describe a form of informal communication
-- Reykjavík Grapevine, an English language newspaper about current events and life in Iceland
-- A feature on Special Report with Brit Hume, a show on Fox News Channel.
-- A grappling hold where one or both legs are used to entangle an opponent's leg, for instance from the mounted position.

Or, it's what Marvin Gaye heard "it" through.

 

[CrazyCanucks]

I've heard through the grapevine that Colorado has rights to Washington State. It's one of the two (COL or VAN) for sure.

So this Col vs Van rivalry just keeps growing, now its territorial rights!

 

[Hasbro]

I think the territrial rights are strictly for US tv broadcasts. I highly doubt the Avs could do much or would be inclined to block a move there.

 

[bigredkev73]

Not a bad place for a Hockey team. However, there are better places to have a nhl team first. Places that are hotter beds for hockey; like Winnipeg and Quebec City.

It would be nice to see a team in Red Deer, AB. LOL. Just kidding.

As for in the US HartFord would probably be the best bet for expansion.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Grapevine can refer to several things.

Interestingly enough, there's a "Grapevine" community in south Kitsap County / north Mason County, in the Seattle area.

Maybe that's what he was talking about?

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Eh, maybe that's not so interesting. Oh well.

 

[sticknrink]

seattle isn't within vancouver's territorial rights.

It sure is.

It's Portland that isn't.

Besides, the Pac NW really isn't good hockey country. The only reason why the Canucks do so well is the Canadian heritage, remove that from the equation and I doubt the people in the area care that much.

Vancouver also is just a one team town, while Seattle and Portland at the same levels of economy already have at least one pro team there.

If the league were to expand, I can almost assure Houston will be picked, and someplace where the AHL is doing well. Somewhere like Omaha.

 

[OG6ix]

Not a bad place for a Hockey team. However, there are better places to have a nhl team first. Places that are hotter beds for hockey; like Winnipeg and Quebec City.

It would be nice to see a team in Red Deer, AB. LOL. Just kidding.

As for in the US HartFord would probably be the best bet for expansion.

The NHL will never come back to those cities unless the league totally crashes and burns.

 

[OG6ix]

It sure is.

It's Portland that isn't.

Besides, the Pac NW really isn't good hockey country. The only reason why the Canucks do so well is the Canadian heritage, remove that from the equation and I doubt the people in the area care that much.

Vancouver also is just a one team town, while Seattle and Portland at the same levels of economy already have at least one pro team there.

If the league were to expand, I can almost assure Houston will be picked, and someplace where the AHL is doing well. Somewhere like Omaha.

Nebraska???

 

[sticknrink]

Nebraska???

Why does Omaha get a laugh?

Their AHL team does very good numbers and there's a big interest in ice hockey with a number of other junior teams. The climate is perfect for breeding ice hockey where it gets colder than the pac nw on average in the winter. And there's a number of F500 companies and lots of other business to buy luxury boxes from. A population of 400k is also enough to sustain the gate revenues. Heck, Buffet is a hockey fan and I'm sure he'd toss in some capital for that city to get it's first pro team.

I don't see what's so funny about putting a franchise in Omaha.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Yeah, I don't get it either. Omaha is a fine market.

I guess some people will laugh at just about anything.