NHL to Seattle Volume XIII - UPDATE 12/7 NHL will accept Seattle application - Expansion fee $650 M

[tank44]

I dislike this a TON. The team has regional identity as the Seattle Thunderbirds, and their logo is considered one of the best in all of Hockey.

I was in favor of Metropolitans but think what you point out as a positive to hockey in Seattle. NHL team gives $ to the Thunderbirds for logo & name. Then the WHL team rebrands to "Kent" or South Sound affiliation. One of my pet peeves is that the Everett Silvertips is closer to downtown Seattle and almost never covered locally due to them not having the Seattle name

 

[rt]

I dislike this a TON. The team has regional identity as the Seattle Thunderbirds, and their logo is considered one of the best in all of Hockey.

So why wouldn't you appropriate it for the big team?

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

So why wouldn't you appropriate it for the big team?

likely the same reason why you saw the issue with trademarks/copyrights, add to that an existing team, to name 2

 

[rt]

likely the same reason why you saw the issue with trademarks/copyrights, add to that an existing team, to name 2

They would pay the team or buy the team.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

They would pay the team or buy the team.

no, that maybe against league rules, rt, this isn't an affiliation deal like the Coyotes did acquiring Tucson by going to an O&O

 

[superdeluxe]

I was in favor of Metropolitans but think what you point out as a positive to hockey in Seattle. NHL team gives $ to the Thunderbirds for logo & name. Then the WHL team rebrands to "Kent" or South Sound affiliation. One of my pet peeves is that the Everett Silvertips is closer to downtown Seattle and almost never covered locally due to them not having the Seattle name

There is no way the Tbirds are going to change their city name to Kent. There is absolutely zero positives for them to do that.

 

[superdeluxe]

So why wouldn't you appropriate it for the big team?

Because they are separate.

 

[gstommylee]

There is no way the Tbirds are going to change their city name to Kent. There is absolutely zero positives for them to do that.

Agreed Vacnouver BC has a NHL and a WHL team both Use Vancouver.

 

[snovalleyhockeyfan]

Taking a break from the back-and-forth about a possible Seattle team name (and my vote for that is Metropolitans with the Thunderbirds second) to provide some news for our Canadian friends, particularly in Edmonton. Chris Daniels is doing another Canadian radio tour, so if you are in Oil Country, you might want to give this a listen later on. He's already appeared this morning on Cybulski's show on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, and there will probably be more of this as the day wears on.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Agreed Vacnouver BC has a NHL and a WHL team both Use Vancouver.

BUT Orca Bay has no connection to the Giants despite the commonality, and this is why I wish suburban teams don't adopt the closest city name ie Chicago....

I keep forgetting the Reign FC are also in Seattle

 

[snovalleyhockeyfan]

BUT Orca Bay has no connection to the Giants despite the commonality, and this is why I wish suburban teams don't adopt the closest city name ie Chicago....

I keep forgetting the Reign FC are also in Seattle

That's OK, Hutch. As long as Juarez doesn't know, we're good.

 

[superdeluxe]

Chris Daniels will be on TSN1040 in Vancouver at 12:30

 

[PCSPounder]

Vulcan/Allen is not part of this likely due to the NFL cross-ownership thing with the Blazers and as PCSPounder would tell you, Allen's more interested in having the NHL in Portland, provided it's at the "right" price, and I think we've discussed that ad nauseum in the past here, Hutch.

Allen's only interested in the NHL being in Portland for the right price AND the right inducements. It can't interfere with the Blazers (the city's getting rich enough that this might become less of an issue), he ain't paying $330 million for the Coyotes (unless there's non-cash offsets, in all likelihood)...

...and after all these years, he wants "credit" from the city for building the thing on his dime (as in financial inducements for either the short term from bringing in NHL or long term as in the NEXT arena). Cue laugh track. The city didn't even bother dropping a dime on the stadium expansion for the Timbers and that's all but sure to be filled FWIW.

 

[gstommylee]

Allen's only interested in the NHL being in Portland for the right price AND the right inducements. It can't interfere with the Blazers (the city's getting rich enough that this might become less of an issue), he ain't paying $330 million for the Coyotes (unless there's non-cash offsets, in all likelihood)...

...and after all these years, he wants "credit" from the city for building the thing on his dime (as in financial inducements for either the short term from bringing in NHL or long term as in the NEXT arena). Cue laugh track. The city didn't even bother dropping a dime on the stadium expansion for the Timbers and that's all but sure to be filled FWIW.

That's portland city politics for ya. Seattle is the same they are perfectly okay for the arena as long its privately funded.

I can't wait to see how things are when the seahawks wants a new stadium or renovate the clink.

 

[PCSPounder]

As for the discussion of the NHL team buying out the Thunderbirds for the logo... they should be having that discussion. A change possible in either Everett or Kent? Have that discussion.

Reason: one of those arenas will probably be hosting AHL around the time the NHL team ices. It's better than having the NHL team and watching one of those teams die anyway.

Mind you, the other smart move would be a multiple-stage renovation/downsizing of the Tacoma Dome and place the AHL team there, but if they're still cast in the large concert + HS championship business, there won't be much discussion otherwise.

Thing is... it'd be sweeter to have that Thunderbird logo, but I can see the AHL far preferring the arena in Everett.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

That's portland city politics for ya. Seattle is the same they are perfectly okay for the arena as long its privately funded.

I can't wait to see how things are when the seahawks wants a new stadium or renovate the clink.

you do realize the Sounders are part of that discussion....

 

[snovalleyhockeyfan]

Official announcement of Mayor Durkan's signing of the MOU. This will be taking place tomorrow on the Seattle Center grounds. As noted, it's at 12:15pm PST/3:15pm EST. Probably no live stream of this, but we get this process rolling officially tomorrow.

 

[aqib]

Seattle has been waiting a very very long time. It's very very difficult to get anything done in Seattle. Bare in mind Quebec's arena got 100% paid for by government that wouldn't fly here. It had to be all private or nothing.

Its not a shame process, Quebec had no guarantees the NHL would actually grant them, neither did Vegas. They could have easy said no one gets expansion and that's their right. NHL did consider Quebec and for a various of reason it wasn't acceptable for them. The loonie was not doing great at the time then the 14/16 alignment.

Honestly, that's a really lame excuse. A franchise is going to sign a 30 year lease. Over the course of 30 years the loonie is going to fluctuate. In the last 30 years as low as 66 cents and has also been above par. What are you going to do? Shift 3 franchises every time it falls out of the 75-85 cent range?

 

[Fenway]

Dreger: Surprised it’s taken this long for NHL to look at expanding to Seattle

Since the arena won't be ready for 3 years I am not expecting the NHL to do anything for 18 months about Seattle. Arizona has to be a prime topic at the next BoG meeting because of Houston.

If Arizona can be saved then I think we are looking at a new expansion team every 2 years until they reach 34 as teams need to recover from an expansion draft.

 

[gstommylee]

Dreger: Surprised it’s taken this long for NHL to look at expanding to Seattle

Since the arena won't be ready for 3 years I am not expecting the NHL to do anything for 18 months about Seattle. Arizona has to be a prime topic at the next BoG meeting because of Houston.

If Arizona can be saved then I think we are looking at a new expansion team every 2 years until they reach 34 as teams need to recover from an expansion draft.

i don't see NHL going beyond 32.

 

[Fenway]

i don't see NHL going beyond 32.

I can't see the BoG leaving expansion money on the table either. Quebec is supposedly locked in at the 500M price as they were not rejected. Then you have 2 more teams at say $650 million or more. That is a lot of money.

 

[gstommylee]

I can't see the BoG leaving expansion money on the table either. Quebec is supposedly locked in at the 500M price as they were not rejected. Then you have 2 more teams at say $650 million or more. That is a lot of money.

Its always a bad thing to over expand then have no option to relocate teams to if teams need to be relocated and the only option then is to contract which will make the NHL look bad in the media and to the NHLPA.

there are 4-5 questionable teams right now. Coyotes, Flames, canes, Pathners then the Senators.

 

[Foppberg]

Its always a bad thing to over expand then have no option to relocate teams to if teams need to be relocated and the only option then is to contract which will make the NHL look bad in the media and to the NHLPA.

there are 4-5 questionable teams right now. Coyotes, Flames, canes, Pathners then the Senators.

Nah.

 

[sipowicz]

i don't see NHL going beyond 32.

If they can keep finding guys willing to pony up $500M US then 32 means squat....

 

[gstommylee]

If they can keep finding guys willing to pony up $500M US then 32 means squat....

And it doesn't do them any good to have teams that have to move but can't be moved due to no markets out there available to take the team. Over expansion is a bad thing for the NHL. Guess what happens if you over expand and can't move teams. Teams get contracted and fold.