Seattle Expansion Process begins

No Fun Shogun

34-38-61-10-13-15
May 1, 2011
56,091
12,748
Illinois
For the life of me, I don't get the watered down argument. News flash, when was the last explosive period of offense in the NHL's history? Think of the Gretzky heyday. That was during a period of significant expansion of the NHL.

That's how it works. Do you want the best players to score a lot and drive offense through the roof? You should want more and more expansion if that's the case. Lowering the floor of players in the league would only raise the overall ability of the good, great, and superstar guys compared to the average.

I doubt that increasing the size of the league by 7% in the span of a half decade would have a marked impact on the game.
 

Hawkaholic

Registered User
Dec 19, 2006
31,454
10,788
London, Ont.
Look at the bottom half (or even bottom line) of most teams forwards in the league, especially Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Buffalo, Arizona, etc, and tell me there is enough talent in the league. Most of those players are crap, and could be exchanged by more crap and it wouldn't make the team any better or worse.

Far too many tweeners in the league as far as I'm concerned.
 

Blue Liner

Registered User
Dec 12, 2009
10,332
3,608
Chicago
Teams have prospects in the AHL and elsewhere that are legitimate NHL players or soon to be that are blocked, rightfully or not (another added wrinkle is many teams' bottom lines/d-pairs could arguably have better, younger, more deserving players filling those spots....sounds familiar?). Those players alone could go a long way toward filling two more NHL rosters, not accounting for the ever growing numbers of registered hockey players and subsequent growing talent worldwide making its way up. Add to that places like the NCAA producing more players than it ever has....there's certainly enough to go around to make 32 teams viable today, for my money.
 

LordKOTL

Abuse of Officials
Aug 15, 2014
3,525
768
Pacific NW
As I mentioned previously, Seattle lives and dies on how they renovate Key arena, since of course they didn't do the decent thing and dynamite Key arena to the ground and build an real arena.

If they keep it in the Barclay-esque configuration, the team is in trouble.

If they manage to renovate it where there are no bad sightlines, it might work.

As for contraction? the NHLPA would never allow it.
 

No Fun Shogun

34-38-61-10-13-15
May 1, 2011
56,091
12,748
Illinois
I feel bad for their eventual GM. There'll be all but zero chance that they'll hit the ground running like Vegas, and even if they are the second most successful expansion team in NHL history and are mediocre overall, the comparison to the Knights will be obvious.
 

LordKOTL

Abuse of Officials
Aug 15, 2014
3,525
768
Pacific NW
I feel bad for their eventual GM. There'll be all but zero chance that they'll hit the ground running like Vegas, and even if they are the second most successful expansion team in NHL history and are mediocre overall, the comparison to the Knights will be obvious.
I feel bad for the potential fans. Key Arena as-is is worse than Barclay's--as-bad or worse sightlines, scoreboard off-center, bad ice, bad seating arrangement, and know how Seattle has done things in the past there's a good change they'll promise the stars in the remodel and deliver the sewers--especially if the taxpayers want to cheapen out.

Unless the remodel of the arena is a success--they fix all the issues and still have a decent seating capacity, as soon as the rose-colored glasses come off it will be the same as right before the T-birds moved to ShoWare center--a ghost town.
 

BK

"Goalie Apologist"
Feb 8, 2011
33,636
16,483
Minneapolis, MN
Maybe it is just me but I don't really want the NHL to expand. Move a team or two? Yes but not more teams.
 

piteus

Registered User
Dec 20, 2015
12,115
3,356
NYC
Talent isn't the issue. It's about corporate sponsorships and TV deals. The NHL has done a terrible job promoting the sport in the US. Heck, the MLS has done a better job than the NHL recently. The NHL has to pick it up.
 

BK

"Goalie Apologist"
Feb 8, 2011
33,636
16,483
Minneapolis, MN
Talent isn't the issue. It's about corporate sponsorships and TV deals. The NHL has done a terrible job promoting the sport in the US. Heck, the MLS has done a better job than the NHL recently. The NHL has to pick it up.

They need Sunday Night Hockey on ESPN back.

Promoting it isn't going to force people to watch

Also its an expensive sport to get children involved in so that hurts it and limits its appeal

It will not force them but it will add to the viewership.

The cost to play will never really change so that issue will aways be there and now concussions will start to impact numbers I bet.
 

Blue Liner

Registered User
Dec 12, 2009
10,332
3,608
Chicago
I feel bad for the potential fans. Key Arena as-is is worse than Barclay's--as-bad or worse sightlines, scoreboard off-center, bad ice, bad seating arrangement, and know how Seattle has done things in the past there's a good change they'll promise the stars in the remodel and deliver the sewers--especially if the taxpayers want to cheapen out.

Unless the remodel of the arena is a success--they fix all the issues and still have a decent seating capacity, as soon as the rose-colored glasses come off it will be the same as right before the T-birds moved to ShoWare center--a ghost town.

I thought they were building a new arena?

And there is absolutely no downside to promotions. You're not promoting to just get new people to play the game, you're promoting to draw interest to your sport from a spectator/consumer standpoint. The NHL unequivocally can and should do a better job promoting itself. It's pathetic, and there is literally no reason or downside for them not to market themselves better.

McD is kind of a snake and I'm not crazy about him, but him being the head guy in charge of marketing the league would probably be a great thing for it strictly speaking of the marketing and promotional side of things.
 

Blue Liner

Registered User
Dec 12, 2009
10,332
3,608
Chicago
Ice-less hockey...

BWC the sport is called ICE hockey for a reason.

BUT they did invest in roller hockey.

They did quite a bit in the 90s when they sponsored the...I can't remember the name of it now, it was a roller hockey/street hockey tournament in a bunch of cities. Used to do it down by Soldier Field here. NHL Breakout! That's what it was. They stopped, though.

A lot of teams have their own local promo teams and programs but nothing league-wide. Tampa has a really strong community program and have invested a ton of money (like $6 million) over the next few years to bolster youth and high school hockey there, with the youth hockey scene very up and coming already.
 

ChiHawks10

Registered User
Jul 7, 2009
27,916
21,137
Chicago 'Burbs
So there will be an expansion draft this summer or next summer?

Hard to say, as it's super early in the process, but I would think it has zero chance of being this summer, and not much more than that for next summer. I'd say you're three seasons removed from an expansion draft. 20-21 sounds about right for an inaugural season, depending how quickly the process moves along.
 

ThatSaid

Registered User
May 31, 2015
1,440
45
Glendale Heights, IL
I was stationed up near Seattle when I was in the Army. I've also lived in almost every corner of the U.S. I have a hard time picking out a worse sports market than the greater Seattle area. We got free tickets to Seahawks/Mariners games all the time, and boy did they have a hard time getting those stadiums to even 50% capacity while they were fighting for playoff spots. I can't see them being a good market for hockey at all.

Bunch of weirdos walking with their head's down and avoiding human interaction over there. My buddy and I were walking around near the pier there one day, and a guy had his head so buried in his phone he almost ran right into us on the sidewalk. I just say "Hey buddy, lookout!" and he no shit pulls out his wallet. Pretty sure 18,000 screaming people are most Seattlites' idea of hell.
 

Blue Liner

Registered User
Dec 12, 2009
10,332
3,608
Chicago
I was stationed up near Seattle when I was in the Army. I've also lived in almost every corner of the U.S. I have a hard time picking out a worse sports market than the greater Seattle area. We got free tickets to Seahawks/Mariners games all the time, and boy did they have a hard time getting those stadiums to even 50% capacity while they were fighting for playoff spots. I can't see them being a good market for hockey at all.

Bunch of weirdos walking with their head's down and avoiding human interaction over there. My buddy and I were walking around near the pier there one day, and a guy had his head so buried in his phone he almost ran right into us on the sidewalk. I just say "Hey buddy, lookout!" and he no **** pulls out his wallet. Pretty sure 18,000 screaming people are most Seattlites' idea of hell.

When were you stationed there?
 

Blue Liner

Registered User
Dec 12, 2009
10,332
3,608
Chicago
Seahawks games are always sold out now. It's one of the loudest, if not the loudest, stadium in the league to play in. I can't speak to Mariners attendance. Seems like it would be a good hockey market to me, but you lived there and I've never been, so...
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChiHawks10

b1e9a8r5s

Registered User
Feb 16, 2015
12,904
4,039
Chicago, IL
I've never been to Seattle, but given the Seahawks "12th man" and the way the Sonics leaving is talked about, I had always considered Seattle a pretty good sports town. Or at least that was the impression I had.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->