NHL in Seattle?

[Dolemite]

I'm curious, right now, in Seattle, do they care at all for the NHL?
Do they get CBC, Canucks games, or any hockey teams?
Are they a satellite city for Vancouver right now, is the stanley cup finals and are the Canucks treated almost like they play nearby?

I spent the majority of my life there and I'm putting together an article about it at the moment (been sick the past three days so I'm a wee bit behind at the moment) about it. I've been writing about and posting various forms of a 'Hockey in Seattle' FAQ over the years, I figured it's time to put it in a central location.

The Vancouver feed of CBC is available on all basic cable systems in Western Washington which means people can watch HNIC. Seattle is not in the Canucks territory (at last check Seattle is in the Avalanche's territory....go figure) so they don't get Canucks games on Sportsnet outside of NHL Center Ice.

Seattle is not a hockey town (Football is king) but there's a HUGE hockey fan base there not only with four WHL teams in the state (and one in Portland, Oregon) but there's a large NHL fanbase here as well. Don't expect to hear about hockey in the local media (exception - http://twitter.com/Motley_Su ) as they literally don't know the difference between a puck and a Hostess ding-dong. For example, when the Everett Silvertips made it to the WHL finals in their first season:

http://www.everettsilvertips.com/2003_2004

...the local TV stations didn't cover any part of their playoff run until they made the finals.

 

[Dowisetrepla]

I'm curious, right now, in Seattle, do they care at all for the NHL?
Do they get CBC, Canucks games, or any hockey teams?
Are they a satellite city for Vancouver right now, is the stanley cup finals and are the Canucks treated almost like they play nearby?

Yes, CBC is available on cable.
One of the local sports radio stations has broadcast all of the Canucks playoff games (using Vancouver home feed).
TV and newspapers have given modest coverage to the Canucks playoff run. As discussed above, they've given coverage to the rumors of an NHL team moving here.
The local NBC affiliate in the past would preempt SCF games to show the local MLS soccer...will see how they handle it this year.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

The arena remains the biggest question. It's the only legit reason why the Sonics left, KeyArena just isn't capable of generating sufficient revenue to keep up with NBA payrolls (NHL payrolls are very comparable).

Either it undergoes extreme renovations or a new one must be built.

If it was capable of generating sufficient revenue, the team never gets sold to the OKC carpetbagger. The Sonicsgate document does an excellent job covering how it all unfolded in that youtube video.

 

[Dolemite]

The arena remains the biggest question. It's the only legit reason why the Sonics left, KeyArena just isn't capable of generating sufficient revenue to keep up with NBA payrolls (NHL payrolls are very comparable).

Either it undergoes extreme renovations or a new one must be built.

If it was capable of generating sufficient revenue, the team never gets sold to the OKC carpetbagger. The Sonicsgate document does an excellent job covering how it all unfolded in that youtube video.

The problem with the Sonicsgate video is that they only cover the fan side of the story and nothing about the business side of things. The one item they forgot (and I brought this up with the filmmakers too) is then owner Barry Ackerly's decision to make Key Arena into an NBA only arena. This decision set off a chain of events that ultimately cost the city the Sonics.


http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060827&slug=blai27

"I remember sitting in meetings when Barry made it very clear he didn't want the building to work for the NHL," said (then Sonics GM Bob) Whitsitt. "He wanted a building that would be designed strictly — and intimately — for basketball. Barry was afraid advertising dollars and corporate dollars would go away from the Sonics to hockey and that he'd have to compete for dates."

Now Key Arena sits empty except for the odd concert and the WNBA Storm season.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Toronto has the NHL Leafs and the NBA Raptors in Air Canada Centre, but there is competition from Rogers Centre, Roy Thomson Hall, and a few convention centres. So Air Canada Centre would not be able to instantly/profitably be able to fill 45 holes in their winter schedule. I don't know if there are equivalant indoor sites in Atlanta. Also, MLSE has cable TV revenues for the Raptors and Leafs. There is no equivalant for concerts/whatever.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Dome

 

[sigma six]

The problem with the Sonicsgate video is that they only cover the fan side of the story and nothing about the business side of things. The one item they forgot (and I brought this up with the filmmakers too) is then owner Barry Ackerly's decision to make Key Arena into an NBA only arena. This decision set off a chain of events that ultimately cost the city the Sonics.

This, and some really questionable personnel moves by Wally Walker. The product got worse and worse; less people wanted to go watch it.

 

[Dolemite]

This, and some really questionable personnel moves by Wally Walker. The product got worse and worse; less people wanted to go watch it.

Wally Walker didn't come into the picture until after the Sonics met the Bulls in the finals. But yes, Wally Walker did help to drive the team into the ground from a front office standpoint.

 

[mucker*]

So the Canucks are not followed, do not get much media coverage, and don't have a local group in Seattle who treats them like their own?

Weird because when watching the Mariners game Friday their broadcast mentioned the SCF, then on Saturday I saw a person with a Canucks jersey in the stands on TV at Safeco.

So the Canucks aren't getting much news there? And you do get local NHL games, but for the Avs?

 

[gernb]

So the Canucks are not followed, do not get much media coverage, and don't have a local group in Seattle who treats them like their own?

Weird because when watching the Mariners game Friday their broadcast mentioned the SCF, then on Saturday I saw a person with a Canucks jersey in the stands on TV at Safeco.

So the Canucks aren't getting much news there? And you do get local NHL games, but for the Avs?

I can add to that with the fact that the day after the Canucks clinched a trip to the SCF, it was the top story in the Seattle Times sports section, with a huge banner headline and picture that took up over half the page.

 

[mucker*]

See in DC, back in the 90s, the O's were the bandwagon team.
DC had no baseball team, so they treated the Orioles almost like they were their own team.
We got their games on TV, the Post had beat writers covering them, and when they were in contention it was a big deal.

I am wondering if in Seattle, being close to Vancouver, if the Canucks have this kind of following and if the finals and hockey ARE a big deal or at least a deal.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Another thing I want to know because I have no idea...do people in the Seattle area play hockey in rec leagues? How many public arenas are there? Do they play street hockey?

 

[Dowisetrepla]

Another thing I want to know because I have no idea...do people in the Seattle area play hockey in rec leagues? How many public arenas are there? Do they play street hockey?

I've heard anecdotal evidence about rec leagues, they certainly exist, but I am unaware of the participation levels.

I do know that minor league hockey has been pretty sucessful, the metro Seattle area supports two WHL teams, Everett, which is about 20-25 miles north of Seattle, and the Seattle franchise, which moved out of the Key Arena a few years ago and plays in Kent, WA, which is about 15-20 miles south of the city.

 

[beth]

What would be preferable; an arena in downtown Seattle or a more suburban area like Bellevue?

In downtown Seattle, we have the Key Arena in Seattle Center, and if you have to drive there, it totally sucks to get to. The roads in get very congested and parking is a pain. We bussed there today for Folk Life festival and it took forever. On the southern end of downtown, we have the Mariners field and the Seahawks stadium. These are much easier to access and park, and there's an express bus that'll drop you off nearby if you are coming across the lake from the eastside. So, in short, if we get a new arena, DO NOT put it in the Seattle Center. That would be awful.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE having an arena in Bellevue. Season tickets for sure. But that's because I live there. But it would work well because most of the hockey families I know live on the eastside.

Another thing I want to know because I have no idea...do people in the Seattle area play hockey in rec leagues? How many public arenas are there? Do they play street hockey?

Yes! We have the Greater Seattle Hockey League, Cascade Hockey League, and Seattle Women's Hockey Club. There are a bunch of youth hockey leagues too. I think there's about 5 or so rinks nearby? As far as street hockey goes, I recently bought a bunch of street sticks for my kids and their friends.

 

[MoreOrr]

How about this for an updated logo of the new Seattle Metropolitans...

Or this...

Or this...

Original Uniforms...

Why not go with Thunderbirds?

Some have suggested Totems, which is fine, but I think Thunderbirds is even better, and with an NHL team there then it's unlikely that the minor league team would stay,

As for Metropolitans... I think the only thing to be gained by that is the potential of hanging a Stanley Cup banner, but for a team that won the Cup before the NHL was even founded. Is that worth it, to use a name such as "Metropolitans"? What a horrible name.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Yes! We have the Greater Seattle Hockey League, Cascade Hockey League, and Seattle Women's Hockey Club. There are a bunch of youth hockey leagues too. I think there's about 5 or so rinks nearby? As far as street hockey goes, I recently bought a bunch of street sticks for my kids and their friends.

Good, a potential Seattle franchise is more likely to succeed if there's already a hockey culture in place.

 

[jimmythescot]

With the way things are shaking out, I honestly think that Seattle is the next on the list for any future relocated franchise. It was so odd that Daly came out and said there were discussions with a group trying to bring the NHL to Seattle a few weeks back. Now with Bettman's comments during the press conference today, it sounds very similar to what was going on in the Winnipeg situation over the last few years. Only this time they're going a little bit public with it.

Could they use the Tacoma Dome (supposedly 17000 seats) while they build a new arena? Isn't the Nouveau Colisée à Québec being built where the old Colisée stands now? I'm not sure they'd be able to find somewhere in the meantime.

 

[TheStranger]

With the way things are shaking out, I honestly think that Seattle is the next on the list for any future relocated franchise. It was so odd that Daly came out and said there were discussions with a group trying to bring the NHL to Seattle a few weeks back. Now with Bettman's comments during the press conference today, it sounds very similar to what was going on in the Winnipeg situation over the last few years. Only this time they're going a little bit public with it.

Could they use the Tacoma Dome (supposedly 17000 seats) while they build a new arena? Isn't the Nouveau Colisée à Québec being built where the old Colisée stands now? I'm not sure they'd be able to find somewhere in the meantime.

Thats basketball numbers. From what I've seen they usually lose 1000-2000 seats for hockey.

 

[GordonGraham]

Could they use the Tacoma Dome (supposedly 17000 seats) while they build a new arena? Isn't the Nouveau Colisée à Québec being built where the old Colisée stands now? I'm not sure they'd be able to find somewhere in the meantime.

The new Colisée is not build were the old building is( its about 500 m away), it will be there for at least 5 more years the remparts(junior team) just signed a new 5 year lease

 

[jimmythescot]

The new Colisée is not build were the old building is( its about 500 m away), it will be there for at least 5 more years the remparts(junior team) just signed a new 5 year lease

Maybe Daly was laying the groundwork for a bidding war?

15000 seats wouldn't be too bad for Tacoma. It's the same as the MTS Center, and they're not even planning on moving. Good enough for the short term, in any case.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Now with Bettman's comments during the press conference today, it sounds very similar to what was going on in the Winnipeg situation over the last few years.

Wait, what did Gary say about Seattle?

 

[jimmythescot]

Wait, what did Gary say about Seattle?

Nothing. He was talking about groups that do things the right way (quietly). It was more likely a dig at Balsillie, but with the comments from Daly a few days ago it could have had another context.

 

[Dolemite]

Nothing. He was talking about groups that do things the right way (quietly). It was more likely a dig at Balsillie, but with the comments from Daly a few days ago it could have had another context.

It's not a dig at Balsille. It's a statement of how the NHL conducts its business. If people want to become an owner, Balsille is now the poster child of how NOT to approach the way to becoming an NHL owner.

 

[Dowisetrepla]

Why not go with Thunderbirds?

Some have suggested Totems, which is fine, but I think Thunderbirds is even better, and with an NHL team there then it's unlikely that the minor league team would stay,

As for Metropolitans... I think the only thing to be gained by that is the potential of hanging a Stanley Cup banner, but for a team that won the Cup before the NHL was even founded. Is that worth it, to use a name such as "Metropolitans"? What a horrible name.

There's also the Breakers, that was the WHL teams nickname for a while. I think Totems would be my choice. Metropolitans is too long, it'd inevitably be shortened to "Metros" or just "Mets." If they do get a franchise they can still add a banner for the 1917 squad. Oh, those old uniforms look like christmas candy canes.

 

[Street Hawk]

In downtown Seattle, we have the Key Arena in Seattle Center, and if you have to drive there, it totally sucks to get to. The roads in get very congested and parking is a pain. We bussed there today for Folk Life festival and it took forever. On the southern end of downtown, we have the Mariners field and the Seahawks stadium. These are much easier to access and park, and there's an express bus that'll drop you off nearby if you are coming across the lake from the eastside. So, in short, if we get a new arena, DO NOT put it in the Seattle Center. That would be awful.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE having an arena in Bellevue. Season tickets for sure. But that's because I live there. But it would work well because most of the hockey families I know live on the eastside.

Is there any more room near Quest and Safeco to build a new 18K seat Arena? Would probably be the best location.

I have heard Bellevue mentioned in the past. Most important thing about a new arena is the location.

People aren't going to make a long trek to Glendale to see hockey in Arizona. People would make the long trek to Kanata to see hockey in Eastern Ontario for the Senators.

Building location must be convenient for people to get to. Should be somewhat near downtown, don't want to put it in the suburbs.

If congestion is as bad as you say, think what would happen if a Seattle team made the finals. Vancouver is having to deal with traffic for a 5pm local start time for the finals.

 

[GKJ]

Why doesn't Seattle try AHL first in lieu of being an NHL market-in-waiting, like Winnipeg? Affiliate with Vancouver.