Portland is a slightly different issue. I think that it was more possible that an NHL franchise could have been likely owned by Paul Allen and place in the Pacific Northwest, until the Lightning were able to lure Tod Leiweke away from the Seahawks. That was Paul Allen's right hand man, and could have easily helped with a hockey team in PNW.It wasn't lack of attendance nor ownership that caused the problem.
If Allen had really wanted a team then he should have instructed Leiweke to take the steps necessary to secure one. I'm sure the NHL would have been very accomadating.
When the big 1967 expansion was announced, it was only going to places that had other sports teams. That immediately ruled out both Seattle and Portland. There's a quote somewhere that Clarence Campbell told the Seattle Totems' ownership not to bother wasting their money.The main issue was the financing. The group awarded the conditional franchise ended up suing the league in an anti-trust suit that wasn't resolved until the mid-1980's.
Lack of financing = weak ownership
Let's not forget that between 1965 and 1974, the league in which the Totems and the Portland Buckaroos played, the Western Hockey League, lost members in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver to the NHL, and also lost Denver and Phoenix to the WHA. Professional hockey was growing leaps-and-bounds during the decade, and of course both the WHL players and league were getting raided, to both the Totems' and Bucakroos' detriment.But there was also the failed bid during 1990, where Ottawa and Tampa Bay were granted franchises. There was a group of investors for a Seattle franchise, but the only name on the application belonged to Ackerley, the son of the owner of the SuperSonics. Ackerley asked to present to the expansion committee alone, and withdrew the expansion application. Less than five years later, the Coliseum was renovated for basketball and the hockey configuration was gutted.
Hey, Seattle and Portland weren't the only clubs raided by the WHA. Phoenix lost the Go-Go Line of Larry Lund, Frank Hughes and Andre Hinse to Houston.
Of course, those same SuperSonics were sold by Ackerley about four years ago, and they now play in Oklahoma City, as the City of Seattle will not sink any more money into a new arena. That means if any of the other suburbs would like to house an NHL team, they just need the arena, an ownership group, and a team either by expansion or relocation.