NHL to Seattle Volume XV - Moving the Expansion Needle [Upd: 9/24 Arena Reno. Unanimously Approved]

[gstommylee]

If it's a conditional franchise decided in June, what would the condition be on? Perhaps the final EIS approval?

If it's just a recommendation from the executive committee, 3 months seems long from recommendation to formal vote, no?

I'm guessing probably getting the arena finalized and payment of the team.

 

[MNNumbers]

That's not what ian was implying. There was a huge difference between not wanting to own it vs not wanting it at all in sodo. He basically say Sodo arena = NBA only no NHL team ever playing there.

Was the implication that he was going to build something that would not accommodate hockey for size? Like a Phoenix Suns arena? Or a Barclay's in NY?

I ask that because he would be a fool to lock out a rent paying NHL team.

 

[brewski420]

Was the implication that he was going to build something that would not accommodate hockey for size? Like a Phoenix Suns arena? Or a Barclay's in NY?

I ask that because he would be a fool to lock out a rent paying NHL team.

Hansen has certainly left some of us with an impression that his methods weren't well thought out.

 

[gstommylee]

Was the implication that he was going to build something that would not accommodate hockey for size? Like a Phoenix Suns arena? Or a Barclay's in NY?

I ask that because he would be a fool to lock out a rent paying NHL team.

No he said from the start that sodo was both hockey and basketball. There were even renderings for the arena in hockey configuration.

The issue was that there was no NHL group that joined his team to push for the arena. Never was one from the beginning.

When sodo arena street vacation was rejected the first time, He had to change his approach part of it was 100% private and show that a team was coming. Instead of focusing on getting a NHL group for the arena and getting the NHL team to get the arena built, he basically remained with focusing 100% on the NBA especially after the NBA kept saying they had no intention of expanding or relocating teams any time soon and when OVG showed up with the NHL group.

He believe the NBA will never want to return to Seattle center arena and never will be 2nd fiddle with Seattle center arena. And essentially only he cared about the NBA and not OVG. The meeting from last week and the notice that implied OVG only cared about NHL and Muisc and he cared about NBA speaks volumes of how much out of touch with reality he was.

He lost the political battle and the PR battle. He don't realize he lost and still wants SCC to give him the street vacation.

 

[gstommylee]

Listen to the Puck and Gas Episode - Puck and Gas 4-11 Hour 2: Tim Leiweke on CEO Announcement and NHL Seattle, Scott Rintoul on NHL Playoffs, Jackson Felts on Sounders on iHeartRadio | iHeartRadio

The KJR segment with tim Leiweke.

 

[superdeluxe]

Why is this news? We said this all along....
He was going to build the arena, and own the basketball team. He NEVER said that he would share revenues with hockey at all. That's why we all warned everyone that NHL at SoDo was going to be a very dicey proposition financially right from the start. The only way it would have ever gone there was as a rental, and no owner would have done that.

This just confirms what people with good analytical skills, thinking ahead, saw long ago.

We said it.. But it went directly opposite to what Hansen said..or anyone in the media. I think we all sort of guessed that.

 

[superdeluxe]

If it's a conditional franchise decided in June, what would the condition be on? Perhaps the final EIS approval?

If it's just a recommendation from the executive committee, 3 months seems long from recommendation to formal vote, no?

I'm guessing its the EIS, because shovel into ground in October.

 

[gstommylee]

Ian asked Leiweke to clarify about the june and september announcements. Conditional in June full in September.

 

[jbron]

I don't understand why Hansen is continually being brought up on an NHL forum titled The Business of Hockey.. Especially as things move forward with Seattle City, OVG, the NHL, and the new ownership group. Hansen was always 100% NBA and continues to be. Discussing his SODO planned arena situation had merit until OVG was granted approval from City Council to remodel Key Arena. Yes, there could be delays with the OVG project, but does anyone think that it won't get built at this point? Even if there is some major issue, does anyone think Hansen's SODO project will bring forth an NHL ownership group? I get the push to bring back the NBA to Seattle. But Hansen, SODO, and the NBA in Seattle discussions belong on an NBA message board. Aaron Levine and his love fest for Hansen/SODO should go to an NBA board as well.

 

[gstommylee]

I don't understand why Hansen is continually being brought up on an NHL forum titled The Business of Hockey.. Especially as things move forward with Seattle City, OVG, the NHL, and the new ownership group. Hansen was always 100% NBA and continues to be. Discussing his SODO planned arena situation had merit until OVG was granted approval from City Council to remodel Key Arena. Yes, there could be delays with the OVG project, but does anyone think that it won't get built at this point? Even if there is some major issue, does anyone think Hansen's SODO project will bring forth an NHL ownership group? I get the push to bring back the NBA to Seattle. But Hansen, SODO, and the NBA in Seattle discussions belong on an NBA message board. Aaron Levine and his love fest for Hansen/SODO should go to an NBA board as well.

Technically speaking OVG's arena plan at seattle center has not been finalized yet. There could be some improbable (.00001%) chance it falls apart.

He just need to walk away, he won't until the NBA awards the team to OVG's NBA group. He already has a no to street vacation and i don't see why SCC will change their minds when OVG has everything going for them + a NHL team.

 

[MNNumbers]

Tommy,

I'm confused now. Upthread you said that KJR said Hansen admitted that he wouldn't have NHL in his building.
Now, you are telling me that he started out wanting both.

That doesn't seem to answer my question.

I would like the answer to this question:
In whatever interview or statement that Hansen recently made, in which he admitted that he never wanted NHL in his building, did he also admit that he was going to build an NBA footprint only building?
Or, did he simply admit that he was going to build a full-size building, but never let NHL even rent?
Or, is it reasonable to say that he actually admitted that his focus and only desire was and is NBA, and that whatever happened with NHL was of no concern to him?

Thanks.

 

[gstommylee]

Tommy,

I'm confused now. Upthread you said that KJR said Hansen admitted that he wouldn't have NHL in his building.
Now, you are telling me that he started out wanting both.

That doesn't seem to answer my question.

I would like the answer to this question:
In whatever interview or statement that Hansen recently made, in which he admitted that he never wanted NHL in his building, did he also admit that he was going to build an NBA footprint only building?
Or, did he simply admit that he was going to build a full-size building, but never let NHL even rent?
Or, is it reasonable to say that he actually admitted that his focus and only desire was and is NBA, and that whatever happened with NHL was of no concern to him?

Thanks.

The arena was designed for both NBA and NHL from the start. He has been 100% focus on the NBA from the start and had no intention of building it just for the NHL team. He never gotten a NHL group to be part of the arena investment.

KJR Furness said that he had no intention of allowing NHL into the building. Maybe Ian was implying that it was never ever going to ever work as long as Hansen had control over the arena. Who knows.

 

[MNNumbers]

The arena was designed for both NBA and NHL from the start. He has been 100% focus on the NBA from the start and had no intention of building it just for the NHL team. He never gotten a NHL group to be part of the arena investment.

KJR Furness said that he had no intention of allowing NHL into the building. Maybe Ian was implying that it was never ever going to ever work as long as Hansen had control over the arena. Who knows.

OK. That's fair.

1- Hansen would never have gone NHL first. That's not really news. We could read the tea leaves and see that.

2- Furness' comments are not at all clear in the meaning of the expression "allowing NHL into the building."

I can deal with that.

Thanks.

 

[Melrose Munch]

The NBA does not prefer Key, but they prefer key's ownership. They'll suck it up because they don't want to deal with Hansen. He shot himself in the foot by not going NHL first, and showing he could be a good owner or work with a group of owners.

 

[gstommylee]

The NBA does not prefer Key, but they prefer key's ownership. They'll suck it up because they don't want to deal with Hansen. He shot himself in the foot by not going NHL first, and showing he could be a good owner or work with a group of owners.

Btw this isn't the key anymore. Its a complete 100% brand new building under the same shell. Key arena as we know today will no longer existed. The only thing that remains from the key arena is the roof structure.

OVG already said the NBA will get part of the share all arena revenue and there are clause with sponsorship deals and naming rights to where the $$ increases the moment the NBA shows up. Jerry and Bonderman both said they'll be part of the Seattle NBA group.

Adam Silver did go on record saying that the NBA is open to the remodel of key arena. He also said with how remodels look today, if you put enough money into it, you and make it look like a brand new building. OVG is putting 600m or so into the building and basically almost double its footprint from 364k to 660-680k square feet. It's not going to be a problem for the NBA

For other potential NBA investors that want a NBA team, thats appealing cause they don't have to pay that kind of money for a separate building.

 

[PCSPounder]

Tommy,

I'm confused now. Upthread you said that KJR said Hansen admitted that he wouldn't have NHL in his building.
Now, you are telling me that he started out wanting both.

That doesn't seem to answer my question.

I would like the answer to this question:
In whatever interview or statement that Hansen recently made, in which he admitted that he never wanted NHL in his building, did he also admit that he was going to build an NBA footprint only building?
Or, did he simply admit that he was going to build a full-size building, but never let NHL even rent?
Or, is it reasonable to say that he actually admitted that his focus and only desire was and is NBA, and that whatever happened with NHL was of no concern to him?

Thanks.

Am I right to sense that Hansen was soft-selling the NHL angle at the start when he privately knew it was bait awaiting the switch?

I mean to say that we're talking semantics here... but important semantics. His actions suggested he was never really thinking NHL, but when you have people emotionally invested in a market, sometimes someone has to say something in order for said something to sink in.

One thing, though... it's very possible Hansen would have a rink capability "just in case..." like, say, going for Vancouver's AHL team or exhibitions or maybe select Thunderbirds games or whatever. This is somewhat similar to Paul Allen setting up so that the Winterhawks play SOME games in Moda Center... but not more than 60% of them... while sort of flirting with NHL just to pull a bait-and-switch (twice with AFL, once with NLL).

 

[gstommylee]

Am I right to sense that Hansen was soft-selling the NHL angle at the start when he privately knew it was bait awaiting the switch?

I think it was more of the issue was that Hansen didn't want to pay $$$ to build the building for someone else's team that he had no intentions of owning. The fact he had years to get it done and finalized (shovel ready and just wait for a team).

There was no bait and switch. Hansen was just being very very short sighted.

He slowed down the process after the NBA kings didn't happen, never found a new whale to replace balmer. The SCC really believe that he could not getting it done and the NBA didn't help Hansen at all. His group even went on record saying NHL will come first and yet he remained focus on NBA and NBA only even when OVG showed up with the NHL group that happen to have a plan regarding the NBA and a better track record.

Hansen has no whale no exact NBA group with the $$ to pay for said team and yet he still wants the city to give him the street vacation when he has yet to prove he can get it done.

 

[brewski420]

Am I right to sense that Hansen was soft-selling the NHL angle at the start when he privately knew it was bait awaiting the switch?

I believe that to be true. It also played on the fact that an arena in Sodo is probably a better location than Key and also before he came into view the NHL was not even really on the radar Probably why we all, after five or more years of this nonsense, still talk about him.

In a weird sense he got things going for the NHL but it probably would have happened without him.

 

[gstommylee]

I believe that to be true. It also played on the fact that an arena in Sodo is probably a better location than Key and also before he came into view the NHL was not even really on the radar Probably why we all, after five or more years of this nonsense, still talk about him.

In a weird sense he got things going for the NHL but it probably would have happened without him.

Hansen's arena deal shaped what we got today with OVG. An all privately funded arena.

The thing is if it wasn't for Hansen i think people would still have attempt to get public financing out of it from Seattle.

 

[Fugu]

I'm not really sure what it is Hansen just said, but I think one thing everyone is forgetting is that Hansen worked behind the scenes to derail the new arena in Sacramento. Keep in mind that there are a couple owners with NBA and NHL teams -- so if Hansen pissed off the NBA, the NHL side would definitely know.

Also, as mentioned, he lost Ballmer and had admitted even back when the NHL was waiting on the arena decision that no one in his group could afford an NHL team as well.

Lieweke was the head of AEG for Anschutz, so he had direct experience with both leagues. Obviously, this NHL group has money/investors for both a team and arena.

 

[gstommylee]

I'm not really sure what it is Hansen just said, but I think one thing everyone is forgetting is that Hansen worked behind the scenes to derail the new arena in Sacramento. Keep in mind that there are a couple owners with NBA and NHL teams -- so if Hansen pissed off the NBA, the NHL side would definitely know.

Also, as mentioned, he lost Ballmer and had admitted even back when the NHL was waiting on the arena decision that no one in his group could afford an NHL team as well.

Lieweke was the head of AEG for Anschutz, so he had direct experience with both leagues. Obviously, this NHL group has money/investors for both a team and arena.

Its also that we have a NBA minority owner as our NHL majority owner. NBA would give the NBA Seattle team to Bonderman than an outsider like Hansen.

 

[LadyStanley]

Leiweke named president of Seattle NHL expansion group

Tod Leiweke named President of expansion group

 

[gstommylee]

Softys interview with Tod Leiweke

Listen to the Dave Softy Mahler Episode - Softy H3 - Tod Leiweke on returning to Seattle, NBA possibilities, and what hockey fans can expect / Jen Cohen interview replay on iHeartRadio | iHeartRadio
Talks a bit about the process of the name and colors.

 

[superdeluxe]

Tod is on ESPN 710 in Seattle. I'll post the link later once its uploaded.

 

[superdeluxe]

Draft EIS for #SeattleCenterArena expected to be released on April 23rd.