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That Didn't Take Long: NHL OK's Seattle Expansion Process

Published on 7-Dec-2017 by J Square Humboldt

NHL    NHL Daily Update

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That Didn't Take Long: NHL OK's Seattle Expansion Process

Every league would prefer balanced competition.

The NHL prefers more than that, like two balanced conferences.

They've been so upfront about it ever since the dust settled from their 2012-2013 lockout, when Seattle was at the top of their list for expansion candidates.

Now, they're finally getting their wish.

Odds are they could name the team Fuzzy Pink Bunnies and no one's gonna care.

There's been a demand for NHL hockey in Seattle for decades:

  • The old Western Hockey League Totems outdrew the SuperSonics in the late 1960s and early 1970s;
  • Then-Sonics owner Barry Ackerly was fearful enough in the early  of being second fiddle to the NHL that he made sure the first Key Arena re-design would not be compatible for an NHL team;
  • Before the Oklahoma City gang spirited the Sonics outta town, their cynical demand for a new arena wasn't gonna include accommodating an NHL team.

So, as soon as the city council approved the arena's privately-financed retro-fit and the recently elected mayor signed off on the deal, an ownership group mobilized immediately and hit up the NHL's governors at their current meeting:

There's absolutely no doubt about Bruckheimer's financial capability, with such successes to his credit as Top Gun, Cat People, Gone in 60 Seconds, Pearl Harbor, and this snazzy franchise:

Bonderman, co-founder of the TPG investment group, has been on over 60 corporate boards in his career, representing his equity in them.

However, he did have to leave his directorship at Über due to the fact he's an Old School 1%:

The NHL has been rather progressive in social matters this century, so odds are they'll figure OG's learned from the experience.

As to the season ticket drive, with Seattle being a hi-tech mecca, there's enough dosh and devotees in the area to hit whatever target the league wants to set.

So, barring something crazy -- and for Seattle, anything's possible -- the first American city to host a Stanley Cup winner has a shot at doing it again.

Maybe even before the Vancouver Canucks.