Seattle investor has plans to build downtown arena

[fundmark19]

This article says that the arena agreement is based solely on having an NBA tenant. Of course having 2 tenants makes profits larger and larger profits mean the city getting paid off quicker.

http://www.yakimaherald.com/sports/7...o-see-nhl-team

[TheContact]

As much as I'd love to see the NHL here, it still feels like a bad idea. They'd really have to cultivate a following. Whereas when the MLS came here, there were already plenty of soccer fans around.

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/fyi-gu...ns-in-seattle/

[Hockey Fan #751]

Originally Posted by TheContact

As much as I'd love to see the NHL here, it still feels like a bad idea. They'd really have to cultivate a following. Whereas when the MLS came here, there were already plenty of soccer fans around.

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/fyi-gu...ns-in-seattle/

Seattle area has two WHL teams and it's a northern city. I think there's a lot of hockey fans around.

[TheContact]

Unfortunately most of them are transplants from Vancouver. What's needed to maintain a WHL team (or two) is not the same as an NHL team unfortunately.

I'm not saying that it wouldn't change, but this is a terrible city to be the 5th sports team people care about. It's a fair-weather sports city as it is. Behind NFL, MLB, MLS, and NBA, the NHL is going to have to really market the hell out of the game to get people on board (or have a team that starts off really good, and stays that way for years).

[valo403]

Originally Posted by TheContact

Unfortunately most of them are transplants from Vancouver. What's needed to maintain a WHL team (or two) is not the same as an NHL team unfortunately.

I'm not saying that it wouldn't change, but this is a terrible city to be the 5th sports team people care about. It's a fair-weather sports city as it is. Behind NFL, MLB, MLS, and NBA, the NHL is going to have to really market the hell out of the game to get people on board (or have a team that starts off really good, and stays that way for years).

Well one edge they may have is that Seattle has demonstrated it's desire to get behind things that are a bit outside the norm with the Sounders. Hockey can fit into that 'hipster' like niche pretty well. The big difference is price, MLS tickets are pretty cheap relative to NHL tickets.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by TheContact

Unfortunately most of them are transplants from Vancouver. What's needed to maintain a WHL team (or two) is not the same as an NHL team unfortunately.

I'm not saying that it wouldn't change, but this is a terrible city to be the 5th sports team people care about. It's a fair-weather sports city as it is. Behind NFL, MLB, MLS, and NBA, the NHL is going to have to really market the hell out of the game to get people on board (or have a team that starts off really good, and stays that way for years).

That is not true. Seattle has great fans. Just look at the Seahawks and Sounders. The seahawks sold out all through the horrible sesasons also. The sonics moved because they could not get a new arena at the time, not because of fan support.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

That is not true. Seattle has great fans. Just look at the Seahawks and Sounders. The seahawks sold out all through the horrible sesasons also. The sonics moved because they could not get a new arena at the time, not because of fan support.

The sonics moved because their ownership couldn't get the city to fork over the dough for a new arena.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

That is not true. Seattle has great fans. Just look at the Seahawks and Sounders. The seahawks sold out all through the horrible sesasons also. The sonics moved because they could not get a new arena at the time, not because of fan support.

And the Mariners? Their attendance pretty much mirrors their position in the league. There are very few cities where the NFL has issues selling out, it's not really a good barometer. I don't know how Seattle would do as an NHL market, it seems like a good fit but there are some questions.

[The Original FFIV]

Ownership doesn't appear to be an issue:

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2...ttle-nhl-team/

[tomo]

Some of you guys haven't read much of this thread.
Hockey will be great in Seattle.
There is a massive grassroots hockey league here called the Greater Seattle Hockey League. It's the 4th largest in the United States.

USA Today and the Seattle Times have both written articles about Seattle being a hockey hotbed.

The Times article above that "The Contact" posted is based purely off of actual numbers and revenue. Of course the NBA and NHL are low here, there are currently no local teams for people to spend their money on.

[TheContact]

If it were NFL, MLB, and NHL, I'd agree. There's probably room for all of that.

But NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA, and NHL? I'm not saying it can't be done, but it's going to take more than just moving a franchise here. They're going to have to actually build some serious support.

The Sounders were not a fluke - way back in 1994, it was already a big deal here.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsour...8&slug=1891994
http://community.seattletimes.nwsour...4&slug=1893501

Finally

Originally Posted by tomo

The Times article above that "The Contact" posted is based purely off of actual numbers and revenue. Of course the NBA and NHL are low here, there are currently no local teams for people to spend their money on.

The article states:

The chart below shows the 12 sports that came out on top. The data come from surveys conducted in 78 major markets during 2011 and 2012; in the Seattle/Tacoma market, more than 4,500 people were interviewed. People were asked about their level of interest in a wide variety of sports.

So no, it's not based on revenue, it's based on a poll. Naturally numbers for the NBA and NHL would be higher if there was a team here, but interest in the NHL is currently lower than gymnastics. My hope is that this is because they're watching the Canucks flop around on the ice, and are confused as to what sport it is they are watching.

[calgaryred]

Originally Posted by TheContact

If it were NFL, MLB, and NHL, I'd agree. There's probably room for all of that.

But NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA, and NHL? I'm not saying it can't be done, but it's going to take more than just moving a franchise here. They're going to have to actually build some serious support.

The Sounders were not a fluke - way back in 1994, it was already a big deal here.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsour...8&slug=1891994
http://community.seattletimes.nwsour...4&slug=1893501

Finally


The article states:

So no, it's not based on revenue, it's based on a poll. Naturally numbers for the NBA and NHL would be higher if there was a team here, but interest in the NHL is currently lower than gymnastics. My hope is that this is because they're watching the Canucks flop around on the ice, and are confused as to what sport it is they are watching.

I totally agree I found from my experiences in both Washington and Oregon hockey wasn't a big deal to the majority.

[tomo]

Originally Posted by TheContact

The Sounders were not a fluke - way back in 1994, it was already a big deal here.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940128&slug=1891994
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940204&slug=1893501

It was 1994, the World Cup was coming to the United States, mass marketing for Soccer was everywhere across the states. 38,000 people for an international friendly should have been expected.

Originally Posted by TheContact

The article states:

So no, it's not based on revenue, it's based on a poll. Naturally numbers for the NBA and NHL would be higher if there was a team here, but interest in the NHL is currently lower than gymnastics. My hope is that this is because they're watching the Canucks flop around on the ice, and are confused as to what sport it is they are watching.

My bad, I misread that. But if you're going off of that poll, the NBA has no business coming back to Seattle either.

Hockey has a history in Seattle. There are thousands of people that go up to the Canucks games, as well as there being lots of people playing the game around here. Hockey will be great in Seattle.

You live here, do you play in one of the local leagues or go to any of the WHL games?

[valo403]

Originally Posted by tomo

It was 1994, the World Cup was coming to the United States, mass marketing for Soccer was everywhere across the states. 38,000 people for an international friendly should have been expected.





My bad, I misread that. But if you're going off of that poll, the NBA has no business coming back to Seattle either.

Hockey has a history in Seattle. There are thousands of people that go up to the Canucks games, as well as there being lots of people playing the game around here. Hockey will be great in Seattle.

You live here, do you play in one of the local leagues or go to any of the WHL games?

I find that rather hard to believe. Perhaps there are a couple thousand people that have done that, but thousands that do it regularly? I don't buy it.

[tomo]

Originally Posted by valo403

I find that rather hard to believe. Perhaps there are a couple thousand people that have done that, but thousands that do it regularly? I don't buy it.

I never said regularly. I said there are thousand of people that go up to the Canucks games. Games = Plural.

[henriksedin33]

Originally Posted by tomo

I never said regularly. I said there are thousand of people that go up to the Canucks games. Games = Plural.

In the history of the Canucks franchise? Yes, thousands have driven up from Seattle to go to games. Great argument.


Seattle is not a hockey city, anyone who has spent time there and talked to any number of people could tell you that.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by henriksedin33

In the history of the Canucks franchise? Yes, thousands have driven up from Seattle to go to games. Great argument.


Seattle is not a hockey city, anyone who has spent time there and talked to any number of people could tell you that.

Counter point:

Vancouver isn't a hockey city either.

[tomo]

Originally Posted by henriksedin33

In the history of the Canucks franchise? Yes, thousands have driven up from Seattle to go to games. Great argument.


Seattle is not a hockey city, anyone who has spent time there and talked to any number of people could tell you that.

Nice one Henrik, thanks for letting me know.
I live in Seattle, and I play in the local hockey league here.
This is a hidden gem of a city for hockey.

http://seattletimes.com/html/hockey/...keytown16.html

""It's probably the best market in the United States that does not have a hockey team demographically," Chicago investor Don Levin said when he publicly stated his interest in bringing an NHL team to Seattle."

[Brannigans Law]

Originally Posted by henriksedin33

In the history of the Canucks franchise? Yes, thousands have driven up from Seattle to go to games. Great argument.


Seattle is not a hockey city, anyone who has spent time there and talked to any number of people could tell you that.

Is it mentally exhausting being this wrong so often?

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by henriksedin33

In the history of the Canucks franchise? Yes, thousands have driven up from Seattle to go to games. Great argument.


Seattle is not a hockey city, anyone who has spent time there and talked to any number of people could tell you that.

I've spent time in Seattle. I've even bought a coffee from a lesbian in a coffee shop playing Pearl Jam's Black while wearing a plaid flannel shirt.

I couldn't tell you that.