Seattle investor has plans to build downtown arena

[troutman]

Report: NHL has Seattle as Plan B for Coyotes

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/repor...b-for-coyotes/

The NHL has made Seattle their alternative option if the City of Glendale fails to approve of a new lease agreement.

Seattle mayor Mike McGinn confirmed to NBC affiliate King 5 that he has had discussions with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

“I let him know of the situation here, and that we were supportive of bringing the NHL to Seattle,” McGinn said. “We have Key Arena, so we talked about the potential of them being in Key Arena while we continue to work on a new arena plan.”

McGinn reportedly met with a group of potential investors including Ray Bartoszek and Anthony Lanza, who are interested in bringing the Coyotes to Seattle.

http://seattletimes.com/html/othersp...PGM8JI.twitter

KeyArena, which seats 11,000 for hockey, isn’t an ideal location for the NHL and would likely be a short-term option in Seattle. Hansen has a deal with the city and King County to build a $490 million downtown arena, but construction cannot begin until an NBA team is secured.

Councilman Tim Burgess isn’t sure the project would begin with a hockey team as the primary tenant. He noted it would be a “substantial change” to the city’s agreement to go forward without an NBA team.

“Relying on an NHL team alone would not be a strong enough foundation,” Burgess said.

[Resolute 14]

That arrangement opens several lines of thought. The most obvious one to me is that the NHL would not move into Seattle unless it had high confidence of the arena being built. And that, in turn, means the league has high confidence that Seattle will get an NBA team soon. The Sacramento Kings have new owners that must build an arena quickly or lose the team, but if that does not pan out for Seattle, I don't know what the other options are. Expansion may be the most obvious choice.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

That arrangement opens several lines of thought. The most obvious one to me is that the NHL would not move into Seattle unless it had high confidence of the arena being built. And that, in turn, means the league has high confidence that Seattle will get an NBA team soon. The Sacramento Kings have new owners that must build an arena quickly or lose the team, but if that does not pan out for Seattle, I don't know what the other options are. Expansion may be the most obvious choice.

Or the NHL is bluffing to try and force Glendale to vote the way they want them to. I don't think this passes without a true consequence for the Glendale council, much like the subsidy vote several years ago where the League had Winnipeg in its back pocket.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

That arrangement opens several lines of thought. The most obvious one to me is that the NHL would not move into Seattle unless it had high confidence of the arena being built. And that, in turn, means the league has high confidence that Seattle will get an NBA team soon. The Sacramento Kings have new owners that must build an arena quickly or lose the team, but if that does not pan out for Seattle, I don't know what the other options are. Expansion may be the most obvious choice.

Contracting the Phoenix franchise is the option of last resort for the league.

Optimum scenario: NHL moves team to Seattle in time for NHL season commencing in October, Expansion franchise given to Quebec the season after next and an expansion franchise in Hamilton the season after that.

Seattle makes too much sense for it to be a bluff at this point. The NHL needs a serious alternative to Glendale.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Contracting the Phoenix franchise is the option of last resort for the league.

Optimum scenario: NHL moves team to Seattle in time for NHL season commencing in October, Expansion franchise given to Quebec the season after next and an expansion franchise in Hamilton the season after that.

Seattle makes too much sense for it to be a bluff at this point. The NHL needs a serious alternative to Glendale.

How? No arena, and no evident plans to build one that aren't dependent upon an NBA team. The market is also far from established as a home run hockey market. It might work, but there are a lot of question marks.

[Flash Walken]

Valo, a receptive potential owner would be leagues better than the current situation.

The most frustrating thing about this Phoenix saga is that the end is obvious. No one is willing to buy that team, it's been for sale for nearly half a decade or more?

No one wants that thing.

If the NHL has a potential buyer, at this point, they've gotta hold their nose and do the deed.

[BurningSteel]

Someone once said "If you build it they will come"

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Valo, a receptive potential owner would be leagues better than the current situation.

The most frustrating thing about this Phoenix saga is that the end is obvious. No one is willing to buy that team, it's been for sale for nearly half a decade or more?

No one wants that thing.

If the NHL has a potential buyer, at this point, they've gotta hold their nose and do the deed.

Sure, but that's not what I asked. You said Seattle makes too much sense, I don't see how that's the case. Someone willing to own a team there is obviously crucial, but there are a lot of issues to be addressed.

[tomo]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

That arrangement opens several lines of thought. The most obvious one to me is that the NHL would not move into Seattle unless it had high confidence of the arena being built. And that, in turn, means the league has high confidence that Seattle will get an NBA team soon. The Sacramento Kings have new owners that must build an arena quickly or lose the team, but if that does not pan out for Seattle, I don't know what the other options are. Expansion may be the most obvious choice.

David Stern has hinted towards expansion but no until the NBA's current tv deal runs its course.

[SuperMatt18]

If the Coyotes end up in Seattle I could see Iginla signing there.

Friedman hinted that he might go join his buddy Doan in Phoenix, but wouldn't Seattle be even more attractive to Iginla. Would be really close to his home in Kelowna and would be a good figurehead in the public for a group looking to build a market in Seattle.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by tomo

David Stern has hinted towards expansion but no until the NBA's current tv deal runs its course.

That's only three years out, and approximately the time it would take to build the arena. KeyArena for three years is not ideal for the Seattle Coyotes, however.

[tomo]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

If the Coyotes end up in Seattle I could see Iginla signing there.

Friedman hinted that he might go join his buddy Doan in Phoenix, but wouldn't Seattle be even more attractive to Iginla. Would be really close to his home in Kelowna and would be a good figurehead in the public for a group looking to build a market in Seattle.

That way the fans could acclimated to the NHL by watching live hockey in slow motion?

[Coach]

Would a great showing of fans (ie sellouts and waitlists) prompt Seattle to build the arena before the NBA joins in? Or is it pretty much conditional on the NBA?

[seattleflamer]

Per the MOU(Memo of Understanding) b/w City, County and ArenaCo/Chris Hansen:

http://www.sonicsarena.com/info/seat...action-details

Prior to any public financing the following conditions must be met:
Acquisition of NBA franchise and NBA acknowledgement of the Arena lease and non-relocation agreement in place.
Successful completion of all land use processes, environmental reviews and permit acquisition.
Construction financing secured and Arena and NBA Team domiciled in Seattle for tax purposes.

[SebC]

Eliotte Friedman reported on HNIC that the NHL would not allow the Canucks to move their AHL team to Key Arena (because they had other plans for the building).

link

[Vulcan]

Here are the potential owners of a Seattle team.

Two weeks ago, McGinn and the Seattle City Council worked out a tentative deal with investors Ray Bartoszek and Anthony Lanza for the use of KeyArena for the 2013-14 season if they can to secure the team and relocate to Seattle.

also as Seattle Flamer says, a NHL team isn't enough for the new arena.

KeyArena, which seats 11,000 for hockey, isn’t an ideal location for the NHL and would likely be a short-term option in Seattle. Hansen has a deal with the city and King County to build a $490 million downtown arena, but construction cannot begin until an NBA team is secured.
Councilman Tim Burgess isn’t sure the project would begin with a hockey team as the primary tenant. He noted it would be a “substantial change” to the city’s agreement to go forward without an NBA team.
“Relying on an NHL team alone would not be a strong enough foundation,” Burgess said.

http://seattletimes.com/html/othersp...eattlexml.html

[seattleflamer]

Originally Posted by SebC

Eliotte Friedman reported on HNIC that the NHL would not allow the Canucks to move their AHL team to Key Arena (because they had other plans for the building).

link

This is the real story anyway! Stupid Canucks....

[valo403]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Would a great showing of fans (ie sellouts and waitlists) prompt Seattle to build the arena before the NBA joins in? Or is it pretty much conditional on the NBA?

The existing arena deal requires the NBA, as noted above, but there's no reason that a new deal couldn't be worked out. The terms would likely be pretty different though, and the appetite for an NHL team isn't as strong as that for an NBA team so the city probably isn't going to be as giving.

[dash_pinched]

Expansion to Seattle for the 2014-15 season?

mitch levy ‏@kjrmitch 10h The short of it is: I'm hearing that the NHL Commish is encouraging the board of governors to make an expansion team available to Seattle

mitch levy ‏@kjrmitch 10h If approved, the new expansion Seattle NHL club would cost approximately $275M. It would begin playing here in the 2014-2015 season

mitch levy ‏@kjrmitch 10h All of this contingent upon 1) a solid ownership coming forward and buying the team and 2) the new arena staying on track to be built

mitch levy ‏@kjrmitch 10h The ownership group that was interested in buying the Phoenix franchise remains in play here, amongst others.

mitch levy ‏@kjrmitch 10h The current MOU would undoubtedly need to be tweeked to keep the arena on track

mitch levy ‏@kjrmitch 10h Not exactly certain the MOU tweeking resolution that would be agreeable to both sides but I've heard a handful of ideas that sound plausible

mitch levy ‏@kjrmitch 10h This is really good news all the way around because if we can somehow get the building started, whatever the level of NBA uncertainty that..

mitch levy ‏@kjrmitch 10h ..currently exists would go away - making this an even stronger landing spot for a new NBA team.

[Jay Random]

^^

I'd take that rumour more seriously if there were more sources than just Mitch Levy. Hard to believe that Gary Bettman would be giving a directive to the BoG and nobody would hear of it except a journalist in Seattle.

You know what they say. Where there's smoke, there's fire — but when all the smoke is coming from one guy, he's probably just getting stoned.