[News] NHL officially approves Seattle (first season 2021/22) Expansion draft in June 2021

[getbak]

Well, that would certainly make for an interesting logo...

[Toonage]

...and mascot

[Krynn]

Come on Seattle make the right choice and Release The Kraken's

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

Fighting Geoducks, Rain City Bitch Pidgeons, even Environmental Love Muffins if they wanted to steal half of the Canucks fan base. Naming major sports team usually ends up in a pretty underwhelming choice.

What about the name “Exhaustion & Collapse”?

Then they could steal all the hockey loving fans of the oil industry from other teams.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Krynn

Come on Seattle make the right choice and Release The Kraken's

The Kraken is a North Atlantic sea legend.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

The Kraken is a North Atlantic sea legend.

South Atlantic. Trinidad to be precise.

[Ozy_Flame]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1178704532735328257

https://twitter.com/user/status/1178704683415638016

[GioforPM]

World’s best AHL demotion?

[Mayo]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

World’s best AHL demotion?

This summer I was telling a guy playing the AHL that they were floating PS for an NHL affiliate and that's the first thing he said.

They're getting a new barn right off the main drag as well

[Strange Brew]

Nothing says hockey like Palm Springs.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Nothing says hockey like Palm Springs.

I don't know. If the Flames AHL affiliate was in Palm Springs I'd probably catch a game every second year or so. Also, probably lots of Canadian retirees/snowbirds with disposable income and free time.

Definitely better than Stockton.

[sleepingmoose]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I don't know. If the Flames AHL affiliate was in Palm Springs I'd probably catch a game every second year or so. Also, probably lots of Canadian retirees/snowbirds with disposable income and free time.

Definitely better than Stockton.

There’s also multiple non-stop flights to and from Palm Springs - you’d think that’d be a lot easier for the Flames than Stockton for call ups....maybe one day.

[browna]

My guess is Bruckheimer like many in the entertainment industry, and probably others in his group, already have places in Palm Springs, so this is an easy choice for them to have a direct line down there and be able to mix work with play, so to speak.

As long as there is an arena, which there is now planned, likely thanks to them, it’s also them giving back and enhancing the area.

For me, it’s likely the only way I’d ever catch a Stockton Heat game, outside of maybe San Diego.

[Enoch Root]

If the Flames moved their AHL affiliate to Scottsdale, it would probably outdraw the Yotes.

[Strange Brew]

I can't rally see a Hollywood producer and investor in an NHL team having much of a role in their minor league affiliate so I suspect Bruckheimer had little to do with this.

But the way Coachella Valley has been growing through the explosion of the music festival industry it sounds the like the arena will satisfy a need, and the AHL team can help fill in some dates. Still the AHL teams in California have dismal attendance, other than San Diego and Ontario which are bigger markets. Color me shocked if there is any grass roots youth hockey interest growing in Palm Springs but who knows.

Stockton averages about 3,500 people a game. You could draw that with an AHL team in Brooks for crying out loud.