Gary Bettman visits Seattle to get update on proposed arena

[hccollector]

By The Associated Press of cbc.ca

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, pictured here, met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday to get an update on
the status of a new arena being proposed by investor Chris Hansen. Seattle has been a rumoured landing spot for an
NHL expansion franchise. Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times/Associated

National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman made a visit to Seattle to meet with local elected leaders to get an update on the status of a possible new arena.

NHL spokesman Frank Brown confirmed Bettman's meeting on Tuesday after it was first reported by KING-TV. Brown said Bettman was on the West Coast for NHL playoff games and met with Seattle mayor Ed Murray.

Brown said the meeting was solely to get an update on the status of a new arena being proposed by investor Chris Hansen. Legislation approved by city and county officials call for an NBA team to be placed in Seattle first before an NHL team unless the memorandum of understanding on the project is rewritten.

In an interview last month, Hansen said his group does not have interest in being majority owners of an NHL team.

Seattle has been a rumoured landing spot for an NHL expansion franchise after the near move of the Phoenix Coyotes last summer. Bettman said earlier in the NHL playoffs that Seattle needs to get its arena situation settled before the league will consider a franchise there.


Sweet news, I would like to see a team in Seattle!!

D

 

[Orca Pod]

Brown said the meeting was solely to get an update on the status of a new arena being proposed by investor Chris Hansen. Legislation approved by city and county officials call for an NBA team to be placed in Seattle first before an NHL team unless the memorandum of understanding on the project is rewritten.

In an interview last month, Hansen said his group does not have interest in being majority owners of an NHL team.

The bolded parts... about say it all...

Don't hold your breath.

 

[Adam_HAWKey]

Seattle and Vancouver would be a great rivalry, if it ever happens!

 

[kingshockey]

if it stays an expansion franchise I wouldn't mind at all. would be very cool. maybe add some balance to the divisions? I dunno. but I would not like it if a team moved there. I hate to see teams sold and moved

I'd hate to see the Islanders move...LOL

 

[plubers]

if it stays an expansion franchise I wouldn't mind at all. would be very cool. maybe add some balance to the divisions? I dunno. but I would not like it if a team moved there. I hate to see teams sold and moved

I'd hate to see the Islanders move...LOL

what about Florida or Phoenix?

 

[Adam_HAWKey]

what about Florida or Phoenix?

That's Arizona Coyotes to you. At least for next year.

 

[timber09]

There will be a team here - and it will be well supported. I would be willing to bet that we will have an NHL team before we get an NBA team but that (like everything else being thrown around) is just pure speculation.

I agree with kingshockey above - I would very much prefer to have an expansion team instead of someone have to lose a team. It would be a much slower build for us with that being the case but the team would be ours from start to finish.

Not an NBA fan but it sucked to lose the Sonics - I would hate for people to have to go through that.

 

[Orca Pod]

here's an update on this:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=452992

\/ \/ \/ The important stuff \/ \/ \/

"We had a few hours to kill, we were in the neighborhood, so I figured I'd go to Seattle to find out what the building story was," Bettman told LeBrun. "We weren't there campaigning, we weren't asking for anything, and that's been misreported. Based on the level of interest we're getting from lots of people in Seattle and a fair amount of uncertainty and confusion about the building, we decided 'Let's go find out for ourselves what the story is with the building.' And there's no prospect of a building right now."

Investor Chris Hansen currently holds the rights with the city of Seattle to build a new arena, however Hansen will not move ahead with the building process until he has secured an NBA franchise. Hansen is not pursuing an NHL team for the arena, but would like to have an NHL team as a tenant of the arena under another owner.

"The sense I get is he doesn't want to build a building just to have a tenant," Bettman said. "And since he seems to have things tied up with the city for the next three years, give or take, there's no certainty about a building."

Bettman's takeaway from the Seattle tour; that "the possibility of a new arena is at best uncertain."

******************************************

For me, that bolded part is the most important thing in the whole situation. Arena will get built if an NBA team is 'guaranteed' but the main guy wants no part of an NHL team. Which in turn means the NHL team is low on the totem pole, coming after things like concerts and trade shows.