The NHL confirmed on Tuesday that it has received an expansion application from the city of Seattle, which is looking to bring a brand new hockey team to a renovated Key Arena. An ownership group has filed the application with the required $10 million down payment.
If successful, Seattle could be the home of a brand new NHL franchise. The recent addition of the Vegas Golden Knights has given the league an odd number of teams with 31, which makes adding another in the near future a logical move.
It has been a long road for the city of Seattle, which currently has the National Football League’s Seahawks and Major League Baseball’s Mariners, but lost its beloved NBA franchise, the SuperSonics, back in 2008 when the team moved to Oklahoma City. A new NHL franchise could potentially someday lead to the return of the Sonics, as well.
In December, the Seattle City Council approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Oak View Group that would allocate $600 million toward necessary renovations for Key Arena, the former home of the Sonics. A separate group led by Chris Hansen, a hedge fund manager, had been looking to get funding for a brand new arena in the SoDo District. In a statement, that group made clear their intentions have not changed.
“More than six years ago, we began our effort to bring the Sonics back to Seattle. That remains our goal today,” Hansen said in a statement. “While we respect the City Council’s decision to approve the Oak View Group MOU we continue to believe our plan to build a 100% privately funded arena in SoDo represents the best chance to bring the NBA back to Seattle.”
If successful, Seattle could be the home of a brand new NHL franchise. The recent addition of the Vegas Golden Knights has given the league an odd number of teams with 31, which makes adding another in the near future a logical move.
It has been a long road for the city of Seattle, which currently has the National Football League’s Seahawks and Major League Baseball’s Mariners, but lost its beloved NBA franchise, the SuperSonics, back in 2008 when the team moved to Oklahoma City. A new NHL franchise could potentially someday lead to the return of the Sonics, as well.
In December, the Seattle City Council approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Oak View Group that would allocate $600 million toward necessary renovations for Key Arena, the former home of the Sonics. A separate group led by Chris Hansen, a hedge fund manager, had been looking to get funding for a brand new arena in the SoDo District. In a statement, that group made clear their intentions have not changed.
“More than six years ago, we began our effort to bring the Sonics back to Seattle. That remains our goal today,” Hansen said in a statement. “While we respect the City Council’s decision to approve the Oak View Group MOU we continue to believe our plan to build a 100% privately funded arena in SoDo represents the best chance to bring the NBA back to Seattle.”
