Why Seattle NHL expansion makes more sense than Las Vegas
By Mike Majeski
The official statement regarding NHL expansion to Seattle (or any city for that matter), is that there are no current plans in place. The rumors of deals already being in place have been called nonsense by both Gary Bettman and Bill Daly. The NHL has expressed interest in new markets and have gone as far as meeting with local officials, but these meetings have been nothing more than the league kicking the tires on potential expansion sites, should the desire to add new teams become a reality.
The report that a deal was done to bring a team to Las Vegas, despite still needing an ownership group to buy the team, an arena to play in, and NHL board of governors approval (AKA, every part of a completed expansion deal), is the type of rumor that gets started in the slow news months of August and September. Can we really blame hockey media for stirring up some expansion rumors? This time of year was previously occupied by Phoenix Coyotes ownership / relocation news, so it is no surprise that expansion and relocation is a hot topic.
The main reason that Las Vegas is listed as a logical choice for an expansion team is that the NHL and Gary Bettman want to be the first of the major sports leagues to establish a team in Las Vegas. Such a franchise would be a first for the NHL, NBA, MLB, or NFL and would show that the NHL is still willing to take some risks when it comes to the location of its franchises. Making a team work in an established hockey market like Quebec City presents very little challenge to the NHL. A team in Las Vegas would bring the game to new fans and a different type of market.
It is likely that the majority of season tickets and suites will be sold to casinos and hotels to comp to tourists visiting Las Vegas. Considering the majority of residents in Vegas are either from out of state, or work in the casinos, the regular local fan would not be the prime source of revenue for the team. Instead, the NHL would hope that fans of other teams would work a Vegas vacation around the time that their home team is in town.
A Las Vegas team would also provide a natural rival with the Arizona Coyotes, as well as the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings. Fans from those cities would not have too long of a trip to come see their teams play in one of the prime tourist destinations in the west.
All of this makes Las Vegas seem like an ideal place to put a team. However, Las Vegas isn’t the only city vying for an NHL franchise. In addition to Quebec City, Seattle is regarded as one of the favorites to earn an expansion franchise, sometime in the future.
The current problem with Seattle is that the NHL has no desire to play in the existing Key Arena, which was specialized for basketball and is an older arena. At the same time, the NHL is making hockey work in a building built for basketball with the Islanders move to Brooklyn, so this is not an immediate disqualification. Current local municipal law in Seattle stipulates that any arena construction project must be for the purpose of bringing an NBA team back to Seattle. The NHL and potential owners can work to get the language of the law modified to allow for an NHL team to come first, but as we saw with the Phoenix Coyotes situation, local politics can get messy.
What Seattle clearly has is fans ready to support a hockey team and a city that will make for a successful franchise in a new market. Unlike Las Vegas, the arena would not be filled with a crowd that is more interested in the perks provided by a casino, gambling, or the opposing team. While Seattle is known for supporting traditional sports like the NFL with the 12th Man for the Seahawks, and the MLB with the Seattle Mariners, alternative leagues like the MLS have had vast success in Seattle. The area has one of the largest men’s leagues in the United States and has been a supporter of minor league hockey. If the NHL is looking for a low-risk expansion option, Seattle is clearly the safest choice.
The NHL is in the midst of one of its more stable eras; both in regards to the health of franchises and the overall financial health of the league. Gary Bettman is confident that the Arizona Coyotes situation has been fixed and that teams like the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes are not going to be relocated. Therefore, the NHL is in no rush to establish a new franchise in an untested market.
Instead, they are willing to bide their time and wait for the ideal situation to arise in Seattle. If the arena issues cannot be solved, then perhaps the NHL will look to alternative cities like Las Vegas and Quebec City.
It is unlikely we will hear anything but denials from the NHL, regarding expansion, until Gary Bettman is ready to release such information. Until then, the NHL will continue to meet with prospective cities and make a choice based upon which city would offer the best opportunity and the most stability for the league.
The Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association won the Stanley Cup back in 1917 (becoming the first American team to win the trophy), perhaps the 100th anniversary of that event would be the perfect time to announce a new franchise in Seattle.