NHL Hockey in Seattle By 2017

Seattle is a great sports town.  Taking the ferry across the Sound to catch the Mariners hit BP before the game.  Hearing the Seahawks break another record for crowd noise.  And, now, hosting a hockey team?  It could all come together by 2017.  But there is still plenty of risk.  (And after losing the Thunder franchise, Seattle needs a little positive karma.)

Walter McLaughlin of The Hockey Writers had this to say:

After nearly three years of false starts in Seattle’s attempt to lure the NHL and NBA to town, a fast track toward a new Seattle franchise appears to be underway.

Last Friday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman discussed the subject of an NHL franchise in Seattle during the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) commissioners meetings. While tacitly reaffirming the league’s interest in Seattle, his comments made it clear that a ready-to-go arena plan was a “must” in order for the league to give expansion serious consideration.

If an investment group headlined by New York Islanders part-owner Ray Bartoszek and former NBA players Bill Russell and Fred Brown has its way, the timetable toward granting Seattle a franchise may be formalized soon.

Reports have confirmed that Bartoszek’s Connecticut-based RLB Holdings Sports and Entertainment filed for a “zoning code interpretation request,” the first step in the process of building an arena.

Image courtesy of tdlucas5000.