LAS VEGAS — There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the early success of Las Vegas’ first NHL franchise — for startups, for new sports franchises, and for Seattle. I took a break from the CES mayhem this week and met up with George McPhee, general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights, at the team’s practice facility 30 minutes east of The Strip in Summerlin. The NHL expansion team is defying expectations in its first year as part of the world’s best hockey league, both on the ice and in the front office. The Knights sit atop… Read More
OK, the Sonics aren’t coming back (just yet), but Seattle moved a step closer to giving hockey geeks (raise your hand — are you out there?) a reason to celebrate on Thursday when the NHL announced how it feels about an expansion franchise in the city. According to various reports — and tweets from Pierre LeBrun, a hockey guru for Canada’s The Sports Network — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said during the league’s Board of Governors meetings in Florida Thursday that the process for expansion in Seattle has begun. And it’s not cheap. Bettman announces that the NHL Board of… Read More
Forget the Kiss Cam. In Canada, they’re going for the Kiss-Up, eh? Fans at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, went to see an NHL hockey game between the hometown Senators and the visiting Canucks from Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday night. We are currently cheering for Amazon to set up shop in Ottawa during a TV timeout. I’m not making this up. #Canucks #Sens pic.twitter.com/0OuIVQ4S3d — Jyrki21 (@Jyrki21) October 18, 2017 By the 13:47 mark of the second period, they were being asked to cheer against not only Vancouver, but Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto, too, as the video screen… Read More
Updated 4:15 p.m. Wednesday: Promising to build a world-class arena, and with it potentially lure an NBA or NHL team to Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray announced Wednesday that he has selected Oak View Group to renovate the 55-year-old KeyArena. “If the Space Needle is the front door of this beautiful place, KeyArena is the action-packed rec room,” Murray said during a news conference (watch in full in the video above) from the venue at Seattle Center. The mayor was joined by a host of dignitaries, including Oak View founders Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, former Seattle Supersonics head coach Lenny Wilkens, and owners… Read More
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is asking for public feedback on two proposals to renovate Key Arena in the hopes of bringing NBA and NHL teams to the city. Related: Two groups announce plans to renovate Seattle’s Key Arena for potential NBA and NHL franchises Both proposals are online and the city is accepting public comment from the community here. City staff will host a public open house May 11 from 5-8 p.m. at KEXP, right around the corner from Key Arena. The event is an opportunity for residents to ask questions about both proposals. The updated Key Arena RFP website includes more details… Read More
