The NHL is expanding to Seattle, starting in 2021.
An ownership group agreed to pay a $650 million expansion fee, which will go to 30 of the current teams. The Vegas Golden Knights, who played its first season last year, paid a $500 million expansion fee and will not pick up money from this one.
Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, noted that Seattle was the first American city to win the Stanley Cup.
The Seattle Metropolitans played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and won the Cup in 1917. The franchise folded in 1924.
“Today is an exciting and historic day for our league as we expand to one of North America’s most innovative, beautiful and fastest-growing cities,” Bettman said.
In March, the owners of the potential Seattle team sold 33,000 seats and then had to put more possible customers on a waiting list. The team will play in the KeyArena, which is the former home of the SuperSonics, which Seattle lost in 2008. The arena is currently being remodeled and is expected to be complete in March or April of 2021. The team’s two chief owners are investment banker CEO David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer, a Hollywood producer. ArenaCo, which includes the Oak View Group, will contribute $700 million for stadium repairs.
The Seattle team, which has yet to have a name, will be in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Arizona Coyotes will move to the Central Division that season.
The NHL’s most recent new team, the Golden Knights in Las Vegas, had a nearly perfect season in its first year, with a run to the Stanley Cup Finals.
While Vegas has been a hit, some other recent NHL expansion and relocating teams have struggled, with the Florida Panthers and the Coyotes ranking near the bottom of the league in attendance.
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