The NHL says that Seattle did not submit an application for an expansion franchise even though three groups voiced a desire to bring a team to the Pacific Northwest. The league received applications from Las Vegas and Quebec City.
More than likely the NHL’s outrageous fees scared off many prospective owners. The applications required a $10 million application fee. Owners only recovered $8 million if they did not receive the expansion bid.
The NHL wants a team in Seattle, but the three prospective owners could not respond by the deadline. The city did not even look at plans submitted by real estate mogul Victor Coleman because officials must “revise its public funding for an arena.” As of now, an arena will only be approved if Seattle brings in an NBA team.
Ray Bartoszek hoped to bring a team to Tukwila, which is near Seattle, but plans to break ground and build an arena did not finish in time. A deal for a team in Bellevue, the largest suburb, fell apart right before July 16. Yet, officials in the suburb claim they never received any bids.
But it does appear a team in Las Vegas will debut in time for the 2017-2018 season. The ownership already “secured down payments in over 13,000 season tickets.” An arena on the famous strip is already under construction.
Quebec City lost their beloved Nordiques to Colorado in 1995. Now it appears Quebec’s second largest city might receive another team thanks to communications company Quebecor. The city already owns the brand-new Videotron Arena, which can hold 18,259 people.
“We know in the province of Quebec, hockey is a religion. We are all, as individuals, hockey maniacs,” stated Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Dion. “Quebec is an extraordinary market and we have a corporation, Quebecor, who has shown for three or four years its willingness to be a major player in sports.”
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