Seattle surpasses ticket deposits for NHL franchise

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SEATTLE, WA. (NEWS 1130) – If there was ever any question Seattle badly wants an NHL franchise, that question was answered on Thursday when tens of thousands of people signed up for season tickets in the Emerald City.

It took just 12 minutes for 10,000 people to put their money where their mouth is for the yet-to-be official hockey club just south of the line. So far, more than 30,000 people have signed up.

For context purposes, when they tried to gauge interest in Las Vegas, it took two days just to reach the 5,000 mark.

As of Thursday afternoon, fans had the option of putting down deposits of $500 or $1,000 to be given priority selection for season tickets once a team is established in Seattle.

Tim Leiweke is the CEO of the Oak View Group (OVG), which is behind the push to bring hockey to Seattle. “We did get a lot of people from across the border. We got a lot of people that, I think, are at the border and also in places like Bellingham that are going to come in for the game. Again, it was a very, very good response.”

He adds Vancouver Canucks Owner Francesco Aquilini has been pretty helpful during this process. “I think he realizes the rivalry between these two clubs finally creates a real close geographical passion for the Vancouver Canuck fans.”

Film and TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer is also part of the same group and he feels Seattle has the built-in fan base for the sport. “It hasn’t exploded like other markets and I think there is a demand for great sports and hockey is the best sport there is.”

OVG filed an application for an NHL team in Seattle on Feb. 13. Part of the application includes the group having to finance a $660 million renovation of KeyArena, with the goal being to have the building ready for the 2020-21 NHL season.

Earlier this week, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman appeared confident a team in Seattle would be successful.

“Everything I’m hearing is, not only are [Seattle’s prospective ownership group] optimistic, they’re incredibly excited at the response they’re getting,” he said Wednesday on Sportsnet 650’s The Program. “And, again, I’m not surprised because the Pacific Northwest has a great interest in hockey — great fans at all levels of the game. Seattle has a tradition at other levels of having hockey and, frankly, the possibility of a geographic rivalry with Vancouver is a checkmark in the right column.”

It’ll be June before we have an official decision about a team in Seattle.

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