When? Where? Name? A look at Seattle’s NHL expansion team

SEATTLE — The NHL will make the Emerald City the home for its 32nd franchise after Seattle’s expansion bid was approved by the league’s Board of Governors. The move gives Seattle the major winter sports franchise it currently lacks and puts hockey in a market where the NHL believes it will thrive. A rundown of things to know about the decision:

WHY SEATTLE?

Seattle is the biggest U.S. market that doesn’t have either an NBA or NHL team. Its economy has boomed in the past decade since the departure of the NBA’s SuperSonics to Oklahoma City. It’s a city with disposable income and the itch to spend it on a new team. A season-ticket drive last spring had to be cut off at more than 30,000 deposits.

WHERE WILL THEY PLAY?

The arena at Seattle Center is undergoing a $700-million privately financed renovation. The building started out as the Seattle Center Coliseum for the 1962 World’s Fair and has been the home for the NBA, minor league hockey and thousands of concerts and events. Its roof was given historic landmark designation, adding a complication to the construction, but it will essentially be an entirely new building built underneath the roof. The arena will hold 17,400 for hockey and is being designed with the idea of having the NBA return someday. NAME? COLOURS? LOGO?

Good luck getting any info from the ownership group about a potential name. They have given no hints while the public has taken to online suggestions that include everything from the Metropolitans, Totems and Breakers (tributes to Seattle’s hockey history) to the Pilots, Steelheads, Sockeyes and even the Kraken. The expectation is that the franchise name will be announced sometime in the first half of 2019. As for colours, it’s anyone’s guess. Seattle franchises almost all have a shade of green included, so don’t be surprised if that’s part of the scheme. Tim Booth, The Associated Press