Hockey-themed bar is a fitting gauge for Seattle’s NHL support
The Angry Beaver ‘packed to the rafters’ since city’s expansion application accepted
The hockey bar is finally getting a hockey team.
When Tim Pipes opened The Angry Beaver seven years ago — the first and only Canadianthemed hockey bar in Seattle — it was because the Toronto-born Maple Leafs fan wanted a place where he and others could grab a beer and watch NHL games. He never thought the team he’d be showing on the TVs would be from Seattle.
“It wasn’t even on the radar,” said Pipes, who has seen a sudden rush in clientele after last week’s announcement that the NHL is accepting an expansion application from the city. “Ever since the news came out, we’ve been absolutely packed to the rafters. I didn’t get out of work last night until five in the morning. I’m amazed how many hockey fans there are.”
It’s a small snapshot of what all signals point to the city becoming the NHL’s 32nd franchise.
A few months after the Vegas Golden Knights joined the league, the NHL is continuing to grow. This time, the league appears headed to the state of Washington where Seattle City Council and the mayor approved the estimated US$600-million renovation of KeyArena. Then the NHL board of governors gave the green light for the city to apply for an expansion franchise.
The expectation is that the team will be in the league by 2020-21 — a dream that many had almost given up on after Seattle chose not to apply for a franchise a year ago.
“I try not to get too high or too low, but this week has been the exception,” said John Barr, who for the past six years has been operating NHLtoSeattle.com, a news site covering the city’s ongoing bid for a pro team. “It finally feels like we can celebrate something. I know that we’re not done, but I couldn’t have even hoped for what’s happened already. The heavy lifting’s done. I don’t know what expectations they have for the ticket drive, but I anticipate that not being a problem.”
That the NHL is expanding again is not surprising. The league wanted to add a 32nd team along with Vegas, but was waiting for the proper geographical fit that would help balance the Eastern and Western Conferences, which is part of the reason why Quebec City still is without a team.
According to Forbes magazine, NHL team values are up 15 per cent from last year — the biggest increase in three years. Part of that was due to the $500-million expansion fee that Vegas paid, which netted each of the other 30 owners $16.6-million. The estimated $650-million fee that Seattle would have to pay would add even more to each of the 31 other owners.
It’s a steep increase from the $80 million that the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild each paid to join the league in 2000.
“It’s a sign that it’s capable of carrying markets,” said Moshe Lander, professor of Sports Economics at Concordia University. “I think the NHL is probably healthier than it’s been in 100 years. The product is good and the game is international. I think they’re making a mistake in not shutting down for two weeks for the Olympics, but the game is strong.”
As for the city itself, Seattle is not new to professional sports. Though the NBA’s SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, Seattle has an NFL and Major League Baseball team, as well as a successful soccer team that on Saturday lost to Toronto in the MLS Cup. The Sounders FC won the championship in 2016 — and in 2015 Forbes ranked the club as the most valuable franchise.
Hockey is not new to the city, with the Seattle Metropolitans having won the Stanley Cup in 1917. The state of Washington also has teams playing in the Western Hockey League, including two that are close in proximity to the would-be NHL Seattle franchise at KeyArena — the Seattle Thunderbirds (35 kilometres away) and Everett Silvertips (45 km away).
And yet, this isn’t Minnesota or even Wisconsin. Seattle, with its cool and wet winters and location on the West Coast, is not exactly a natural hotbed for hockey.
“There’s none,” Seattle Thunderbirds GM Russ Farwell, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years, said of the city’s hockey culture. “You have to understand there’s none here. We have like seven ice rinks right from Everett to Tacoma. It’s a niche sport right now because of the lack of rinks. It’s the last place in the U.S. to turn onto hockey.”
That doesn’t mean it can’t grow into a hockey market.
We’re only a few months into their first season, but Vegas is proving that you can attract new fans with a winning product and the right marketing plan. Now, with a season-ticket drive in the future, Seattle has an opportunity to show how committed it is to hockey.
Based on the increased clientele at The Angry Beaver, it looks promising.
“What I see in my little slice of the world is that there is a culture that will support hockey, but who knows what that’s going to look like 10 years down the road,” said Pipes. “I don’t know if I’ll have enough money for season tickets, but I’ll be first in line to see them. Hopefully, it does so well that I have to open a bigger place.”
It’s a niche sport right now because of the lack of rinks. It’s the last place in the U.S. to turn onto hockey.