WHL’s Thunderbirds, Silvertips open to NHL joining Seattle market

TORONTO — The Seattle area’s major junior hockey teams aren’t worried about competing for fans with the NHL expansion franchise coming to town.

The Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips play in the Western Hockey League’s U.S. Division and are both within an hour drive of Seattle’s Key Arena, which is set to undergo an $800-million renovation in time for the 2021-22 NHL season.

Seattle Thunderbirds vice-president of hockey operations Russ Farwell, who has been with the T-Birds full-time since 1995 in various roles, including long-time owner before selling in 2017, was supportive of an NHL team entering the market when it was announced on Dec. 4 by commissioner Gary Bettman.

“I don’t think any of us can tell you exactly what the impact will be,” said Farwell. “We really think and hope the increased profile of the sport will grow the overall base of fans and interest in the game and make up for any fans we would lose.”

He believes there could be many positives that come with an expansion team and that pro and amateur hockey are a different beast for various reasons, most notably the price point.

“For two NHL games, you can buy season tickets for Thunderbird hockey,” said Farwell. “What we all face now is the competition for people’s time.”

Four cities are currently supporting both pro and junior teams with some success. The Edmonton Oil Kings share Rogers Arena with the Oilers and the Calgary Hitmen play out of the Saddledome with the Flames.