Professional hockey is coming back to the Emerald City. On DEC 4, the NHL welcomed the Seattle (name and colors TBD) as its 32nd franchise playing in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The first puck will drop in the renovated and historic Key Arena (formerly the Coliseum) at the Seattle Center for the inagural 2021-22 season. In 1917 the Seattle Metroplitans of the PCHL won the first Stanley Cup by an American team.
The Washington State Pavillion (later the Seattle Center Coliseum) as well as the Space Needle were introduced at the 1962 Seattle Century 21 Worlds Fair.
In 1964 the Beatles performed there for $5 a ticket.
Can the return of the Sonics, who left town in 2008, be far behind? Still caught up in the quagmire of NBA politics, Seattle’s “waiting in the wings “ limbo status is used as leverage against less lucrative markets to sign new arena deals. Nothing personal, strictly business.
There is not much the Seattle fans can do about that, and so we wait, but the NHL gives us hope. At least we’ve checked off one box. There will be a world class arena welcoming the Sonics home.