Looking to quench my thirst for some live hockey action, I traveled north to Vancouver last Wednesday to watch the Canucks take on the Colorado Avalanche.
Following their tragic letdown in coming one game away from hoisting the Stanley Cup last season, the Canucks are in the midst of another dominating season atop the Northwest Conference and unbeaten in their last 10 games.
On game days, downtown Vancouver is buzzing with excitement. People all over the city are wearing hockey jerseys as they make their way to Rogers Arena for another sellout game. In Canada, hockey is the national identity. It is no different in British Columbia where the slogan goes, “We are all Canucks.”
For me, hockey is the perfect sport with a thrilling blend of speed, skill, physicality, intensity and passion. The exhilaration of a breakaway goal, a punishing check into the boards or the frantic final seconds of overtime is what makes hockey great.
While I don’t mind crossing the border to get my hockey fix, I cannot help but get excited about recent reports that the city of Seattle has unveiled plans for a new arena to attract an NBA and NHL franchise to the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle native Chris Hansen, a hedge-fund manager from San Francisco, has come forward with a proposal to pay $290 million to build an 18,000-seat arena south of Safeco Field. The city of Seattle would be responsible for financing $200 million to cover construction costs and recoup their money through the revenue two professional sports teams would generate. Construction cannot begin until Hansen’s investment group secures an NBA team to lease the building.
While I was devastated when the Seattle Supersonics were stolen and hitched their wagons for Oklahoma City, in the four years the NBA has been gone, I do not miss it one bit.
Growing up, my first love was basketball. Watching Supersonic legends like Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf battle Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals is still one of my favorite sports moments. The Sonics were one of the best teams in the 90’s and Key Arena hosted the biggest party in town. That all changed when the big business NBA, led by villain commissioner David Stern, did not see Key Arena as a suitable moneymaker for the league and allowed Oklahoma businessman Clay Bennett take the team to the Midwest, erasing 40 years of basketball history in Seattle.
The NBA game has changed drastically in the past decade. It is a league with overpaid, overhyped stars who chose where they want to play and when they want to play hard. The passion and excitement is gone and Seattle is better off without it.
The Seattle Sounders of the MLS have helped fill the void as the most exciting team in town, showing the country that Seattle has some of the most passionate fans in sports. I think a hockey team can have that same success, even if it means the NBA returns to Seattle.
Seattle is a great market for an NHL team with a great tradition of hockey dating back to the Seattle Metropolitans who became the first American team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917, long before the NHL existed. In more recent years, the game has developed a growing fan interest from two Western Hockey League teams the Seattle Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips. Being in proximity to one of the league’s most popular teams could also create a thrilling Cascadia rivalry. If hockey can survive in warm climate cities like Tampa Bay and Nashville, why not Seattle?
Speculation is that either the Sacramento Kings or New Orleans Hornet are the most likely NBA teams to be relocated for similar reasons Seattle left the league. Hansen has made it clear he is only interested in owning an NBA team, so another owner would have to step up to bring hockey to Seattle.
In the NHL, the Phoenix Coyotes and New York Islanders are two teams hockey fans in the Northwest should watch out for. The Coyotes are currently owned by the league and are looking for another owner to either keep the team in the desert or move them. The Islanders, who have a long history on Long Island, play in an outdated arena and are having trouble financing another venue.
If professional hockey comes to Washington state, I will support it. I will always maintain my loyalty to the Canucks, but I have room in my heart for two teams.
Just 13 seconds after the puck dropped at Wednesday’s game, the Canucks scored for an early lead. Center Ryan Kesler won the faceoff to Kevin Bieska who sent the pass to winger Mason Raymond who skated into the Colorado zone and passed to David Booth who drove through traffic and beat the Avalanche goalie with a backhander over his glove.
Vancouver put the game away in the third period with a one-timer goal from Janick Hansen and added an Alex Burrows empty net goal to give the Canucks a 3-1 victory.
The Canucks looked primed to make another title run with the offensive firepower, defensive fortitude, depth and dominating goaltending. Hockey has never been more popular in Vancouver and it would be great for fans in Seattle to experience the rush.
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