Image Credit: Santeri Viinamaki (CC by SA-4.0)
Last week, the National Hockey League’s Board of Governors approved Seattle as the 32nd NHL franchise. While the city has long had plans for renovating Key Arena, now re-branded as the Seattle Center Arena, demolition was on hold until the NHL franchise became official. Seattle has not had a major hockey team since the Seattle Metropolitans folded in the 1920s.
The $700 million project, which largely consists of renovating the space under the arena’s iconic roof, was designed with both an NHL and NBA franchise in mind. While the NBA franchise seems now to be more of a long-term goal, the hockey franchise has been hotly anticipated since season ticket reservations became available earlier this year and capping at 33,000 deposits by August.
Helmed by the Oak View Group, the venue renovations will be designed by Populous, with the aim of increasing seating capacity while reducing environmental impact. The reworked arena could open as early as 2020, with the NHL franchise ready by the 2021-2022 season. The Seattle team is the NHL’s second expansion in three years, having recently added a successful franchise in Las Vegas.
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