NHL Seattle timeline: Seattle’s push for hockey

The NHL is officially coming to Seattle.

An expansion franchise, the 32nd team in the NHL, will begin play in Seattle in 2021-22. KeyArena is set to undergo a significant renovation in preparation to welcome the league (and potentially the NBA at a later date), the city had an overwhelmingly positive response to a season ticket drive, and on Dec. 4, the NHL’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve expansion to Seattle.

NHL Seattle

Below is a timeline of every story on the NHL Seattle effort that has been covered by MyNorthwest and 710Sports.com. We will update this post with more stories as they come along.

June 2017

• Oak View Group’s Tim Leiweke: NHL will come first for new Seattle arena; NBA is ’10-year process’

January 2018

• Romance novel author trademarks Seattle Sockeyes hockey name
• Oak View Group files for hockey team names
• Report: NHL expansion paperwork in hands of potential ownership group
• If Seattle gets its NHL franchise, it could be good right away

February

• Moore: Waiting for Sonics’ return, but ready to embrace NHL in meantime
• Mayor Durkan: OVG Seattle application for NHL expansion team completed
• Seattle Thunderbirds’ GM: NHL team ‘would be great’ for all local hockey
• Mayor announces season ticket drive for potential NHL team in Seattle
• Would an NHL team reduce Seattle’s NBA chances? Some experts say yes
• Salk: Seattle has high bar to meet with NHL season ticket drive

March

• NHL Seattle gets to 25K season ticket deposits in 1st hour
• OVG CEO: NBA commissioner ‘loves Seattle,’ aware of NHL ticket success
• Stelton: Seattle showed it has strong appetite for both NHL and NBA
• Canucks president: NHL Seattle season ticket success ‘huge story’ in Canada
• Hockey fight: Seattle’s season ticket sales pits owners against scalpers
• O’Neil: Seattle’s hockey future gets brighter with Tod Leiweke leaving NFL
• Did Gov. Jay Inslee leak the name for Seattle’s possible new NHL team?
• Prospective NHL Seattle owner has his eyes set on the NBA, too

April

• Former NFL COO Tod Leiweke returns to Seattle to lead hockey franchise
• NHL Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke talks challenges on way to expansion team

June

• ‘He sees the game the right way’: Former NHL player Shane Doan talks NHL Seattle addition Dave Tippett
• New NHL Seattle consultant Dave Tippett: Hockey will ‘boom’ in Seattle

September

• Investors announced for Seattle’s NHL franchise
• Seattle City Council approves $700M KeyArena renovation
• Salk: Why KeyArena vote passed, bringing NHL Seattle team even closer
• Deputy commissioner: December earliest vote would be on NHL Seattle expansion team

October

• Prospective NHL Seattle owners make expansion pitch to league
• Details, images released for massive NHL Seattle Ice Centre in Northgate
• NHL Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke: Name expected in spring, but colors could be surprise

November

• NHL Seattle arena might not be ready in time for 2020-21 season

December

• Last step to NHL Seattle expansion coming with Board of Governors vote
• NHL approves Seattle expansion franchise as league’s 32nd team