Breaking: Major American city approves NHL-ready arena project worth $660 million.

NHL expansion could be right around the corner again.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Breaking: Major American city approves NHL-ready arena project worth $660 million.
Oak View Group

A major arena development project has just been approved by the city council of a major American city and it could have a major impact on the future of the National Hockey League. 

The Oak View Group saw their months of hard work pay off on Monday when the Seattle city council voted 7 - 1 in favor of a proposed renovation project for KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. 

While there is currently no official connection to the National Hockey League, TSN insider Bob McKenzie is already reporting that he expects to hear a lot of chatter about possible NHL expansion in Seattle in the coming months. 

"Four years ago, if you were ranking the geographic market(s) which the NHL most wanted to expand to, it was 1. Seattle 2. Las Vegas.," said McKenzie on social media.

There is one more extremely interesting detail in this story, the Oak View Group is led by Tim Leiweke who, while not being a household name, has major connections to the NHL. In fact Leiweke was once the president of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

There's no doubt that this announcement will also put additional pressure on cities like Calgary that have failed to find agreements for the construction of new arenas. 

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