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New Sonics chairman floats NHL idea
Seattle SuperSonics chairman Clay Bennett on Tuesday revealed that he met last week with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and told him there is interest in the Seattle market for a professional hockey team.
Bennett, speaking to the media for the first time since his group officially took over the franchise – the money has been wired and received – also announced that he has named Danny Barth, the Sonics’ chief financial officer, as Wally Walker’s interim replacement at CEO.
But the bigger news was that Bennett, who is pursuing a new arena in the Seattle area, met with Bettman when Bennett was in New York for the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting.
Bennett has said all along that if a new arena is built for as much as $500 million, it would need more tenants than the Sonics to help pay off the debt. From the beginning, he has mentioned the NHL as a possibility.
“I voiced the notion that there may be interest here in hockey,” Bennett said of the meeting. “(Bettman) was very kind and he thanked me for coming by. It is to be explored. I don’t know.
“Anecdotally, it seems there may well be interest in hockey here. And I think we ought to really test that. I think it is worth understanding the feasibility of hockey in the marketplace.”
New Sonics chairman floats NHL idea | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA
Seattle SuperSonics chairman Clay Bennett on Tuesday revealed that he met last week with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and told him there is interest in the Seattle market for a professional hockey team.
Bennett, speaking to the media for the first time since his group officially took over the franchise – the money has been wired and received – also announced that he has named Danny Barth, the Sonics’ chief financial officer, as Wally Walker’s interim replacement at CEO.
But the bigger news was that Bennett, who is pursuing a new arena in the Seattle area, met with Bettman when Bennett was in New York for the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting.
Bennett has said all along that if a new arena is built for as much as $500 million, it would need more tenants than the Sonics to help pay off the debt. From the beginning, he has mentioned the NHL as a possibility.
“I voiced the notion that there may be interest here in hockey,” Bennett said of the meeting. “(Bettman) was very kind and he thanked me for coming by. It is to be explored. I don’t know.
“Anecdotally, it seems there may well be interest in hockey here. And I think we ought to really test that. I think it is worth understanding the feasibility of hockey in the marketplace.”
New Sonics chairman floats NHL idea | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA