Seattle interested in Coyotes
Seattle mayor Mike McGinn told Seattle NBC TV affiliate King 5 that he spoke with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about the Phoenix Coyotes possibly relocating to Seattle.
McGinn and two Seattle city councilmembers met with investors Ray Bartoszek and Anthony Lanza about having the team start playing at 11,000-seat Key Arena this fall for two seasons until a new arena is built.
"I let (Bettman) know of the situation here, and that we were supportive of bringing the NHL to Seattle," McGinn said. "We have Key Arena, so we talked about the potential of them being in Key Arena, while we continue to work on a new arena plan."
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told King 5 that Bettman's discussions with McGinn were "like any number of conversations the commissioner has all the time with a variety of people."
Glendale, Ariz., has until June 25 to agree to a new lease with the Coyotes. The framework for a lease agreement is reportedly already in place. Bettman said the team could relocate if a deal is not done.
McGinn said the chances of getting the Coyotes are slim. Seattle fell short of luring the Sacramento Kings after the NBA rejected the team relocating. The league then approved the sale of the team to local investors to keep it in Sacramento.
"I really want to bring down expectations," he said. "We are very clearly Plan B for the NHL and this team. I feel compelled to say this after the experience we had with Sacramento than the likelihood of us having a team here in a couple of weeks is low."
