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View Full Version : This is scary



HAF
02-28-2006, 06:14 PM
This was posted on the grey board. I copied the link.

http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2006/02/27/story8.html

HAF
02-28-2006, 06:16 PM
I understand the ownership is having a tough time at the KEY but there has to be another alternative to moving the team out of the Puget Sound area.

Beaner
03-01-2006, 01:01 AM
I understand the ownership is having a tough time at the KEY but there has to be another alternative to moving the team out of the Puget Sound area.

Yeah the T-birds leaving Seattle would suck, but how long can they continue to operate in a facility that obviously does not want them there?

Jovorock
03-01-2006, 02:26 PM
It would suck if the dirty birds left the US div. I wouldn't imagine they have enough stroke to get a new arena. But how can they continue to pay the highest rent and the Sonics get first choice on prime nights?

Tipped Off
03-01-2006, 04:14 PM
There are a lot of people who predicted that the inception of the Everett franchise would lead to the demise of the Seattle team. In the article it states how Bill Yuill was breaking even (some years making a little, some years losing a little) with the same agreement that is in place now. It seems just enough fans have migrated North to make that "losing a little" and every year occurance with no help in site.

Personally I think the team could benefit from a move. Either to Mountlake Terrace, Bellevue or OLympia.

HAF
03-01-2006, 06:28 PM
Olympia doesnt sound like a bad option. Do they already have the facilities there?

nelson951
03-02-2006, 04:37 PM
Mountlake Terrence makes no sense.

If (WHEN) the Sonics whine their way into the renos the Tbirds are gone.
?Yakima.

The WHL has Everett for the Seattle area but I think they'll try their best to keep the team south of the border.

rezstyle
03-07-2006, 10:46 AM
It would be really neat if one of the I-90 Tribes picked them up and put them somewhere. I think a team could pretty much thrive almost anywhere along that 1-90 corridor. Put them next to a big casino.....instant fans...

Redwic
03-08-2006, 10:50 PM
I honestly believe that moving the Thunderbirds to the Kent Valley Ice Centre, of course needing some expansions, would be best. It would be close enough to Seattle to maintain (most of) their fanbase, yet far enough from Everett to not infringe upon theirs. And because the arena is wedged between the metropolitan areas, it might be close enough and convenient enough to encourage people from the south (Kent, Auburn, Puyallup, perhaps even Tacoma) to go to games that they otherwise would avoid going to in Seattle. The Thunderbirds have practiced at the facility, and even played against the Silvertips in the pre-season there. And you know that the Canadians will love seeing the facility's name spelled with a "RE" (Ice CentRE) instead of "ER" (Ice CentER)... lol...

As for Woodinville, it's too close to Everett. Period. And it has a mess of traffic issues. Heck, our entire metropolitan area does.

As for Bellevue, I think that possibility should also be skipped. Sure, the Eastside communities have money, but Bellevue is still close to Everett, and still has many traffic problems similar to Seattle.

As for Tacoma, it is far enough from Everett to not infringe upon its fanbase but might be too far from Seattle to keep the existing Thunderbirds fanbase. But I look at this option in the same manner that I view Edmonton: Both cities have both failed to maintain minor-league hockey franchises on MULTIPLE occasions, which is reason enough for me to say that neither city deserves a third shot at another team. Edmonton couldn't keep what is now the Portland WinterHawks or Kootenay ICE, and Tacoma couldn't maintain the Sabercats or what is now the Kelowna Rockets. For that matter, Tacoma still struggles enough just to keep the Rainiers AAA baseball team in their city.

As for Olympia, I'm really not sure if the marketability for hockey has ever really been attempted there, or if there is a facility that would just need some expansions. The city is far enough away from Everett and Portland to not tap into their fanbases, yet close enough to Tacoma and south Puget Sound to possibly create its own fanbase. But this is a tough task: Building a hockey fanbase, in the U.S., virtually from scratch.
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The bottom line is: I hope that the Thunderbirds remain local. They just need to 'fly away' from Key Arena, perhaps a little south and/or east, to find their future 'nest'.