The Sacramento Kings may be heading North to Seattle and there are hockey fans in the Great Northwest hoping a hockey team tags along.
Seattle is home to some of the most diehard fans in sports and some of the finest facilities in the country despite not having an NBA or NHL team. Seahawks fans are considered the best in the biz while Sounders fans of MLS are more hardcore than some city’s NFL fans.
Based on their current pro teams, it may not be a bad idea, as long as you look past the Mariners. The AL West basement-dwellers averaged just over 21,000 fans in 2012 — good for 26th in the MLB despite winning 75 games. Their 75-87 record was better than 10 other MLB teams but only two of those teams averaged fewer fans. Meanwhile, the Sounders averaged a whopping 43,144 fans per game, nearly doubling the L.A. Galaxy, which came in second place in terms of attendance. Even the Seattle Storm of the depleting WNBA sit right in the middle of the pack, with about 7,400 fans attending games in 2012.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Seattle is not on the radar, despite the recent rumors of a NBA franchise coming to town with interest to bring with it a hockey club. With some American cities clearly struggling to pack hockey fans in their barns, Seattle could be at the top of a short list for cities that deserve hockey clubs — with all due respect to Hartford, of course.
Should Seattle get a team? Vote below.
