National Hockey League owners unanimously approve Seattle as 32nd franchise, will begin play in 2021

SEA ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — National Hockey League owners unanimously approve Seattle as 32nd franchise, will begin play in 2021. pic.twitter.com/bekbMiwZos — NHL (@NHL) December 4, 2018

Seattle's ownership group had expressed a desire to enter the league in 2020, but the league had reservations about whether that might rush the renovation to KeyArena and, instead, pushed the entry date a year later. “Today is an exciting and historic day for our league as we expand to one of North America’s most innovative, beautiful and fastest-growing cities,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. Strong ownership led by billionaire David Bonderman and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a downtown arena in a sports-crazed city and a season-ticket drive that drummed up 10,000 orders in 12 minutes all cleared the way for the NHL to add another team less than three years after approving a franchise in Las Vegas. On Tuesday in Sea Island, Georgia, commissioner Gary Bettman announced the unanimous approval of the league's board of governors to accept the expansion bid for the city of Seattle at a fee of $650 million — a premium of 30 percent over the $500 million entry fee that Bill Foley paid to earn admission for his Vegas Golden Knights in June of 2016. The NHL will also realign its two divisions in the West for the 2021-22 season: Seattle will play the Pacific, home to its closest geographic rivals like Vancouver, Calgary and San Jose, and the Arizona Coyotes will move to the Central Division.
In ice hockey, the National Hockey League announces that its board of governors unanimously approved a new franchise for Seattle. The new team will start play in the 2021–22 season, bringing the league's membership to 32 teams.