WHL’s Thunderbirds, Silvertips open to NHL joining Seattle hockey market
TORONTO — The Seattle area’s major junior hockey teams aren’t worried about competing for fans with the NHL expansion franchise coming to town.
The real competition in the region has already been going on for years at the local level, and it’s high school football, not the NHL, that Seattle Thunderbirds vice-president of hockey operations Russ Farwell has on his mind when trying to draw new hockey fans.
“It’s not a small thing but Friday night is high school football in the fall, you have to be aware of that. Football’s big in this region,” Farwell said.
The Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips play in the Western Hockey League’s U.S. Division and are both within an hour drive of Seattle’s Key Arena, which is set to undergo an $800-million renovation in time for the 2021-22 NHL season.