NHL Seattle announced plans to build a 180,000-square-foot, three-rink facility and HQ at the city's soon-to-be-revamped Northgate Mall, with the rink "expected to cost" more than $70M in private funds, according to Geoff Baker of the SEATTLE TIMES. The main rink will "contain seating and viewing for 1,000 fans," while the other two rinks will "have room for an additional 400." Beyond the expansion NHL team "using the main rink about four hours for daily practice," the new ice sheets will be "used to stage tournaments and games by amateur hockey groups as well as figure skating clubs." Renderings of the facility, "dubbed the NHL Seattle Ice Center," were shown to the league's exec committee last week in N.Y. NHL Seattle President & CEO Tod Leiweke said that it was a "big reason" the board voted 9-0 in favor of recommending Seattle's expansion bid. Leiweke said that he "hopes to have the facility up and running" by October '20, the date targeted for the franchise to "play its first games." Baker notes the facility is "being designed" by K.C.-based Generator Studio (SEATTLE TIMES, 10/9). Oak View Group Seattle Dir Lance Lopes said, "This is a trend across the country to build these multiplex facilities with a training facility." The practice facility's proposed location is a "short walk from a new light-rail station" which is set to open in a few years, and has "easy access to Interstate 5" (AP, 10/8). KING-NBC's Chris Daniels tweeted, "The @NHLSeattle_ Video montage has a Seattle Metropolitans logo.... Hmm...." (TWITTER.com, 10/8).
SEATTLE NHL PRACTICE FACILITY
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