NHL: future Seattle franchise appoints Ron Francis general manager
The 56-year-old Francis, who won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins twice in 1991 and 1992, and finished his playing career with 549 NHL goals, spent four seasons as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes. , from 2014 to 2018.
Entering the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, Francis said he was in no rush to hire a coach. He will first tackle the construction of a state-of-the-art training center and the design of a logo.
Seattle, 32nd franchise in the NHL
The NHL board of directors announced last December that the league would welcome a 32nd franchise, based in Seattle, for the 2021-2022 season. This team, whose name is not yet known, will play its home matches at the Seattle Center Arena. Formerly named KeyArena, this enclosure must be renovated for an estimated budget of 930 million dollars (about 825 million euros).
To join the NHL, the new Seattle franchise, chaired by Tod Leiweke, will have to pay an entry fee of 650 million dollars (573 million euros). According to its owners, nearly 20,000 people are already on the waiting list to take out an annual subscription.
Seattle lost its SuperSonics franchise to the NBA in 2008, which moved to become the Oklahoma City Thunder. The city located in Washington State currently has three major franchises with the Mariners in baseball (MLB), the Seahawks in American football (NFL) and the Sounders in football (MLS).
