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It's time for Episode Six! Otto Rogers and I are having so much fun putting these together and both of us feel so fortunate to be able to talk to some really interesting people about one of the coolest sports on the planet.
This time we have yet another great guest in NHLtoSeattle.com founder John Barr (@NHLtoSeattle), who talks about how he became such a hockey enthusiast and how he thinks things are shaping up for bringing the league to the Pacific Northwest.
Be sure to check out his web site and Facebook page.
An ESPN article gives us an update on the effort to land an NHL expansion franchise in Sin City. The city has met the initial goal of getting ten thousand potential season ticket holders to to put a ten percent deposit on the table in hopes of getting a team. They now move on to the second phase of trying to wrangle similar commitments from the corporate world.
The labor issues involved with the WHL continue, as the league tries to get the state of Washington to classify players as "players/student-athletes", instead of employees.
The bill which would exempt players in the WHL on Washington based teams from state labor laws was passed by the Washington State House Labor Committee by a 5-2 vote this morning and now heads to the House floor. The bill had previously passed unanimously through the State Senate. If the full House passes it, it stands to become law.
We talk about the results so far, which have seen the Seattle Thunderbirds and Portland Winterhawks open with a 1-1 series tie. The Everett Silvertips and Spokane Chiefs have done the same, while the Kelowna Rockets have jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Tri City Americans.
My co-host and social media guy Otto Rogers (@smashmode) has been working hard to build it and the response has been great so far. Please take a look and give us a like. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter as well!