BREAKING: Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan kicks off a campaign for NHL expansion

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan delivered her first State of the City address since taking office in front of a crowd at Rainier Beach High School in South Seattle. On the agenda was news hockey fans in Seattle have been waiting for since NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman opened the doors in December for an expansion application by the city.

The mayor, alongside the Oak View Group and potential owners David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer, have officially kicked off their campaign to bring an NHL team to the city of Seattle.

“It will include a new modern arena, and as I said that day that path is the best path to bringing an NHL team to Seattle ,” said Mayor Durkan as she addressed her audience. “And yes, to bringing back our Sonics.“

“Mark it on your calendars, starting 10 am on March 1 you can make your deposits for season tickets,” she continued. “So lets meet where the puck drops.”

While the announcement is major news for hockey fans in the region, a season ticket drive will not officially launch until March 1st. At that time, season ticket packages will be available for purchase at their official website, NHLSeattle.com, starting at 10 am (Pacific Time). Once a deposit is made, buyers will be awarded a priority number which reserves a place in line to select available season ticket seat locations. Packages may be purchased with a credit card.

Season tickets are upper and lower level seat locations while club season tickets are located at the lower level and center ice. Both packages will receive the same seat for 41 regular season home games, preseason home games, and playoff ticket priority.

Club packages will include additional benefits such as preferred parking, private club access, and first priority access to select events at the renovated arena — including potential NBA club season tickets, should a team return to Seattle.

Deposits are listed at $500 for season tickets and $1,000 for club season tickets. The deposit is fully refundable at the time season ticket seats are selected if you decide to not continue with the purchase — or if a franchise is not granted by the league.

NHLSeattle.com

The news comes only a week after KING5-TV reporter Chris Daniels reported that the group had officially turned in their application for expansion to the league office.

A complete remodel of KeyArena — led by CEO Tim Leiweke — is in the planning stages and if all goes as planned, a team is expected to hit the ice for their inaugural season in the year 2020.

A season ticket drive is the first major hurdle in the expansion process and is used to gauge the market for interested support in the region. If the city meets their goal, they will then transition into the first of three stages before an official announcement is made.

Questions can be answered at 1-833-NHL-2020 and info@nhlseattle.com. Their official twitter account can be found here.