Published: Monday, February 20, 2012
Silvertips prepare for NHL team in Seattle
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Annie Mulligan / For The Herald
Silvertips goalie Austin Lotz blocks a shot by Kelowna's Brett Lyon during a game earlier this season.
EVERETT -- Zoran Rajcic was bracing for the possible arrival of the NHL in the region long before last week's press conference.
The Everett Silvertips' assistant general manager, who is in charge of the team's business operations, has heard the rumblings for months. Last week's announcement by the City of Seattle and San Francisco-based hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen, detailing a proposal for a $500 million-dollar arena that would house NHL and NBA teams, appears to bring the possibility of professional hockey to the region one step closer.
Should that come to fruition, it would undoubtedly affect the Silvertips.
"I think it's going to impact us in some way, shape or form," Rajcic said. "What that is, that's still to be seen."
The Silvertips arrived in 2003, bringing top-notch junior hockey to Snohomish County. For nine seasons the Tips have averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 fans per night at Comcast Arena, and they've been a favorite of corporate sponsors.
So what kind of impact would the arrival of the NHL in the market have on the Silvertips?
"I think initially it will have an impact, because of the newness of it," Rajcic said. "We saw when we brought an NHL (preseason) game here, we put just shy of 8,000 people in here. This fanbase would react to it, but they did it for one game. It's a 42-game schedule for an NHL team, and with all the other sports and attractions there are in this marketplace it's going to be a tough fit. And they're talking about bringing in an NBA and an NHL team, so it'll be interesting."
It's unclear how an NHL team would affect Everett's attendance. The Puget Sound region does not have a hockey tradition, so an NHL team could create competition for a limited number of hockey viewers. However, it's also possible an NHL team would elevate the profile of hockey as a whole within the region.
Then there's the issue of price. The spendier NHL would cater to a different type of fan than the lower-budget WHL.
"I'm sure initially we will see a hit on attendance," Rajcic said. "Our fans are very loyal, they talk to us regularly about going to Vancouver (for an NHL game). But going to an NHL game we're upwards of $60-100 a ticket."
A trickier issue could be corporate sponsorships. Rajcic said he didn't anticipate issues with the majority of Everett's sponsors, which specifically target the Snohomish County market. However, a handful of larger sponsors, such as Sound Transit and the Washington Lottery, would likely consider switching over to an NHL team.
"I think we'll be affected in those areas because there's only so many companies who are willing to do it," Rajcic said. "At the end of the day the reason they support us from a corporate standpoint is because we're reaching the north end market and families in a totally different price point."
But Rajcic has taken the possibility of the NHL into consideration for nearly a year, since news broke last summer about the possibility of an arena being built in Bellevue to house the NBA and NHL.
"We started preparing as soon as we started hearing rumblings of it," Rajcic said. "The first indication came with the Bellevue group. We're working with our season tickets holders and corporate sponsors to solidify what we've been working with and how we're going to move forward in the future."
One area where Silvertips fans could see a change is in the way season tickets are handled.
"We've looked at our pricing and we haven't changed that at all for this year," Rajcic explained. "Next season we haven't locked anyone in for a longer-term contract for season tickets, but that's something we may do. We may put in a two- or three-year contract. If they lock in for a three-year agreement with us, to protect us through that initial launch of a professional sporting team, then we'll give people the same price. But if we lose season ticket holders our pricing structure will have to change."
But much must happen before the Tips have to worry in earnest. The proposed Seattle arena is a long way away from being a reality, and no agreements have been reached to relocate either an NHL or an NBA team to Seattle.
"I think it's exciting," Rajcic said about the prospect of the NHL in the region. "We're in the hockey business and I think it will raise the profile for a lot of people. At the end of the day, it's still a long ways away."
Around the WHL
Two more Western Conference teams clinched playoff spots last week as Vancouver and Spokane assured themselves postseason play. That leaves just three of the conference's eight playoff spots left to be spoken for. ... Seattle released forward Connor Sanvido. The 18-year-old, who was the T-birds' first-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, had four goals and nine assists in 47 games. ... Brandon's Michael Ferland was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 19-year-old forward had nine goals and four assists as the Wheat Kings went 4-0.
League leaders
Points -- Mark Stone (Brandon) 101; goals -- Emerson Etem (Medicine Hat) 52; assists -- Stone 63; penalty minutes -- Cody Beach (Moose Jaw) 199; wins -- Mac Carruth (Portland) 36; goals against average -- Nathan Lieuwen (Kootenay) 2.30; save percentage -- Ty Rimmer (Tri-City) .922.
Check out Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
The Everett Silvertips' assistant general manager, who is in charge of the team's business operations, has heard the rumblings for months. Last week's announcement by the City of Seattle and San Francisco-based hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen, detailing a proposal for a $500 million-dollar arena that would house NHL and NBA teams, appears to bring the possibility of professional hockey to the region one step closer.
Should that come to fruition, it would undoubtedly affect the Silvertips.
"I think it's going to impact us in some way, shape or form," Rajcic said. "What that is, that's still to be seen."
The Silvertips arrived in 2003, bringing top-notch junior hockey to Snohomish County. For nine seasons the Tips have averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 fans per night at Comcast Arena, and they've been a favorite of corporate sponsors.
So what kind of impact would the arrival of the NHL in the market have on the Silvertips?
"I think initially it will have an impact, because of the newness of it," Rajcic said. "We saw when we brought an NHL (preseason) game here, we put just shy of 8,000 people in here. This fanbase would react to it, but they did it for one game. It's a 42-game schedule for an NHL team, and with all the other sports and attractions there are in this marketplace it's going to be a tough fit. And they're talking about bringing in an NBA and an NHL team, so it'll be interesting."
It's unclear how an NHL team would affect Everett's attendance. The Puget Sound region does not have a hockey tradition, so an NHL team could create competition for a limited number of hockey viewers. However, it's also possible an NHL team would elevate the profile of hockey as a whole within the region.
Then there's the issue of price. The spendier NHL would cater to a different type of fan than the lower-budget WHL.
"I'm sure initially we will see a hit on attendance," Rajcic said. "Our fans are very loyal, they talk to us regularly about going to Vancouver (for an NHL game). But going to an NHL game we're upwards of $60-100 a ticket."
A trickier issue could be corporate sponsorships. Rajcic said he didn't anticipate issues with the majority of Everett's sponsors, which specifically target the Snohomish County market. However, a handful of larger sponsors, such as Sound Transit and the Washington Lottery, would likely consider switching over to an NHL team.
"I think we'll be affected in those areas because there's only so many companies who are willing to do it," Rajcic said. "At the end of the day the reason they support us from a corporate standpoint is because we're reaching the north end market and families in a totally different price point."
But Rajcic has taken the possibility of the NHL into consideration for nearly a year, since news broke last summer about the possibility of an arena being built in Bellevue to house the NBA and NHL.
"We started preparing as soon as we started hearing rumblings of it," Rajcic said. "The first indication came with the Bellevue group. We're working with our season tickets holders and corporate sponsors to solidify what we've been working with and how we're going to move forward in the future."
One area where Silvertips fans could see a change is in the way season tickets are handled.
"We've looked at our pricing and we haven't changed that at all for this year," Rajcic explained. "Next season we haven't locked anyone in for a longer-term contract for season tickets, but that's something we may do. We may put in a two- or three-year contract. If they lock in for a three-year agreement with us, to protect us through that initial launch of a professional sporting team, then we'll give people the same price. But if we lose season ticket holders our pricing structure will have to change."
But much must happen before the Tips have to worry in earnest. The proposed Seattle arena is a long way away from being a reality, and no agreements have been reached to relocate either an NHL or an NBA team to Seattle.
"I think it's exciting," Rajcic said about the prospect of the NHL in the region. "We're in the hockey business and I think it will raise the profile for a lot of people. At the end of the day, it's still a long ways away."
Around the WHL
Two more Western Conference teams clinched playoff spots last week as Vancouver and Spokane assured themselves postseason play. That leaves just three of the conference's eight playoff spots left to be spoken for. ... Seattle released forward Connor Sanvido. The 18-year-old, who was the T-birds' first-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, had four goals and nine assists in 47 games. ... Brandon's Michael Ferland was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 19-year-old forward had nine goals and four assists as the Wheat Kings went 4-0.
League leaders
Points -- Mark Stone (Brandon) 101; goals -- Emerson Etem (Medicine Hat) 52; assists -- Stone 63; penalty minutes -- Cody Beach (Moose Jaw) 199; wins -- Mac Carruth (Portland) 36; goals against average -- Nathan Lieuwen (Kootenay) 2.30; save percentage -- Ty Rimmer (Tri-City) .922.
Check out Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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