Jeff Bezos Buys Naming Rights To Arena For Seattle's NHL Team
Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, has bought the naming rights for the arena that will house Seattle's NHL Team.
The Amazon founder, president and CEO announced via Instagram that the arena will be called "Climate Pledge Arena." In the announcement, Bezos said that the venue "will be the first net zero carbon certified arena in the world, generate zero waste from operations and events, and use reclaimed rainwater in the ice system to create the greenest ice in the NHL."
Climate Pledge Arena was previously named KeyArena. Located in downtown Seattle, the venue first opened in 1962. The arena will hold 17,400 for NHL games and up to 18,000 for NBA contests; Seattle is often mentioned as a possible relocation city for basketball.
The arena served as the home for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, beginning in 1967. The team played their games their until the 2007-08 season before relocating to Oklahoma City, where they were renamed the Thunder.
Seattle was granted an NHL franchise in Dec. 2018, and they'll officially become the league's 32nd franchise. The Vegas Golden Knights were the most recent NHL expansion, joining the league for the 2017-18 season.
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The Seattle franchise will enter the NHL in the 2021-22 season. There will be an expansion draft held next year to help the unnamed franchise build its roster. The rules will be similar to the ones used for the Vegas franchise, with teams having the opportunity to protect the majority of their core players.
Seattle's team will be moved to the Pacific Division, joining the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and Golden Knights. The Arizona Coyotes, who currently play in the Pacific, will be moved to the Central Division. This will make four divisions with eight teams each.
Seattle is also home to the NFL's Seahawks and Major League Baseball's Mariners. They're now just a year and a half away from getting another major professional sports team.
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