The NHL's 32nd franchise — the Seattle-based expansion team set to start play in 2021 — is expected to reveal its highly anticipated name and colour scheme on Thursday. As a result, when Bill Ackerley and Bill Lear met with the NHL's Board of Governors on December 5, 1990, they advised the group that they (Ackerley) were unsuccessful in finding an ownership group that was willing to meet the NHL's asking price, and so they were, out of respect to the Board of Governor's and their process, withdrawing their application. Initially named the California Seals, the team was renamed the Oakland Seals partway through the 1967–68 season and then to the California Golden Seals in 1970, after two games as the Bay Area Seals. He will be the first full-time play-by-play announcer of African-American heritage in NHL history. The last time a relocation had occurred was when the original Ottawa Senators had relocated in 1934 to become the St. Louis Eagles. These twelve teams were then ranked 1 through 12 according to their regular season records, regardless of divisional affiliation. [41] The event was held under the banner of "Release the Kraken", a phrase popularized by the 1981 film Clash of the Titans and the 2010 remake. Philadelphia won both previous meetings. [10] As a result of these factors, Seattle was unable to secure an NHL franchise as part of its efforts to build a new arena. [44][45] The arena, at Seattle Center, is a $930 million redevelopment of the former KeyArena and Seattle Center Coliseum which had been optimized for basketball to suit the former Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Multiple reports suggested Chicago Wolves owner and businessman Don Levin had expressed interest in building a new arena in nearby Bellevue that could host an NHL team. Teams may protect players against being selected by the Kraken. The Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues, dispatched the Islanders in six to reach the final. Stuck to the door was a Post-it note with a … [34][35][36] In May 2019, the team launched an interactive "fan portal" where fans can weigh in on the team name and uniform colors, answer poll questions, get information about ticket pricing and seating, and view a timeline of past and future key events involving the club and a section that spotlights some of the season-ticket depositors. First, Seattle’s natural rival will the Canucks, just three hours to … The franchise's promotional materials state that it was adopted to honor the maritime culture of Seattle, as well as in reference to the giant Pacific octopus, the largest species of octopus in the world, which can be found in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, services, local community, and events Montreal lead 13–2 in previous meetings. 16 votes, 13 comments. There are two issues here. The National Football League awarded the city a franchise in June 1974, with the Seattle Seahawks opening play in 1976. Both the Seals and Whales have been used in some form in the league before, the former with the California Golden Seals from 1967 to 1976 and … Ackerley advised that the only application they would be a party to was one that met the NHL's $50 million threshold. The matchups were determined according to regular season records regardless to divisional affiliations. The scoreboard was significantly off-center in the arena's new ice hockey configuration, and so many lower-bowl seats were obstructed that half the lower bowl had to be curtained off for ice hockey, a layout that also troubled the Phoenix Coyotes during their tenancy at the basketball-centric America West Arena. GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes, Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which Boston won in seven games. For the 1976–77 Stanley Cup playoff tournament, the top three teams in each division were awarded playoff berths. [23] While the renovations are intended for acquiring an NHL franchise, acquiring a new SuperSonics basketball team was also within the design of the approval. The remaining two non-division winners formed the final preliminary round pairing. The team will have to select one player from each team except the Golden Knights for a total of 30, including at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders. to a four‐division, 20‐team league in 1976. On February 2, 1977, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Ian Turnbull became the first player in NHL history to score five goals on five shots.[1]. The Seattle NHL Hockey Team Fan Page on Facebook already has about 2,200 members despite this city's franchise being more than two years away … The highest-ranked remaining team played the lowest-ranked remaining team, and the other two teams formed the second semifinal. [43], The team will play at Climate Pledge Arena. This was a rematch of last year's Preliminary Round, in which Toronto won the series 2–1. The Bruins were in turn swept by the Canadiens in four straight in the finals. The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1976–77 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1976–77 (listed with their last team): The 2004–05 season was cancelled due to a, (1) New York Islanders vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks, (2) Buffalo Sabres vs. (7) Minnesota North Stars, (3) Los Angeles Kings vs. (6) Atlanta Flames, (4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Toronto Maple Leafs, (1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) St. Louis Blues, (2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Toronto Maple Leafs, (3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings, (4) New York Islanders vs. (5) Buffalo Sabres, (1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) New York Islanders, (2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (3) Boston Bruins. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which New York won in six games. Fitzhugh had previously done play-by-play for the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones. [31] Another step towards an expansion team was taken on October 2, 2018, when the NHL Executive Committee unanimously agreed to recommend the expansion bid to a vote of the Board of Governors in December. The National Hockey League is expanding to Seattle. They were founded as the Kansas City Scouts, an expansion team that began play in the NHL in the 1974–75 season.The Scouts moved from Kansas City, Missouri to Denver for the 1976–77 season. Instability and the poor performances of the Washington Capitals and the Scouts since the 1974 expansion caused the league to shelve an expansion to Denver and Seattle that had been proposed for this season. But the club will disband in 1976 after 18 seasons, leaving Seattle without major professional hockey for the next 45 years. Led by star center Guyle Fielder, the Totems will go on to win the 1959 Western Hockey League championship, one of three titles in franchise history. [22] The rest of the building will see a complete renovation with land being dug down and out. Seattle's hasn't yet scored in its attempt to lure an NHL franchise to the city, but recent developments have been coming as fast and furious as a scrum … Roenick reportedly part of Plan B for NHL", "Phoenix Coyotes avoid relocation, stay in Glendale as city council passes arena lease", "KeyArena MOU approved by Seattle City Council; will NHL announcement soon follow? This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Semifinals, in which Montreal won in five games. A second attempt at an NHL expansion team in Seattle by a local group was made in 1990, but it failed again over the financial terms the NHL demanded. [39] Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the affiliate will not begin play until the 2022–23 season. On December 4, 2017, the Seattle City Council voted 7–1 to approve a memorandum of understanding between the city of Seattle and the Los Angeles-based Oak View Group, co-founded by Tim Leiweke,[20] for renovations of KeyArena. In fact, St. Louis did win the Smythe Division as the tenth-ranked playoff team.) The previous season saw the Montreal Canadiens set new records in wins and points. The last time a relocation had occurred was when the original Ottawa Senators had relocated in 1934 to become the St. Louis Eagles. The 1917 Metropolitans were the first United States-based team to win the Stanley Cup, but folded in 1924, while the Seattle Totems played in the minor Western Hockey League(WHL) from 1944 until the WHL's dissolution in 1975. This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This season was Clarence Campbell's last as NHL President. The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver, Colorado, and became the Colorado Rockies and the California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and became the Cleveland Barons. As a result, the Seattle bid was denied as the NHL was able to find two markets (Ottawa and Tampa Bay) willing to meet their price. Why Totems? Note: Only teams that qualified for the playoffs are listed here. [30] On June 18, 2018, Dave Tippett was named as a senior advisor. [52], National Hockey League expansion team in Seattle, "Seattle Kraken reveal nickname for NHL expansion team", "N.H.L. If a third and deciding game was necessary, it was played on the home ice of the higher-ranked team. Larson and MacFarland represented to the Seattle media that it was the Ackerley Group that cost Seattle a chance at an NHL team, but in fact it was Larson and MacFarland's unwillingness to meet the NHL's expansion price. Seattle was supposed to get an NHL expansion team in 1976, but the deal never got done. The two semifinal winners played each other in the Stanley Cup Finals. This was a major factor in the major junior Seattle Thunderbirds leaving for their own building in Kent in 2009. The Flyers, however, were swept in four straight games by the third-place Boston Bruins in the semi-finals. Yep, Denver and Seattle were planned for 1976, then it fell through for a number of reasons. [2], On April 30, 2021, the franchise paid the final installment of the $650 million expansion fee, officially making the Seattle Kraken the 32nd team of the NHL. Best NHL Team of All-Time Brackets: 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens May 9, 2021 May 4, 2021 by Matthew Zator There have been an insane amount of … Photo caption: Mike Curtis #32 of the Seattle … The call came on June 12, 1974 when the NHL announced that the Seattle group headed by Abbey had been awarded an expansion team to begin play in the 1976-77 season. The new NHL team, the Seattle Kraken, unveiled its logo and team name on Thursday to a crowd of construction workers building the team's arena. [32][33], The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve Seattle's expansion team on December 4, 2018. [42] "Kraken" was a name that was already popular with fans prior to its official adoption. After several missed deadlines and failure to acquire both the California Golden Seals and Pittsburgh Penguins, the NHL pulled the expansion plans in June of 1977. Amazon.com bought the naming rights to Climate Pledge Arena and chose to name the venue after its environmental goals. Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press, 30th National Hockey League All-Star Game, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1976–77_NHL_season&oldid=1017083510, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Division winners earned a bye to the Quarterfinals, Teams were re-seeded based on regular season record after the Preliminary and Quarterfinal rounds, This page was last edited on 10 April 2021, at 18:21. The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League from 1967 to 1976. The 1917 Metropolitans were the first United States-based team to win the Stanley Cup, but folded in 1924, while the Seattle Totems played in the minor Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1944 until the WHL's dissolution in 1975. In 2012, League deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated that KeyArena would be "a difficult arena for hockey" due to the large number of obstructed-view seats. Of the eight remaining teams, the top-ranked team played the lowest-ranked remaining team, the second-highest-ranked remaining team played the second-lowest-ranked remaining team, and so on. The four division winners automatically qualified for the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight teams (2nd and 3rd place teams in each division) played a preliminary round. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Semifinals, in which Philadelphia won in five games. In Major League Baseball, the Seattle Pilots had spent only one year in the Emerald City before transplanting themselves to Milwaukee. Previous Seattle amateur hockey teams were named the … Abbey was now on the clock – a $180,000 deposit was due by the end of 1975 and the total franchise fee was a steep $6 million, plus he still had to repurchase the shares in the Totems held by the Canucks. This was the third playoff series meeting between these two teams. Instability and the poor performances of the Washington Capitals and the Scouts since the 1974 expansion caused the league to shelve an expansion to Denver and Seattlethat ha… [12] Notably, the sight lines for ice hockey left much to be desired. An investment group, headed by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen, proposed the arena seeking a return of the SuperSonics and was interested in possibly having an NHL team as well. This was the 16th playoff series meeting between these two teams. The addition of the two teams will bring the N.H.L. Renovations for the arena began in 2018 and were completed in 2020. On December 7, the NHL's board of governors agreed to consider an expansion application from Seattle, with an expansion fee set at US$650 million. He would be succeeded by John Ziegler. The NHL board of governors unanimously approved ... followed by the arrival of the NFL’s Seahawks in 1976 … [24] The Seattle ownership group was represented by David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer, who conducted a preliminary season ticket drive to gauge interest in Seattle. Second-ranked Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the quarterfinals, before being swept by the third-ranked Boston Bruins in the semifinals. Scoring two hundred goals more than they allowed, the Canadiens were a full 20 points ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Flyers. [26], On March 1, 2018, a ticket drive began to gauge interests in season ticket deposits. Abbey was now on the clock – a $180,000 deposit was due by the end of 1975 and the total franchise fee was a steep $6 million, plus he still had to repurchase the shares in the Totems held by the Canucks. This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. [4] It will be the first professional hockey team to play in Seattle since the Seattle Totems of the Western Hockey League played their last game in 1975, and the first Seattle hockey team to compete for the Stanley Cup since the Seattle Metropolitans, who folded in 1924. The twelve teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–12 based on regular season points. The National Hockey League awarded an expansion franchise to Seattle on Tuesday. Born in 1976, the Seattle Seahawks have more or less maintained consistent uniform schemes in their 35-year history. [5] The team, which according to season ticket promotions would have kept the WHL name of Totems, never came to fruition because of the original WHL's instability (the WHL was shut down the day the potential NHL team was announced), the inability of Abbey to gather the necessary funding and meet deadlines, and the poor performances on the ice and at the box office of 1974 expansion teams the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts. [46], Everett Fitzhugh will serve as the team's radio play-by-play announcer. They last met in the 1971 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which Montreal upset Boston in seven games. The Kraken will compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, beginning with the league's 2021–22 season. The four quarterfinal winners advanced to the semifinals, with the match-ups again are reseeded by regular season records. While originally built with an acceptable ice hockey configuration that was used by the WHL Totems, the largest arena in the Seattle area was considered problematic for NHL hockey from 1995 to 2018 due to renovations taking place in 1994 and 1995 that were tailored to the arena's major tenant at the time, the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics. Whales. The Seahawks joined the National Football League in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. [48][51], The Kraken are scheduled to establish their first roster in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, held with the same rules as the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft for the Vegas Golden Knights. This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. For the quarterfinal, semifinal, and the Stanley Cup Finals, each series was a best-of-seven, with home-ice advantage in games 1, 2, 5 and 7 going to the team with the better regular season record. On June 12, 1974, the NHL announced that a Seattle group headed by Vince Abbey of the Totems had been awarded a tentative expansion team to begin play in the 1976–77 season along with a team in Denver. The team is slated to begin play in 2021, which is a year later than previously anticipated. The team is owned by Seattle Hockey Partners, consisting of David Bonderman, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Tod Leiweke. In 1974, the NHL awarded a Seattle expansion franchise to businessman Vince Abbey. The Seattle Kraken are just months from taking the ice as the 32nd NHL franchise. Some say the story started back in 1974 when the NHL first awarded Seattle an expansion franchise to begin play in 1976. [11], Later talks about a NHL team for Seattle were derailed by KeyArena. 2.5k members in the SeattleNHL community. The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey expansion team based in Seattle. The latter of which Philadelphia won in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. The four preliminary round winners joined the four division winners for the quarterfinals. [15] On February 16, 2012, a plan was announced to build a new arena in Seattle's SoDo district, just south of Safeco Field. The team will play at Climate Pledge Arena. This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. Seattle will begin play in the 2021–22 season as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference; therefore the Arizona Coyotes will shift from the Pacific Division to the Central Division to balance out the four divisions at eight teams each. After the Totems, the E… Two teams would relocate: The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver, Colorado, and became the Colorado Rockies and the California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and became the Cleveland Barons. [37], On July 18, 2019, Seattle announced that it had hired former Carolina Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis as the team's first general manager. The preliminary round consisted of a best-of-three series with the first game played on the home ice of the higher-ranked team, and the second game on the home ice of the lower-ranked team. Both teams had swept a series and had lost only two games in the earlier rounds. When NHL Seattle first installed signage on its downtown office in 2018, employees arrived at work the next morning to a surprise. From 2012 on as the NHL's interest in Seattle as a market rose, the city was positioned as a locale for expansion or a relocating team pending a viable arena. The Seattle Totemswere a professional hockey team that played in the WHL (1958-1974) and CHL (1974-75) that expected to join the NHL in 1976-77 but never quite made it due to ownership issues. Philadelphia won both previous meetings in the last two seasons. An expansion draft will be held on July 21, 2021, in a similar manner to a previous expansion draft held in 2017 for the Vegas Golden Knights, who will be exempt from it. This was the third playoff series meeting between these two teams. His son Bill, President of the Ackerley Group, worked with Bill Lear of the First National Bank of Chicago, in order to find an ownership group for the prospective franchise. [17] However, on July 3, 2013, the Glendale City Council narrowly voted 4–3 to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale. Conner Roulette's Reports. This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. On June 12, 1974, the NHL announced that a Seattle group headed by Vince Abbey of the Totems had been awarded a tentative expansion team to … 1. Save 20% on current NHL Draft Guide; Save 20% on past NHL Draft Guides; Sign Up Now. This was a rematch of last year's Preliminary Round, in which Los Angeles won in a two-game sweep. [26][27] At the time, the earliest a Seattle NHL expansion team could have begun playing was the 2020–21 season pending the completion of arena renovations. In July 2020, the Kraken's name and branding were revealed. Then-Seattle SuperSonics owner Barry Ackerley committed to submitting an expansion application to the NHL by a September 15, 1990, deadline as part of a proposed new arena deal, provided that a group could be found willing to meet the NHL's asking price of $50 million. (This did not necessarily have to be the tenth-ranked team, as it was possible for a tenth-ranked team to win its division. The 1976–77 NHL season was the 60th season of the National Hockey League. The Seals were one of six teams added to the league as part of the 1967 NHL … Montreal won both previous meetings in four-game sweeps in both the 1968 & 1969 Stanley Cup Finals. Their home record was 33 wins, 1 loss, and 6 ties. Seattle's new hockey team will have a catchy, mythic name", "Seattle Kraken officially become NHL's 32nd team after final expansion payment", "NHL Seattle expansion team to play at Climate Pledge Arena", "Amazon deal sees Seattle's NHL venue renamed Climate Pledge Arena", "Kraken set to have first Black full-time NHL team play-by-play announcer", "Seattle Kraken hire John Forslund and announce TV broadcast deal", "The Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena Announce Regional Partnership with iHeartMedia Seattle", "Sports Radio KJR named Kraken flagship station", "NHL's Seattle Kraken signs multiyear TV broadcast rights deal", "Seattle 2021 NHL Expansion Draft rules same as Golden Knights followed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seattle_Kraken&oldid=1022646329, 2018 establishments in Washington (state), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles that may be too long from March 2021, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-LCCN identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Deep sea blue, ice blue, boundless blue, shadow blue, red alert, This page was last edited on 11 May 2021, at 17:51.