SEATTLE — Seattle's NHL team doesn't even have a name yet, but already has a rival.
Less than a three-hour drive north, Vancouver Canucks fans are looking forward to having a team close enough to really hate.
When asked to comment on the NHL’s announcement Tuesday that Seattle would be getting a team, people on the streets of the British Columbia city told a Global TV reporter it’ll be “nice that it’s just a drive away,” and “It’s going to be an awesome rivalry because you’re going to have a little bit of Canada versus the U.S.”
One man said he definitely believes a Seattle NHL team will “get a rivalry going, and it’s not that far to go to games in Seattle.”
The distance between the two cities is only 142 miles; close enough for the NHL Commissioner to comment on during the league’s announcement from Sea Island, Georgia.
“A team in Seattle evens the number of teams in our two conferences, brings our geographic footprint into greater equilibrium and creates instant new rivalries out West, particularly between Seattle and Vancouver,” Gary Bettman said.
While watching Tuesday's announcement from a South Lake Union sports bar, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said “look out, Canucks.”
Even nine months ago, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee cited the not-yet-existent rivalry as a reason for building a high-speed rail line between the two cities.
“We cannot wait to get on a high-speed rail line to come up to have the greatest hockey rivalry in North American, which is the Seattle Totems versus the Vancouver Canucks” Inslee said at the time.
Whatever the team is called, hockey fans are excited, especially Seattle-based Canucks season ticket holders Paul and Deirdre Brownlow. “We’ve got to stick with the Canucks,” Deirdre told KIRO 7 when asked about where her loyalty will lie once Seattle has its own team.
The Canucks “were our first NHL team we supported, but I’m so glad we’ll be able to just drive to Key Arena” for games.
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