Report: Agent denies Wayne Gretzky in town to talk NHL on Eastside

BY MyNorthwest.com  on July 25, 2012 @ 1:58 pm (Updated: 2:24 pm - 7/26/12 )

waynegretzky.jpg
Reports say hockey legend Wayne Gretzky is meeting with Bellevue officials to talk about the possibility of bringing the NHL to the area. (AP Photo/File) | Zoom
Reports that surfaced stating hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was in the Seattle area Wednesday to talk about the NHL were "blown out of proportion," according to his agent.

Q-13 Fox's Aaron Levine talked to Gretzky's agent Thursday. According to the agent, Gretzky was the special guest of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter at the Mariners/Yankees game on Wednesday.

During the game, Wayne Gretzky was spotted shaking hands with Derek Jeter.

Shortly after the camera caught Gretzky in Seattle, rumors surfaced that the baseball game may not be the only reason the Canadian legend dropped in for a Puget Sound visit.

Dave Mahler of KJR tweeted that Gretzky was meeting with Bellevue officials to talk about the possibility of bringing the NHL to the area.

Chris Hansen has said that he and his investment group would bring in an NBA team if his arena plan is approved by Seattle City and King County councils. As for the investment opportunity for a professional hockey team, Hansen has left that open for other interested parties.

Still, Hansen's arena plan has been designed specifically for Seattle's SoDo district. Some in Bellevue have pushed for the NBA/NHL facility to be located on the Eastside. Until now, investors haven't appeared to seriously approach Bellevue.

Hansen has spent more than $35 million on land in the SoDo district for the potential arena.

The arena project calls for about $290 million in private investment from Hansen's group, along with $200 million from the city and county through 30-year bonds. Both the Seattle City Council and the King County Council are reviewing the proposal.

All construction costs, including overruns, would be paid for by Hansen's group, which includes Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and the Nordstrom brothers.

King County Council could reportedly vote on Hansen's arena proposal Monday.

MyNorthwest.com, Staff report
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Comments (9)


  • Add A Comment

  • Nickybobo wrote...
    SoDo versus BDX
    July 26, 2012 8:55 am
    What would the Seattle City Council do if Hansen simply 'swapped' his SoDo land acquisitions for the Bellevue 'Auto Row' car dealers' property, and then built an NBA/NHL arena in Bellevue? Would an "Auto Row" in SoDo be preferable to another arena? Traffic problems would ease up, sales tax on car sales would go into the city's coffers, etc.....hah!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Sean wrote...
    This arena makes SO much more sense
    July 26, 2012 10:08 am
    on the east side. It'll be interesting to see how this all pans out. It may take ten years, but something like this is guaranteed to have some surprises along the way, I'll betcha....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • NoiseMan wrote...
    Put me down in the Eastside column
    July 26, 2012 10:34 am
    Bellevue/Redmond/Issaquah is a growing community with an economy doing the same. I have no doubt that by the time my grandaughter is my age, Seattle will be nothing more than a run down suburb of Bellevue/Redmond/Issaquah. The economy is east of the lake now and has nowhere to go but up. I don't know the viability of additional sports in the area, but any new sports teams should look closer at the Eastside rather than a cheap land grab in a dying industrial area. Note: New stadiums were built in SODO and it's still dying while other local areas are experiencing a little growth. People just need to open their eyes a little wider to see a bigger picture.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rhodehouse wrote...
    Noiseman...
    July 26, 2012 12:20 pm
    Makes complete sense to me! That's why I moved out of the Seattle area to the Eastside!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • bemac wrote...
    Just what the Eastside needs...
    July 26, 2012 1:08 pm
    another reason to add more traffic. No thanks.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rahbert wrote...
    NHL Hockey in Bellevue
    July 26, 2012 1:27 pm
    That would be huge! I remember when the Sharks came to SJ and the resulting explosion in interest in the game, the building of the ICE of SJ, the hockey leagues full of aging techies, their kids in the peewee and squirt leagues... Bring It!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Badbeans wrote...
    Eastside, Yes Please...
    July 26, 2012 1:58 pm
    I too would rather see a NBA/NHL arena on the Eastside (ie. Bellevue) then in Seattle.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Bucket Dad wrote...
    oh, pulease!
    July 26, 2012 2:46 pm
    Wayne was in town to tell Jeter and A-Rod to stop hitting on his daughter.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zagnut wrote...
    Sodo is much better than Bellevue for those on the Peninsula
    July 27, 2012 5:36 am
    There's no ferry to Bellevue.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }