Collegesports - Seattle Retros (NHL)

[collegesports]

I'm going to make an attempt at an NHL franchise, the Seattle Retros. I'll be replacing the Edmonton Oilers in NHL2k7. In 2k7 it's really more like an expansion team b/c you aren't just assigned the team that you're replacing roster, so consider this an expansion franchise. I picked up a couple of the Oilers better players, and some players of "lesser quality" from other teams and free agency. I don't know much about hockey in terms of strategy, so there won't be much "hockey talk" in any articles I post. I do know all the rules and terms, but seeing as how I've never put on a pair of skates, I don't know much hockey philosophy. I do think the 2k series of NHL games probably ranks 2nd to Winning 11 games when it comes to gameplay and feel (at least through my "never played hockey before eyes"), so it's a game I enjoy playing. I choose Seattle b/c the Oilers are in the Northwest Div. and Seattle is about the biggest sports market in the NW w/o an NHL team. I'm not saving anything so, post away.

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[collegesports]

NHLSeattle.com

Seattle: NHL City
Seattle wins bid for NHL francise

7/27/2005
New York, NY - With the National Hockey League returning to rinks around the U.S. and Canada in just a few months, the city of Seattle has reason to celebrate. While there will not be a team playing in the Emerald City this season, next year there will be.

When the NHL went on strike and eventually lost the entire 2004-2005 season, many around the league wondered if all 30 franchises would survive the loss of revenues for an entire season. Most at risk were the teams north of the border. The Ottawa Senators and the Edmonton Oilers were riding on thin ice before the strike, so no one was sure as to the futures of these two franchises. In December 2004, Edmonton Investors Group Ltd., owner of the Oilers, announced that the strike was indeed too much their struggling franchise, forcing them to end operations. The NHL stepped in and made the decision to run the team through the 2005-2006 season, after which the Oilers will completely discontinue operations. The league also announced that the Oilers would not move to another city, but rather an expansion franchise would begin play in the 2006-2007 season. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, along with NHL owners, began taking bids in January from cities interested in hosting an NHL franchise.

NHL Seattle, the ownership group lead by Seahawks owner Paul Allen, presented the NHL with its bid for a franchise in early Febuary. Seattle's bid for a team included plans for a new arena that would be complete in time for the 2006-2007 season. The group also focused on the success of the other three major sports teams in Seattle, the Mariners, Seahawks, and Sonics. The presentation focused on the fact that all three teams have received great support by the city, and that Seattle has shown a committment to it's teams with the building of two state-of-the-art stadiums in the past ten years. The group felt confident that Seattle would win the bid for the newest NHL francise. Others cities that presented bids for the franchise included Portland, Fargo, Salt Lake City, and Omaha.

Since the presentation was given, members of NHL Seattle have visited the NHL offices in New York City several times. In May, the league cut the field of potential cities down to two, Portland and Seattle. The league set the date of July 27 to announce which city would be awarded a franchise. The press conference finally took place earlier today at the league's headquarters. Commissioner Bettman made the announcement that Seattle would be home to an NHL franchise, saying "We would like to welcome the city of Seattle, Washington to the National Hockey League". The newest owner in the NHL, Paul Allen, was very excited with the news, saying "Seattle is one of the best sports cities in the country. Our fans are tremendous and I know they will fully support an NHL team". Construction on the new arena has already began. The arena will be in the Seattle Center, which is home to other attractions such as KeyArena and the Space Needle. A name for the arena has yet to be announced.

For now NHL Seattle is headquarted in Qwest Field, home of the Seahawks. NHLSeattle.com was launched after the announcement and will serve as the official internet home of Seattle's NHL franchise. NHL Seattle will begin researching possible names for the franchise. The group hopes to have a name for Seattle's newest team by the end of the year.

[collegesports]

NHLSeattle.com

NHL to launch new minor league
NHL2 to take the ice in 2006-2007 season

8/29/2005
New York, NY - As part of the new NHL, a new minor league system will be inplace for the 2006-2007 season. The NHL2, as it will be called, will be made up of an affiliate from each NHL franchise. The new system replaces the old one, which was made up of several leagues, with the American Hockey League (AHL) being the most highly-ranked. "We think the NHL2 has great potential. Having 30 teams in minor league makes it a little more difficult, but it should also provide for a higher level of play" NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at the announcement Monday morning.

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The new league will call for some realignment of teams minor league affiliates. Currently, Seattle is in talks with the city of Edmonton to possibly have their NHL2 affiliate located in the Alberta capital. "The people of Edmonton love hockey. It is unfortunate that they will no longer have an NHL team, but it would be a great place for our minor league affiliate to play out of. We would also like to have a link to the Oilers franchise and this would be a great way to do just that" owner Paul Allen said. Allen and his group of advisors are currently looking for a general manager to head up the operations of begining to assemble a coach staff and a team after the completion of the 2005-2006 season.

[collegesports]

NHLSeattle.com

Seattle Names General Manager
Doug Risebrough named first Seattle GM

9/7/2005
Seattle, WA - The newest member of the newest team in the NHL is Seattle general manager Doug Risebrough. "There's alot to be excited about here. Seattle is going to be a great NHL city and I'm looking forward to working for a franchise that will certainly become a winner" Risebrough said at the press conference to announce his hiring Wednesday morning. The experience with an expansion franchise made Risebrough a perfect fit for Seattle. "He's always been a winner. His experience will bring alot to this team" owner Paul Allen said.

Risebrough comes to Seattle from the Minnesota Wild, were he served as their GM since their inaugural season in 2000. While in Minnesota, Risebrough helped the Wild reach the playoffs in just their third season. The even made a run to the Conference Finals, where they fell in four games to Anaheim. Risebrough brings 31 years of experience in the NHL to Seattle. Risebrough played for the Montreal Canadiens during their four straight Stanley Cup seasons between 1975 and 1979. In 1982, Risebrough was traded to Calgary, where he would play out the remainder of his 13-year playing career. During his playing career, Risebrough teams had an incredible 607-274-159 record.

The coaching career of Risebrough began where his playing career ended, Calgary. Risebrough served two seasons as an assistant coach with the Flames. He helped guide Calgary to two consecutive President’s Cup Trophies and the 1989 Stanley Cup championship, his fifth Stanley Cup championship as a player or coach. He was promoted to assistant general manager for the Flames before the 1989-90 season, and served as Calgary’s head coach for the 1990-91 campaign. On May 16, 1991, Risebrough became only the second general manager in Flames’ history, and served as both general manager and coach for the first 64 games of the 1991-92 season. He relinquished his coaching duties on March 3, 1992, but continued his role as Calgary’s general manager until November 2, 1995.

From Calgary, Risebrough moved on to the Edmonton Oilers, where he served as vice president of hockey operations from 1996 to 1999. With the Oilers, the Guelph, Ontario, native was involved in all aspects of the club’s hockey operations department. Edmonton advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the three seasons Risebrough was with the organization. The turnaround followed four consecutive years in which the Oilers did not make the playoffs. Risebrough left Edmonton to take over GM duties with the expansion Wild in 1999.

[collegesports]

NHLSeattle.com

And your Head Coach is...
Dave Lewis named head coach

9/30/2005
Seattle, WA - Seattle general manager Doug Risebrough named former Detroit Red Wings head man Dave Lewis the first head coach in franchise history earlier today. "I'm very excited to be in Seattle. I think we have alot to look forward to here" Lewis said. In spite of leading the Red Wings to two 48-win campaigns and a Presidents' Trophy, Lewis' contract was not renewed by Detroit in June.

Lewis began his playing career with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Canada Hockey League. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in the 1973 NHL Entry Draft, third round, thirty-third overall. He played sixteen seasons with the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, and Detroit Red Wings, scoring 36 goals and 224 points in 1,008 games.

The Dave Lewis File
-Born July 3, 1953 in Saskatchewan, Canada
-Playing Career 1973-1987
New York Islanders
Los Angeles Kings
New Jersey Devils
Detroit Red Wings
-Head Coaching Career 2002-Pres
2002-2004 Detroit Red Wings
Overall Record: 96-41-21-6

[collegesports]

NHLSeattle.com

Get ready to go Retro
Say hell to the Seattle Retros

10/10/2005
Seattle, WA - With all the buzz surrounding the hockey world as the NHL returns to the ice, the city of Seattle felt some buzz of its own Monday morning. Members of the Seattle front office gathered at Key Arena to unveil the name of their brand new NHL franchise. As fans and media sat on the edge of their seats waiting to hear the big announcement, general manager Doug Risebrough, joined by owner Paul Allen and new head coach Dave Lewis, said that the new name was more than just a name. "It's a style, attitude, and experience that will define professional hockey Seattle" Risebrough said. As he finished pumping up the crowd, owner Paul Allen slowly removed the cover from the new name and logo, unveil the following:

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The name and logo were received with a tremendous applause. "It's very original. That's what we wanted the most. Something that will stand out" Allen said. The process of picking Retros was more complicated than simply choosing a name. A list of neatly 75 possible names was the first step. Members of the front office were aided by Pacific Marketing Inc. to help in the decesion making. The field was narrowed down to 25, with names like Freeze, Slashers, and Needles not making the cut. From 25, the number was cut down to 10 and then a final 5. The 5 making the cut were, Emeralds, Thunderhawks, Sound, Tribe, and of course Retros. At this point, logos and marketing plans were done for each of the finalist. Canadian cartoonist, comic book writer, artist, toy manufacturer/designer, and media entrepreneur Todd McFarlane lended his artistic ability to the design of the logos. McFarlane recently designed the Edmonton Oilers alternate jersey logo as well was program covers for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. The avid sports fan was also was a part owner of the Oilers. McFarlanes Retros logo stood out from the rest. "It really looks like some kind of comic book character. It's tough and intimidating" GM Doug Risebrough said. McFarlane quickly said the look was no coincidence, say "I wanted it to look like something you might see on the chest of a superhero". The Retros' colors will simply be black and white, another touch from McFarlane.

The name will have an affect on the experience fans will get when they come to Retros games. Team officials hope to get permission from the NHL to have a playing surface free of advertising. "In the modern NHL, it has become popular to plaster your ice with companies logos. We don't want that. We want to have a logo-less ice and boards. It's why we're saying that the Retros will be more than a team, but an experience. We want fans to feel as though they have been taken back in time" Risebrough said. The hopes to give fans a "throwback experience" will be helped by the name of the new arena that is currently being constructed. The home of the Retros will simply be the Ice Forum. "It all goes with the Retro experience" Risebrough said.

The team will launch its new website, RetrosHockey.com, next week. On a side note, the Retros have came to terms with the city of Edmonton on a deal to base their NHL2 affiliate out of the Alberta city. The contract states that Edmonton will be home to the Retros NHL2 affiliate through the 2012-2013 season. The Edmonton team will be known as the Edmonton Express, and will begin play in the inaugural NHL2 2006-2007 season.