Seattle fans are proving there is a lot of support for an NHL franchise.
Sales of season ticket deposits topped 33,000 as of 5 p.m. on Friday. A waitlist opened Saturday morning for those still wanting to buy ticket deposits.
Deposit sales started off strong with 25,000 going in the first hour.
At noon on Thursday, the Oak View Group raised a special NHL Seattle flag to the top of the Space Needle to mark the start of deposit sales. Lynnwood teen Bretton Chitwood raised the flag and is serving as honorary team captain. Chitwood lost a foot to bone cancer but refused to give up playing hockey.
Prices started at $500 per seat and it's refundable if Seattle does not get a team.
OVG hopes to have a decision from the NHL by June. Then construction on the New Arena at Seattle Center would begin in October or November of this year.
The deposits are seen as a key barometer as to whether the league will award a franchise.
The Oak View Group submitted its application on February 13, in hopes to begin play in 2020.
The NHL's expansion Vegas Golden Knights conducted a similar ticket drive before the league officially awarded the city a franchise.
It took Las Vegas several weeks to reach the 10,000 mark.
