Back to the Detroit Red Wings Newsfeed

Seattle awarded NHL's 32nd franchise, expansion set for 2021-22

A century removed from a Stanley Cup, Seattle will be home to professional hockey again.

The NHL announced it will be expanding again, awarding Seattle the league's 32nd franchise. It will begin play in the 2021-22 season, with home games at Key Arena.

The Metropolitans were part of the PCHA in the 1916-17 season when they defeated the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey Association to win the Cup.

The nickname for this Seattle team has not yet been announced.

"We are thrilled that Seattle, a city with a proud hockey history that includes being the home for the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup, is finally joining the NHL," commissioner Gary Bettman said today.