SoDo arena possibility fading fast

SEATTLE – With Steve Ballmer and Chris Hansen out of the hockey ownership equation, the only known candidate interested in downtown Seattle is New York investment banker Ray Bartoszek, who had a deal to move the Phoenix Coyotes to Seattle last summer in the event their new ownership deal in Arizona fell through. Once the Coyotes secured a deal to stay in Arizona last July, Bartoszek began exploring options for landing a Seattle expansion team and playing in a SoDo arena built by Ballmer and Hansen.

But in an interview Wednesday at his office in Greenwich, Conn., Bartoszek admitted he doesn’t see much hope of a SoDo deal happening anymore.

Bartoszek won’t rule out SoDo completely, but is exploring other options.

“We’re at the point now where somebody will have to get creative to make this happen,” he said.

One option Bartoszek began looking into this week was a major KeyArena overhaul into a bigger, hockey-only venue. Bartoszek has ruled out Bellevue as an arena site – even though some investors are exploring the possibility of building there.

“I just think you want to have the team in the city,” he said.

The only other previously-mentioned candidate, Chicago businessman Don Levin, had preferred a Bellevue option. But various reports question whether Levin has lost enthusiasm for landing an NHL team after near-misses over the years and the length of time the process is taking.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday that there were other Seattle candidates besides Bartoszek but wouldn’t name them.

He added that any arena deal for Seattle – regardless of its location – would have to make sense.

“We’re not really feeling compelled to do anything right now,” he said. “It may change and it might not. It depends on what bubbles up. And how concrete and realistic and beneficial everything can be.”