NHL Seattle Weighing Name Reveal, Ticket Plans Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Seattle's NHL expansion team is considering when to reveal its name and logo due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. 

The team has not decided if it will make the announcement during the sports shutdown or wait. A date for the reveal had not been picked prior to the virus outbreak, and the team is still going through the trademarking process with the NHL, per ESPN.

"In theory, coronavirus will not delay our name and will not affect it, but we're in unprecedented times. So I can't say that as soon as the legal process is wrapped up that we'll go with the name," Katie Townsend, NHL Seattle's vice president of corporate communications, told ESPN. "We're working as hard as we can. We know how badly our fans want it."

The team began selling premium seats last fall and chose to delay fans' payments for April, May and June until July 1. In March, the NHL Seattle Preview Center was set to open and provide fans with a look at a model of the Seattle Center, the team's arena. Fans could also make their general seat selections at the preview center. With everyone self-isolating, the team has put the preview center on hold and is debating if they should unveil it virtually instead.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has not issued a shelter-in-place order in the state but continues to ask people to practice social distancing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended no events with more than 50 people for two months. Statewide there are 1,524 confirmed cases of the virus.