Leiweke and Bruckheimer both emphasized to the packed media scrum that there is no renovation of Key Arena, but that the New Arena at Seattle Center will be brand-new. Only the historic roof stays. The old arena has already been demolished and excavation starts in July to dig down another 15 feet plus a much wider hole to allow a doubling of space for seats, concessions, back-of-the-house services and much more.
"Two years from now you can judge for yourself, but we think we're building one of the greatest buildings in the world," Leiweke said. "Perhaps in two years we'll be hosting a very similar conference like this, and instead of projecting that we're going to have one of the most beautiful buildings, you're going to be asking us questions, saying, 'Wow. How did this happen?'"
Bruckheimer was equally enthusiastic about the New Arena, which he assures will have the "old-time arena intimacy" to go with the technological breakthroughs for fans.
"We're excited to show this building to the world, because it's really spectacular," said Bruckheimer, who instantly fell in love with the sport as young boy after attending his first Detroit Red Wings game in the 1950s.
As a Hollywood producer and ultimate showman, Bruckheimer is a highly reliable source for our 2021 dreams of the arena and team.
"We're sitting on something that you haven't seen yet," he said, "but I'm really proud of it and can't wait for everybody to see it."
