Edmonton mayor questions Oilers drawing big crowds if team moves to Seattle

EDMONTON – Edmonton’s mayor says if the Oilers are serious about trying to relocate the NHL team to Seattle, good luck drawing fans in the Pacific Northwest.

Stephen Mandel, in a TV interview Tuesday, says Oilers and owner Daryl Katz (pronounced CATES) would be hard-pressed to duplicate the rabid fan interest and sell-out crowds in the Alberta capital.

The Oilers are the top sports draw in the Edmonton market, but Mandel says in Seattle they would be fourth or fifth.

The city and the Oilers are currently in a last-ditch effort to agree on a funding deal for a new downtown arena.

Oilers management, in a news release, says it has to look at other options like Seattle because talks on a new rink in Edmonton have been going on for four years with no resolution.

But Mandel says the two sides had a deal a year ago; the new impasse is the result of recent demands from the Oilers for millions of dollars more in concessions from taxpayers.