MONTREAL — Seattle and Denver were awarded National Hockey League franchises yesterday, conditional on the two cities’ ability to provide money and a home for the clubs.

NHL President Clarence Campbell made the announcement just minutes before he began the expansion draft to stock new teams in Kansas City and Washington, scheduled to join the league this coming season.

The franchises will cost $6 million each, with an initial down payment of $185,000. A further payment of $750,000 must be made by each new franchise by the time its team is ready to play in the 1976-77 season, the NHL said.

Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman said shortly after the announcement he would press for city ownership of the franchise. Uhlman said the move would represent “a departure from all previous precedent of the National Hockey League.”

Associated Press