New Houston Rockets Owner Open To NHL Team

[edog37]

I don't believe there is enough top caliber talent coming into the league to support expansions further. That's the problem the NHL needs to fix. How to attract elite atheletes to hockey over other major sports.

I used to think this also, but not anymore. There is plenty of high end talent worldwide to support an extra team or two...

 

[Jonas1235]

hyka, shipyachov, tuch, m subban would all not be in the nhl without expansion. They seem to be doing fine. People underestimate the amount of 3-4th line nhl players are in the minors and talented forwards, puck movers in europe.

 

[edog37]

hyka, shipyachov, tuch, m subban would all not be in the nhl without expansion. They seem to be doing fine. People underestimate the amount of 3-4th line nhl players are in the minors and talented forwards, puck movers in europe.

agreed. There is plenty of talent to go around. And when you expand & create interest in new markets, new sources of talent open up. Without the Coyotes, Austin Matthews doesn't happen (& yes, I know, Arizona isn't an expansion team, but it's new market). Let that sink in for one minute...

 

[Melrose Munch]

Just like Phoenix and Atlanta. Being bigger doesn't always translates into more things. That doesn't mean Quebec shouldn't have a team at all. Just means the no and nhlpa are two faced.

Anyway, I wonder if the guy in Huston has called Gary and Bill to talk about Calgary Flames who looks like will end up without a home where to play.

you're not taking into account all the players who avoid playing in Canada. They want these big markets as well.

I used to think this also, but not anymore. There is plenty of high end talent worldwide to support an extra team or two...

hyka, shipyachov, tuch, m subban would all not be in the nhl without expansion. They seem to be doing fine. People underestimate the amount of 3-4th line nhl players are in the minors and talented forwards, puck movers in europe.

Well adding three teams is a lot different from just adding one team.

 

[ponder719]

Well adding three teams is a lot different from just adding one team.

It is, but the concept isn't all that different. The NHL isn't going to be the league weakened by this move. OK, sure, the #23 guy on the Blackhawks roster after expansion might be the #2 forward on the IceHogs roster today, but by and large, talent will flow into the league from the AHL and Europe, and the teams will still look relatively similar. It's the top Euro leagues that are going to be on the receiving end of the talent drain, as the new teams suck up all the talent that might otherwise look to extend their career in the KHL.

 

[varano]

A team in Houston will not negatively affect Dallas and vice versa, they are both huge markets. It has nothing to do with deserving pro hockey. Houston is a market that the NHL should be interested in.

Its interesting how you ignored the most important part of what I said. I'll repeat it for you..

"My question is still kind of the same. Its not a matter of population, its a matter of hockey being the fourth most popular sport at best."

 

[Bixby Snyder]

Its interesting how you ignored the most important part of what I said. I'll repeat it for you..

"My question is still kind of the same. Its not a matter of population, its a matter of hockey being the fourth most popular sport at best."

I didn't ignore it at all, it's just that important or relevant. My response stands whether hockey is #1, #4 or #10.

 

[varano]

I didn't ignore it at all, it's just that important or relevant. My response stands whether hockey is #1, #4 or #10.

Then you really don't know how businesses survive.
No Audience, No business.

 

[Bixby Snyder]

Then you really don't know how businesses survive.
No Audience, No business.

The NHL really only competes directly against the NBA and in many markets where the two leagues go head-to-head the NHL actually comes out on top. It's only speculation on your part the NHL team would always be #4. Houston is big enough that a team can do very well being #4 if that was the case. I would say by your posts you're the one lacking in business knowlege. [MOD]

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Its interesting how you ignored the most important part of what I said. I'll repeat it for you..

"My question is still kind of the same. Its not a matter of population, its a matter of hockey being the fourth most popular sport at best."

Hockey could be 4th most popular sport and it can still work. You propose getting rid of Rangers because its not as popular as Knicks, Giants or Yankees?

 

[StreetHawk]

hyka, shipyachov, tuch, m subban would all not be in the nhl without expansion. They seem to be doing fine. People underestimate the amount of 3-4th line nhl players are in the minors and talented forwards, puck movers in europe.

I think all those guys except fo subban would be in the NHL. Tuch would be on the wild. Think other NHL teams were interested in the khl stars.

Subban, doubt a team was going to claim him. Backup situations we're all set. Plus he is basically a raw rookie.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

The NHL really only competes directly against the NBA and in many markets where the two leagues go head-to-head the NHL actually comes out on top. It's only speculation on your part the NHL team would always be #4. Houston is big enough that a team can do very well being #4 if that was the case. I would say by your posts you're the one lacking in business knowlege. [MOD]

This of course is not true. The other leagues (professional or otherwise) have overlapping seasons with the NHL

NFL - October to January
MLB - April - June, October - November
College Football - October - December
College Basketball - entire season overlaps with NHL

Even corporations do not have an endless supply of income to appropriate to various sports leagues. They have to pick and choose and hockey usually if not always ends up at or near the bottom when it comes to corporate spending on things such as suites, club seats, general seating, corporate sponsorships.

Even in a city as large as Houston, all of that corporate strength will be mitigated by the sports options those businesses have to choose from for investing their discretionary income. NHL will be behind 3 of those teams for sure, with one of them (the Texans) sucking up a substantial portion of corporate money.

This isn't to say an NHL team in Houston wouldn't be a reasonable success. Just not nearly as successful as one would expect given the size of the market relative to the rest of the cities in the league. The revenues and earnings of a Houston NHL team would in no way be commensurate with the city's size or corporate strength. Fourth largest market does not equal fourth largest revenues or operating income, not even close.

 

[powerstuck]

The NHL really only competes directly against the NBA and in many markets where the two leagues go head-to-head the NHL actually comes out on top. It's only speculation on your part the NHL team would always be #4. Houston is big enough that a team can do very well being #4 if that was the case. I would say by your posts you're the one lacking in business knowlege. [MOD]

There is so much more than a team being #1, #2, #3 or #10 in a given city.
Heck, NHL is so far behind the other 3 leagues in almost all financial aspects (if not all of them).

League - Lenght - Contract
NFL - 11 years - $27 billions
NBA - 8 years - $24 billion
MLB - 8 years - $12,4 billions
NHL - 12 years - $5.2 billion (CAN)
NHL - 10 years - $2 billions (US)

I know NHL may be hoping that next US-TV deal brings in big cash, but lets be honest, even the Canadian deal is already known as being OVERPAID. What do you really expect the US deal to be...if the NHL can get as much as they got from Rogers...(5.2/12) it will still make them the league with the lowest TV deal among the top 4.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Maybe the NHL would get a better U.S. TV deal if there were more U.S. teams. The NHL is currently not in 4 of the top 15 U.S. CSAs and 6 of the top 20. The NFL is currently not in 3 and they are 17, 18 and 19. MLB is not in 2 and they are 17 and 18. The NBA isn't in 3 and none are higher than 13. The NHL is currently not in the 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th largest markets. Would they all be successes and have lots of people watching? I don't really know but right now they don't have much reason to, so why would a TV network pay a ton of money for TV rights when quite a few of the largest markets don't have a team?

There was also the issue of NBC being able to match any offer basically making the NHL a restricted free agent. You're ESPN or Turner and you either make a hey, we want you bid but know it's not going to be enough or make an offer so insanely high that NBC wouldn't match and the only league that would even have a chance of happening in is the NFL.

 

[Rigafan]

I love how you guys make a $7 billion TV deal sound like a bad thing! Ok give or take some for the exchange rate but that is still a hell of a lot of money!

 

[powerstuck]

Maybe the NHL would get a better U.S. TV deal if there were more U.S. teams. The NHL is currently not in 4 of the top 15 U.S. CSAs and 6 of the top 20. The NFL is currently not in 3 and they are 17, 18 and 19. MLB is not in 2 and they are 17 and 18. The NBA isn't in 3 and none are higher than 13. The NHL is currently not in the 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th largest markets. Would they all be successes and have lots of people watching? I don't really know but right now they don't have much reason to, so why would a TV network pay a ton of money for TV rights when quite a few of the largest markets don't have a team?

There was also the issue of NBC being able to match any offer basically making the NHL a restricted free agent. You're ESPN or Turner and you either make a hey, we want you bid but know it's not going to be enough or make an offer so insanely high that NBC wouldn't match and the only league that would even have a chance of happening in is the NFL.

I get what you are saying but...Phoenix and Atlanta showed, despite being top 10 US-TV markets, that hockey wise there is almost no interest at all.

How come people in Prince Edward Island get more TVs turned on for hockey than Phoenix despite humongous population difference and one having the team a few miles away while the other has its closest team at least 700 miles away.

There is more than one factor obviously, but it cannot all fall onto ''the team sucks'' argument.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Maybe the NHL would get a better U.S. TV deal if there were more U.S. teams. The NHL is currently not in 4 of the top 15 U.S. CSAs and 6 of the top 20. The NFL is currently not in 3 and they are 17, 18 and 19. MLB is not in 2 and they are 17 and 18. The NBA isn't in 3 and none are higher than 13. The NHL is currently not in the 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th largest markets. Would they all be successes and have lots of people watching? I don't really know but right now they don't have much reason to, so why would a TV network pay a ton of money for TV rights when quite a few of the largest markets don't have a team?

There was also the issue of NBC being able to match any offer basically making the NHL a restricted free agent. You're ESPN or Turner and you either make a hey, we want you bid but know it's not going to be enough or make an offer so insanely high that NBC wouldn't match and the only league that would even have a chance of happening in is the NFL.

I support Houston, but his is the worst argument for this. The NHL chose to go into these college markets. Any serious expansion plan had Atlanta and Houston going first.

I get what you are saying but...Phoenix and Atlanta showed, despite being top 10 US-TV markets, that hockey wise there is almost no interest at all.

How come people in Prince Edward Island get more TVs turned on for hockey than Phoenix despite humongous population difference and one having the team a few miles away while the other has its closest team at least 700 miles away.

There is more than one factor obviously, but it cannot all fall onto ''the team sucks'' argument.

The league and players union just like the TV money and the anonymity from playing in Houston. You should be asking why the players vote for going to qc but none of them want to be there.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Well well, perhaps he really is interested.

The National Hockey League had preliminary discussions about the potential viability of an NHL team in Houston, The Athletic has learned.
Multiple sources confirmed that there was a recent meeting between NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta at the league’s offices in New York.
It is believed the meeting between Bettman and Fertitta took place within the past few weeks.

Sources: NHL and Rockets owner meet to talk NHL's viability...

 

[BKIslandersFan]

I think Gary is seeing if Houston can take the Coyotes.

 

[rt]

Houston is bigger than Phoenix and it is not Glendale. I'm a Coyotes fan and I live in Arizona but I think it makes sense to move the team to Houston.

 

[MNNumbers]

The question about Houston and the Coyotes is "What's the price tag?" Right now, the organization is slated to be carrying (and of course this is a big guess because we don't actually know how much redistribution $$ from the commissioner's discretionary fund has gone to them) about 350M of debt after the year is up (and I know it might be less than that - maybe 300. But it could also be more.). Fertitta would have to take on all of that. Of course, it's less than the 500M tag that any team will sell for, so by Enterprise Value, an announced 500M price would still work in this case.

Does Fertitta want the Yotes at that price? Stay tuned....

 

[Major4Boarding]

There's an almost unguarded aura around these quotes

When reached via telephone Wednesday evening, Bettman declined to comment on the meeting. He refuted the notion that the NHL was actively looking for relocation options.

“We’re not relocating any clubs right now,” he told The Athletic.

When asked whether Houston would be considered if that changes, he responded: “If Houston were to express an interest in having an NHL franchise, under the right circumstances, it's something we might want to consider.”

 

[jkrdevil]

A team in Houston in the central division would actually balance the league and allow it to go to a 4-Conference, 8-Division format

 

[jkrdevil]

Maybe the NHL would get a better U.S. TV deal if there were more U.S. teams. The NHL is currently not in 4 of the top 15 U.S. CSAs and 6 of the top 20. The NFL is currently not in 3 and they are 17, 18 and 19. MLB is not in 2 and they are 17 and 18. The NBA isn't in 3 and none are higher than 13. The NHL is currently not in the 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th largest markets. Would they all be successes and have lots of people watching? I don't really know but right now they don't have much reason to, so why would a TV network pay a ton of money for TV rights when quite a few of the largest markets don't have a team?

There was also the issue of NBC being able to match any offer basically making the NHL a restricted free agent. You're ESPN or Turner and you either make a hey, we want you bid but know it's not going to be enough or make an offer so insanely high that NBC wouldn't match and the only league that would even have a chance of happening in is the NFL.

Well ESPN would want to drive up the price on NBC so they can’t afford to bid big on existing espn properties. Basically what espn did the last time the nhl contract was up.

 

[Killion]

There's an almost unguarded aura around these quotes

.... indeed.