Bring the NHL to Houston!!!

[uhlaw97]

As a disappointed Houston Aeros fan (yeah, we just lost the Calder Cup), I would like to make the case that Houston, TX be the first choice for any relocation.

Consider this:

the original Houston Aeros of the WHA with Gordie Howe and his sons used to outdraw the NBA Houston Rockets in the Summit during the 1970s. Strangely, despite two WHA championships, and a third finals appearance, they were passed over for the NHL.

Just yesterday, the new AHL Houston Aeros had over 10,000 people at the Toyota Center to watch the Calder Cup finals. And that's for MINOR LEAGUE hockey!!!! Imagine what the NHL would draw!

The Toyota Center is a ready made venue for the NHL, seating almost 18,000 for hockey! Houston's media market would also be a plus.

In short, someone in the NHL needs to figure out that they need to move one of the struggling franchises such as the Phoenix Coyotes or NY Islanders to Houston. It's almost criminal that America's fourth-largest city doesn't have major league hockey in town.

Comments?

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[OG6ix]

Houston would be a good hockey market. For some reason hockey has caught on there even since the WHA days. I believe the Aeros had a part in getting the WHA teams into the NHL but were then passed over. Les Alexander wanted a NHL team before, but now it looks like he's trying to get out of Pro sports.

 

[Jonas1235]

If there wasn't a basketball team there, I think the NHL would already be there.

Astros, Rockets, MLS team, NCAA teams, combined with not that much of an interest in hockey means it would be difficult to start up a team.

It worked in Dallas because they had a championship calibre team for many years and were able to grow the sport. If a southern market does not get that, then they turn into Atlanta and Phoenix instead of Dallas or Carolina.

 

[OG6ix]

If there wasn't a basketball team there, I think the NHL would already be there.

Astros, Rockets, MLS team, NCAA teams, combined with not that much of an interest in hockey means it would be difficult to start up a team.

It worked in Dallas because they had a championship calibre team for many years and were able to grow the sport. If a southern market does not get that, then they turn into Atlanta and Phoenix instead of Dallas or Carolina.

Not true, Atlanta and Phoenix are thought of as bad sports markets in general even in the US. Not just bad hockey markets. This is a typical ignorant canadian hockey fans comment

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Astros, Rockets, MLS team, NCAA teams, combined with not that much of an interest in hockey means it would be difficult to start up a team.

This sentence is so wrong. Houston is a fantastic market. Huge population, corporate sponsors, NHL ready arena, Aeros very well supported even with very expensive tickets (I believe their tickets are $70 right on the ice and around $40 in the middle sections.)

 

[HansH]

As I understand it, the biggest hurdle standing in the way of a Houston NHL team is... Les Alexander himself. I believe the lease of the arena is written in such a way that ONLY an Alexander-owned NHL team could play at the facility. IIRC, the Wild own the majority of the AHL Aeros, so would probably be fine with relocating or selling should an NHL team want to come to town, but with Alexander apparently not interested in NHL ownership, that kind of puts Houston into an enforced limbo until and unless that portion of the master lease is altered somehow.

If I've gotten any of this wrong or incomplete, I welcome clarification and correction!

 

[Free Edler]

Is there an owner? Last I heard was Les Alexander but that was more than a decade ago.

 

[dronald]

Not true, Atlanta and Phoenix are thought of as bad sports markets in general even in the US. Not just bad hockey markets. This is a typical ignorant canadian hockey fans comment

Whether you agree with this statement or not it's clearly not an ignorant Canadian hockey fan comment. Most people from Atlanta or Phoenix will blame the NHL, ownership, advertising etc before they blame their own cities ability to support the team. People in Phoenix will never admit that it's a bad place for Hockey, that's actually more along the lines of what a Canadian would say.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Whether you agree with this statement or not it's clearly not an ignorant Canadian hockey fan comment. Most people from Atlanta or Phoenix will blame the NHL, ownership, advertising etc before they blame their own cities ability to support the team. People in Phoenix will never admit that it's a bad place for Hockey, that's actually more along the lines of what a Canadian would say.

Atlanta and Phoenix are know as bad sports markets period. Why do people act like this is a hockey thing?


As for the thread. Houston would be much better than, maybe even punch at the Dallas, SJ, Philly, NY level.

On a general note. Atlanta is starting to fall behind the Texas cities IMO.

 

[Jonas1235]

This sentence is so wrong. Houston is a fantastic market. Huge population, corporate sponsors, NHL ready arena, Aeros very well supported even with very expensive tickets (I believe their tickets are $70 right on the ice and around $40 in the middle sections.)

Supporting a minor league team and an NHL team is two VERY different things. Just because an AHL team does well doesn't mean they will average over 15,000 people a game for the NHL, at twice the ticket price.

And it's not just tickets, it's merchandise sales, tv ratings among other things that come into play with the NHL that don't with the AHL. The competition for major sports is complicated in that region. Lots of teams and only so many fans available. How will they schedule NHL games on their local affiliate when there's NBA, MLS, MLB, NCAA among others.

I'm not doubting their passion for sports, there just isn't enough to go around. Look at Dallas right now, they had a pretty bad year this year and fans stopped coming to games. Revenue has gone down for them since they went to the conference finals. Look at the Avalanche also. Same thing with them.

Only a competitive team EVERY year can sustain viability. This isn't guarranteed in todays NHL.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Whether you agree with this statement or not it's clearly not an ignorant Canadian hockey fan comment. Most people from Atlanta or Phoenix will blame the NHL, ownership, advertising etc before they blame their own cities ability to support the team. People in Phoenix will never admit that it's a bad place for Hockey, that's actually more along the lines of what a Canadian would say.

And those places have every reason to do so. The ownership groups in both cities did not do the fans any favors by putting out a poor product for so long. Some people like to think that new markets should just be sold on hockey and that is just a farce. Franchises, especially in sports, have to put out their own brand and sell that. You don't sell the Phoenix market hockey. You sell the Phoenix market the Phoenix Coyotes team. And if that team is awful, showing no potential, and the ownership is not doing anything to repair the issue, you're not going to get people to buy into the product. It's basic business principles. If a local McDonald's has terrible customer service well below the norm for such a corporation, that particular place will go out of business eventually.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Supporting a minor league team and an NHL team is two VERY different things. Just because an AHL team does well doesn't mean they will average over 15,000 people a game for the NHL, at twice the ticket price.

And it's not just tickets, it's merchandise sales, tv ratings among other things that come into play with the NHL that don't with the AHL. The competition for major sports is complicated in that region. Lots of teams and only so many fans available. How will they schedule NHL games on their local affiliate when there's NBA, MLS, MLB, NCAA among others.

I'm not doubting their passion for sports, there just isn't enough to go around. Look at Dallas right now, they had a pretty bad year this year and fans stopped coming to games. Revenue has gone down for them since they went to the conference finals. Look at the Avalanche also. Same thing with them.

Only a competitive team EVERY year can sustain viability. This isn't guarranteed in todays NHL.

That happened 20 years ago in TO.

 

[Count Popula]

Sorry it is off-topic, but why weren't the Aeros merged into the NHL with the Nordiques, Whalers, Jets and Oilers?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I think that Bettman and the rest of the NHL would be interested in plopping a team down there in Houston, and I get the feeling that the Stars would be on board too as they'd finally have a rival relatively close and they wouldn't be so damn isolated from the rest of the league (though, knowing the NHL, they'd find a way to screw it up by putting Dallas and Houston in different divisions).

Only question is if there's a notable enough potential ownership group in place. I'll claim ignorance on the subject, so I don't know if there is one or not, but the fact that Houston hasn't gotten a team yet in spite of it's size and in spite of having, as you say it, "a ready made venue for the NHL" makes me somewhat doubt that there is one.

 

[dronald]

If potential ownership are looking to QC or Hamilton, that's where a team is going next. Sorry Houston.

 

[Shawa666]

As a disappointed Houston Aeros fan (yeah, we just lost the Calder Cup), I would like to make the case that Houston, TX be the first choice for any relocation.

Consider this:

the original Houston Aeros of the WHA with Gordie Howe and his sons used to outdrew the NBA Houston Rockets in the Summit during the 1970s. Strangely, despite two WHA championships, and a third finals appearance, they were passed over for the NHL.

Just yesterday, the new AHL Houston Aeros had over 10,000 people at the Toyota Center to watch the Calder Cup finals. And that's for MINOR LEAGUE hockey!!!! Imagine what the NHL would draw!

The Toyota Center is a ready made venue for the NHL, seating almost 18,000 for hockey! Houston's media market would also be a plus.

In short, someone in the NHL needs to figure out that they need to move one of the struggling franchises out there such as the Phoenix Coyotes or NY Islanders to Houston. It's almost criminal that America's fourth-largest city doesn't have major league hockey in town.

Comments?

We regularly pack 10 000 for Junior Hockey. and we get a full house in the playoffs. That's 15 300 people for Junior hockey.

 

[BB79]

No..

 

[Grudy0]

Sorry it is off-topic, but why weren't the Aeros merged into the NHL with the Nordiques, Whalers, Jets and Oilers?

Let's set the timeline...

The NHL was tired of the war with the WHA, and accepted the four WHA teams into the NHL during the WHA's last season, 1978-79. That season started with three other teams: Cincinnati Stingers, Birmingham Bulls and Indianapolis Racers. It was this year that the Racers started a kid by the name of Gretzky. About 11 games into the season, the Racers were bankrupt and folded, leaving six teams.

The year before that, there were overtures about the WHA merging with the NHL. As the owners of the Houston Aeros couldn't hold onto losing anymore money and felt their chance to get into the NHL was done, they folded the team. If they had sustained one more year, they may have gotten in.

 

[Kanata Senators]

I could get down with a team in Houston. Put the Coyotes in Houston, and Panthers in QC, and call it a day.

If the NHL ever does expansion again, than you can look at Hamilton/Toronto2 and KC.

 

[5 Minute Major]

If potential ownership are looking to QC or Hamilton, that's where a team is going next. Sorry Houston.

You can wish Hamilton into the NHL all you want but the Sabres and Maple Leafs will never let that happen....not to mention the arena there is approaching 30 years old.

 

[dronald]

You can wish Hamilton into the NHL all you want but the Sabres and Maple Leafs will never let that happen.

Takes more than 2 to block a team from entering the NHL.

 

[The Dayvan Cowboy]

Takes more than 2 to block a team from entering the NHL.

No, it only takes the disapproval of two teams whose market you are physically in.

 

[dronald]

No, it only takes the disapproval of two teams whose market you are physically in.

Link? Because the NHL has constantly denied this.

 

[AndersUlfBobby]

Sorry it is off-topic, but why weren't the Aeros merged into the NHL with the Nordiques, Whalers, Jets and Oilers?

...because the Houston Aeros folded the year before this happened. They couldn't even get to the last WHA season.

You Houston guys are dreamin'

 

[Melrose Munch]

Takes more than 2 to block a team from entering the NHL.

And who is paying that massive 1.5 billion fee?