Rockets owner hasn’t given up on dream of Houston NHL team (mod: Houston thread)

[Fenway]

Interesting choice of words by Fertitta in saying we have to find the right team.



Rockets owner hasn't given up on dream of Houston NHL team - Sportsnet.ca

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta says he hasn’t given up on his dream to bring an NHL team to Houston.

“There’s not a month that goes by that we don’t have some type of talks about the NHL,” he said in a radio interview with Houston Matters on Monday. “And it’s definitely something that one day I look forward to bringing to Houston, Texas.”

Fertitta has been very public about his interest in owning an NHL team since 2017, when he bought the Rockets from Leslie Alexander for $2.2 billion. While that interest hasn’t gone away, Fertitta acknowledged Monday that there are challenges with bringing a team to a southern city in the U.S.

“The studies we have done, it’s a little harder below the Mason-Dixon Line. It’s a little harder to put butts in the seats,” Fertitta said. “And we’ve got to find the right team, and then we have got to just make sure that we can put the butts in the seats.”

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[TheLegend]

So what..... or should I say.... who is the “right team?”

Calgary has a new arena in the works, so do the Islanders.....and Florida’s is locked in.

Carolina isn’t going anywhere for a while and Arizona I’m sorry to say isn’t either. Even with a planned move to the Central.

Fertitta can look anywhere he wants. He’s not getting a franchise on the cheap.

 

[greasysnapper]

So what..... or should I say.... who is the “right team?”

Calgary has a new arena in the works, so do the Islanders.....and Florida’s is locked in.

Carolina isn’t going anywhere for a while and Arizona I’m sorry to say isn’t either. Even with a planned move to the Central.

Fertitta can look anywhere he wants. He’s not getting a franchise on the cheap.

I disagree. Last season Forbes valued Arizona, a league lowest, 290 mil. That would be incredibly cheap in comparison to expansion fees, especially when there's some decent pieces for the yotes. I still think Arizona is the most likely to move. A lot is going to fall on the fans and ownership over the next few years.

 

[Fenway]

I disagree. Last season Forbes valued Arizona, a league lowest, 290 mil. That would be incredibly cheap in comparison to expansion fees, especially when there's some decent pieces for the yotes. I still think Arizona is the most likely to move. A lot is going to fall on the fans and ownership over the next few years.

There is a big unknown concerning Arizona - and several other NHL teams.

Will the new owner of the FOX RSN's - Sinclair - be as generous with rights fees?

Sinclair should be announcing the new brand name for these channels in a matter of days. Perhaps they will elect to license the FOX brand but that is unlikely.

Arizona fans need to support the new owner and watch the games as there will be new bookkeepers hoping the team can come close to breaking even.

 

[Mightygoose]

The right team could also be one on the rise i.e..Nords to Colorado and essentially a piece a away from a championship....as opposed to a directionless Thrashers team that TSNE squired.

The former would put 'buts in seats' better than the later. Granted if he would pony up the $$$ to what the BoG wants, VGK is a template of being that 'right team' as well.

 

[MAHJ71]

Houston Space Shuttles
Houston Space Cowboys
Houston Energy
Houston Aeronauts
Houston Marauders

all I got for now..

 

[GindyDraws]

Houston Space Shuttles
Houston Space Cowboys
Houston Energy
Houston Aeronauts
Houston Marauders

all I got for now..

Aeros, baby. You always go with Aeros.

 

[Aero 75]

Well, that's all nice and everything that Tilman Fertitta hasn't given up on bringing an NHL team to Houston, but the fact is that there are no NHL teams looking to make a move in the near future. He's also still very tentative about hockey in Houston, saying hockey isn't successful south of the Mason-Dixon Line, even though that statement isn't exactly 100% accurate. My guess is he won't be able to move a team to Houston in the near future, and he won't pay the price (whatever that may be) when the NHL decides to expand way down the road. By the time that happens, Austin may be a more attractive location, especially since they just received 30,000 season ticket deposits for the new MLS team to play there in 2021. Austin seems starved for a major league team, although MLS isn't exactly major league. Austin FC sells season ticket memberships for 30,000 seats

 

[gstommylee]

Well, that's all nice and everything that Tilman Fertitta hasn't given up on bringing an NHL team to Houston, but the fact is that there are no NHL teams looking to make a move in the near future. He's also still very tentative about hockey in Houston, saying hockey isn't successful south of the Mason-Dixon Line, even though that statement isn't exactly 100% accurate. My guess is he won't be able to move a team to Houston in the near future, and he won't pay the price (whatever that may be) when the NHL decides to expand way down the road. By the time that happens, Austin may be a more attractive location, especially since they just received 30,000 season ticket deposits for the new MLS team to play there in 2021. Austin seems starved for a major league team, although MLS isn't exactly major league. Austin FC sells season ticket memberships for 30,000 seats

Apples to oranges MLS team is far far cheaper than a NHL team. What makes you think Austin would pay 650m or more for a NHL team? I doubt it. I doubt any future market will want to pay 650m+ for a NHL team and i don't see NHL suddenly dropping that price even if they want to go beyond 32.

Also its uncertain if the coyotes under their new owner will be able to figure out a new arena for them. Only time will tell.

 

[Butch 19]

is the Rockets arena hockey friendly?

 

[GindyDraws]

Well, that's all nice and everything that Tilman Fertitta hasn't given up on bringing an NHL team to Houston, but the fact is that there are no NHL teams looking to make a move in the near future. He's also still very tentative about hockey in Houston, saying hockey isn't successful south of the Mason-Dixon Line, even though that statement isn't exactly 100% accurate. My guess is he won't be able to move a team to Houston in the near future, and he won't pay the price (whatever that may be) when the NHL decides to expand way down the road. By the time that happens, Austin may be a more attractive location, especially since they just received 30,000 season ticket deposits for the new MLS team to play there in 2021. Austin seems starved for a major league team, although MLS isn't exactly major league. Austin FC sells season ticket memberships for 30,000 seats

Doesn't help that the resident MLS team, the Houston Dynamo, are crap on the pitch and their owners, Gabirel Brener and Oscar De La Hoya, only seem to care about minimal profits while doing everything possible to cut costs on team spending (the Dynamo routinely are towards the bottom, if not are the bottom, in MLS payroll). This only further makes Austin FC a more tempting club to follow.

I really don't understand why nobody has suggested to Tilman about testing the waters about having an ECHL team in the arena and getting 7-8000 average while he looks for an NHL team to gauge if the city truly would be interested in hockey. He would fill dates in his arena and have a test study, but I dunno; the man has likely made up his mind it's NHL or nothing.

is the Rockets arena hockey friendly?

They hosted the Aeros for years since the arena was built, and the team only left because curmudgeon Les Alexander was a prick about hockey in the arena as it kept getting in the way of concerts and other events (likely still bitter about not getting the Edmonton Oilers, I guess). Hockey now has another problem in Houston; the guy who now owns the arena wants a specific kind of hockey.​

 

[cbcwpg]

Interesting choice of words by Fertitta in saying we have to find the right team.

“The studies we have done, it’s a little harder below the Mason-Dixon Line. It’s a little harder to put butts in the seats,” Fertitta said. “And we’ve got to find the right team, and then we have got to just make sure that we can put the butts in the seats.”

Definitely sounds like he has no interest in paying Bettman's over inflated expansion fees, but will be willing to take a distressed asset of his hands for the right price.

 

[TheLegend]

I disagree. Last season Forbes valued Arizona, a league lowest, 290 mil. That would be incredibly cheap in comparison to expansion fees, especially when there's some decent pieces for the yotes. I still think Arizona is the most likely to move. A lot is going to fall on the fans and ownership over the next few years.

Forbes values mean nothing.

If Fertitta wants a team it will be at the NHL’s asking price whether it be via their expansion price or via a sale plus a hefty relocation fee.

Besides.... Alex Meruelo isn’t the kind of guy who buys up assets just to flip them, nor is he going to operate in someone else’s playground.

Arizona isn’t going anywhere.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I mean... I haven't given up on the dream of owning an NHL team either, but it's also more of a matter of not being able to afford it as well.

He wants a discount and he's not going to get an NHL team in his price range in all likelihood. The days of cheapo NHL teams like the Trashers being up for sale are gone the days of the dodo since the NHL started charging a half billion+ for an expansion team.

Regular reminder that True North bought in low. Very opportune timing there.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Apples to oranges MLS team is far far cheaper than a NHL team. What makes you think Austin would pay 650m or more for a NHL team? I doubt it. I doubt any future market will want to pay 650m+ for a NHL team and i don't see NHL suddenly dropping that price even if they want to go beyond 32.

Also its uncertain if the coyotes under their new owner will be able to figure out a new arena for them. Only time will tell.

Austin will never fly, folks, it's Dallas territory, good luck convincing the Stars to leave Austin or its suburbs, ie Cedar Park

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Yup, expecting five years on here of the occasional "Fertitta's still interested" articles, followed by the same people giving the same responses, and the same people 'liking' the responses that imply certain teams moving or being sold. Sooooo predictable. See you again in a few months. Out.

 

[NorthCoast]

The avg. NHL Team value is up nearly 400 mil in the past decade.

There are 2200+ billionaires in the world.


Like others have said. He is not getting a team on the cheap.

 

[Mightygoose]

With allot of Mr. Fertitta's being about hockey struggling below the mason-dixon line and we need the 'right team' and getting butts in the seats.

This doesn't exude confidence with him in either the NHL product working there or maybe even him as a potential owner seeming he is looking for the right kind of circumstances (i.e. price)

How would the other owners feel about these kind of comments which can be seen as devaluing the business?

Foley didn't make any comments about hockey's struggles essentially in the south. His group just went about building the business before getting the team.

True North, didn't comment about having the right kind of team. They went with what became available, built the business too and kept out of the press along the way.

Quebecor is staying quiet despite their interest.

 

[StreetHawk]

NHL team to Tillman is a business asset as opposed to a toy.

It’s a standoff neither side will win. Nhl team prices won’t come down and so long as tilman controls the Toyota Center no nhl team will play in Houston.

Someone else can try but they’d likely have to build an arena outside metro Houston as I doubt the city would approve another arena in the area. Doesn’t really serve the city much. Plus the city would have to handle infrastructure for busier streets and public transportation to get there.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Austin will never fly, folks, it's Dallas territory, good luck convincing the Stars to leave Austin or its suburbs, ie Cedar Park

Austin to Dallas is only about twenty miles closer than Houston is to Dallas (at least by car, not crow). The Stars don't remotely have a territorial claim there, and if some billionaire from Austin reached out to Bettman with a $650 million check, the existence of an AHL is not going to stop that.

That being said, I do think that it's Houston or bust from a realistic perspective regarding a second Texan team in the NHL, and the NHL may have priced themselves out of that market already.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Austin to Dallas is only about twenty miles closer than Houston is to Dallas (at least by car, not crow). The Stars don't remotely have a territorial claim there, and if some billionaire from Austin reached out to Bettman with a $650 million check, the existence of an AHL is not going to stop that.

That being said, I do think that it's Houston or bust from a realistic perspective regarding a second Texan team in the NHL, and the NHL may have priced themselves out of that market already.

Dallas owns the market in Austin, and that will never change, it's one of the reasons you'll never see another league there, NFS

 

[DaveG]

Forbes values mean nothing.

If Fertitta wants a team it will be at the NHL’s asking price whether it be via their expansion price or via a sale plus a hefty relocation fee.

Exactly. During the whole Hurricanes sale saga Forbes insisted they are worth just over 200 million... until they sold for around 500 million. And this coming from someone that generally likes Forbes, when it comes to NHL team valuations they're about as accurate as a mediocre college kicker.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Dallas owns the market in Austin, and that will never change, it's one of the reasons you'll never see another league there, NFS

We just recently saw an MLS team announced for Austin when there was already a Dallas team in the MLS.

I don't think you can say it's a simple matter of any Dallas-team owning the market, but rather it's still a smallish market (especially compared to the bigger nearby markets that may or may not have open availability for teams in a given league) and the other four leagues have had bigger fishes to fry then to make it a pririoty to expand/relocate there. Plus, the bigger issue of there likely not being many suitable owners willing to put a team there in direct competition with the Longhorns.

 

[canuckfan75]

I really believe the NHL will be a 40 Team League in the next 20 years.

two more in North America - Houston and Atlanta and a European Division with 6 Team - Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague, London, Zurich and Berlin.

too much money for them to say no. In ten years they can get close to $1 billion for each team in North America.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I really believe the NHL will be a 40 Team League in the next 20 years.

two more in North America - Houston and Atlanta and a European Division with 6 Team - Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague, London, Zurich and Berlin.

too much money for them to say no. In ten years they can get close to $1 billion for each team in North America.

Atlanta won't be happening even the days of teams sharing arenas are going away..... even the Dream are leaving State Farm Arena because of no lease agreement

even the Indiana Fever are being relocated due to renovations at Fielders Fieldhouse