The NHL is Eyeing Austin Texas instead of Houston - Oak View agrees to Build New Arena!!!

[Bixby Snyder]

No reason why Austin and Houston couldn't both get teams, Texas is big enough for 3 NHL teams. We need more sunbelt teams enough of this Hamilton/Quebec/Saskatchuwon nonsense.

 

[voyageur]

No reason why Austin and Houston couldn't both get teams, Texas is big enough for 3 NHL teams. We need more sunbelt teams enough of this Hamilton/Quebec/Saskatchuwon nonsense.

Yes the new NHL. Fans don't matter, as long as they are willing to pay premium prices, which goes to support hockey in half empty arenas. To grow the game.

But 2021. If the NHL is used to being 2nd best, to the NBA, Austin might just be right if someone wants to buy and own a team that the NHL operates.

 

[Melrose Munch]

NHL in a college town like Austin would be horrific.

Columbus, Nashville, and Raleigh are also "college towns" and the league does fine in those locations.

Cities like Austin are what the NHL likes when it comes to small US markets.

The college town thing is fine but the point is Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami. Those are the big four markets. The college towns don't move the needle nationally at all.

 

[ref19]

Columbus, Nashville, and Raleigh are also "college towns" and the league does fine in those locations.

Cities like Austin are what the NHL likes when it comes to small US markets.

Nashville isn’t a college town

 

[joelef]

The college town thing is fine but the point is Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami. Those are the big four markets. The college towns don't move the needle nationally at all.

IS AUSTIN really a "college town" anymore?

 

[HisIceness]

Nashville isn’t a college town

How is Nashville not a college town but Austin is?

 

[HisIceness]

IS AUSTIN really a "college town" anymore?

To me a "college town" is a town like Ann Arbor, Chapel Hill, Athens, Auburn, etc. where the college is the town and vice versa. However, it's a broad statement to include even significant cities like Austin and Columbus that have industry and social life and events outside the college spectrum.

It really depends on who you're talking to, but I can see why someone would still consider Austin to be a "college town".

 

[joelef]

To me a "college town" is a town like Ann Arbor, Chapel Hill, Athens, Auburn, etc. where the college is the town and vice versa. However, it's a broad statement to include even significant cities like Austin and Columbus that have industry and social life outside the college spectrum.

It really depends on who you're talking to, but I can see why someone would still consider Austin to be a "college town".

I mean Just look at the skyline and all the transplants and the continued growth.

 

[HisIceness]

I mean Just look at the skyline and all the transplants and the continued growth.

I get that but again, it all depends on who you're talking to and what their definition is. Believe it or not some consider Atlanta (not the entire metro but the city itself) a college town, and they have multiple skylines and transplants.

 

[ref19]

How is Nashville not a college town but Austin is?

Have you been to Nashville? It's a music town that happens to have pro sport teams. No one cares about Vandy sports except their baseball team.

 

[HisIceness]

Have you been to Nashville? It's a music town that happens to have pro sport teams. No one cares about Vandy sports except their baseball team.

Nashville isn't just Vanderbilt. Libscomb, Belmont, Tennessee State, Fisk. It isn't called "Athens of the South" just because of the Parthenon replica.

It's no less a "college town" than Austin, another music town. It just doesn't have a dominating public university like UT is all.

 

[PCSPounder]

Vanderbilt doesn't exactly chase pro teams out of Nashville the way UT chases every form of competition out of downtown Austin.
That's probably not your definition of a college town. I think it's a good working definition in this case.

(That makes Columbus a more interesting discussion, frankly.)

 

[wetcoast]

Yes, and in Nashville the public paid for most of the arena too. Depends how they feel about public $$$ in Austin. Would the feeling be cool our 1st pro sports team sign me up or we got the University of Texas good enough?

Nashville and Austin for the SC..wow

As a 50sih Canadian hockey lover I would have told you that you were crazy but it could be the music series right?

You could have local music outside of each home teams arena..wow I'm loving this trip.

 

[ref19]

Nashville isn't just Vanderbilt. Libscomb, Belmont, Tennessee State, Fisk. It isn't called "Athens of the South" just because of the Parthenon replica.

It's no less a "college town" than Austin, another music town. It just doesn't have a dominating public university like UT is all.

Correct. Which is my point

 

[Spotty 2 Hotty]

As much as I'd enjoy seeing an NHL game without driving 3 hours to get to Dallas, an NHL team would be wasted here in Austin.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

As much as I'd enjoy seeing an NHL game without driving 3 hours to get to Dallas, an NHL team would be wasted here in Austin.

Maybe but NHL can always use more arenas to use as leverage.

OVG is behind Seattle and Islanders Belmont arena, so would be interesting if they include option for hockey. From what I understand they are going to build an arena for themselves, they are just letting Longhorns use it for free or at least for a peppercorn rent.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Just a design but sure does not look hockey compatible.

 

[sexydonut]

It actually does look like it was designed with hockey in mind. The curving horizontal guardrail in the center front of the picture separates the more steeply banked bowl from the shallower slope up front.

Renderings are more about the artist's impression than anything else though. Get some plans and seating charts and it will be settled.

 

[Lee Sharpe]

Houston should be NHL redar. It is 4th largets city in USA without NHL franchise.

Its hard to understand that they dont have a team. I think that they will get one in the future. Maybe 2-5 years...

 

[Jokerit 16]

Houston should be NHL redar. It is 4th largets city in USA without NHL franchise.

Its hard to understand that they dont have a team. I think that they will get one in the future. Maybe 2-5 years...

I agree. NHL should target Houston and Kansas city League should expand league to 34. Even Austin is growing ist a small TV market.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I agree. NHL should target Houston and Kansas city League should expand league to 34. Even Austin is growing ist a small TV market.

when did Kansas City become part of Texas, Jokerit?

they better pay Dallas a huge fee for entering Austin's territory

 

[tornadowarning33]

I agree. NHL should target Houston and Kansas city League should expand league to 34. Even Austin is growing ist a small TV market.

I just can't see KC being in play for the foreseeable future. I know that there are people with money (Lamar Hunt, Jr. among them) who would love to have a franchise there, but the expansion price tag has always been a non-starter. The city seems much more interested in keeping T-Mobile Center available for big concerts and college basketball (KC is not a college town, but it is a college basketball mecca). If the old rule of thumb about having 1 million metro population for every Big 4 franchise, plus 500,000 for an MLS franchise still holds true, then KC is more than capped out (approx. 2.15 million metro to support the Chiefs, Royals, and Sporting KC). Even if you stretch it out to the Combined Statistical Area, which covers a much broader swath of territory, that only gets them to just above 2.4 million. Maybe if Sporting wasn't there, you could possibly get away with having enough local support for an NHL franchise, but KC is also a massive regional hotbed for soccer. They aren't going anywhere.

 

[MNNumbers]

I just can't see KC being in play for the foreseeable future. I know that there are people with money (Lamar Hunt, Jr. among them) who would love to have a franchise there, but the expansion price tag has always been a non-starter. The city seems much more interested in keeping T-Mobile Center available for big concerts and college basketball (KC is not a college town, but it is a college basketball mecca). If the old rule of thumb about having 1 million metro population for every Big 4 franchise, plus 500,000 for an MLS franchise still holds true, then KC is more than capped out (approx. 2.15 million metro to support the Chiefs, Royals, and Sporting KC). Even if you stretch it out to the Combined Statistical Area, which covers a much broader swath of territory, that only gets them to just above 2.4 million. Maybe if Sporting wasn't there, you could possibly get away with having enough local support for an NHL franchise, but KC is also a massive regional hotbed for soccer. They aren't going anywhere.

I agree with this.

Some of the recent analysis here, and on the Atlanta thread, seems disappointing to me. We all need to remember this....

The league itself doesn't choose where to go.
The individual owners have control over their own franchises. The league itself can't force a relocation.
Individual owners in various markets are responsible for their own finances.

Because of these things, no owner is going to try in KC unless something changes in regard to the arena there. You simply can't make it go without management rights, and the city is very happy to keep the rights for themselves.

Many other places fall to the same logic.

And, finally, no one really knows what entertainment is going to look like post COVID. I kind of wonder about Seattle, actually. It's a 1B investment in the arena. How busy will it be after COVID?

I think waiting to see how the country responds in a few years is a likely decision for people and companies who might be rich enough to make these kinds of investments.

 

[GindyDraws]

Houston should be NHL redar. It is 4th largets city in USA without NHL franchise.

Its hard to understand that they dont have a team. I think that they will get one in the future. Maybe 2-5 years...

They should, but as long as the only arena is owned by idiots or grumps, they won't.

 

[GindyDraws]

Just a design but sure does not look hockey compatible.

My God, that's Bankers Life Fieldhouse configurations bad.