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

[Dirty Old Man]

Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Detroit have also struggled for reasons.

 

[gstommylee]

Non-traditional hockey markets can work if done right (though it's no guarantee).

The Coyotes are a how-to into doing it wrong.

The issue with the coyotes is the arena they are playing in is on the wrong side of phoenix. They would be doing perfectly fine if the arena was located on the Scottsdale side of phx.

 

[member 157595]

The issue with the coyotes is the arena they are playing in is on the wrong side of phoenix. They would be doing perfectly fine if the arena was located on the Scottsdale side of phx.

If they would have had smart ownership that knew how to grow a NHL market from the ground up (namely, by hiring the right people, embracing the local culture and not being afraid to take a short-term hit in order to achieve long-term gain) from the beginning, they could have created a product that people from Scottsdale or whatever would pay to see even if the team was in Glendale.

The NHL doesn't care that the arena is in Glendale. They only care that they're not being subsidized to play there anymore. If the guy in Houston was willing to shell out $650M for the Coyotes the NHL would toss the Phoenix area to the curb immediately.

 

[PCSPounder]

A few years back I started a general thread here about how Austin stands as a sport market as I thought the demos seemed like what everyone here praises as NHL demos.

Is Austin big enough for MLS and NHL and UT?

The key to the answer: UT will tell pretty much everyone there's not enough room for MLS and NHL and them.

Just as important... Austin thwarted Anthony Precourt's efforts to get a downtown stadium. Precourt is still intent on moving there... SMH. I've found it funny that efforts to get a pro ballpark get shunted to Round Rock, a minor league arena ends up in Cedar Park, now MLS. It's almost obvious to me that UT flexes its muscles whenever it comes to potential competition settling near them. The NHL will not get the location they should want. The only reason to have this discussion is that Texas always seems to find someone full of naïve hopes and dreams who might carry something like this further than it should go.

 

[canuckfan75]

‘There’s never been a better time to be a part of the music business.’ - Music Business Worldwide

Do not look now. But University of Texas has ask for bids to build and maintain the area on the campus. Oak View- Building the arena in Seattle and Long Island is very much in the running. The university does not want to pay for the arena. so Oak View is in charge of who plays in that arena as they would own it. so connect the dots. says arena could be build in 5 to 7 years. just int time for team #33.

 

[powerstuck]

Do it. But Austin would need a major league arena and a prospective owner. But in terms of "market" it is about on par with nashville, carolina, columbus, portland, kansas city. It is completely viable with a stable billion dollar owner.

Better be a MULTI billion dollar owner.

Look what's happening in Seattle. 650M$ fee to join the league, and don't expect relocation to be a bargain since it will most likely be a team price + relocation fee to match or surpass 650M$ tag.

Add in the arena. Sure in Seattle it's renovation, but still, I wouldn't be surprised to even see a brand new building getting a 750M$ + price tag.

That's 1,4B$ before the 1st puck drop. Yep, it's a risky investment at best.

 

[TheLegend]

If they would have had smart ownership that knew how to grow a NHL market from the ground up (namely, by hiring the right people, embracing the local culture and not being afraid to take a short-term hit in order to achieve long-term gain) from the beginning, they could have created a product that people from Scottsdale or whatever would pay to see even if the team was in Glendale.

The NHL doesn't care that the arena is in Glendale. They only care that they're not being subsidized to play there anymore. If the guy in Houston was willing to shell out $650M for the Coyotes the NHL would toss the Phoenix area to the curb immediately.

After all these years in Arizona, the Coyotes are finally going the grass roots way. The question is now was it too late?

 

[MikeCubs]

You are forgetting how much more popular the sport of basketball is in the US than hockey. The Spurs have been very successful winning 5 championships the last 20 years. Mavs have struggled the last 2 years, but won a championship and been to the finals in the last 10-12 years, and had a run of about 20 years where they missed the play-offs only once. Rockets have won 50 games 4 of the last 5 years, won 2 titles in the mid-90s and generally haven't had a play-off drought longer than 2-3 years at a time followed by a few years in. Point is, all 3 teams have enjoyed some success, which also helps with fan interest. Would 3 hockey teams have the same? Won't be easy.

Absolutely the NBA is more popular and team success in any sport is important. If an Austin team would be constant losers attendance would be bad but you can say that for every NHL team including Chicago, Boston etc....

Another reason for NBA success in Texas good market placement. They picked 2 huge markets in Dallas/Houston and picked one with 0 pro sports competition. The NHL is already successful in Dallas so they are already 1/3rd of the way there. I see no reason assuming they can get into Toyota Center and the Rockets owner is willing to pay the price it can't work in Houston. Austin it would depend on if you can get a downtown arena and what the public is willing to pay.

 

[13 others]

Would love to see this but hope Houston also gets a team. Austin is the biggest city without a pro team and is the fastest growing city % wise by metro or CSA in either the United States or Canada.

Houston is nearly growing as fast as Austin % wise and much more population wise.

 

[Aero 75]

‘There’s never been a better time to be a part of the music business.’ - Music Business Worldwide

Do not look now. But University of Texas has ask for bids to build and maintain the area on the campus. Oak View- Building the arena in Seattle and Long Island is very much in the running. The university does not want to pay for the arena. so Oak View is in charge of who plays in that arena as they would own it. so connect the dots. says arena could be build in 5 to 7 years. just int time for team #33.

According to this article from May 2018, the arena on the University of Texas campus would have a seating capacity of only 10,000. Haven't heard anything about increasing that capacity to anything
that would accommodate an NHL franchise.

Del Conte Offers Vision for New Texas Basketball Arena - Arena Digest

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Absolutely the NBA is more popular and team success in any sport is important. If an Austin team would be constant losers attendance would be bad but you can say that for every NHL team including Chicago, Boston etc....

Another reason for NBA success in Texas good market placement. They picked 2 huge markets in Dallas/Houston and picked one with 0 pro sports competition. The NHL is already successful in Dallas so they are already 1/3rd of the way there. I see no reason assuming they can get into Toyota Center and the Rockets owner is willing to pay the price it can't work in Houston. Austin it would depend on if you can get a downtown arena and what the public is willing to pay.

then why is Dallas's affiliate and San Antonio's affiliate already there, Mike, which SSE already controls

 

[MikeCubs]

Houston is nearly growing as fast as Austin % wise and much more population wise.

Since 2010 Houston has grown at at 16.42% rate, Austin at 23.28% rate. But yes Houston has gained more people because you are starting with a bigger number and Houston should definitely get an NHL team over Austin.

 

[HisIceness]

Ottawa, Carolina, and Florida struggle for a reason. The Islanders also struggle for a reason.

Yeah, they are lousy franchises with little success. Put a more viable product on the ice, one that is actually watchable and not an AHL team disguised as an NHL team and more people will come.

 

[MikeCubs]

then why is Dallas's affiliate and San Antonio's affiliate already there, Mike, which SSE already controls

If a real downtown arena popped up and you had a willing NHL buyer do you think they are going to turn that down over minor league hockey affiliations? No pro sports league is going to let minor league affiliations decide where they put teams.

This is looking moot anyway if the University is talking about a 10,000 arena.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

If a real downtown arena popped up and you had a willing NHL buyer do you think they are going to turn that down over minor league hockey affiliations? No pro sports league is going to let minor league affiliations decide where they put teams.

This is looking moot anyway if the University is talking about a 10,000 arena.

AND SSE says nope, keep in mind who controls the Austin Spurs, Mike

 

[HisIceness]

I've advocated for Austin before. It's a highly-educated city with lots of people from all points of the US and Canada. It's very similar to Nashville, Raleigh, Columbus, and San Jose in that regard.

It's also a very popular place with not just 20 and 30-somethings, but families too. The school system is supposedly the best in Texas and of course it's home to the prestgious U of Texas.

If I were an NHL player, ACL festival one day and a home game the next night, plus an occasional UT football game sounds pretty good to me. I guarantee the younger players in the league would have no issues living there.

 

[MikeCubs]

AND SSE says nope, keep in mind who controls the Austin Spurs, Mike

I know the Stars owner. But that's just one owner. It would depend on how bad the other owners would want Austin if this mythical arena popped up. He doesn't have actual territory rights under the NHL's rules.

 

[garbageteam]

Austin's MLS bid is essentially a done deal... the Columbus Crew's owner was going to move to Austin, but a group of fans blocked it by citing the "Art Modell Rule" that the state put in place after the Cleveland Browns moved (Every team in a publicly financed facility cannot move out of the facility unless there are no offers to buy the team and retain it in the facility).

The current Cleveland Browns ownership is going to step up and invest in saving the Crew, so the Crew owner and MLS are striking a deal where Austin gets a team and the Crew keeps a team. It might be a "paper trade" of "who's the new club and who's the existing club" (but that's been done before in numerous sports, like the Boston Celtics owner wanted to move to San Diego and the Buffalo Braves owner said he'd take the Boston market if it's vacated. So the Celtics owner took the Braves to San Diego (they're now the Clippers) and the Buffalo owner took over the Celtics).

Austin's basically guaranteed. Don Garber just announced MLS will be the first pro sports team in town on his annual state of the league address. Any inquiries about an Austin NHL team should definitely factor that an MLS team will already be playing there.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Truth be told, if any league had a chance to succeed in Austin, it might be the NHL. Longhorns will always be king in that market, but they only have a club hockey team and I haven't heard any inkling that they are considering jumping up to varsity in that sport, so it'd be the only major sport that wouldn't have a collegiate competitor for it.

They might be a southern equivalent of Columbus minus the college hockey.

I have my doubts still about the potential ownership interest or honestly the viability longterm even with my passing mention of a chance to do okay.

 

[Llama19]

Classic magician trick of misdirection...

 

[Mike Louis]

This is nothing more than Bettman trying to shakedown more money from Fertitta which won’t work since Fertitta can simply wait until Barroway runs out of money and is forced to flip the Coyotes at a fire sale price.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

If there's a willing owner, the NHL will go there.

 

[BattleBorn]

This is nothing more than Bettman trying to shakedown more money from Fertitta which won’t work since Fertitta can simply wait until Barroway runs out of money and is forced to flip the Coyotes at a fire sale price.

I thought the same thing about Foley and IceArizona.

While I don't disagree, I'd warn you against thinking there are two groups of people willing to spend hundreds of millions more than they need to for expansions if there was a realistic possibility of just buying out Barroway and moving the team. Especially if the most recent one doesn't even have a place to play until 2021.

 

[KevFu]

For those "worried" about the size of Austin if they have MLS and NHL,

Austin metro area has 2.1 million people and counting. That's a larger population than 1990's smallest "Four Sport City."

 

[Mayor Bee]

Didn’t they say the same type of things about Columbus? How do those two cities differ in what they offer. Both cities in terms of sports is dominated by NCAA football.

Columbus got a foot in the NHL expansion door by having an ECHL team that set every attendance record known to man over a span of several years.

Austin once had a WPHL team called the IceBats that last played over a decade ago.