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

StreetHawk

Registered User
Sep 30, 2017
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gstommylee said:
No idea what you are talking about?

First of all. Requirements per the city for the key arena renovation, was to house both the NHL and the NBA. Even in the MOU it required both leagues to sign off on it. The NHL group wants a NBA team.

OH and our NHL group already has the NHL team. It was announced last tuesday.
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Taking about the 90’s renovation of Key Arena. If the Key Arena was equal in quality and up to date like the Moda Center in Portland then the sonics don’t leave.

My point is that sports teams are dependent on the arena. And who controls the revenues determines if a sport will play there.

If Fertitta doesn’t want to pay what Seattle did that’s entirely his decision. Means that Houston won’t have an NHl team.

NHL was able to get back to Seattle after their failed 90’s expansion bid. Time will tell if they can get into Houston.
 

SwaggySpungo

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Oct 18, 2018
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For the record, Bob did not say the NHL was eyeing Austin. Bob said that HE thought Austin might be a good market, as Houston isn't interested.
 

gstommylee

Registered User
Jan 31, 2012
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StreetHawk said:
Taking about the 90’s renovation of Key Arena. If that arena was torn down rather than renovated to be basketball specific would anyone be willing to spend $800 million to renovate an arena that would be of the same year as the Moda Center? Renos to the Key occurred during the 94-95 season and the Moda Center opened in 1995.

My point is that sports teams are dependent on the arena. And who controls the revenues determines if a sport will play there.

If Fertitta doesn’t want to pay what Seattle did that’s entirely his decisions. Means that Houston won’t have an NHl team.
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And that didn't involve OVG. OVG didn't even exist back then. Oh i see Houston getting a NHL team at some point. The Coyotes mess isn't sustainable. If Barroway can't find a $$$ investor and built that new arena in a better location, the coyotes will end up relocating.
 
beenhereandthere

beenhereandthere

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Jan 30, 2012
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I've thought about this before. When you combine San Antonio, just over an hour away, you're talking about 3.5 million people. Why not? Houston would make more sense but if that fails? Yea, a "first team" embrace like in Carolina and Las Vegas is certainly likely. Maybe Arizona has it as a plan A. The issue seems to be though, no suitable arena until a permanent one is made.
 
Cacciaguida

Cacciaguida

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Jan 11, 2010
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beenhereandthere said:
I've thought about this before. When you combine San Antonio, just over an hour away, you're talking about 3.5 million people. Why not? Houston would make more sense but if that fails? Yea, a "first team" embrace like in Carolina and Las Vegas is certainly likely. Maybe Arizona has it as a plan A. The issue seems to be though, no suitable arena until a permanent one is made.
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Even San Antonio makes more sense than Austin.
 
Aero 75

Aero 75

Registered User
Jan 22, 2013
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Houston, Tx
Cacciaguida said:
Even San Antonio makes more sense than Austin.
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San Antonio makes more sense at the moment because it has an NHL ready arena in AT&T Center, where the AHL Rampage
play. Of course, you put an NHL team in San Antonio, you're going up against the Spurs. The Spurs have 5 NBA championships
in the recent past, and have a huge following in Central Texas. Not saying San Antonio wouldn't support both, and hockey has
always done extremely well in San Antonio at the minor league level, but if an NHL friendly arena is built in Austin, you wouldn't
have that competition from an NBA team. Until said arena is built, Austin isn't in the picture. If the arena is built, at NHL levels,
everything changes.
(FWIW, the largest hockey attendance in Texas is not in Dallas, but San Antonio, when 19,211 attended a San Antonio Dragons vs.
Phoenix Roadrunners IHL game in the Alamodome in 1997.)
 
Last edited:

SwaggySpungo

Registered User
Oct 18, 2018
768
969
beenhereandthere said:
I've thought about this before. When you combine San Antonio, just over an hour away, you're talking about 3.5 million people. Why not? Houston would make more sense but if that fails? Yea, a "first team" embrace like in Carolina and Las Vegas is certainly likely. Maybe Arizona has it as a plan A. The issue seems to be though, no suitable arena until a permanent one is made.
Click to expand...

You realize being over an hour away is pretty significant, right?

Austin would be a terrible market.
 
voyageur

voyageur

Hockey fanatic
Jul 10, 2011
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SwaggySpungo said:
For the record, Bob did not say the NHL was eyeing Austin. Bob said that HE thought Austin might be a good market, as Houston isn't interested.
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Yeah he was talking about an emerging market. Let's face it, outside of original 6 and expansion markets of the 60s and 70s, the NHL does not do well head to head with the NBA. And its brand took a hit with LeBron, the NFL and the Dodgers all making a footprint.

Everybody knows this.

So the NHL makes it mark where the NBA isn't: St. Louis, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Tampa, Nashville, Raleigh, Columbus, Vegas and now Seattle.

I think Houston, like Portland, are taking the road that Atlanta did, ensuring they are protecting their bread and butter and refusing to take a loss on the operating costs of an NHL franchise, with limited traction. Certainly less than college sports. Austin will get an MLS franchise soon, and I think that draws attention, as the MLS is putting up some good attendance and TV ratings in places where the NHL struggles. And now moving into emerging markets. The NHL's next TV contract will be interesting.

A franchise with $250 million of operating debt, like the Coyotes, is a black flag, with the NHL franchise values being somewhat inflated by the NBA's increase with Ballmer's purchase of the Clippers. I think there might be a sense of a bubble coming, and certainly a little inequity between North and South in potential ownership groups. I wonder who would pay $500 million for the Coyotes. The NHL brass is going to have to take less for Houston to get in. If they want them in. Hockey is not new to Texas, but it's not taking off either.

I wonder if Kansas City ever circles back into discussion. Lamar Hunt I think has interest. St. Louis is a good TV market for the NHL.

I also wonder what happens to the NHL when the NFL, NBA and MLS overlap into an NHL market. NBA could easily expand to Seattle, Vegas and eat at the NHL revenues.
 
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voyageur

voyageur

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Jul 10, 2011
9,467
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Aero 75 said:
If it was up to me, I would put a team in Houston and Quebec City. But, that's the diehard WHA fan in me coming out. In reality, neither will happen.
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I like it, replacing 2 franchises with suburban arenas, in the least interested markets, with two WHA powerhouses.
 

gstommylee

Registered User
Jan 31, 2012
14,497
2,787
voyageur said:
Yeah he was talking about an emerging market. Let's face it, outside of original 6 and expansion markets of the 60s and 70s, the NHL does not do well head to head with the NBA. And its brand took a hit with LeBron, the NFL and the Dodgers all making a footprint.

Everybody knows this.

So the NHL makes it mark where the NBA isn't: St. Louis, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Tampa, Nashville, Raleigh, Columbus, Vegas and now Seattle.

I think Houston, like Portland, are taking the road that Atlanta did, ensuring they are protecting their bread and butter and refusing to take a loss on the operating costs of an NHL franchise, with limited traction. Certainly less than college sports. Austin will get an MLS franchise soon, and I think that draws attention, as the MLS is putting up some good attendance and TV ratings in places where the NHL struggles. And now moving into emerging markets. The NHL's next TV contract will be interesting.

A franchise with $250 million of operating debt, like the Coyotes, is a black flag, with the NHL franchise values being somewhat inflated by the NBA's increase with Ballmer's purchase of the Clippers. I think there might be a sense of a bubble coming, and certainly a little inequity between North and South in potential ownership groups. I wonder who would pay $500 million for the Coyotes. The NHL brass is going to have to take less for Houston to get in. If they want them in. Hockey is not new to Texas, but it's not taking off either.

I wonder if Kansas City ever circles back into discussion. Lamar Hunt I think has interest. St. Louis is a good TV market for the NHL.

I also wonder what happens to the NHL when the NFL, NBA and MLS overlap into an NHL market. NBA could easily expand to Seattle, Vegas and eat at the NHL revenues.
Click to expand...

There is zero support for a Kansas City team the suppose group in 2015 process said 500m was too much.

There will be zero issues of a NBA team in Seattle again with a NHL playing there (same group would own both teams.)
 
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