Home · Sports · Oct 7 archive
NHL Considers Houston for Expansion
Confirmed
In Short: Houston is a potential target for NHL expansion, with the league exploring a second team in Texas.
Houston is a potential target for NHL expansion, with the league exploring a second team in Texas, according to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Bettman noted in late June that Houston and Austin are being considered, with a preference expected to be determined by the end of the year.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire expressed confidence in the city's ability to support an NHL team, emphasizing the strong local sports fan base.
The city has a history with hockey, including the Houston Aeros, an IHL expansion franchise in 1994.
Houston sports fans have shown support for various teams, even during the time when the AHL played at Toyota Center.
However, some argue that Houston already has a strong sports presence, particularly with football, which could make it challenging for an NHL team to establish itself.
The Houston Public Media reported on the North Houston Highway Improvement Project, which is expected to start in October.
TxDOT forecasts a significant population increase in the Houston metro area by 2050, from over 7 million to about 13 million.
Despite the challenges, Houston's strong support for local sports teams and its potential for growth make it a viable candidate for NHL expansion.
The city's political and sports landscape, along with potential stakeholders, are actively discussing how Houston could land an expansion team.
Houston's rich history and current enthusiasm for sports make it a compelling candidate for the NHL's expansion plans.
What this adds
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project's potential impact on the city's growth and infrastructure is a factor in Houston's viability for NHL expansion.
The discussions about Houston's potential for NHL expansion are louder and more real, with significant stakeholder involvement.
What's confirmed
- Houston is a potential target for NHL expansion, with the league exploring a second team in Texas, according to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
- Bettman noted in late June that Houston and Austin are being considered, with a preference expected to be determined by the end of the year.
- Houston Mayor John Whitmire expressed confidence in the city's ability to support an NHL team, emphasizing the strong local sports fan base.
- The city has a history with hockey, including the Houston Aeros, an IHL expansion franchise in 1994.
- Houston sports fans have shown support for various teams, even during the time when the AHL played at Toyota Center.
- However, some argue that Houston already has a strong sports presence, particularly with football, which could make it challenging for an NHL team to establish itself.
- The Houston Public Media reported on the North Houston Highway Improvement Project, which is expected to start in October.
- TxDOT forecasts a significant population increase in the Houston metro area by 2050, from over 7 million to about 13 million.
- Despite the challenges, Houston's strong support for local sports teams and its potential for growth make it a viable candidate for NHL expansion.
- The city's political and sports landscape, along with potential stakeholders, are actively discussing how Houston could land an expansion team.
- Houston's rich history and current enthusiasm for sports make it a compelling candidate for the NHL's expansion plans.
What's still developing
- Harris County-Houston Sports Authority CEO Ryan Walsh said.
- In late September, Bettman said the NHL is not in a formal round of expansion, noting that the NHL board of governors has taken a "wait-and-see attitude" when it comes to adding expansion franchises.
- He said there is an expectation that he'll know whether the board of governors prefers Austin or Houston as a potential expansion target by the end of the year.
- Another suggests there could be such a thing as too much sports, and how it would be challenging for an NHL team to find its footing.
- "Football, for me, is obviously the biggest thing down in Texas," Howe said.
- For some people, the Astrodome is what put Houston on the map at the same time as the city was putting a man on the moon.
- "They support everything and they're very proud of being Houstonians," said Tom Garrity, who was the president of the second version of the Houston Aeros for five seasons.
- The conversations still exist, but now they're louder and more real because the voices include the NHL, its stakeholders, a potential owner and figures within Houston's political and sports landscape about how the city could land an expansion team.
- It included agreeing to a $3.5 billion investment, including an expansion fee and building costs for an NHL arena.
- "I'm a big believer in that everything happens for a reason, right?"
- "There are a lot of really fine cities, but there's only one Houston."
- "All the high schools played on Friday nights. If the Aeros played on a Friday night, we would probably be on page five or six of the sports section because of high school football. That's the way it was."