This is no suprise. But glad to see them talking about it, now. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3438046 Alexander pursues NHL franchise Rockets owner lays groundwork for acquisition, financing of team By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle With the NHL back in business, Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said this week that he is working toward expanding his business to pro hockey. Alexander said that not only has he made his interest known to NHL officials, including commissioner Gary Bettman, last month he began talking with investors should he be able to buy a team to move to Houston. "I am trying to get a team. I am trying," Alexander said. "I went to see the commissioner. I told him about my interest. I can't disclose teams, but I've been talking to people (in the NHL) and to investment bankers. "I had conversations a month ago with an investment banking firm. I'm looking to buy a team. So people know my interest. You hear from time to time that teams might be for sale, then it changes or something else happens. But my interest is out there." Alexander had said that he wanted to bring the NHL to Houston when he sought support for the arena referendum in 1999 and 2000. Toyota Center was built as if it would be the home of an NHL team. But he and Rockets president George Postolos also had said the organization would not be interested in an NHL franchise until after the league reached agreement with its players' association on a collective bargaining agreement. With the new CBA in place, Alexander has made his interests known, but he has not been approached by any NHL owner or league official about teams that could be for sale. NHL spokesperson Bernadette Mansur said Bettman and Alexander met about six months ago, but the league has not studied Houston as a potential NHL city. Bettman: No expansion Bettman has been vocal in his opposition to any NHL expansion, Mansur said. Alexander said most of those conversations, other than with potential investors, were before the NHL collective bargaining agreement was complete, assuming it would work as it has. "I'm trying to do it," Alexander said. "I would like it, obviously. Now there's an opportunity to probably break even and hope in the future you could make money on it. I sort of know (the economics with the new CBA). There's no revelations that would change them." Under the new NHL collective bargaining agreement, each team's payroll must be between $21.5 million and $39 million this season. The NBA's salary cap is at a minimum of $49.5 million with no limit, though most teams including the Rockets work to keep the payroll from triggering a luxury tax, to start this season when a team's salaries reach $61.7 million. But the NHL lost its national television contract with ESPN. It has since moved to the Outdoor Life Network. But just as the completion of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement increased Alexander's interest in moving a team to Houston, it has decreased the likelihood some of the struggling franchises will need to move. The NHL set attendance records for the first month of the season, with games playing to 91.2 percent of capacity, with an average of 16,820 per game, an increase of 4.9 percent from the 2003-04 season. Heading into Thursday's games, NHL average attendance has been 16,758, an increase of 4 percent from the same point of the previous season. Mentioned as candidates The Nashville Predators, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals have been mentioned as teams that could be franchises that might consider a move. Hurricanes attendance is up 21 percent (to 14,627 per game) and Predators attendance has increased 14 percent (to 14,257). Attendance in Buffalo and Washington is down 11 percent. The Capitals are last in the NHL, averaging 12,313, but the NHL is likely to resist a move out of the nation's capital. The Penguins have drawn well to start the season. Despite a 2-5-5 record, Pittsburgh has averaged 15,902 in home attendance, an increase of 31 percent. "We're always looking for a way to make our business better," Postolos said. "This is one of the things we look at. We've done some studies. It's something we'll continue to look at. ... We did some analysis, but we're opportunistic." Toyota's hockey team Toyota Center is home to the AHL Aeros. Going into Thursday's game, the Aeros' average home attendance, 4,969, ranked 14th in the 27-team league, behind the league average of 5,028. Aeros attendance also trailed AHL teams from cities of similar size — Chicago (8,027), Philadelphia (7,468) and Toronto (6,106) — though each competes with NBA and NHL teams. But an NHL team might be able to gain greater corporate support than the Aeros. "People were saying, from what I've heard, that when the lockout ended there were going to be four or five teams that would be on the market and looking for a move," Aeros general manager Tom Lynn said. "(Toyota Center) is a great building, but it has to work for the group that is there." But Alexander believes the NHL would work in Houston and has stepped up his efforts to make it happen.
Possibly not... there are lots of cities with both. It's a different market. With different pricing! A while back, I read that Texas was the state with the most professional hockey teams! I think that's changed with the demise of some of the leagues, but it was still an interesting stat. Only downside: Add NHL talk to the Astro's forum and I lose even more time here each day!!!
Like Jayz said, buy low sell high, Les could potentially make unbelievable money with this, we've already got the stadium. But this is still a risky proposition. I don't want to speak for everyone, but us Houston folk aren't really into Hockey. It's obviously because we dont' have a team, but the way we tend to bandwagon the Stros and Rockets (hate to admit it, but when we lose, no one shows up). This could be a big loss for Les.
On second thought, scratch that. In order to get ANY fan interest you'd have to bring in a new team with a new image and marketing campaign and probably one or two NHL stars (young Americans, preferably).
why in God's name would you watch hockey period? I don't care if it's a houston team or not, hockey = gay (according to several reliable news sources)
I sure hope not. The NHL is in trouble as it is and IMO there shouldn't be an NHL franchise in any place that doesn't have naturally occuring ice for at least two months out of the year.
everything you just said could be applied to dallas. look, hockey is a corporate game. it only sells out in a handful of markets. but it depends on suite revenue, and needs to be in cities with nice sized corporate bases to work. if it can work in dallas, it can work here. the people there had less exposure to the NHL at that time then we do now here in Houston.
