Years ago when Columbus, Ohio (no offense to them) got a franchise over Houston, that told me all I need to know about the NHL. There’s a ton of money and transplant fans from up north as well as corporate dollars to support a team. Don’t think we’ll ever see an NHL franchise here in Houston.
The only reason that happened was because Les Alexander ****ed up Chuck Watson's group's bid. NHL expansion to Houston was done...Les ****ed it up because of a personal grudge. I loathed him for that. The issue now is the non-compete that Rockets ownership has with Toyota Center arena control. Essentially they either have to own all or part of the team...or acquiesce to a lease (which they won't in all likelihood)..or the NHL arena would need to be built somewhere outside of Harris County. That sucks. Again...Les.
Fertitta is trying to buy other teams in other leagues (prominent baseball and football teams most recently)…. It would almost be certain that he’d look to bid/own whatever NHL team that is currently available. Not sure the league can handle expansion… which would be a pure money grab as the owners get to set the expansion fees.
The NHL would rather get an expansion team than a team relocate to Houston because its more money for the league.
Sure But they also can't keep having a professional franchise play in a college rink with 4,000 capacity
Of course. Expansion fees are insane. That’s why Arizona still has a team while they play in a 5000 seat arena as a tenant of a college in the desert with no certain big league arena plan at all. That’s gone on for years. No other big league franchise would be allowed to do that with no certainty of a real plan for a facility that at least remotely resembled an average facility. They absolutely should relocate by every logical measure other than the simplest measure…that the owners want more expansion fees which are massive and split like free money. You want a team? Put up the cash for an expansion fee. Cause they’ll clearly do whatever to make sure one isn’t relocating even if every reasonable mind can’t begin to understand that.
I totally agree. And yet here we are. It’s damn near a year since the Tempe referendum failed. No plan. Nothing. NHL wants those expansion fee dollars. Clearly. They’ll let a team play in a 5000 seat arena just to show you lol
One, the Coyotes situation could only happen in the NHL. It is at best 4 out of 4 in North American professional sports leagues and wouldn’t be surprised if someone argued MLS has overtaken it in terms of interest and resources. In any other league the team would have a new stadium or would move. Two, how much of this is the NHL’s doing vs the Coyotes ownership not doing? For example, the A’s said **** it we’re out of Oakland and MLB said ok. Couldn’t the Coyotes do the same thing? Didn’t Al Davis sue the NFL for not letting him move to LA? Playing in a college arena with no professional arena in sight is crazy.
If they do move, they should rename them the Texas Ghost Wolves In honor of the unique canid hybrid Coyote/Red Wolf species in Galveston https://www.khou.com/amp/article/li...lves/285-5ca4b4f3-21c4-4b2f-b91a-4bf00ce31e52 It’s ****ing cool, I would buy that merch ‘Texas’ instead of Houston gives them a larger marketing reach. Put the arena NW of Houston and it’s a feasible day trip for Austin and San Antonio hockey fans.
There was a report a few weeks ago that said the NHL told the Coyotes ownership that they needed to see what their plan was by the all star break. The story is that they really don't know and things have been unusually quiet since the vote failed in Tempe last spring.
Its been said the Coyotes are buying land in North Phoenix for a possible arena https://frontofficesports.com/coyot...a-site-in-move-toward-long-desired-stability/ The Arizona Coyotes are reportedly close to a decision on where to build their $2.1 billion sports and entertainment district, a move that could bring a major dose of stability to the long-struggling franchise. Nearly four months after the NHL team signed a letter of intent to purchase a plot of land in Mesa as the possible development site, the Coyotes are now said to be focusing on a separate parcel in north Phoenix, adjacent to Scottsdale. The new location would represent something of a compromise. It’s further away from Mesa and other areas in metro Phoenix’s southeast valley, which represents a sizable portion of the team’s season-ticket base. But it’s very near some of the wealthiest areas in north Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, and it’s closer to Glendale, the team’s previous home. Even after signing the letter of intent in Mesa, the team said it would continue to explore other potential development sites. For now, the team remains at Arizona State University’s 5,000-seat Mullett Arena, a facility less than a third the size of the NHL’s next-smallest arena. A final decision and announcement regarding the arena site is expected within the next several months. Despite years of uncertainty and lagging attendance, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has remained steadfast in his support of keeping the Coyotes in the country’s 11th-largest media market.
Looks like they might buy some land....still hasn't been purchased...still no plan for an arena on that land...still have years of construction to go. It's unreal how long that leash is for Arizona. My best guess is that, if they move, they're going to Salt Lake City. An ownership group has made it very clear they want to be first in line, and have demonstrated ability to get it done. I have read that the SLC group would prefer an expansion franchise, however....so I don't know for sure. But I bet they'd jump at the chance to buy the Coyotes and they seem to have moved up in order simply because they have all their ducks in a row....very similar to how McNair moved Houston ahead of LA for an NFL team years ago.
The Coyotes' situation feels unprecedented in major American sports. There are teams that have languished (A's, Expos, Raiders and Chargers come to mind), but their leagues never fought to keep them in the markets they left. The NHL has been fighting to make Phoenix work for years now and it's clear that the city just doesn't them. I get the value of the media market, but it's laughable that the NHL is content to play in a college arena at the expense of an actual fanbase elsewhere.
I think it's all about television revenue. The NHL has a new deal with ESPN and Turner that's the best they've had in 10+ years. Losing the Phoenix TV market for Salt Lake City would be detrimental to what they can extract from the networks.
