I've seen reports today that NHL Commissioner Gary Betteman has stated that the Buffalo Sabres may either fold or move after this season. My question is with the new arena opening downtown, and the fact that Houston has been vying for an NHL franchise do you think the Sabres may come here? The biggest roadblock to getting the Sabres is obviously the timetable to buy the team by a local owner (in Houston), and the fact another group in NY is trying to buy the team to keep them there. Their window of opportunity to buy the team expires January 3rd, 2003. I think this is a prime opprtunity for Houston to get the NHL here. But would the Houston fanbase support major-league hockey? There aren't too many people I know who follow it, and the fact that the prices for tickets are very high. Not to mention the impending CBA conflict coming to the NHL. What do some of you think? Would you support an NHL team here in Houston? I know some of us are Aeros fans, but to have an NHL team is a different caliber of hockey from what we've seen.
Of course, I think Bettman is just using the threat of relocation as a tool to get stuff out of the Buffalo governmental bodies. And I don't know how hard it would be to get a local owner since it pretty well has to be Les Alexander to make it work in the new arena. (And I still don't think he's going to look into the NHL until at least after the new building opens and the new CBA is negotiated in the NHL). So, I'd have to say that unless the Sabres situation drags out for a while, I don't think they'll be coming to Houston. But it would be nice, in a way, if the Sabres were to move to Houston. It would be, in a small way, some form of payback for the Bills comeback against the Oilers.
I think we had this discussion a few months back mrpaige, didn’t we? I think the impending CBA is a plus. Whatever form it takes it has to be designed to protect the small market teams, else the NHL will go the way of MLB. Houston is a big market, (but perhaps not a great hockey market), with a new building that already has a primary tenant. You’ve also got a natural rival and model for running a successful franchise in the south in Dallas. That sounds like an opportunity that is really worth a look, but I wonder how absorbed Les’s people are with marketing all things Yao Ming. The situation in Buffalo sounds bad. The parent company went broke and the execs are up on charges. It turns out that perhaps 1/3 the bodies in seats last year were there on freebees. Attendance this year is WAY off. I think that someone would be crazy to want to keep the franchise there if there was another good option, but who knows. There are some crazy very wealthy people out there. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/attendance?year=2003
As much as I like Hockey I do NOT want to see the NHL come here at this time. Maybe when the next ice age comes and the weather is more appropriate here.
NHL hockey would work here. Many people don't go to the Aeros because they are a minor league team. Get the major league in here and people will come if for no other reason than to be seen. Others will learn the rules of hockey to determine whether or not they like it well enough to spend the bucks. A fair number will, and some won't. Even other people come from places where hockey is huge, and they would welcome a rooting interest in the NHL. Yes...it would work. Will it happen? Personally, if the Sabres move, my money is on Houston.
Seattle would probably be the 1st choice for a relocation. But it could work in Houston. It's working in Dallas, so no reason to belive it couldn't in H-town Plus it is an awesome sport to watch live. You get hooked very easily (very physical fast paced game)
I'm sure we did have this discussion before. I do think the NHL will eventually come to Houston, and I do think the NHL can be successful in Houston. I just don't think the timing is right on this particular franchise. But hey, the opportunity might be too good to pass up for Alexander if the franchise does come loose. If the NHL opens up bids from around the country, Les might well feel it makes sense to make a bid. The possibility is certainly not out-of-the-question.
My money is on Houston. It looks like Portland is out with Paul Allen's TV network going out of business and the Jailblazers struggling in attendance and corporate support. Seattle does not have an arena that's designed for hockey. I wonder if OK City is still in? I think the NHL would work out there. Even though it's a small market, they have a new, debt-free arena and the fact that it's in the mid/south west, esculating teams out west to cut down on traveling expenses.
The Aeros are already a good team in the AHL. That would be wonderful to have a professional hockey team in Houston. We already have the Super Bowl and the Major League Baseball All Star Game in a couple of years.
The only way the NHL will come to Houston is if Les buys a team. No other owner could be profitable in the new arena based on the way the revenue sharing is set up.
Hockey is very popular in the US Pacific Northwest. There is a whole American division in the WHL, (Canadian junior hockey), from that area. This is the league that the NHL drafts players out of. http://www.whl.ca/ There are 4 teams there now with another expansion team starting up next fall. There is a long solid history of hockey in the area. Seattle is also an obvious rival for Vancouver and is quite close to the other western teams. They would fit nicely in the Northwestern Division. They are also a fairly big, affluent market. But apparently they have no NHL calibre building.
2 or 3 years ago I started a little fan site about the chance of the NHL coming to Houston. I remember Ryan, Jeff, and a few other people around here came over and posted a time or two. I've been thinking of starting one up again in a month or two, when I have some more free time. Anybody interested in helping? Hockey @ losttexan.net (no spaces)
