I think there are enough transplants here in Houston from Northern state who care for Hockey , plus there are people in Texas who would support NHL . Dallas wasn't supposed to be a "hotbed" for Hockey , but they have been done quite well winning a Stanley Cup and contending for a cup a long time.
If you remove the Aeros then I think this city could easily support an NHL team. I truly don't watch Hockey that much but if we had a team I would become just as avid in it as I am to Football/Basketball/Baseball. We could easily at least be better than a large portion of the cities that currently have teams.
Hard to make a case considering how empty Aeros games are. They averaged 5800 per game this year, which was 8th in the league. If you look at the other cities in that league, all of them are tiny or already have an NHL team as well. Except for Milwaukee and San Antonio. Sorry but I don't see us supporting one. We are the fourth largest city in the US and our attendance matches the Texas Stars, who play in Cedar Park...
Not discounting your analysis, but the Aeros are a minor-league team. Now an Aeros game is a fun experience, and its affordable...but it's not gonna attract Houston's huge base of casual sports fans or even offer an NYC transplant something similar to Rangers hockey. Plus the Aeros missed the playoffs, they did considerably better when they had a stronger club. You can look at the University of Houston's and Rice University's football attendance and say that "Houston doesn't support college football well". But much as it pains me to say it, if the Longhorns decided to take up residence at Reliant Stadium, they would probably do as well here as in Austin. The NHL is a big-time corporate sport, and Houston is one of the few places with enough corp backing to support it.
msn wants the NHL in Houston. Everyone who makes the following points: - Enough corporate money here to support NHL - Enough NE transplants here to generate interest - 4th largest city in the nation; can easily support the big 4 + MLS ...is absolutely right. Everyone else might have salient points, but at the end of the day Houston can do it. I'd love to see the Predators come here, probably out of spite.
This aged pretty damn good! On topic: I like hockey I just dont understand the rules and strategy. Aeros games were always fun.
Just read the article about the lawsuit. There's a referendum scheduled for May 16. Nothing like being locked in contentious litigation with the largest city in the state you represent. I assume this litigation will further delay ground-breaking of the arena (provided it's moving forward at all)...and keep the Coyotes another year or so longer in a 5,000 seat "arena" they share with a college.
Not a hockey guy at all, but I did attend some Aeros games as a kid with my dad and had a blast. With Gordie, Mark and Marty it was a pretty good and fiesty team. Lots of fights from what I can remember. With that said, HOU should have a NHL team and a WNBA team imo.
