Nhl? (Houston, Laredo, McAllen: for sale, live in, stations)

[Mr. Krinkle]

I agree with Jfre. People will go to the games if there is a winning product on the field. The Aeros have have seen sells of 17,000 seats per game in the playoffs - that's a sellout.

[ERS-One]

If there were to be an NHL team in Houston, it'd have to come by way of relocation. No way is NHL looking to expand.

[Trae713]

Too bad we couldn't get the Penguins back when they were looking to relocate a couple of years ago. Sidney Crosby in Houston would have been cool.

[LostInHouston]

Something I posted on a hockey forum I frequent:

I'll tell you, there are a lot of things that make sense about Houston:

1. Arena - We have a state of the art arena that's only 7 years old and already has the capability to support a pro hockey team... so we wouldn't need to worry about venue for years.

2. Fan Base - 4th largest city and Houston has consistently been one of the fastest growing cities in the country year after year. 26% growth since 2000. Of the transplants, a large number are coming from northern states and Canada.

3. Corporate Support - Which city hosts the headquarters for the most fortune 500 companies (outside of NY)? Houston.

4. Fan Support - Houston is absolutely ACHING for a championship caliber team. Outside of the 2 Rockets titles 15 years ago, no Houston team has won a championship. A playoff caliber team like the Coyotes would garner immediate support from Houstonians as the only legit pro contender in town.

I don't know that Houston makes the most sense for the NHL in terms of strengthening it's brand, but IF the NHL were ever to seriously consider Houston, it seems like now would be the perfect time.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by LostInHouston

2. Fan Base - 4th largest city and Houston has consistently been one of the fastest growing cities in the country year after year. 26% growth since 2000. Of the transplants, a large number are coming from northern states and Canada.

You are forgetting that 40% of Houston is hispanic and Hockey ranks low among their sports of choice.

4. Fan Support - Houston is absolutely ACHING for a championship caliber team. Outside of the 2 Rockets titles 15 years ago, no Houston team has won a championship. A playoff caliber team like the Coyotes would garner immediate support from Houstonians as the only legit pro contender in town.

The Dynamos won two championships in the last 5 years

[LostInHouston]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

You are forgetting that 40% of Houston is hispanic and Hockey ranks low among their sports of choice.

I'm well aware of that, but the latino population is booming everywhere in this country. I would still argue that we have a very large potential fan base... especially when compared to other southern NHL cities (Miami, Tampa, Phoenix...) But again, let's not underestimate the importance of corporate sponsorship... that's where the big $'s come from. Houston is home to more fortune 500 companies than any American city (other than NYC).

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by LostInHouston

I'm well aware of that, but the latino population is booming everywhere in this country. I would still argue that we have a very large potential fan base... especially when compared to other southern NHL cities (Miami, Tampa, Phoenix...) But again, let's not underestimate the importance of corporate sponsorship... that's where the big $'s come from. Houston is home to more fortune 500 companies than any American city (other than NYC).

yeah, well corporate sponsors will sponsor anything that is winning.

But I think Soccer is the future for a city like Houston. The Latino population has gone from 20% to 40% in just a generation, while the white population has gone from 60% to 40%. Soccer is more Houston's speed.

[talkispoison]

I can't believe Houston hasn't got an NHL team yet. DFW used to support 3 teams: Stars, Fire/Bramas, Freeze

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

You are forgetting that 40% of Houston is hispanic and Hockey ranks low among their sports of choice.

Not sure if it's still the case but, at least at one point around 10 years ago, Texas had more professional hockey franchises than all of Canada, including minor leagues as well as the Stars.

Hockey plays and flows more like soccer than the other "big three" sports. Teams in places like Laredo and McAllen have (or have had) Spanish broadcasts aimed at the other side of the border. The game flows more like soccer than football, with fewer stoppages, but still has the hitting.

I'm glad the Penguins stayed in Pittsburgh. Too much good history there. I first started watching hockey when Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr etc. owned the league in the early 90s. Great team. There are plenty of other likely relocation targets, and Kansas City is about the only other city that has an NHL-ready arena completed that doesn't have a team.

[LostInHouston]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

But I think Soccer is the future for a city like Houston. The Latino population has gone from 20% to 40% in just a generation, while the white population has gone from 60% to 40%. Soccer is more Houston's speed.

No doubt, the Dynamo will continue to do well here. It never made since to me why it took so long to get an MLS team here.

Let's be real, the non-hispanic white population is by far the largest demographic of the hockey fan base. Looking at the numbers, the non-hispanic white population of Harris County remained relatively stagnant over the past decade... around 1.4 million. If you expand that to include all of the Houston metro area (6.1mil)... you're probably at 2 millions plus non-hispanic whites (assuming 33%). Compare that to another US city that comes up, Kansas City... their metro area has a total population of around 2 million, of which 55-60% is non-hispanic white.

Also, seeing as how Houston is the A/C capital of the world, I would think watching a game on ice would be far more popular than sitting outside in the heat to watch a soccer game.