Quote:
Originally Posted by flamesfan1297
How would the NHL be able to justify having an expansion fee less than 500$ million now though? I'd think Vegas wouldn't be too happy if another expansion team payed 200 million less than they had too
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The alternative is likely to be no more expansion, ever. If Vegas paid too much for their team, it's nobody's fault but their own.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bizaro86
Nobody from Houston goes to Dallas for a hockey game right now. It's a 3.5 hour drive. If there were a decent number of people that passionate about hockey in a huge rich market, it would already have a team.
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The principal reason Houston hasn't had a team yet is that the only suitable arena was controlled by a man who hated the NHL and would not allow hockey to be played in his building.
Different eras and all that, but as far as I can tell, the
real Houston Aeros – the WHA franchise – drew quite well. They folded only when it became clear that they would not be allowed to join in their league's merger with the NHL. The owner of the Aeros actually tried to buy an NHL franchise and move it to Houston for the 1978–79 season, effectively getting into the merger through the back door. Different sources mention the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Barons as teams that he tried to acquire. But the league rejected his offer and instead arranged the sale of the Barons' assets to the Minnesota North Stars. —And then, 15 years later, the North Stars moved to Texas anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dissentowner
*facepalm* So if Dallas, a well established team has a hard time drawing people what makes you think an expansion team in Houston will draw so much better?
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What makes you say that Dallas has a hard time drawing people? Forbes has them #9 in the NHL in revenue and operating income, #12 in franchise value. When they ice a decent team, they draw around 95% of capacity. When they suck, the percentage drops. This is the normal cycle of things for American sports franchises generally – not just hockey teams in the Sunbelt.