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Originally Posted by GioforPM
Houston, for all that it's down south, is way less "southern" than most of those places. Much more cosmopolitan, for a southern US city and a lot more money IMO. Their other pro hockey teams have done OK - I mean they know who Gordie Howe is, so they've got that going for them. And the AHL team didn't move because of low attendance - they moved because of arena disputes with Les Alexander. And way more ex pats (aside from snowbirds in Miami who don't have a lot of disposable income anyway). A lot of Calgarians split time working in Houston and here.
Dallas is the closest comparable and it does pretty well.
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The Aeros didn't do that great at all. 7th in AHL attendance in their final season, in a city 10x bigger than rest of league. But many say that's because they weren't a big league team, which is understandable. And I'll let you know the next time I run into a Houstonian who remembers Gordie Howe.
I don't know if cosmopolitan is the word I'd use for Houston but it is diverse. Large Latino population which historically is not a strong hockey market.
The difference in minor hockey between Dallas and Houston is immense too. Way more rinks, players and elite programs in Dallas.
So we'll see, It's no slam dunk. The oil connection with Calgary is real but you'd expect more youth hockey as a result.
The biggest thing going for Houston is it's size.