Quebec makes the most sense. Don't think Houston can support a NHL team.
Houston is far more capable of supporting a team than Quebec, which has already failed once. We're talking 6.6 million people versus 830K, and a huge corporate base versus almost nothing. Plus taxes.
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Houston is a huge market. The Aeros also did well there in the AHL in terms of attendance. I don't think there's any issues there.
Would also be good for the NHL that they wouldn't have to tinker with the current alignment.
Houston will do well, and already would have a rival in Dallas. What I don't get is the NHL fights so hard for markets that don't work and are so unwilling to move teams, yet the NFL and NBA are capable of moving franchises around.
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I'd prefer to see them move into Austin. That city is booming and it would be good to get in there before any other leagues. Could be another Nashville
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Houston will do well, and already would have a rival in Dallas. What I don't get is the NHL fights so hard for markets that don't work and are so unwilling to move teams, yet the NFL and NBA are capable of moving franchises around.
Since 1990 there have been 5 NHL franchise moves. In that time there were 6 NFL moves and even some of those were either within the same state (LA/Oakland/San Diego) or involved the same franchise twice (Raiders, Rams). In the NBA there have been 4 moves in that same time not counting hurricane or COVID moves (all in the 2000s though).
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Houston is far more capable of supporting a team than Quebec, which has already failed once. We're talking 6.6 million people versus 830K, and a huge corporate base versus almost nothing. Plus taxes.
Population isn't everything though especially for Quebec city. How many people in Houston care about hockey ?
People will drive in from Sageunay, Rimouski, Trois rivières etc. This boosts the overall affected population by a huge margin.
The market here is undeniable, the reason it failed was from faulty ownership not lack of support.
The demographics are also alot better now then what they were in the past. The city is no longer dependant on lower paying government jobs so there is alot more money here now then what there was in the 90s.
I have been let down a ton in the past so I won't get my hopes up but it does seem like a good moment.
Let Quebec buy the Coyotes and bring Houston in via expansion.
Houston will do well, and already would have a rival in Dallas. What I don't get is the NHL fights so hard for markets that don't work and are so unwilling to move teams, yet the NFL and NBA are capable of moving franchises around.
TBH I think Phoenix would work too, but the Coyotes brand has to be toast in the market now after this constant gong show going on.
Time to move them if this ownership group can't make it work.
