The league has an owner but lacks a building in either Houston or Austin.
It would be a major upset if Dan Friedkin didn’t get a National Hockey League franchise in Texas by the end of the year. The only thing that can stop it is Friedkin’s inability to build an arena in either Houston or Austin. Houston is the sixth largest television market in the United States. Austin is the 34th largest TV market although it is bigger than Columbus, Ohio and Las Vegas, two markets with franchises. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic. “We’re moving forward in Texas. I expect ultimately we’ll be in a position to bring something to the board to get their view on it. So, that’s proceeding at a pace. We’ll probably get together with the group again in September and kind of see where they are in the process and what they want us to do to help, to the extent they need anything. If we finalize that and the board approves it, then end of this calendar year we’ll have an announcement that we’re expanding to either Houston or Austin.”
If the NHL lands in Houston, it would be just another team in a crowded sports market. If the NHL ends up in Austin, it would compete with a Major League Soccer franchise but the University of Texas football team resides in the city and that team dominates Austin sports. The NHL would be at 33 teams if Texas is awarded a franchise and there may be another team coming. “They’re projecting the ability to start play in 2029-30,” Daly said. “So we will have one down and potentially one to go. We have ongoing discussions both with people in the Phoenix marketplace, but also Atlanta, and then we’ll see what comes of those discussions.” Expansion is coming.
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Dan Friedkin
