After a strong round of expansion over the last decade, bringing in the Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken and Utah Mammoth (who are considered an expansion team; confusing, I know), the NHL is looking to grow again.
The league wants to add two more clubs, one of which will be based in Texas. The question is whether it will be Houston or Austin joining the league.
Now, Houston’s mayor is making his case for why his city is the best option for the league.
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Both cities offer upsides. For Austin, the league has a chance to be the first of the four major leagues to set up shop there, a strategy that worked well in Las Vegas.
However, Houston is currently the biggest media market in the nation without an NHL team, something NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly recently confirmed is a big factor in the decision.
“We’re ready. In fact, we’re talking to multiple parties that are interested,” Mayor John Whitmire said in an interview with The Sporting News. “So when we get a proposal, if the city can do something to a system, we’ll be there. We’ll definitely be a better location than Austin.”
Houston has never had an NHL team, but was home to the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros in the 1970s. Since then, it has been home to some minor league teams, as has Austin.
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“I think [the NHL] would never regret it if they gave a franchise to Houston. They’d never regret it,” Whitmire said. “Austin is a great city, but it’s not Houston… If you talk to the sports franchises in town, I think they’d tell you we’re great partners.”
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson’s office has not replied to a request for comment on Whitmire’s remarks.
While the two Lone Star State cities battle it out for Club No. 33, some cities are still angling for Club No. 34.
Atlanta is routinely coming up as a top destination, which would be the third time the league has put a team there. It’s a large media market, and there are currently two competing arena projects in the works in the city’s suburbs.
