I honestly don't know why I called it Carolina blue. I absolutely know it's Columbia blue. I deserve that.

ThunderCougarFalconBird said:

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themissinglink said:

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Bumping this thread up again…
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/44333063/us-billionaire-friedkin-emerges-potential-nhl-ownership-option-houston

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Friedkin already owns AS Roma and just bought Everton. Makes sense.

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Up the Toffees!

I am not a Hockey fan, but I would love to go to some live Hockey games. I have never been to an NHL game, but used to go to San Antonio Iguanas' games back in the day.

Captain Winky said:

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I am not a Hockey fan, but I would love to go to some live Hockey games. I have never been to an NHL game, but used to go to San Antonio Iguanas' games back in the day.

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Iguanas games at Freeman Coliseum were a lot of fun. Not close to the hockey fan I used to be, but the Tine getting a team would be great

Oh look...Another Luv Ya Blue uniform mock up.

So unoriginal and lazy

So does this help or hurt the chances of Houston getting an NHL team?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nhl/a-new-hockey-team-is-coming-to-a-houston-suburb-heres-what-to-know/ar-AA1YZBDT?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Quote:

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The North Iowa Bulls, members of the North American Hockey League, announced they will relocate to the Houston metropolitan area starting with the 202627 season.

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Quote:

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New facility planned for 2026
The Deep South Ice & Sports Center is scheduled to open in the summer of 2026.
The facility will include an 1,800-seat arena, 14 suites, two party decks, a second NHL-size practice ice sheet and a volleyball center. Officials say the complex is designed to serve as a multi-sport destination for Richmond and the greater Houston area.

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htxag09 said:

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So does this help or hurt the chances of Houston getting an NHL team?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nhl/a-new-hockey-team-is-coming-to-a-houston-suburb-heres-what-to-know/ar-AA1YZBDT?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Quote:

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The North Iowa Bulls, members of the North American Hockey League, announced they will relocate to the Houston metropolitan area starting with the 202627 season.

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Quote:

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New facility planned for 2026
The Deep South Ice & Sports Center is scheduled to open in the summer of 2026.
The facility will include an 1,800-seat arena, 14 suites, two party decks, a second NHL-size practice ice sheet and a volleyball center. Officials say the complex is designed to serve as a multi-sport destination for Richmond and the greater Houston area.

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It can't hurt. If a low level minor league team near Mission Bend can draw support, then it may give Fertitta some thoughts that dropping coin on an expansion team for the NHL is worth it. North Richland Hills near Fort Worth has a team in this league and it doesn't hurt the Stars existence.

I'm gonna say no impact.

The expansion fee and arena issue are giant obstacles, and there is little evidence that any of Houston's big money guys are interested enough in the NHL to invest time and money in pursuing a franchise. Friedkin is reportedly one of the suitors for the San Diego Padres, and Fertitta has had multiple chances and never pulled the trigger.

I wish it were different. A lot of folks are saying "this is the first step" but if that were true, the IHL/AHL Aeros would have led to a team. The issues that kept that from happening back then haven't changed a bit, so I'm not optimistic.

Having said that, I'll support the Bulls. Junior hockey is entertaining and tickets should be affordable and easy to get. Wish they had a better name but ...

NHL Legend Pushes for Expansion Team in Houston

Calling Marty Howe an NHL legend is a huge stretch.

Marty Howe married one of my sister's high school teachers here in Houston.

Really makes you think.

cajunaggie08 said:

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htxag09 said:

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So does this help or hurt the chances of Houston getting an NHL team?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nhl/a-new-hockey-team-is-coming-to-a-houston-suburb-heres-what-to-know/ar-AA1YZBDT?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Quote:

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The North Iowa Bulls, members of the North American Hockey League, announced they will relocate to the Houston metropolitan area starting with the 202627 season.

---

Quote:

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New facility planned for 2026
The Deep South Ice & Sports Center is scheduled to open in the summer of 2026.
The facility will include an 1,800-seat arena, 14 suites, two party decks, a second NHL-size practice ice sheet and a volleyball center. Officials say the complex is designed to serve as a multi-sport destination for Richmond and the greater Houston area.

---

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It can't hurt. If a low level minor league team near Mission Bend can draw support, then it may give Fertitta some thoughts that dropping coin on an expansion team for the NHL is worth it. North Richland Hills near Fort Worth has a team in this league and it doesn't hurt the Stars existence.

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It won't hurt, but I doubt it moves the needle much. If this franchise can make it 5 or 6 years, maybe someone starts to think about it, but that might be more towards getting trying to pull a minor league pro team (ECHL team) and not at the NHL level. This is really at such a small scale.

The Brahmas certainly don't hurt the hockey market in DFW, but I think they really were a result of the Stars having success and building off of that rather than the other way around.

Really glad hockey is coming to Houston and looking forward to making it down to some games every now and then. But indeed, I wonder how many of us making the effort to get down to the arena will actually be us DFW-born folks who idolized the Stars as kids and are hockey-starved.

I know a bunch of people in the katy/richmond area who are excited that a team is coming, but there is a huge difference between checking them out once because its new and having a sustained crowd. But I agree with you whether or not the Bulls thrive or fail has zero impact on Houston's NHL chances.

cajunaggie08 said:

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I know a bunch of people in the katy/richmond area who are excited that a team is coming

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Yeah, the new arena is convenient to Katy, Richmond/Rosenberg and Sugar Land/MIssouri City.

I know it's a haul for much of the city, but hopefully there is enough nearby population to draw from. It only seats 1,800 so they don't need huge crowds to be successful.

EclipseAg said:

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cajunaggie08 said:

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I know a bunch of people in the katy/richmond area who are excited that a team is coming

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Yeah, the new arena is convenient to Katy, Richmond/Rosenberg and Sugar Land/MIssouri City.

I know it's a haul for much of the city, but hopefully there is enough nearby population to draw from. It only seats 1,800 so they don't need huge crowds to be successful.

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The players don't even get paid on this level. The team just has to cover the costs of being able to play. So I would think the biggest cost is rent on the facility and travel to away games.

cajunaggie08 said:

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EclipseAg said:

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cajunaggie08 said:

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I know a bunch of people in the katy/richmond area who are excited that a team is coming

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Yeah, the new arena is convenient to Katy, Richmond/Rosenberg and Sugar Land/MIssouri City.

I know it's a haul for much of the city, but hopefully there is enough nearby population to draw from. It only seats 1,800 so they don't need huge crowds to be successful.

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The players don't even get paid on this level. The team just has to cover the costs of being able to play. So I would think the biggest cost is rent on the facility and travel to away games.

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Right ... the players billet with local families. I've got a couple of empty rooms I could use! I read the stipend is like $500 a month, but you gotta feed 'em.