The Hockey News

PUT SKATES ON HOUSTON?

The Texas town checks in as an NHL expansion candidate, and it has a surprising­ly rich hockey history

- BY KEN CAMPBELL

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14 years before tahreriveD­dalilnasTe­xSatasr. s

It’s a long and convoluted story but, basically, when the NHL

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HoFuasstto-nforiswatr­dyin4g0toy­ewaroso atnhde tNaH, oLwonecreo­afgtahine.NTBilAm’sanRoFcekr­ettits-, “rIe’cmenvtelyr­y sinaitdere­instead isntatthee­mpeonst-: sHiobuilsi­tyono,fbburtinit­giwngillth­aevNe HtoL btoe oardgeaanl­izthataito­nm,atkhees sceitnys,efafonrsmo­yf tahnedNtHh­eL tNhHroLugb­hooaurtdth­oef rgeogvioen­r-, hnaodrs.p”reFleimrti­nttaryhtaa­slkrsewpoi­trhtetdhly­e NsiHgnLi,fiacadnevt,eslohpomul­ednnt othtabte, wsheeilne as anything more than a courtweosy­u.ldT-hbeeNHeLxp­oaftnesnio­mneetgsrow­uipths saitencvdH­oeomnrauoe­lstsbthoto­ionxg,aestmchofa­omrukegtes­hteo,/foNciwhHte.nLcekwrssh­oeifnpf fgorrouexp­ptahnastiw­onouolrdrb­eeloacacat­inodni.date ownerM, pursetferh­abavlye onbeilwlio­itnhailroe­cal ties. According to Fertitta has a net worth of $3.5,

Forbes billion and was able to put togfoerth$e2r.a2 dbeial liotonblua­ys thyeeRaor.ckAentds LuenslikAe­lefxoarnmd­er, Rhoec’skeitnsteo­rewsntedr itbnouihtl­hdaevinisn­gpg. oAartlehwx­oacnskdeay­erbt’isegaamovb­esirntsaih­colines toittaniys­NaHnLatcio­vnesoidfen­reaatirobn­y. FGearlaven­sdtocnasai­nod ebmuipltir­heisinrets­hteauarrae­nat. He was one of the original inovTef sxhtaiosnr­sassbsiuon­tcithahate­idonNtowFL­si’etshllcHba­oesucinaso­utosn.e facilityM. uNsot phraovbele­amn NthHeLr-er.eTahdye Toyota Center was home to the yAeHaLr’s aHgou, astnodnthA­eyr’orse unnotliol nfoguer ptelayminc­gotuhldern­e’tocnolmy ebetcoauas­eleathse agreement. “It’s a terrific buildsinug­ccfeosrshf­uolc,”kseayi,danAdHLit pwreasidve­rnyt David Andrews. “I don’t think it would be a stretch to say they ewneure ignentheer­attooprsfo­iunr ourrfilvee­agreuve-. oBpuet riat twe,asaannd eixtpwenas­sinv’et pgleatctei­ntog any lesEsyesob.a”lls, eyeballs, eyeballs. According to the 2017 Nthie ls enighrtahn-klainrgess, t Hoteulsetv­oinsioins market in the U.S. with 2.5 millHionus­htomn easll. hTahveesNe­HveLnteaah­measd. Boyf

4co0mthpwa­riitsho7n5, 8L,0a0s0Vheog­mases.ranks A hockey pedigree. Well, yocioftuit­ehcseotuhm­ladot asdtrogesu­usencHc’teohsusasf­vuteol nahnioscNo­kHneLye otepaemra. tTedhethMe­oirntCrena­ltrCaal nLaedaigeu­nes wafiftilhi­aftuetuthr­erHe afrlloomf 1Fa9m65ert­so G’6u9y, LSearpgoei­nStaev, ardJaacnqd­ueRsogieLe­Vmacahiroe­n, shI tiaswrtota­irnsygawtl­hsaoesirmi­npardHoeoc­uwasrhteoe­enrsGwtohr­eedrriee. Howe starred with his two ssCouncpcs­se, asMsndsatr­omkrayak, nwindignnM­itiantorgt­ythw, eoinWAvtHh­cAoe WHA. The Aeros were an on-ice final three times in six years of othpeerIan­ttieornn. aTthioenAa­lerLoesagp­ulaeyefrdo­imn

l1e9a9g4ue unfotillde­2d0, 01winwnhin­egn the Turner Cup in 1999. Then it

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gTwahimnen­eAinaegnro­dthsweaeCv­raeelrdain­egretCdhue­6pt,o1inp72310­0p0ei3nr. yAeHaLrsat­theenydapn­lacyeeedig­ihnt oHfotuhset­o1n0. “bTahserien’staharteam­l saorkliedt,h”oAcnkdeyre­fwans said. “It was clear to us and to wtteheaear­mteM(nRit’nhtonecier­kneset.oetsrtIaeo­dswWotenni­dl’etdritsnah­htiihntpha­k)vertienthi­agemlrlyea­e was any question about that. It bwuatsitaw­n aosdtdhebi­russtionem­ssakset.r”ategy,

A robust local economy pgososdibi­cloitripes­o.raAtcecosr­pdoingsotr­owshiitph the Greater Houston Partnerhsh­eiapd,quHaorutes­rtsonforis 2t0he home

500 companies that account for Fortune a total of $330.4 billion in yearelycor­neovmenyue­hsa.sEdvievner­tshifoieud­g,hitthies cstoiullld­dbeepaencd­auenset fornconilc, ewrnhgicoh­tinhge Ifonrswtit­aurtde. oRfobRergt­ioGnialml Feorroe-f casting with the University of 77,000 oil-related job losses tbheaetn mocacduerr­uepd, “itnhes2e01­jo4bshaalv­soe alarregeun­luikmelbye­rtso. rTehteurrn­essuolotni­sina return of positive job growth in Hptoaocuse­se.teCounarbr­eurnet taulytr,anwretolda­otlinov’entlgey-xtspeloerm­cwt gtreonwdth rbaetfeosr­e 2of020e.m” ployment

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