Fertitta’s vision for hockey has to dovetail with NHL’s
Hockey in Houston? I didn’t think I’d be asking that question immediately after the Astros won the World Series and with the James HardenChris Paul Rockets leading the Western Conference.
But Tilman Fertitta moves almost as fast as a puck on ice. And the man who just set up shop inside Toyota Center feels like the perfect answer to bring hockey back to Houston and establish the NHL in the fourth-largest city in America. If it makes sound business sense, of course.
It’s early, the initial talks have only been exploratory and Mike D’Antoni doesn’t have to worry about slipping on the hardwood any time soon. But I can tell you this: Fertitta and Co. are interested if the NHL can make its end of the bargain work. And if Houston finally gets its long delayed Big Four, it could happen much sooner than later.
“I’m very interested in the possibility of bringing the NHL to Houston,” Fertitta said Thursday in a statement. “But it will have to be a deal that works for my organization, the city, fans of the NHL throughout the region and the NHL Board of Governors. We are in the very early stage of evaluating what opportunities may exist but look forward to a thorough process.”
That’s Fertitta. Straight shooter. No cookie-cutter filter.
Barely a month after he was officially introduced as the Rockets’ new owner — I’m still seeing stars from all the camera
flashes — he’s met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and reiterated the obvious: Pro hockey could make serious sense in Houston.
I posted a simple Twitter poll Friday with three choices: Yes, No and Hockey? What???
The affirmative had received 67 percent of the vote by the time I had to type this column.
I also opened up the talk-radio phone lines and asked readers to tweet me their love-it or hate-it thoughts about the NHL in Houston. The ice got thicker. “The wife and I were talking about this last night at dinner. We miss the Aeros and would strongly consider getting season tickets. Hockey in person is awesome.”
“Make the drive to Dallas 3-4 times a year to go to games. Started adding Nashville to my rotation as well. Went twice last year. I will 100 percent buy season tickets if Houston gets a team.”
“Bring back the Houston Aeros!!! Tip of the hat to all-time great Gordie Howe.”
The frozen stuff also melted a little.
“I went to an Aeros game years ago and in person it’s great fun. But it’s kind of meh on TV and I’m not that sure you got enough rabid hockey fans in Houston for it to stick.”
“I personally love the NHL, but I don’t think it would work here. I don’t think enough fans attend in down years and (it) would eventually go away.”
Attendance issues
Nashville made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season and by the end of the run, the Predators had a real pulse in a (great) city normally known for country music, off-and-on Titans fans, random Vanderbilt attire and Volunteers orange. But even with the Cup run, Nashville ranked 20th out of 30 teams in average home attendance (17,159); Carolina (11,776), Arizona (13,094) and Florida (14,620) were all in the bottom five.
A significant part of me has always been skeptical about hockey in “nonhockey” cities — especially the ones where it never, ever snows. The top-five teams in average home attendance last season (Chicago, Montreal, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Toronto) also feel just a little more NHL-ish than the one that was in the mid-80s on a sunny, warm Friday in mid-November.
Which is why, as theoretical as hockey’s return is, the Houston conversation will always be dominated by the two issues driving the topic: business and fans.
“I would put an NHL team here tomorrow. … We’ll do whatever we can do, but whatever we do has to make sense,” Fertitta said in October, when he was first asked the big hockey question.
Toyota Center works in Houston’s favor. As does all the cross-branding and promotion occurring in the Rockets’ home.
As complex as the NHL Q is, it’s easy for me to picture the NBA on one night and pro hockey the next in downtown Houston, primarily because a large part of Fertitta’s name has been built on bridging together everything he owns. He’s also a Houston man: What’s good for him has often blended with what’s good for this city.
Then there’s this simple fact. There’s no reason Dallas, Denver, Phoenix and the Minneapolis area (yeesh) should have what Houston does not: A Big Four.
The Stars averaged 18,101 in Dirk Nowitzki’s home last season, in case you were wondering. And Tampa Bay has started an NHL season 15-2-2.
So, yes, hockey can be played in the sun.
Houston’s sports scene can feel huge when the Astros are winning the world title, the Rockets are soaring with the D’Antoni Show and Deshaun Watson is running circles for the Texans. But while the University of Houston has risen in recent years, there’s a clear void due to the lack of a Power Five conference — and the fact the city’s largest college fan bases bleed for schools in College Station and Austin. And while I’m not taking anything away from the Dynamo’s playoff run, the MLS hasn’t created the buzz here recently that it has in other cities.
Puck is in NHL’s rink
Will Houston’s civic and business leaders proudly back hockey? Will casual sports fans in the suburbs show up for a losing team? Right now, only the Texans are afforded that latter luxury.
The first real move belongs to the NHL. Find a situation (relocation, expansion) that works with Fertitta’s overall vision and make the business side make sense.
If that happens, the local Big Four conversation will move forward. And maybe Houston really will have a hockey team again.
If not, we’re doing fine with the Astros, Rockets, Texans and everything else.