When it was recently announced that the Houston Rockets were about to go on the market, the natural reaction in Seattle was a question. Could one of the competing arena groups buy the Rockets and move them here? The inevitable answer was no. The NBA is very hesitant to move teams right now, particularly out of a market as rich as Houston.
But there is another facet of this news that could be cause for concern in Seattle. It is widely believed that current Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has been a significant roadblock for the NHL coming to Houston over the years. A Fansided article documents some of the history. It involves multiple failed attempts to bring the Edmonton Oilers to Houston, as well as jacking up the rent in his new arena to force the minor league Houston Aeros out of town. But it was a clause he wrote into the arena lease that is most pertinent to Seattle.
First, he raised the already above-market rent at the Toyota Center for the Aeros by an estimated 300 percent the season before the Minnesota Wild (who then owned the Aeros as their affiliate) were forced to relocate the club. He also wrote a clause in the current lease agreement for the Toyota Center that only enables an NHL club owned by him to play at the arena, effectively blocking another team from coming to town without his permission.
It seems that the NHL was unamused by the tycoon’s attempts to force its hand and award him a club; Houston has been at the bottom of the list of realistic expansion options ever since.
In the end, Alexander got his payback on Watson, as the Aeros were driven out of town and he was given full control over an arena for his beloved Rockets.
So now that Alexander is selling, could the NHL roadblock be removed? The Houston Press raises that possibility.
No ownership groups in Houston attempted to lure the NHL, which some hockey observers took as a sign of a lack of interest from the city. But that overlooks the matter that the only party in Houston in a position to bid on a team and also able to offer up an arena was Les Alexander, and Alexander had no interest in doing so. He also made clear over the years that he had no interest in sharing Toyota Center with another tenant — thus the AHL Aeros departed for Iowa despite solid fan support (the saga of the Aeros’ departure can be read here).
So if Alexander wasn’t interested in bidding on a team, and if there was no arena available for a team to play, why would any other person or groups in Houston attempt to bid for a team? But Alexander's selling the Rockets (and the lease that goes with it) opens up an NHL-ready hockey arena in Houston. And that’s something that Seattle, which the NHL seemed to favor, can’t offer, and, unlike Quebec City, Houston offers up a huge media market with many, many large corporations around to buy up luxury seats.
So a door might be opening for the NHL to go to Houston. It would depend on who buys the team, and how willing they would be to work with an NHL partner. Would they be reluctantly willing? Eager to make a deal? Would they want to own both teams?
It’s impossible to say for sure, but media sources close to the situation in Houston tell Sonics Rising that at least two interested NBA ownership groups are also determined to acquire a hockey franchise.
How might this impact Seattle in its quest to bring the NHL to town? At the very least, Houston would be unexpected competition for expansion or relocation. Were Seattle to approve and build an arena, we’ve widely assumed that our market would be the largest, most attractive to the league. We’ve also touted the potential rivalry between the Vancouver Canucks and the Seattle Whatevers as one the NHL craves.
But Houston is a bigger market and has a potential rivalry of its own with the Dallas Stars. Furthermore, what if someone like Yao Ming were part of an NHL-friendly Rockets ownership group? Ming has huge influence in China, and the league might relish a chance to televise games there.
In other words, if Houston suddenly enters the competition, we could be in for a dog fight.
One thing is certain, the City of Seattle needs to approve an arena very soon to even take part in that fight. Whether it’s KeyArena with OVG and Jerry Bruckheimer, or Sodo with Chris Hansen and a newly acquired NHL investor, this needs to get done.
Nothing is not an acceptable option.
Comments
Nothing is definitely not acceptable
By Kevin Nesgoda on 07.22.17 11:19am
Keep an eye on a guy named Tilman Fertitta.
He owns the Golden Nugget, Landry’s, and is the major benefactor for the University of Houston. He’s been bandied about by Houston fans as a guy who’s most likely to buy the Rockets. I think (and I have nothing more than a hunch backing this up) he would be open to having an NHL team in Houston if it means bringing him in more money.
If he’s the guy, it could be trouble.
By UprootedTexan on 07.22.17 11:40am
Also, as a former Houstonian, can we please find a different cliche than "Houston we have a problem?"
It’s been 20 goddamn years since that movie came out and it wasn’t even that clever when it was new.
It’s been done to death.
By UprootedTexan on 07.22.17 11:43am
Will agree to those terms
as long as the rest of the world drops Sleepless in Seattle.
By Paul Rogers on 07.22.17 11:53am
We can both blame
Tom Hanks
By Paul Rogers on 07.22.17 11:55am
That bastard.
By UprootedTexan on 07.22.17 1:51pm
Dont forget balls of all sorts
WILSON
By Trolltossin on 07.22.17 11:22pm
Cliche??
Your basketball team’s name is the Rockets, football the Texans, and baseball the Astros. Cliche is Houston’s MO!
By itsanospreybich on 07.22.17 11:59am
Your football team is named after a waterbird, your baseball team is fishermen, your former basketball team involves airplanes,
Your soccer team gets its name from the primary body of water in the area, your women’s basketball team is based on the thing most people associate with Seattle and your women’s soccer team is a homophone for the thing most people associate with Seattle.
I don’t think you have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to cliches.
By UprootedTexan on 07.22.17 12:13pm
Haha you got me there!
God save us if they name our hockey team after the infamous giant squid in the sound…
By itsanospreybich on 07.22.17 12:18pm
KRAKEN!
Yep.
By Chris Meirose on 07.22.17 12:32pm
Except we don't have a problem with the cliches
We lean into them.
Seattle Freeze for the NHL team? HECK YEAH!!!
By Matt Tucker on 07.22.17 1:43pm
I still want the Frozen sound for the SB nation page
By gstommylee on 07.22.17 5:43pm
We don't have to worry
We have Eddie Murray and the Seattle city council on our side. What could go wrong?
By rtallmadge on 07.22.17 11:47am
This made me lol.
By itsanospreybich on 07.22.17 12:00pm
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
By MartinHughes on 07.23.17 10:04pm
I'd have to be convinced that this could negatively affect the return of the Sonics
Before I consider this a problem.
By Mr. Shea on 07.22.17 11:55am
So you want NHL to expand to houston and keep the coyotes in Arizona then?
Making it impossible for Seattle to get a NHL team just cause "it could" impact the ability to get the NBA back.
By gstommylee on 07.22.17 11:59am
Some people
Could care less about hockey, you could argue the NHL is a threat to Hansen and SoDo. No NHL could mean Hansen can wait awhile longer for an NHL partner
By Otto Rogers on 07.22.17 12:27pm
So where is the team suppose to come though?
When the NHL is already at 32 teams with houston being 32 and the league not wanting to move the coyotes?
By gstommylee on 07.22.17 12:31pm
Who knows
By Otto Rogers on 07.22.17 12:59pm
Move the Coyotes yet
Barroway better have something up his sleeve to change the dynamic with the legislature this coming season, otherwise I think the AZ experiment comes to an end. Not a lot more time to lose bundles of money in the SW. Hopefully to Houston to maintain the need for another franchise out west.
By NWEastcoaster on 07.22.17 2:23pm
You have to remember
This has always been a sonics site, although there has been a recent synergy for both NHL and the NBA due to the belief that anything that helps to put shovel into the ground, will lead to the NBA returning. Which is why NHL First had appeal.
By Otto Rogers on 07.22.17 12:32pm
Oh i get that
Maybe i just don’t get people reasoning? I feel like we are running out of time here. I don’t feel like saying no to OVG then basically have hansen wait it for a NHL partner is well the best way to handle the situation. If houston gets 32th team and the NHL won’t budge on the coyotes, how is sodo arena suppose to be built assuming NBA still remains no expansion no relocation?
By gstommylee on 07.22.17 12:36pm
People are willing to play
The long game, I’d prefer a team sooner rather than later.
By Otto Rogers on 07.22.17 1:00pm