Houston Sports: Why the Bayou City deserves an NHL team

It’s a terrific time to be a part of Houston Sports and it’d even be better times for all of us if an NHL team were added to our four teams representing the major pro leagues.

The Houston Sports landscape had been tricky leading up the renaissance that the city of Houston is enjoying. From a city that was deemed a one-trick pony when the oil wells dried up in the 1980s, it has transformed itself into a formidable powerhouse. The energy sector has always been king in these parts but industries such as medicine, aerospace, technology, banking and finance to name a few have caused people to move to this drained swamp in droves.

The allure of plentiful jobs with Texas-sized McMansions on a elongated plot of land — at a great price — is certainly one of the many reasons many are now calling Houston their home. The terrific thing is that the job market has an eclectic blend of occupations for everybody, which makes this city appealing for anybody looking for opportunity.

All of this money that’s being pumped in and out of our local economy certainly would oblige our Houston Sports teams to get their piece of the pie as it’s a great getaway from the daily grind of our lives. The Houston Astros, Dynamo, Rockets and the Texans have raked in millions on top of millions from us fans looking for a competitive product to stand behind and to root for. For the most part, our franchises have delivered on that part and one of these days, we’re going to see a another championship. The Dynamo were the last win one nearly 11 years ago.

But there’s something missing. So what am I talking about? Houston Sports fans are missing a NHL team! I’m serious, H-Town needs a franchise to call their own and I’m positive many will rally behind once an idea like this comes to fruition. There’s a movement that’s started to get this going and a passionate guy who has the Twitter account (@NHLHouston) wants to see a hockey team back in the Bayou City along with several cohorts.

Here’s information about the movement:

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

You know what? I share that sentiment. We’ve never had pro-style hockey team because of how peculiar our taste was for a sport that’s normally affixed to cold weather cities up north. For the aforementioned reasons above, the dynamics have changed, our people have changed and you have more fans that would likely be on-board with the idea if it does come into fruition.

One may not be able to pack in Toyota Center at first but I could see it happening as Houston Sports fans will support any pro team that consistently wins. We’ll have hockey fever around it’ll be a opportunity to let the good times roll.

The Houston Aeros — our once AHL/IHL hockey team — have been gone for four years after moving to Des Moines, Ia. but it has felt like a eternity not having them here. The experience as far as attending an Aeros game was second-to-none as it was tremendously fan-centric with all kinds of crazy promotions to get people to come to games.

I still remember the incessant sound of cowbells ringing throughout Toyota Center all in unison stringing a harmonious collusion of die-hard hockey fans. It was amazing experience and we need to get that back.

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Not only that but the Aeros name should be revived as well as the classic logo with the B-25 bomber, not that UGLY looking one they had from 2002-06 with the F-16 fighter jet on the front! Boooo! We all cherished the days when Gordie Howe — back in the WHA days in the 1970s — and Jon DiSalvatore ruled the ice but it’s time to foster new memories with a new team.

Besides, there would be no need to build a new facility as Toyota Center was built to accommodate hockey and with a few — likely minor — retrofits, the building will be up to standards to host games.

Plus, with a recent study done by the American City Business Journals back in 2015, meticulous research pointed to Houston being the best candidate to land a team because of the earning power of its citizens and that Space City has “100 percent capacity” to take on another franchise like hockey.

And finally, with ownership of the Houston Rockets/Toyota Center changing hands from long-time owner Leslie Alexander to homegrown billionaire Tilman Fertitta, there’s a strong possibility that this idea will be revisited once he gets the keys to the arena. He has been kicking the tires and checking under the hood since 1993, when he narrowly lost out to Alexander in a hopeful bid by $4 million to buy the Rockets.

Les was steadfast on ensuring an NHL team wouldn’t play in his arena, likely because he felt he’d lose money hosting NHL games when he could just stick a top-headlining concert to pack the place out and reap the benefits of the profits. First and foremost — as much of a philanthropist he is — he’s a businessman and he didn’t elevate his status of a renowned billionaire by not making sound business decisions.

With attendance figures with the Arizona Coyotes, the Colorado Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes continuing to lag, there may be several franchises that could be on the move as well.

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All in all, I feel that the greatest city in the world — my city — can and will support an NHL team if the opportunity should present itself. But the TIME IS NOW and we can’t be complacent to let this wonderful opportunity slip. We as fans need to make it known that this is something we want so that this dream can one day become a reality. So please sign the petition above!

LET’S DO THIS HOUSTON!

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