Assuming you’re the kind of billionaire who wants to do such a thing, of course.
If groups led by Dan Friedkin and Tilman Fertitta want to land an NHL expansion franchise for Houston, it’s not getting any cheaper.
The franchise fee will start at $2 billion, NHL officials confirmed Tuesday. The NHL’s most recent expansion fees were $500 million for Las Vegas (in 2017) and $650 million for Seattle (in 2021). In April 2024, the Arizona Coyotes’ hockey assets were sold for $1.2 billion to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, with the franchise becoming the Utah Mammoth.
The NHL has no current plans to expand, but the bar is set for groups that meet the league’s four main criteria:
- Stable ownership.
- An arena.
- Suitable market.
- And that the franchise will make the league stronger.
If a group checks all four boxes, the league’s expansion committee would evaluate the bid and then pass it to full ownership for a vote.
See here and here for some background. Tilman Fertitta just bought the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, which will become the Houston Comets modulo some legal stuff. I don’t know if that will have slaked his thirst for further sports team ownership or heightened it. I suspect he’ll be busy for the next year or so, which may present an opportunity to Dan Friedkin or may just mean we all go back to sleep and forget about the NHL for another few years. We’ll see.
$0.
The NHL openly promotes Putin supporters like Malkin, Ovechkin, and Buré. And people like Gretzky that use their fame from the league to promote MAGA. The league amplifies MAGA, Putin, and homophobia.
All of the rumored “ownership” structures in Houston involve hyper political MAGA Republicans using taxpayer funds/discounts.
HCHSA and the taxpayers have diverted $2B over the years from taxpayers to fund plutocrat sports owners. That money has platformed bigots and discrimination with zero appreciable benefit to marginalized communities. Gay men, the Disabled, Trans persons, and South Asians appear to be comprehensively excluded.
No, no, a million times no.
“The league amplifies MAGA, Putin, and homophobia.”
so you mean it’s a pro sport in america, bill?
How much would I pay ? $0. How much would Fertita or Crane or McNair pay ? $$$’s.