The NHL BOG is meeting in N.Y. on Tuesday, and expansion is expected to be a “hot topic given what we’ve learned over the last few months on that front.” Houston and Dan Friedkin have been linked to a potential franchise, but there may be “some pushback” from owners on the expansion idea. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said, “I’m curious to see what’s going to come out of this meeting. The Houston/Austin thing was supposed to be six-month plan. We’re coming up on three, so we’re halfway through it. A couple people said to me, ‘Don’t run too far ahead here.’” He added, “I’ve just heard … there’s some opposition. I think we’re going to find out on Tuesday how serious that opposition is or isn’t” (“32 Thoughts,” SPORTSNET.ca, 9/21).
The NHL “will not say that either Houston or Austin are shoo-ins” for the next round of expansion (at a price of $2B or more). In part, that is because the league office “does not want to usurp the last-call rights” of the BOG. Why not “add both?” Florida (population 23.4 million) has two teams. Why “can’t Texas (31.7 million) have three?” (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/19).
ESPN.com cited sources as saying “there’s a split among the owners on where to expand in Texas.” Some of the NHL’s “most influential owners apparently prefer Houston, especially for its television market.” But “some of the newer owners are said to prefer Austin” (ESPN.com, 9/16).