- 3 months ago
Shaun Bijani & Patrick Creighton of Area 45 are joined by Houston's own Jennifer Streeter to talk the potential of Hockey In Houston!
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00:00I don't really say this ever, but go Patriots.
00:03Sports Radio 610 presents Area 45 with Bajani and Creighton.
00:10Joining us on the Texas Matches Makers Hotline right now.
00:13Hey, she's a native Houstonian.
00:15She's a Texas A&M grad.
00:17I know Tyler Mildred would be very happy about that.
00:19So John Lopez.
00:20She's also NHL insider for the sporting news
00:24and joining us right now to talk about the opportunity of the NHL
00:29coming here to Houston, finally.
00:33She is Jennifer Street.
00:35Hey, Jenna.
00:36I'm doing good.
00:37Hi, guys.
00:38It is nice to be on air with you, too.
00:41I quite literally just got done covering the NHL drop from your apartment,
00:45so I am popped up on a bunch of adrenaline and ready to go.
00:48All right, good.
00:49You can give me the lowdown on who the Islanders took in about 10 minutes.
00:53But right now, I want to talk to you about, listen, coming from the Northeast,
00:59I am somebody who's – I started playing hockey at three.
01:02I have been a hockey fan literally my entire life.
01:06And the one thing we don't have here is hockey.
01:08And Houston, way too big, way too amazing a city to not have a hockey team.
01:15We felt like we've been close before.
01:18How close are we legitimately right now?
01:22We are legitimately as close as we have ever been to having an NHL team in Houston.
01:28So for our listeners who don't know, the gist is right now is that the NHL is entering a six
01:34-month
01:34evaluation period with the Friedkin Group, who's led by Dan Friedkin,
01:39who is going to be the owners of the 33rd expansion team in the NHL.
01:45And they are currently deciding between Austin or Houston as to which city will be able to house that team.
01:53So we are as close as we've ever been.
01:57Jen, give us a little bit of insight in terms of what's going to be taking place over the course
02:02of the next six months
02:03as officials look at both Houston and Austin in this exploratory venture of theirs.
02:11What are exactly they looking for in both cities?
02:16Incredible question.
02:17So what they are looking for is, number one, which city is hockey going to be successful in both financially
02:26and in the sense of which place is going to fill arenas?
02:30What is also being looked at is that both cities do require, the NHL is requiring a new arena,
02:36no matter which city is being selected.
02:39So, you know, finance is a big part of it.
02:41Land is a big part of it.
02:43Fanship is a big part of it.
02:44One thing that I've also heard, per a bunch of my sources,
02:47is that the NHL is wanting this 33rd team to be added prior to the next TV rights negotiations.
02:55And so I personally think they're also going to be considering TV market rankings.
02:59Now, I'm not sure if you two are familiar with that, but off the top of my head,
03:03Houston is ranked number six nationally in TV market rankings compared to Austin,
03:07which is ranked number 34.
03:09So I do think that is something that is giving the city of Houston a big advantage as well.
03:14You know, Jenny, when you mentioned that, I'm like, all right, they want to do the,
03:18they want this before the next TV contract.
03:21Houston's obviously a much bigger TV market than Austin is ever going to be.
03:27And, and this is not to slight Austin because I think Austin's a pretty cool city,
03:30but it's about not quite a third the size of Houston.
03:37And while I know that they've got some really nice tech companies and stuff in Austin,
03:41got all that here too, just, you know, times 10.
03:44But when you mentioned about a new arena is going to be like a prerequisite for this,
03:52are they expecting that new arena to be built and for us,
03:5633rd team would start play or that they would have to be in the process of building it?
04:02Like what is exactly how far in are they requiring this new arena?
04:06And on top of that, I guess, if you're talking about Houston versus Austin, where might that arena go?
04:16Yeah, that's a really good question.
04:18And unfortunately, I hate to disappoint, but that is something that I actually don't know the answer to.
04:22You know, I don't know if the arena would be built, you know, before they get here.
04:27I think what that's going to be something that we're going to get answered after the six month evaluation period.
04:32I think once they figure which city they're officially going with and make that public,
04:37then we'll transition more to the arena.
04:39As for where it would go, I think it's either going to be inside the loop somewhere
04:44or it's going to be over out in Katy.
04:47I know for a fact that Sugar Land is out and I know for a fact that the Woodlands are
04:52out.
04:53And I know those two are out for the following reasons.
04:55In the Woodlands is upcoming being built.
04:58There is an ECHL team that is arriving to Houston in the next few years.
05:02They're going to be based just underneath the Woodlands.
05:04And then the NAHL's Houston Bulls have a new facility that's being built in Richmond.
05:09And I don't think it would make sense for the NHL to build their new arena right in the vicinity
05:15where there's other pre-existing hockey organizations in Houston.
05:18So that's what I can tell you guys about that.
05:22Let's go, Katie!
05:23My backyard!
05:24Let's go!
05:25Jennifer Streeter, our guest on the Texas Mattress Makers Hotline.
05:28She's a hockey insider for the Sporting News.
05:32And look, I know you cover the New England, it's in hockey up there.
05:37So there's probably only so much you can tell us about the city of Austin.
05:42But I've just been kind of taken aback by this Houston versus Austin dynamic.
05:47You know, anytime I've heard Gary Bettman speak about expansion, it's come down to Houston or Atlanta.
05:54America, among, you know, a couple of other more major cities across the country than that of Austin.
06:01I knew Austin had the ice bats.
06:03And I don't know if they still exist.
06:05But ultimately, my question is, do the people of Austin, like, actually want hockey?
06:11This would be their first pro franchise ever.
06:16And I'm just very curious why the NHL is even considering Austin and why they think that would actually be
06:24a viable destination for a 33rd team.
06:28Yeah, well, first of all, you know, I'm I've been very busy over the past few days because I'm a
06:33hockey insider who's based in Texas.
06:35And this is where I grew up.
06:36However, I am a proud Aggie alum.
06:38So anytime I get to talk about Austin slightly negatively, you know, that's that's always a little bit of a
06:44boost for me.
06:45But, you know, Austin, and I have been to Austin before.
06:50I was just there last weekend for a concert at Moody Center.
06:52You know, it's a very cool city.
06:54I have friends who live there.
06:55But I will say, you know, the NHL has been considering bringing a team to Houston for years.
07:01Like for NHL insiders like me, like this is not a new concept.
07:04I had not heard Austin being in the topic of conversation until very recently.
07:10Apparently, that was something that was discussed at the Board of Governors meeting, which was when all of this broke.
07:15Was that during what Houston or Austin?
07:17That is the first time I've heard Austin's.
07:20Like name as a city, if you will, been in contention, I do think they're being considered.
07:25So the Dallas Stars, AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars do play in Austin, I believe in Cedar Park.
07:32And I am hearing a lot of reports that like.
07:37One thing that could be considered an advantage is the fact that Austin doesn't really have any big professional leagues
07:43that, you know,
07:44the NHL could really quickly establish themselves to sports fans in the area.
07:49So I do think I think they're being considered, you know, for that.
07:53But I've also heard from another a number of sources that this is kind of the NHL kind of playing
07:59a little bit of a business move,
08:00a little bit of a political move and that it could be used as leverage.
08:03You know, this could be the NHL's way of saying, you know, we're going to try and leverage Houston and
08:10try and get as much as we can for this new arena that we're requiring as possible.
08:14And if we don't get that, then we will just kind of flush out the fact that we're also considering
08:19Austin, if that makes sense.
08:20Now, Jenny, it's funny that you mention that, right?
08:23Because like on one hand, you think about how when the NHL expanded to Las Vegas, right?
08:29Vegas didn't have any professional teams at that point.
08:32The Golden Knights were the first ones in.
08:34And that city went absolutely bonkers for having the Golden Knights.
08:39You couldn't go into the airport without seeing Golden Knights stuff everywhere.
08:44Every sign, every story, Golden Knights everywhere.
08:49And I can see that being something where like, hey, if they're the only, if they're the only, and it's
08:57a city that's been clamoring for a professional franchise,
09:01are they just going to wrap their arms around it and go nuts and pour everything into it the way
09:07that Vegas did?
09:09You know, and then, you know, at the same time, it's like, well, you have the opportunity to get into
09:13a top five market.
09:16And are you really going to shun a top five market for a market outside the top 30?
09:23You know, that seems like just on its face, seems kind of crazy.
09:28And what you were talking about of, you know, are they using Austin to leverage Houston?
09:33Are they trying to get more out of here?
09:34Give us more money for infrastructure.
09:37Give us more money for this.
09:39Give us some tax breaks for that.
09:41You know, just sweeten the pot more for us to get you to lock that down.
09:47I kind of feel like that's what's going on.
09:50Well, what's also kind of further backing that up, which first of all, everything is bigger and better in Texas.
09:57So, you know, them wanting a big arena, that's not surprising just because of who Texas is and like who
10:03we are.
10:03I will say the price tag for the Friedkin group that we're hearing about, you know, this investment for this
10:1033rd franchise team is, I believe, 3.5.
10:15It's like 3.5 billion.
10:17Like it's the highest number that it's been ever for an NHL expansion team.
10:21So that kind of backs up everything being bigger and better in Texas.
10:25And kind of that, like, if the price tag is already that high and that's already what they're getting, you
10:30know, what else are they kind of trying to respectfully get?
10:32But you also have to look at it as like, I'm not saying that sports are a business now, right?
10:38And sports are very much political now.
10:40So it's all very kind of like business-y, if that makes sense.
10:44Yeah.
10:44Jennifer Streeter, our guest on the Texas Mattress Makers Hotline.
10:48And curious your opinion of this, because PC and I have talked about this a number of times, and expansion
10:54seems like it's maybe the only option for Gary Bettman in the NHL.
11:00But can you explain to us a little bit why, in terms of what you've heard, what you know, why
11:07relocation is not an option and when that kind of went out the window for Bettman in the NHL?
11:14Yeah, so I think the reason is, is I think they have more, I think they simply want to keep
11:20going.
11:20So in addition to the media release we were provided about how they're considering this 33rd expansion team for it
11:27to be Houston or Austin,
11:29they also mentioned how they're also still very much considering in the future Arizona and Atlanta.
11:35So, you know, the reason they're not like relocating a team is simply because this is an opportunity to have
11:42the league grow.
11:43And so, you know, they're not done after 33rd.
11:46You know, they want to keep going and they're still exploring other cities after they're done with either Austin or
11:51Houston.
11:52No, I always felt that after COVID, the NHL took the hardest hit from COVID.
11:58And that there was always going to be an expansion for owners to make up that lost money.
12:04And this is kind of where we are.
12:06You're always going to try to, you know, you're only going to be an odd numbered team league for a
12:12very short period of time.
12:15But I've always another expansion up to 34 teams.
12:19And this is what we're getting.
12:23You know, Atlanta, you're talking about a third bite at the apple for Atlanta.
12:26Yeah.
12:27You know, meanwhile, you know, Quebec City is dying for another team.
12:32You know, Kansas City would like to get another team.
12:34They only had one very, very briefly.
12:37You know, there's some markets that are big markets that are looking for a team.
12:42And I know Atlanta is a big market, but, man, it's failed there twice.
12:47And you think maybe, okay, will it finally work there this time?
12:50And last time it was more a matter of just dumb ownership.
12:53But still, you've had two bites at the apple.
12:56How many times are you going to keep going back?
12:58Yeah.
12:59I've got one question, and maybe this is a simple one, but maybe it's also one that is unknown.
13:05Both of you guys can kind of weigh in on this.
13:07Dan Friedkin.
13:08This guy is a multi, multi, multi-billionaire.
13:11Super rich.
13:11Nearly $10 billion is one of the numbers that I've heard.
13:15Is this the guy?
13:16Is this the guy in his group that is either going to take over a franchise in Austin or Houston?
13:23Or is there still potential for another suitor or two to get involved, maybe even once the determination in the
13:32host city for this new franchise is determined six months down the road, eight months down the road, whenever it
13:39is?
13:40Yeah.
13:41So from what we know now, the Friedkin family, which is led by Dan Friedkin, the CEO of the Friedman
13:46Group, they also own, like, this isn't like their first sports venture.
13:51Like, they own Italian soccer teams, stuff like that.
13:54But they are, there's no opportunity where, like, Fertitta or, you know, other millionaires, billionaires are going to be involved.
14:03Like, this is very much the guy for the 33rd team.
14:06Okay.
14:07Dan Friedkin owns Gulf States Toyota.
14:09They are one of the largest distributors of Toyotas, like, full stop.
14:17They're franchised to sell Toyotas in five different states.
14:22Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.
14:25They are massive.
14:28So, like, he's not a rich.
14:31He's an oh-my-God rich.
14:33Yeah.
14:33Ultra.
14:34The second I heard that he owns an Italian soccer club, I'm like, okay.
14:38He owns an EPL team, too.
14:40I mean.
14:41That's elite to its own.
14:43When you can own two soccer teams in two of the most elite leagues in Europe.
14:46Yeah.
14:47Yeah.
14:49You're past rich.
14:50Yeah.
14:51All right.
14:52It's, to be specific, it's Italian soccer club, AS Roma, and Everton in the English Premier League.
14:57Just if anyone's curious, just because I'm staring at the media release.
15:00Yeah.
15:00So, AS Roma's in Syria, and Everton's in EPL.
15:05Those are, like, two of the most elite leagues in Europe.
15:08Here's my last question.
15:10Until we at least learn more, and I'm sure there's going to be plenty more to learn and, you know,
15:16rumor and conversation to be had over the course of the next six months as, you know, maybe information or
15:20intrigue comes out with this exploratory venture by the NHL.
15:24But in terms of your opinion, Jennifer, what you think in terms of Houston v. Austin and how much the
15:36NHL is lead to grow, what's the best decision for the NHL and why?
15:42Yeah.
15:43So, I mean, you look at the populations of the two cities.
15:46You look at, you know, the amount of successful sports teams in each cities, and the obvious answer is Houston.
15:54You know, that is coming from a Houston-based hockey reporter and someone who grew up in Houston.
15:59So, granted, that is probably a little bit biased.
16:01But, you know, I was comparing the metro populations.
16:03And when I was comparing the metro populations, Houston's was about 7.7 million, and Austin's was about 2.7
16:11million.
16:11And then I was comparing USA hockey enrollment numbers per city, and Houston's was about 2,500 currently enrolled USA
16:21hockey players, and Austin was, like, 2,000.
16:25So, you look at the numbers and the numbers and the TV market numbers, and those all align with Houston
16:32being the clear choice.
16:33I think what it's going to boil down to at the end of the day is which city is going
16:37to be able to financially support and make a team financially successful there.
16:43So, I think for the listeners and the hockey fans in Houston to do is, you know, support preexisting hockey
16:49in the city.
16:49You know, the University of Houston has a club hockey team.
16:52Rice University has a club hockey team.
16:54The NHL-Houston Bulls are upcoming on their, you know, inaugural first season.
16:58So, I think, you know, showing that the fact that the NHL is going to be watching both cities, I
17:03think, you know, the time is now to kind of support hockey in each of the areas.
17:09Jenny, if a team comes to Houston, what's it going to be named?
17:12What would you like to see it named?
17:16Yeah, so I'd love to see it be called the Houston Arrows as just, you know, a little nod to
17:21history and, you know,
17:22the former professional hockey that was had once here.
17:24And I do think that's very likely that if it does come to Houston, we do see that callback and
17:29it does get named the Houston Arrows just because the NHL really does have an affinity for, you know, doing
17:34retro uniforms and always, like, noting history.
17:37And every time I get a media release sent out, it's like, this last happened, you know, four decades ago.
17:42And I'm like, okay, I didn't, you know, need to know that, but I will build that into my coverage.
17:45So, you know, the league is very much a fan of history.
17:48So, I do think if the team were to come to Houston, it would be the Houston Arrows for sure.
17:52I'll co-sign that because that's a society thing, too.
17:55I mean, even in Houston, look what the Rockets did.
17:57They went back to the old ketchup and mustard colors for the Rockets' Alternative City Connects this upcoming season.
18:03The old oiler blue, you know, the Columbia blue.
18:07It's now college baseball here.
18:10It's with the Texans.
18:12Like, nostalgia is a thing, and I think the Arrows would be the perfect choice.
18:15Just got to write a check to the Minnesota Wild.
18:18Yeah, well, Freed can probably afford that, I would say.
18:21Yeah, I think she can.
18:23NHL insider for the Sporting News.
18:25She is Jennifer Streeter joining us on the Texas Mattress Makers Hotline.
18:31Jenny, thanks so much for your time tonight.
18:33Let's talk again soon.
18:35Yeah, absolutely.
18:36Would love to be back on any time.
18:38Had super, had so much fun talking all things Houston with you guys,
18:42and it's always good to connect with fellow Houstonian sports media people.
18:48So, really appreciate you guys having me on,
18:50especially after I was a little bit low energy after the NHL draft.
18:54So, hopefully, we still all had a good guy, some good information.
18:57We got some Red Bull for you.
18:59No worries.
18:59It was great.
19:00Thanks, Jen.
19:02All right.
19:02Thanks, guys.
19:03Thanks.
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