IHL Houston Aeros Owner Chuck Watson said yesterday he has
applied for an NHL expansion franchise for Houston, according to
Neil Hohlfeld of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Watson said a new arena
would be necessary to make an NHL club "viable" for the city and
that he would be willing to split all revenues from either a
proposed Downtown or Greenway Plaza facility 50/50 with Rockets
Owner Les Alexander. Watson and Alexander broke off talks two
months ago on a buyout of Alexander's lease at The Summit, which
runs through the 2002-03 season. Watson: "This could turn the
tide of some of the negative press that Houston's been getting
about major franchises leaving this city. ... I'm very optimistic
about the application." Hohlfeld notes there has been
"speculation" that Alexander also will apply for an expansion
franchise in order to control all revenues from a new arena.
However, an NHL spokesperson confirmed the only application to
date from the City of Houston is Watson's (HOUSTON CHRONICLE,
9/27). Watson said a second NHL franchise in TX could be an
"added incentive, not a complication" for the league. Watson: "I
think the NHL wants those natural rivalries. Houston is a big
market they're not in. I think they want it pretty bad" (Joseph
Duarte, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/27).
REAX: Stars President Jim Lites would "welcome another team
in Texas" and said is not worried about a Houston club limiting
the Stars' TV exposure outside Dallas. Lites: "Houston is about
the biggest sports market in America without an NHL team. ...
it's got to be a first-rate candidate for expansion" (Bill
Sullivan, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/27). In Houston, Joseph Duarte
writes, the league's recent moves to Tampa, Miami and Dallas are
"dispelling the theory that hockey can only remain competitive
with other professional sports in the northern U.S. and Canada"
(HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/27). Columnist Ed Fowler calls Watson's
bid "curious" since he has promoted his Aeros as "more accessible
to the masses and thus more saleable than the NHL game" (HOUSTON
CHRONICLE, 9/27).
