IHL Aeros Owners' Robert McNair and Chuck Watson "want
to purchase" the NHL Oilers and move the team to Houston,
"in exchange" for the Aeros, according to Jac MacDonald of
the EDMONTON JOURNAL. McNair: "We are still interested in
getting a team in Houston and we have continued our
discussions with the NHL, and do have some level of interest
in the Edmonton team." McNair and Watson are trying to get
a local ownership group in place. McNair said that if the
Oilers move to Houston, the Aeros could "take over the
Oilers lease that runs until 2004." But Edmonton Mayor Bill
Smith said, "It's certainly not acceptable to this market."
MacDonald also reports that Rockets Owner Les Alexander is
"still interested" in the Oilers (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 8/15).
TICKET MESS-IAH: In Vancouver, Canucks season-ticket
holders will pay the same price they did last year, but new
season-ticket buyers will pay a 5-8% increase. Single-game
tickets will increase an average of 8%. As of Thursday, a
"record" 1,881 new season-ticket equivalents had been sold,
721 since the signing of Mark Messier on July 28. Last
year's season-ticket base of 11,500 had been reached and the
team "expects to surpass" the 12,400 total for the '95-96
season (Terry Bell, VANCOUVER PROVINCE, 8/15).
