According to a report from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the NHL has a ’strong ownership candidate emerging’ for a potential expansion to Houston. Dan Friedkin, owner and chief executive officer of The Friedkin Group, has reportedly met with league executives on multiple occasions to discuss expansion in southeast Texas.
Friedkin isn’t a stranger to sports ownership. He’s the owner and president of two European football clubs, Roma of the Serie A League and Everton of the English Premier League. According to Forbes World’s Billionaire List, Friedkin ranks 432nd with a projected net worth of $6.4BB. He made most of his worth presiding over Gulf States Toyota Distributors, which was founded by his father, Thomas Friedkin, in 1969.
Although Friedkin or The Friedkin Group didn’t confirm the news, Kaplan reports that NHL commissioner deputy Bill Daly has confirmed the ongoing discussions in an email. Still, there have not been reports suggesting that the NHL is actively seeking to add another team, as most of their discussions appear to be merely preliminary.
It’s not because of a lack of interest. The most recent expansion report indicated that a group from New Orleans, LA was interested in hosting another team. Furthermore, groups from Atlanta, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Omaha have expressed interest in NHL expansion, with Atlanta likely being the most viable candidate despite losing two NHL teams already.
Given his sports ownership overseas, Friedkin likely leads the pack in any future expansion at this point. A team in Houston would have a built-in rival already in the Dallas Stars, and have access to the fourth-highest population according to the 2020 census.
Another article about another expansion possibility ugh… the league doesn’t need anymore expansions right now & won’t for the remainder of this decade. The current teams are just now starting to get themselves adjusted after a couple of years of the flat cap & such. The league has other things to improve upon like the playoff system (despite the owners recently rejecting the idea), the amount of preseason games, maybe even shaking up the divisions a little, sorting out the All-Star Game situation, & etc. The league has other things to focus on before getting into another expansion.
Glass half full view Atlanta getting a 3rd go at it would be great news for la vielle capitale…
Atlanta to Calgary 1980
Atlanta to Winnipeg 2011
Atlanta to Quebec City TBD
While there is decades of history of teams moving to different cities I agree with this point on Atlanta. Hard to break in there when you have 3 well established pro teams there.
I just genuinely think there is ZERO hockey culture at all in Georgia. Adults and kids alike. Maybe give it a few more decades…
NOOOO to Atlanta!!! They’re 0-2.
Houston should be choice #1.
Omaha? Manning heading up that group?
Take the Sabres, Terry doesn’t care about them.
The NHL is the one league that can still expand without watering down the rosters too much. There’s still probably enough AHL/European league players that would be able to fill out the bottom of rosters once expansion players are plucked. But it probably is only enough for 1 or 2 teams.
Houston would be a good market, but the talent pool is already too watered down.
Why are you against more guys getting hockey jobs with a nice paycheck attached? More opportunity at the highest level of play is how the skill level of the talent pool will be increased.
This is dumber than your usual comments. The league doesn’t exist to provide paychecks for every player with NHL dreams.
I actually think you are Wilf/Kesler…..or at least his twin.
I though Wilf is Kesler was/is doghockey.
There is a reason good players had great years in 17-18 and 21-22.
Actually Bill Daly is the deputy commissioner of the NHL ☝️
Brennan might have some inside scoop.
Atlanta only works if they get out of that arena. They can’t play in a downtown arena. Braves are a perfect example when they moved to an easily accessible ballpark
Let me tell you the Braves new park is anything but accessible- the airport is a long $100 Uber ride away, transit to the north from downtown is spotty and well, while it’s a nice park with a few amenities, it kind of feels like a segregated city. I know that’s where the new rink is supposed to go but if the finicky Atlanta baseball fans are any indication the franchise will need another exit strategy by year six… been there, done that.
No expansion. Instead just get rid of Buffalo & Calgary. Nashville & Columbus can go too.
Calgary is opening a new building soon, and of course as a Canadian town is perfect for the NHL. Nashville is a great hockey town. Buffalo and Columbus have proven themselves through suffering.
Where do you come up with this stuff? The folks at the NHL don’t own the franchises and cannot simply dump a few of them. Oh, and the NHL is looking to expand, not contract. It’s like your hockey and business knowledge crossed paths at the very bottom of the curve.
Billionaire Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta controls the venue at the Toyota Center so he either has to be involved in any ownership group for an NHL franchise or he has to be paid off. This NHL expansion in Houston song and dance show has been going on for more than a decade. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Finally an expansion that makes sense.
Instead of Atlanta I’d pair Houston with Kansas City – the Sprint is ready to go, there’s no NBA rival and it would be a natural rival for St Louis. Bump Nashville into same division as Columbus…