- Houston Mayor John Whitmire says his office is talking to multiple parties about an NHL franchise
- Whitmire took a shot at Austin, the other city in the league’s six-month evaluation
- Read below for what the mayor said about Houston landing the NHL’s 33rd team
Houston’s mayor is done being subtle about wanting an NHL team.
John Whitmire said in an exclusive interview with Sporting News that his office is already in conversations with people interested in bringing the league’s 33rd franchise to the city. He was asked how prepared Houston is if a real proposal lands on his desk.
“We’re ready. In fact, we’re talking to multiple parties that are interested … So when we get a proposal, if the city can do something to a system, we’ll be there. We’ll definitely be a better location than Austin,” Whitmire said.
That last line is the fun part, because Austin is the only other city in the mix. The NHL announced in June that Gary Bettman and the Friedkin Group had started a six-month evaluation of the two Texas markets.
Whitmire kept going when the comparison came up again.
“I think [the NHL] would never regret it if they gave a franchise to Houston. They’d never regret it. Austin is a great city, but it’s not Houston … If you talk to the sports franchises in town, I think they’d tell you we’re great partners.”
The size gap is not close. Houston is the No. 6 media market in the country and Austin sits at No. 32, with a metro population of roughly 7.8 million against Austin’s 2.55 million.
Six major pro franchises already call Houston home across the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and NWSL, and a WNBA team arrives in 2027. Whitmire pointed at that track record rather than at any arena plan, since both Texas candidates would need a new building either way.
Dan Friedkin’s group has committed to roughly $3.5 billion to make this happen, a figure that covers the expansion fee to the league plus the cost of the arena. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly has called Houston the priority and said a team could be awarded before the end of the year.
Here’s Houston Public Media breaking down why the league keeps circling their city:
Seattle cost its ownership group a $650 million expansion fee back in 2018. The Texas number will be a lot bigger, and the evaluation window closes in December.
Whitmire is not waiting quietly until then.
