A promising new potential bidder for an NHL franchise has surfaced in southeast Texas.
Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin is considered a strong candidate to bring a hockey team to the city if and when the NHL decides to expand again, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday.
ESPN was first to report Friedkin’s interest in purchasing an NHL expansion team, noting that the league has met The Friedkin Group “on a number of occasions.”
The Friedkin Group already owns two prominent soccer franchises in Serie A club Roma and Premier League club Everton. Friedkin, whose firm owns Gulf States Toyota and hospitality management firm Auberge Resorts, has a reported net worth of $7.6 billion.
The fifth largest metro area in the United States, Houston has long been considered a potential expansion destination for the NHL, with Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta’s name typically connected to either a relocated team or expansion franchise. The city has a history of high-level hockey, with the Houston Aeros winning WHA titles in the 1970s and in the IHL and AHL in more recent years.
The NHL added its 31st and 32nd franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle in 2017 and 2021 for then-record expansion fees of $500 million and $650 million respectively. While the number of cities rumored to be interested in adding a franchise continues to grow — with former NHL markets Atlanta and Phoenix frequently mentioned — the league has not yet indicated they are opening the next wave of expansion.
The fact, however, that the league has only 25 American franchises — compared to 32 in the NFL and 29 in the NBA and MLB — has helped fuel the idea that the NHL could support additional teams in the U.S.
The on-ice and financial success of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken have also contributed to more openness generally to the idea of adding additional teams at some point down the line.
The majority of a group of leading NHL player agents surveyed by The Athletic last month chose Houston as the best candidate for the league’s next city.
— The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun contributed to this report.
(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
