Let me start by saying i am never in favor of moving an NHL team. As a fan, I can’t imagine how awful that experience would be. No matter how few fans a team has, the fans it does have are real hockey fans and losing their team is nothing I would wish on anyone…
However there is starting to be some talk behind the scenes that at least one, possibly two, NHL team could be moving in the next 3-5 seasons…
There are two cities that continue to be the favorite and both couldn’t be more different, with completely different pros and cons…
Quebec and Houston.
Quebec is a hockey hotbed with a new modern arena that was built at least partially on the promise that the NHL would return to this beautiful city. I firmly believe the original plan was to bring in Quebec and Vegas, but the Canadian dollar was lousy and the NHL allowed Quebec to wait until things improved. Since then…the dollar has stayed weak and the pandemic hit.
But there is no doubt the area would sell out in good times and the city wants its Nordiques back. The rivalry with the Canadiens remains one of the best ever and there is just so much to gain…with so little risk.
Houston has a ready arena as well and would finally give the Dallas Stars a rival that isn’t a two hour flight away. There is a young growing hockey community in Houston and there is a history as well going back to the Houston Aeros days…
In Houston, the team would be competing with teams from ALL the American pro sports for but this is a great sports town.
Also…
*Taxes in Quebec are way higher than Texas *Per recent surveys, the cost of living is 17% less in Quebec *The Population of the Greater Quebec Area is around 800,000 *The Population of the Greater Houston Area in around 6.5 Million. For comparison sake, Phoenix is around 4.85Million, Miami is 6.1 Million
So it’s your turn….Quebec or Houston?