[4everfsu]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/91879 ... uston-iowa

[jbock13]

Not a surprise that they'd want it closer to Minnesota. Norfolk is affiliated with Anaheim.

[Sly Fox]

And the people of Houston let out a collective yawn. I am shocked that a minor league hockey move would even be noticed by this board.

[NotAJerry]

Not a surprise that they'd want it closer to Minnesota. Norfolk is affiliated with Anaheim.

Which is an odd situation itself as they used to be affiliated with Tampa Bay.

It would make sense for another southern team to grab the Houston market as they've been one of the better attended AHL franchises.

[jbock13]

I guess the thing is that Houston is big enough to have some hockey fans. Well apparently not but its the same reason SoCal has two hockey teams, the market is so big that the .00007% of people that like watching hockey in that market can still fill an arena. Whereas in Winnipeg you need 25% of the population to show up at the arena.

Although I do like hockey myself. Not sure why he posted it either but I only commented because its hockey.

[jbock13]

It really comes down to sustainability. If Norfolk works for Anaheim, then it's fine. But you see now especially in baseball where farm teams are trying to keep their teams more local.

The AHL has few teams out west, so that probably had part to do with it. Iowa is a little closer than Texas to New England. There's also a more northern teams, and of course, Iowa is right next to Minnesota, to encourage people to make the trip to see the real team.

With Tampa, you have enough snowbirds now that enjoy it. Most Southerners just don't enjoy hockey. I do but I'm one of the few.

[Sly Fox]

Houston is filled with Rust Belt evacuees who still love the live experience of hockey. We have ice facilities all around Houston. Many people love to go to Aeros games for the atmosphere but couldn't care less about the actual franchise. The city remains easily the largest market in the U.S. without an NHL franchise. I think a team could fare well here but eventually the other outdoor options would wither away fan support as we have seen in most Southern NHL cities.

[RubberMallet]

the news items that are posted here are generally boyond me.

ahl hockey is "better" hockey but its such a carousel of players that its hard to be a fan of a team. i prefer independent rough around the edges hockey for small market cities.