NHL-Dan Friedkin family deal on potential expansion in Texas

Article posted by Coliseum, July 13^th, 2026

Image: American Airlines Center, Cordey, CC BY 2.0

The National Hockey League (NHL) is exploring potential expansion in Texas (US) in either Houston or Austin under an agreement with billionaire Dan Friedkin and his family, the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said recently.

Term Sheet

‘houstonpublicmedia.org’ stated that Bettman said the Board of Governors Executive Committee endorsed a term sheet agreed to with the Friedkins over the next six months. The total investment required between an expansion fee and the cost to build a new arena in one of those cities would amount to $3.5 billion, according to Bettman, who said discussions over the past two years largely revolved around Houston before Austin joined the conversation.

New York (US)-based the National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams, 25 in the United States and seven in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier professional ice hockey league in the world.

‘Dig Deeper’

Stated Bettman, “That’s part of the process to determine what would be best both for the league and for Dan Friedkin and family. Both cities will require a new arena. It may be more feasible in one place than the other. And as we dig a little deeper and do the due diligence we’ll figure out which makes the most sense.”

‘houstonpublicmedia.org’ further stated that Dan Friedkin is the Chairman and head honcho of the Friedkin Group with a net worth of $6.4 billion. The Houston-based consortium has investments in the automotive industry, entertainment, hospitality and sports including stakes in the European soccer clubs Everton F.C. (UK) and AS Roma (Italy).

Board Vote

No Board vote was taken. That would only come if the sides involved move forward with an agreement.

Expressions of Interest

While there is no guarantee that the National Hockey League (NHL) adds a 33rd team the move is a first step toward becoming the largest professional sports league in North America surpassing the National Football League (NFL). Bettman has said that the officials were listening to expressions of interest from the prospective owners in places like Houston and Atlanta but until now not yet engaged in a formal path toward expansion.

‘Friedkin Opportunities’

Added Bettman, “There was an update on Atlanta, there was an update on Arizona and there was an update on South Texas. But neither Arizona nor Atlanta are quite as far along in the process as the Dan Friedkin opportunities.”

New York (US)-based the National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world.

‘Just an Exploration’

The NHL team Montreal Canadiens Owner Geoff Molson, who is on the Executive Committee, called it an important decision and said, “It’s just an exploration at this stage.”

‘Championship-caliber Franchise’

In a statement released through Pursuit Sports the Friedkin family said it had reached an agreement with the NHL for exclusive rights to a franchise in South Texas with a focus on Houston and Austin. It said it would be methodical in assessing the best option – “Each city brings unique attributes that would make a new team a huge success – both have the infrastructure, the passionate fan bases and the economic strength needed to support a championship-caliber franchise for years to come. We have wanted for some time to bring an NHL team to Texas and we are excited that the process has now begun.”

HL Franchise

Last year, there were reported discussions between the NHL and Dan Friedkin about bringing a professional team to Houston. In early 2024, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Houston Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta was reportedly in talks with the NHL.

Houston has never been home to an NHL franchise but previously had two pro hockey teams and both were called the Aeros. The first team competed in the former World Hockey Association from 1972-1978 and was led by the hockey legend Gordie Howe, winning two league championships. The second rendition of the Aeros was a minor league team that played in the International Hockey League and American Hockey League from 1994-2013.

The Houston area is set to get a junior hockey team as the Houston Bulls, a rebranded franchise in the North American Hockey League, are moving from Iowa to the Houston suburb of Richmond for the 2026-2027 seasons.

The league last expanded to 32 teams with the National Hockey League (NHL) team Seattle Kraken beginning play in 2021 after their peer team the Vegas Golden Knights started in the 2017-2018 seasons. Before that there had been 30 teams since 2000 when Columbus and Minnesota entered.

Expansion Fees

The recent success stories, combined with the booming franchise values across sports, spurred talk of expansion in the hockey circles, especially because the expansion fees could exceed $1 billion. Seattle paid $650 million and Las Vegas $500 million.

NHL Popularity

From Florida to Texas to California and the places in between the NHL has enjoyed strong popularity across the Sun Belt (the Southern and Southwestern Region of the United States) and the non-traditional hockey markets over the past four decades. The teams were added in South Florida and Tampa in Florida, San Jose and Anaheim in California, Nashville, Tennessee, and Las Vegas while relocations put teams in Dallas, Raleigh, North Carolina, Denver, and elsewhere.

The teams in those places have won the Stanley Cup (the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League [NHL] Playoff champion) the past seven years in a row and 13 times dating to Colorado’s championship run in 1995-1996.

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