American billionaire Dan Friedkin has emerged as a strong ownership option to bring the NHL to Houston, sources told ESPN.
Although attempts to seek comment from the Friedkin Group have failed, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed by email that the league had met the group.
Friedkin, CEO of Houston-based The Freidkin Group, has begun to foray into professional sports ownership over the past few years. In 2020, the company purchased the Italian Serie A club as Rome. In 2024, TFG became the majority owner of English Premier League club Everton. Earlier this month, TFG helped secure £350 million in funding for Everton’s new stadium.
According to reports, TFG is also considering bidding for the NBA’s Boston Celtics, selling for a record $6.1 billion on Thursday.
Friedkin is the chairman and CEO of Toyota, Gulf state.
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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently tried to cool rumours about the expansion, telling reporters in October that the topic was not featured at the governor’s meeting this fall, and that the expansion is not a “front burner topic.”
Currently, Bettman’s main agenda is a new collective bargaining agreement with players. The NHL and NHLPA are expected to launch their official CBA discussion on April 1st. The NHL will need to negotiate a new Canadian television deal.
Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta had previously been in conversation with the NHL about the possibility of owning a hockey team, but Friedkin’s group appears to have emerged as a more viable option.
The NHL became a 30-32 club when they added Vegas (started playing in 2017-18) and Seattle (debuted 2021-22). Las Vegas’ expansion fees were $500 million, while Seattle was $650 million.
If the NHL decides to expand again, they can appear to add two clubs, but stagger the start date.
Atlanta is considered another strong candidate for potential expansion. The NHL left Atlanta twice. Most recently, in 2011, the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg. However, there has been progress over the past few months regarding the possibility of a return to Atlanta.
This week, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry posted on social media that there is a “very productive call” with the NHL about the outlook for the New Orleans team.
The NHL leader has reiterated his call from across North America over the past few years. During the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, Bettman rattled out a list of cities he’d heard from the NHL’s voiced interest, including Omaha, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Houston and Salt Lake City. The NHL has placed their teams in Salt Lake City and moved them from Atlanta to Utah earlier this season.
