April 19, 2013, after a 50 year run of hockey that included the likes of Gordy Howe and Bobby Hull, and inspired the movie “Mr. Hockey”, The Houston Aeros announced their departure to Iowa.  It was a crushing blow to fans in Texas, but their departure was not at all due to a lack of fan base or attendance. It was an inability of the organization to negotiate a lease with the Toyota Center and Clutch City Sports. Rumors assumed that the real reason they were let go was that Clutch City Sports was positioning themselves for one of the NHL’s 2 expansion teams, so fans waited with baited breath for an NHL Team.  That day would never come after Las Vegas and then Seattle were awarded the expansions.

Fast Forward to February 6, 2020 where without so much as a warning to its affiliate NHL team, The St. Louis Blues, or its season ticket holders, Spurs Sports and Entertainment announced the sale of their AHL team, The San Antonio Rampage, to the Las Vegas Golden Knights.  The Rampage were on their way back to the top under a 5 year contract with St. Louis, and attendance at the AT&T Center was one of the highest in the AHL before the Pandemic stopped play. Fans never even had a chance to say good bye and after a 25 year run of professional hockey in San Antonio, Fans were without a team again, and The Texas Stars, were without a rival.

As thousands of hungry fans wait in desperation for NHL and AHL leadership to see the benefits to returning hockey to South Texas, we can’t help but notice the ongoing challenges that the Sharks and Coyote Organizations are going through in their respective cities. The Sharks Organization struggles with a City Council that just doesn’t seem to care about their concerns regarding COVID regulations, the SAP Center, the “Google project”, or a new home for their AHL affiliate, who currently shares the SAP Center with the Sharks.  The Coyotes struggle to overcome scrutiny over its past management and organizational culture under prior leadership as well as low attendance at both Coyotes and Road Runner games despite both teams ranking high in the standings.

We the Fans, are not here to cast stones or contribute to the scrutiny. We understand your frustration, and while no team wants to leave their fans and the city they call home, the hockey fans of Texas want to let you know that Texas Loves and supports professional hockey, and welcomes the relocation of either Organizations NHL and AHL teams to our great State should you decide to move.  An NHL team in Houston, and the return of AHL hockey to San Antonio (a short 4 hour drive away) would have a huge impact, restoring the rivalry between Cedar Park and San Antonio, and creating a new one between Houston and Dallas.