INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis is on the short list of cities interested in a potential NHL expansion team, according to a report by the Daily Faceoff.
Five markets have expressed interest in joining the professional hockey league — Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, Austin and Indianapolis. According to Daily Faceoff reporter Frank Seravalli, the NHL informed the Board of Governors Wednesday that Indy was among those eying an expansion team.
Indianapolis is already the home of the Indy Fuel, the ECHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, which plays in the newly-constructed Fishers Event Center northeast of the city.
An expansion team comes with a heafty price tag. According to Sportico, creating a new NHL team will cost $2 billion in an expansion fee to be paid to the NHL. Plus, the franchise’s new owners would need to commit $1 billion to building a new arena, if the city needs one.
For markets with NBA teams, like Indy, a new arena might not be needed. NHL and NBA teams share an arena in 11 different cities.
But it might not be that easy for the Circle City.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers and Fever, is not built to hold a professional-sized hockey rink, a Fieldhouse official told News 8 Saturday. That means either renovations to the Fieldhouse or a brand new arena would be needed to house an NHL team. While the Fishers Event Center meets the dimensions for an NHL rink, the 7,500 seat capacity doesn’t match other NHL arenas that typically hold from 15,000 to 21,500 seats.
Atlanta has been the loudest with their interest in bringing the NHL back to Georgia’s state capital. Forsyth County, which borders Atlanta’s Fulton County, just approved a $3 billion mixed-use, NHL-ready arena called The Gathering at South Forsyth. If granted the expansion team, it would be the Peach State’s third try at supporting a professional hockey team. Atlanta was the home of the Flames and Thrashers before both teams moved to Canada, becoming the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets, respectively.
Despite all the chatter, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hasn’t confirmed any expansion details.
“We have no pending applications, and we’re not seeking to initiate a formal process at this point,” Bettman told Daily Faceoff Wednesday.
The league is expected to intensify discussions of a potential expansion now that the NHLPA has a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was announced on Friday. So far, no official expansion bids have been put in front of the league — only “expressions of interest,” according to the Daily Faceoff article.
Bettman told Daily Faceoff that a city has to check four boxes to be considered for an expansion team: “cohesive and well-heeled ownership, an NHL-ready arena, a burgeoning market and to answer the question if it makes the NHL better.” Only then will the bid be voted on by the Board of Governors.
News 8 reached out to Indiana Sports Corp and the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office for confirmation on recent reports, but have not received a response.