The city most frequently cited as a leading candidate for a future National Hockey League expansion or relocation franchise is Houston, Texas, followed closely by Atlanta, Georgia, and Kansas City. Houston possesses a massive media market, a state-of-the-art arena in the Toyota Center that is already fully equipped to host professional hockey, and a booming corporate economy capable of supporting a major sports franchise. Atlanta has also aggressively pursued a return of the NHL for a third time, backed by massive real estate and entertainment district proposals designed to attract league commissioners. The NHL has consistently expressed interest in expanding its footprint into massive, untapped, or previously abandoned metropolitan hubs that offer substantial television markets, strong corporate sponsorship potential, and state-of-the-art arena infrastructure ready to support professional hockey operations.