Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tuesday's Tight Thoughts
While the Nashville Predators gave the Wings some fits with their physical, grinding play, the finesse of the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars has allowed Detroit to easily roll into the Stanley Cup Finals.
Yes, I know the Stars/Wings series is not officially over, but the Stars have as much chance for a comeback as Hilary Clinton. It ain't gonna happen, as we all know.
Wayne, our Southern Correspondent, charms in:
In a topic I've covered before, Wings fans just aren't coming out to pack Joe Louis Arena. Combine a bad economy with a spoiled fanbase, and you get empty seats.
Wayne chips in again:
Well, Detroit certainly isn't a 'soft' market, and the NHL is probably going to realize that American fans might have to cut expensive NHL tickets out of their budget as food and gas prices soar. It's rather troubling that 'Hockeytown' (self-billed, I know) can't sell out a Conference Finals playoff match.
At least the Flyers/Pens series is entertaining, if not entirely one-sided. The Flyers' are getting punished for taking penalties, and Martin Biron is not the answer to the question, "What goalie is going to take us to the Stanley Cup?"
Yes, I know the Stars/Wings series is not officially over, but the Stars have as much chance for a comeback as Hilary Clinton. It ain't gonna happen, as we all know.
Wayne, our Southern Correspondent, charms in:
Could someone put the Stars-Wings series out of its misery? I tuned to a hockey game, and a soccer game broke out...The only thing missing was the voice of John Paul Della-Camera (the second greatest soccer announcer ever)...No wonder Wings fans are staying home...
In a topic I've covered before, Wings fans just aren't coming out to pack Joe Louis Arena. Combine a bad economy with a spoiled fanbase, and you get empty seats.
Wayne chips in again:
Take a look at things right now: $4/gallon gas, homes being forclosed, layoffs in the white-collar/middle-and-upper management sector (the people who buy season tix and luxury boxes), make MLB, the NBA, and the NHL (especially the NHL) particularly vulnerable...I don't think people are going to be willing to plunk down $60/ticket much longer, especially in soft markets. All NHL teams are going to have to take a good hard look at themselves...
Well, Detroit certainly isn't a 'soft' market, and the NHL is probably going to realize that American fans might have to cut expensive NHL tickets out of their budget as food and gas prices soar. It's rather troubling that 'Hockeytown' (self-billed, I know) can't sell out a Conference Finals playoff match.
At least the Flyers/Pens series is entertaining, if not entirely one-sided. The Flyers' are getting punished for taking penalties, and Martin Biron is not the answer to the question, "What goalie is going to take us to the Stanley Cup?"
Labels: attendance, flyers, musings, Penguins, playoffs, Red Wings
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
A Brief Look at Post-Lockout NHL Attendance
by Jes
I was looking at the NHL attendance figures provided on ESPN.com, as I periodically do, just to see any possible trends and items of note.
Here are the figures from 2005/06 compared to this season's numbers.
The overall average went down, but I wouldn't put any stock into that number. We know that some teams were padding (and still are) their attendance numbers with freebies and big discounts.
The 'worst' Canadian team for attendance is the Edmonton Oilers, with an average of 16,839 which fills 98.5% of their stated capacity. Yes, even the worst Canadian teams fill the building on a regular basis.
The one crappy team doing great at the gate is the Philadelphia Flyers, who suckered a lot of their fans into renewing season tickets, despite a big price increase, by banking on the fact that their veteran-laden team would be competitive. Did anyone expect the Flyers to tank out quite this bad? It'll be interesting to see if they experience a huge drop-off next season.
The Nashville Predators have made some modest gains at the gate, but one of the best teams in the NHL is still struggling as they rank 23rd in attendance.
It's amazing just how quickly the Blues fans jumped off of the ship. To their credit, the ticket prices are high and the product quality has been low. Still, with a good new coach in Andy Murray, I would hope to see better support next year. The Blues have been pretty competitive since the coaching change.
It looks like Caps fans aren't buying into the Ovechkin+filler product, as their attendance still wallows near the basement. I wouldn't advocate ever moving the Crapitals, but their fan support has got to improve eventually. The Caps have had a hard time being a strong market at the best of times, and now they've got one of the more bankable stars in the game.
Carolina made a nice leap after the Stanley Cup win, with an increase in ~2,000 per game. If they miss the playoffs, will they dip right back down? It's likely.
Now that Colorado is surely out of the playoffs (Greg, you know it's true), just watch their attendance dip about 1,000 per game next season. These fans have been spoiled for a decade, and now we'll see their true colours.
Phoenix - You want to talk about inflated figures? There is no way in Hades that Phoenix draws 14,000 actual human beings to most of their games. From my brief experience, I know quite a few rich peeps down there are inclined to buy seasons tickets and not go to the games all too often. Hockey isn't working in Phoenix for a variety of reasons, but don't expect the NHL to move this franchise any day soon.
Chicago - How low can they go? How long will the NHL allow Dollar Bill Wirtz to continue killing this franchise before they step in?
I was looking at the NHL attendance figures provided on ESPN.com, as I periodically do, just to see any possible trends and items of note.
Here are the figures from 2005/06 compared to this season's numbers.
Labels: Analysis, attendance, NHL
