Kind of sad that it's even questionable if the NHL will be around too much longer. I hear they are DEEP in the red and only getting worse, and if something's not done owners will back out as fast as they can. Salaries are out of control, it's not getting the ratings it's used to, etc. What do you guys think? Am I way off base by thinking the NHL will be dead within a decade?
i don't believe it will die...but everyone's going to have to realize that their projections weren't as correct...it simply doesn't draw in the money of the other 3 major sports.
I seriously doubt it. They're in for a massive work stoppage at the end of the current CBA, though. I'd probably miss the NHL as much as I'd miss the WNBA if it did go out of business. Just like the WNBA, too much expansion
I felt bad for the Aeros table I saw at the Toyota Center Open House. I wanted to ask them a sympathy question about tickets Must suck to be them right now.
Hockey dying what are you talking about? It's going over great here in the non-traditional market of Columbus, Ohio. We were at 97% capacity in year 1, 100% in year 2 and 98% in year 3. We have 14,000 people who shelle dout money for PSLs. Yes there are some sad cities where they can't draw a crowd (sorry Carolina for example) but there is a lot more healthy NHL franchises than bad ones. Biggest problem like all sports is stupid Owners and GMs who spend way too much on players and don't win. In hockey it's the Rangers, Wings, Stars and Avs who spend tons but many teams were succesful with smallish payrolls last year (especially Minnesota). So no hockey is not dying, it's just the owners crying before next years lockout.
I agree with what Chuckie said but I think there is more to it than that. Hockey has always been a big sport in Canada. I know that someone here can tell us that the teams in Canada always average more people per home game than the teams in the US, especially the ones that are not in the Northeast area. Hockey has just never been that popular across this entire country like the big 3, and I have always scratched my head in amazement that there are places, *ahem* Nashville, Carolina, Atlanta, Dallas, that have had or have franchises in the NHL. I mean if you are a kid in Atlanta growing up - what sports are you going to play? You will probably play football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball or run track (if you are in middle school and above) or play soccer in the spring. Another problem with ice hockey, I think, is that it takes some skill to ice skate, let alone doing it with a great big stick in your hand. Yes, there are skills involved if you want to be good but having to learn how to skate before doing anything else probably turns a lot of kids away from playing in the first place. Then you have the fact that games are low scoring for the most part like baseball and soccer. We, Americans, I think, like fast-paced action with our sports. You have to really be a diehard fan of the sport to say that a 1-0 or 2-1 game was "fast-paced". I hope that the NHL goes away and goes for good. All it is good for is preventing Sports Center from coming on at its regularly scheduled time with all its "exciting" overtime games.
I know, I was just kidding. I was an Aeros fan, at least somewhat, back when Howe played for them. That's been the high point of hockey in H-town, up to now. I moved to Austin and keep meaning to go to a minor... minor league game here. They're the Ice Bats, I think. You know, we have all those millions of bats under the Congress Ave. bridge. (hey, they had to call them something!)
I know, why would you want a team in a city that sells out every game and is consistently profitable like Dallas?
That is true, mp, as I plead ignorance on what the actual attendence is; however, the Stars have always been good since they have been in Dallas, haven't they? You think they will keep selling out if they start losing? Nashville is having that problem right now. I keep hearing on the local sports talk radio shows, "If the Predators just start winning, people will come..." But my point of saying those places is not attendance figures but that they seem to me to be unlikely places to embrace hockey. When I think of ice hockey, I think of cold places and Dallas, Texas is not one of them and neither is Nashville, Atlanta, Carolina, etc.
Actually, it gets pretty f*ck*ing cold in North Carolina, from what I've heard....Probably why they've never had a Superbowl there...
They've missed the playoffs since they've been here. They did it recently with no blip in attendance. At some point, the team becomes a part of the city. They've been here for ten years. The newness factor has worn off. I'm sure that if they go on a long period of losing, attendance will suffer just like it has in such hockey hotbeds of Chicago, Buffalo and Boston and so on. But let's name the cities who sold out every NHL game last season: Dallas St. Paul (Minnesota) Denver Detroit Not a Canadian city among 'em. EDIT: Ooops! Left off a team. Toronto, which is in Canada, I've heard, also sold out every game last year. Sorry about that. But the other Canadian teams did not.
I hope the NHL fixes their problems. I love that time of year when there are NBA playoffs and Hockey playoffs going on at the same time... my wife hates it, but I love it.
