Bruins Attendance Up 10%; Others Drop

These days are gone in Boston, for now.

No daily memo today, I am traveling for a job interview. Sorry.

Ahh, the smell of fresh Attendance statistics. Eight teams finished off their seasons at home last night, which gives us the final attendance (announced, that is) stats on their seasons. To the chart (click to enlarge):



In alphabetical order; Boston, Carolina, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver finished up their home games for this season Tuesday night. A couple of thoughts before I hit the road...

• I hope we don't see as many teams dropping in attendance this year as the ones thus far. 5 out of 13 thus far.
• How much affect did the Second Half Boost have? Carolina enjoyed a ridiculous 2,300+ Second Half Boost with a first half average of 15,135 and a second half average of 17,942; wow. Boston also enjoyed a boost of over 700 spectators per game; while Ottawa's average attendance dropped in the second half.
  
• Boston is the closest to the ridiculous numbers the Capitals put up this season, coming in up 10% from last season. The B's have been trending up for a bit the past two or three seasons, as well.
• Pittsburgh and Carolina have made enormous strides since before the lockout; a very encouraging feeling if you are Gary Bettman. A little blip for the Pens this season though, as they slip a bit from their Cup Final appearance last season.
• San Jose staying very constant the past couple of seasons, but at the same time have really stepped it up from before the lockout.
• Are Senators fans only fair-weathered ones? Wheres the Canadian dedication?
• Finally, it is no surprise that the attendance in Tampa Bay has dropped significantly since the Cup win; but really? By double digits % each year? Wow, apparently you need two cups to keep fans around in Florida.

Thoughts? Concerns? Sorry for the rough and quick analysis, but the real life calls. Thanks for reading as always and have a nice weekend. I'll be back Sunday or Monday.

The Monday Memo (2 PM Update)

News and Notes from around the Business World of Hockey.

- The Carolina Hurricanes clinched a playoff spot Saturday night, which means playoff tickets will go on sale Tuesday at noon to the public (Bizjournals).

- The Blue Jackets neared there all-time TV Ratings record last Tuesday, drawing a 3.9 with their win over the Predators on FS Ohio (Sports Media Watch). The Blackhawks ratings are surging as well, reaching a high of 2.1 on CSN Chicago with their win on Friday, March 27th against the Devils.

- It seems like a slow day business-wise, but two teams have finished their home-game schedules, which means fresh attendance statistics are in. For now, until the off season, I'm going to keep it simple with this table (click to enlarge):



As you can see, Dallas and Washington are the two teams that have no more home games for the remaining week of the regular season. If I had to describe Dallas' season this year in one word, it would be disappointment. They dropped almost 2% from their average attendance last year, which had risen every season since the lockout. If Dallas had played to their potential this season, they could have neared pre-lockout highs of an average of 18,532.

Washington, on the other hand, might have made the biggest improvement in the league. Up nearly 15% from last season and over 23% from two years ago, the Capitals are the face of the "New NHL" and Ted Leonsis has to be smiling ear to ear. Next season the Caps will have people on a waiting list for season tickets for the first time, so I expect this trend to continue, but just not at such a huge rate like 15% (the Verizon Center capacity is 18,277).

EDIT: All figures that do not have the differences next to them like Washington and Dallas are figures as of today. Those teams all have home games left, which is why I have not calculated the differences yet.

- Finally, don't mess with Eric Lindros' lucky jersey:



That is all for now, more later.

- Update, 2:00 PM EST:

- More TV Ratings news, as NBC's Game of the Week between the Wild and the Red Wings drew a 0.9/2 overnight (Puck The Media). The Blackhawks/Red Wings game from the same weekend drew a 0.6, so the 0.9 is actually an improvement.

- Are the Dallas Stars in serious financial trouble? (Globe and Mail):

"Even though Stars owner Tom Hicks went into default on $525-million (all currency U.S.) in loans, the NHL claims it is not worried about the future of the team. Hicks said there is no chance his sports teams — the Stars and baseball's Texas Rangers — will be taken over by creditors."

Second Half Attendance Boost: Part IV

As promised, here is the fourth installment of the Second Half Attendance Boost series. The last was two weeks ago, and you can find all three previous parts here. Without further adieu, the average attendance figures (click to enlarge):



Carolina still leads the charge with LA and Columbus just behind. Columbus is still undoubtedly benefiting from the playoff fever, as they are currently in sixth place in the West. But, what is really good to see is that LA's number have not dipped from two weeks ago when they were still in the playoff race. The Kings currently sit 13th in the West, six points out of a playoff spot. They are not out of it, but they are definitely outside looking in. Something else that is good to see is only two red blocks, along with 5 out of the 6 bottom teams having a positive two weeks.

Now lets take a look at the average capacity attendance chart (click to enlarge):



Whoa, a lot more color here. Most of the changes are minuscule, though, with figures under or around 1%. Ottawa had the biggest jump in the past two weeks, with over a 2% gain. Overall, 16 teams are benefiting from the second half attendance boost, along with the league as a whole too.

There will be two more installments of the series, one two weeks from today, and another after the season wraps up on Sunday, April 12. The end is in sight, people.

Thanks for reading as always and I will be back posting regularly starting tomorrow afternoon after a bit of travel in the morning back to school.

Second Half Attendance Boost: Part III

I just like the guy in the cowboy hat.

As much as there is nothing going on today, I still have some Second Half Attendance Boost numbers to present as they haven't been updated in two weeks. If you missed parts I and II, you can find them here. Let's first take a look at the average attendance numbers (click to enlarge):



No huge changes. Carolina is riding a great streak right now, selling out 4 of their last 7 home games and dipping below 18,000 only once during that streak as well. What is also good to see is that some teams that have lost in average in the second half have experienced a little boost in the last two weeks as the green boxes show.

Now lets take a look at the Second Half Capacity Attendance Boost (click to enlarge):



Again, more of the same, but the advantage of looking at the second half boost in terms of capacity is that it allows teams with a smaller arena (such as Nashville whose capacity is only 17,113) to have more of a fair look.

And for those of you reading I have a question. As the playoffs near the amount of business news will most likely become less and less because the focus of the media will shift towards the actual games. So, if you are reading and have any requests or statistics that you would like to see, please email me or just comment on any post and I will see what I can do.

Thanks for reading as always. Might be all for today so if not come on back tomorrow.

Rumors Go Where Bettman Goes

Wednesday it was Phoenix, Thursday it was Nashville, and yesterday was Carolina. That was the route of Commissioner Gary Bettman, and each day he was in each city stories broke on different NHL franchises and their financial concerns.

Bettman stated yesterday to the Tampa Tribune that the Lightning are fine financially. A little tidbit of detail was shed yesterday by the Tribune:

The team also recently announced that all building employees must pay to park starting March 1 and paychecks to the players - normally direct deposited - were live checks withheld until after 1 p.m. during the past two pay periods. Those situations help churn the talk of financial instability, which Bettman said is unfounded.

Naturally, that might cause some rumors, Commish.

Commissioner Bettman in a press conference you can watch here had a some business news to relay:

- "Real" growth, which was projected earlier at around 7%, is now being projected from 4-5%.
- The test for the economy and the NHL will be the sale of playoff tickets.
- Carolina will get an All-Star game, but he did not say when. (Sporting News, for a link)
- "We're not thinking about an NHL Division in Europe" - Good, to me.
- Bettman would like to see the number of games in the NHL Prmier increase.

NHL a Top-10 Innovative Company in Sports

According to Fast Company, an industry leader magazine which focuses on business, the NHL is #7 on their list of the most innovative companies in sports (NHL.com article, Fast Company article). Fast Company seemed to be impressed with the NHL's Internet presence:

NHL.com: The challenger brand of sports leagues is becoming quite the creative digital-media company. Free from other leagues' restrictions on video, NHL.com shows exclusive off-the-ice footage as well as every goal scored.

The NHL shares the list with only one other sport, Ultimate Championship Fighting. Good for the league to gain some recognition, considering that hockey's fan base can be a very critical one of its own game.

- There is one more reason why to buy the NHL Network, as it plans to simulcast CBC's Hockey Day in Canada, which is coming up this Saturday, February 21st. For those of you who have never seen Hockey Day in Canada Programming, it's very well done and celebrates the game well. This year's HDIC is occurring in Campbellton, New Brunswick and will feature all six Canadian teams in a triple header back to back to back.

Here's the CBC Promo for this years day:



- No details yet on the Phoenix story, once again. Frustrating. More (maybe) later.

- Update: 4:55 PM EST:

More '09-'10 Ticket Price News. I'm not sure how I missed this last week, but the Kings are freezing their season ticket prices for holders. No word yet on single-game ticket prices.

The Hurricanes are offering a great deal to their current Season Ticket Holders, a three year price freeze (obviously with a couple of twists):

By placing a 30 percent deposit on their 2009-10 season tickets now, fans guarantee that their season ticket price will not change for the next three seasons, locking them at their 2008-09 price through the 2011-12 season. In addition, the team has made adjustments to how fans can pay for their season tickets, allowing them to spread their payments over an 11-month, zero-percent-interest plan, where installments will be paid monthly beginning with their deposits in March and extending into January 2010.

They also announced a pay-as-we-play plan for the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Good deals all around.

Playing Below Capacity: Carolina Hurricanes

I really don't know why I like that picture so much...

Anyways, welcome to the sixth edition of Playing Below Capacity, a series here that looks at teams (as of December) that are playing below 85% capacity to see what (if anything) is wrong. The first five editions can all be found on this page here. Today we will take a look at what is going on in Raleigh, where the 2006 Stanley Cup Champions are fighting hard for their first playoff spot since that memorable run. The Hurricanes are ranked 27th in attendance in terms of capacity, filling 82.4% of the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. To their credit, only them and the Devils average over 15,000 a night while playing below (or around, in New Jersey's case now) 85%. With all that said, let's jump in.*

*Note: Please remember that I'm a young college kid who thinks he knows what he's talking about. Any "problems" that I suggest the Hurricanes have are my opinion and are most likely not 100% accurate (but close to it, if I do say so myself). Any information I used can easily be found on the Internet as well. With that said, enjoy.

Here are the ideas I came up with that could be problems with getting people to go to Hurricanes game on a regular basis...

• Arena Location/Age
• High Ticket Prices/Poor Promotional Events
• Metro Population
• On Ice Product
• Location/History of Franchise
• Other

To get us started, some basic facts of the Carolina Hurricanes (wikipedia):

• The Canes were founded in 1972 as the New England Whalers of the WHL based in Hartford, Connecticut. They joined the NHL in the 1979 merger and became the Hartford Whalers. In 1997, owner Peter Karmanos Jr. packed up the Whalers and moved them to Raleigh, North Carolina to become the Carolina Hurricanes.
• In their 10 completed seasons in Raleigh, the Hurricanes have made the playoffs four times and have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals twice. They were the Stanley Cup Champions in 2005-2006, the franchises only Stanley Cup (since their formation in 1972).
• Upon moving to Raleigh, the Canes had to play their first two seasons ('97-'98 and '98-'99) in the Greensboro Coliseum, which was 90 minutes away from Raleigh. Once the RBC Center was finished, the Hurricanes moved to their current home for the 1999-2000 season.
• The capacity for Ice Hockey is said to be 18,680 at the RBC Center

- Arena Location/Age

The RBC Center opened in late October, 1999, which means the building is just under a decade old. It was ranked 24th in NHL venues by the sportsroadtrip guys about 8 years ago when this building was only two years old. And although that was 8 years ago, the building hasn't changed and they got a very "fieldhouse" feel to it. According to the RBC Center wikipedia page, it was intended to be just that, as the Hurricanes only other tenant is the NC State ACC Division I basketball team.

The location is generally good. It is located 5 to 7 miles west of Raleigh and is very much in the middle of the infamous Research Triangle in North Carolina. Take a look (click to enlarge):


The "A" arrow represents downtown Raleigh while the "B" arrow represents the RBC Center. To give you a better perspective as to where it is in the Research Triangle, take a look at this:


Although the team relates itself mostly to Raleigh, I'm not sure it could survive with just Raleigh and its suburbs. As much as North Carolina is college crazy sports-wise, the team must get help from the good sized surrounding areas. The arena is definitely a commute one where you have to drive to get there. This may affect attendance, but not by much as there is just a lot of open space (as you can tell by the google map above) around the area.

- High Ticket Prices/Poor Promotional Events

The Hurricanes raised their ticket prices by 10% this past off-seson. But, according to teammarekting.com, they have one of the lowest average ticket prices at $38.38, $11 less than the NHL average of $49.66. They also have the lowest average premium ticket price at $75.98; almost $40 below the NHL average of $113.44. Finally, the Canes are second to last in the Fan Cost Index, coming in at $219.52 (up 6.8% from '07-'08), about $70 below the NHL average of $288.23. The Fan Cost Index:

comprises the prices of four (4) average-price tickets, two (2) small draft beers, four (4) small soft drinks, four (4) regular-size hot dogs, parking for one (1) car, two (2) game programs and two (2) least-expensive, adult-size adjustable caps.

High ticket prices are not the problem in Raleigh, that's for sure. The Canes also have a great list of ticket specials on their website. Although it is mostly the typical family and college night offers, they are great nonetheless. Do I think they could be doing more? Maybe, but at the same time the ticket prices really speak for themselves.

- Metro Population

The city of Raleigh comes in at just over 370,000, but the combined metro population of the Research Triangle comes in at just over 1.3 million. Statshockey.net has the metro population around Raleigh at just under a million, which would be the smallest in the NHL. There is no doubt this is a generally small market, but the fact that the Canes are growing in value is always a good sign. I honestly think that the size of this market has an affect on the attendance at games. Imagine if Phoenix was in a market this size? They'd be halfway to Hamilton by now.

- On-Ice Product

Carolina has been on a roller-coaster ride since arriving in Raleigh. One thing that I think is certain is that there are Hurricanes fans littered around the area, half of them might be dormant just remembering the memories of 2006. Take a look (click to enlarge/clarify):


As you can kinda tell, North Carolina hockey fans love a winner. Their average attendance peaked after their Stanley Cup season, and has been on a slide with no playoffs for a playoff-hungry market. Things are definitely looking up for the Canes, though, starting with this season.

They have a good mix of young talent and veteran leadership at the moment. 15 of the 23 man roster is 28 years old or below, led by star forward and assistant captain (I think) Eric Staal. I don't know if they will make the playoffs this season, but one good thing is that fans will benefit from a great playoff race down the stretch in the East. The Southeast is now dominated by the Capitals, but behind them are the Panthers and Hurricanes, separated by a point which makes the difference between a playoff spot, at the moment.

- Location/History of Franchise

The Hurricanes are sometimes plagued by there former identity as the Hartford Whalers, as the team and logo were somewhat of a hockey cult icon. But, in terms of business, North Carolina has a been a better move. On the ice, the franchise really benefited in terms of fan base and establishing themselves with the cup run in 2006. John Buccigross of ESPN.com says the team is identified by 2006 Cup-leaders Ron Francis (whose #10 is retired) and Rod Brind'Amour, along with youngster Eric Staal.

Off the ice, owner Peter Karmanos, Jr. faces an interesting market. I have already stated that I think it is somewhat small, but at the same time my gut says hockey works here. There major sport competition is NCAA basketball and NASCAR (to an extent). The best way (as shown by the chart before) to keep the RBC Center filled when the ice is down is to put a winning team on it. Although thats easier said than done, I believe it is a major key. At the same time, the organization has done a good job as of recently to keep the average attendance from really plummeting despite some poor teams the past two seasons. Bottomline: the Canes are obviously staying in Raleigh, and with a couple more real good playoff runs in the next decade, there could be an impressive die-hard fan-base, much like the one in Buffalo.

- Other

There are not many hidden surprises in the Carolina market. Like I mentioned before, the club is growing (up 8% last year), but are also operating at a loss. I think this seasons financial results will be interesting as the team is again down the middle in terms of the standings. If they can continue to grow with an average team, imagine what they could do once they get the on-ice issues sorted out.

- Conclusion

Not that there are any indications, but the Hurricanes are not leaving Raleigh anytime soon. Yes there market is somewhat small, yes there attendance sways with the standings, and yes the team is operating at a financial loss, but for some reason I don't see a whole lot of bad in this market. Maybe if the market was bigger and the RBC Center was in downtown Raleigh the Canes might see a slight attendance boost, but I do not know that for sure. Hockey has defiantly grown in the state, with at least 24 recorded rinks at arenamaps.com.

And that about wraps up this edition of Playing Below Capacity. Up next are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are in the middle of a tight Western Conference playoff race. Please feel free to comment and point out any mistakes I made.

Also, on a self-promotion note, please do check back in about an hour or two, as I have a cool (well I think it is) piece on a topic I like to call the Second Half Attendance Boost. Everyone says it happens, but how much does it really happen? We will find out...

Playoff Teams With Opposite Attendance

After a loss in intramural volleyball last night, I was checking out the standings going into the second half, and one thing caught me.

In the East, four teams will be fighting for the bottom two spots. The Sabres, Hurricanes, Panthers, and Penguins. In terms of attendance, the Sabres and Penguins do just fine. However, the Hurricanes and Panthers have not played in front of playoff like crowds much yet this year.

Carolina is 23rd in attendance ranked by average, averaging 15,357 a night, which is about 82% capacity at the RBC Center. They only have two sellouts this season, the first two games of the year. The attendance then plunged, going over 15,000 only twice in a span of 13 games. That dip ended with the 17th home game of the season, two days after Christmas when the Bruins visited Raleigh. Including the Bruins game, the attendance has only dipped below 16,000 twice; and the Canes even broke 18,000 for the first time since their second home game when the Leafs visited right before the All-Star Break.

So will the Canes attendance keep climbing as the team fights for their playoff spot since their Cup run in 05-06? I think so. There is a little tradition in Raleigh already with the Cup run, so the "Redneck Hockey" fans might come out of the woodwork again. Only time will tell and I will be watching.

Meanwhile, in sunny Florida, the BankAtlantic Center could definitely use some Panthers Playoff Fever. The Panthers haven't made the playoffs since 1999-2000 and have been, as usual, struggling at the gate. They are 25th in attendance ranked by average, with just under 15,000 a night (remember, its called "paid" attendance). This puts them with the next-to-last capacity rating of 77.8%. Yikes. They have only "sold out" one game this season, when the Canadiens visited at the end of December.

So will the Panthers attendance see a rise due to some playoff fever? Maybe, but I doubt it. The team has too many fair-weather fans. If they make it into playoffs, it wouldn't shock me to see some sellouts, but even that might be a stretch. We will see though.

Onto the West, where it will be a complete crap shoot; something that will be really fun to watch as the season dwindles. Virtually everyone is still in it, as the last place Blues (42 points) trail the 5th place Coyotes by only 11 points, and the 8th place Ducks by 9 points. Although the Blues would have to play very well, it is definitely not impossible. But, to be realistic, I think the Kings, Preds, and Blues may be out of it with the strength of the West. So I think the Coyotes and Blue Jackets can really benefit from a little playoff fever.

Without going crazy on the Coyotes (take a look at my Playing Below Capacity series, Phoenix edition, for more info), they are obviously in a mess off the ice. Everyone loves a winner though, and I really think they could benefit from the hockey fans in the desert getting a taste of the playoffs.

I think the same goes for Columbus, as they have had a solid year on the TV front, as Puck The Media showed. They have not had such as luck at the gate, but have slowly been rising in the past games of the first half. They have only sold out one game, a 3-0 win two days after Christmas (a Saturday) when a solid Flyers club rolled into town. With a hot rookie goalie and with the team only two points out of a playoff spot, the Blue Jackets could be the newest and hottest mid-market team. I think a playoff run, their first of the Jackets existence, would create some die-hard fans and would help the bottom line immensely in Columbus.

Moving on...

Sports Media Watch had a cool post last night, comparing the TV Ratings of NBA and NHL teams in the same markets. Not surprisingly, most of the NBA teams are out-drawing the NHL on the tube, but some are close than you would think. Its worth a quick look.

That's all for now.