Monday Afternoon Update

And I'm back. It was a long weekend and I apologize for no posts. Lets get moving though...

As I mentioned last Wednesday, E.J. Hradek reported that the NHL and NHLPA were working towards setting up another World Cup of Hockey, which I am all for.

Well Saturday Scott Burnside picked up more on that story, saying that the two sides have reached a handshake agreement on how the revenues will be divided up involving the World Cup, thus giving the 2011 event a green light. He also added that the NHL will be continuing to send teams to kick off the season over in Europe.

As you know I'm all for the WC of Hockey, I will now shed my opinion on sending teams to Europe. Burnside reports in that article that six teams will be sent to three European cities to kick off the 2009-2010 season, followed by eight teams to four cities the following season.

The Good? From a Business standpoint, it is great for the NHL and the individual clubs. The 2008 events in Prague and Stockholm this season were big hits and created an amazing atmosphere. Sellout crowds, international exposure, and increased media coverage are all benefits here.

The Bad? Well for the teams that travel, they lose one regular season home game, along with a preseason game or two. I would venture a guess that this upsets the hometown fans along with some sponsors, but at the same time it is very cool to be selected to represent the NHL abroad. From an on-ice standpoint, scheduling is a bit of a hassle. The 2007-2008 season kicked off with the Ducks and Kings in London at the O2 Arena, and later on in the season there was rumblings about how the Ducks were upset because they were fatigued and didn't get off to a good start in the season. I don't see that as much of an issue now, as the NHL staged the 2008 Premier earlier than the start of the regular season at home, allowing time for rest for the four teams that traveled (OTT, PIT, TB, and NYR).

Either way, I think both events are great for the league, and highlight the great sport that we all follow dearly.

More News...

Sports Business Journal once again provides a great piece on NHL Attendance and TV Ratings, which brings everyone up to speed for how the season is going. I missed this originally, but today's Puck Headlines over at Puck Daddy allowed me to catch this.

If you follow the blog, you know that in the past week I've looked at SBJ's updates on the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference about Attendance, so I won't go on repeating myself. But, SBJ did some great research into TV Ratings thus far, which are up nationally, and only down in seven markets locally. Here is the snapshot (click to enlarge):


The only real shocker to me in the change column (negatively) is Detroit. How do you win a Stanley Cup and then decline in TV Ratings? Weird.

One final thing, as I'm sort of pressed for time now...

Greg Wyshynski wrote the following in his Puck Headlines about the Sports Business Journal article describing the above:

But here's the problem: When Sports Business Journal writes that "five teams reported average attendance below 15,000 - the New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets, Atlanta Thrashers, Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes," we all know those numbers are remarkably generous because of the way the League counts "attendance" and because we're not blind. Stop crowing about records built on a foundation of discounts, giveaways and unused tickets.

Now don't get me wrong, I agree fully with him. I've already taken a look at who I think is lying about their attendance numbers and who is telling the truth, but lets step back for a second.

I firmly believe that the NHL is not the only league that differs their attendance from how many are present in the building and how many tickets were sold, but this isn't anything new. Therefore, I don't see this as a big deal. Why? Well, from the business point of view, if I had a job in the Marketing Department for the New York Islanders (well first I would hit myself being a Rangers fan), I wouldn't be worried about if the person that bought tickets attend the actual game, I'd be worried about getting the payment for those tickets. So, although it is slightly unethical for some teams to be doing such a thing, it is (to me) somewhat of an evil necessity for certain teams' market.

That is all I have for now, possibly more later, if not definitely tomorrow.

EDIT: a quick note...

Last Weeks Sellout Count: 25, which brings up the total this year to 330. Saturday night was a big night, with 9 out of 11 games selling out, most surprisingly the Islanders and Predators "selling" out.

NHL Attendance up 1.5%; Other News As Well

I don't have anything personal planned for today, but plenty of stuff coming out of Sports Business Daily...

- NHL Attendance is up 1.5% this season thus far, averaging 17,306 fans per game. Notable gainers are the Washington Capitals (up 29.8% from this time last year) and the Boston Bruins (up 12.3%). Notable declines include the Buffalo Sabres (down 12.4%, still not struggling though) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (down 11.6% thus far). The Thrashers (-7.9%) and Senators (-4.3%) are also down this year by a worthy amount as well. The Article says the Western Conference update will come tomorrow, so I'll be looking for that.

My thoughts? Good and Bad. The chart provided with the article shows that 12 out of the 15 Eastern Conference teams are either down or breaking even on Attendance from last season. Also, as a whole, the Eastern Conference is down 0.5% from last season. Are these numbers so staggering to really start to worry? Not at all, especially considering the current economic conditions. In fact, I would consider it along the lines of dodging a major bullet. Buffalo being down a little shouldn't be a major shocker to anyone, as it is a middle-class smaller market, where the effects of the economy are most likely hitting home. But still, plenty of Sabres fans are getting out to HSBC Arena with their 99.2% Capacity rate thus far. On the flip side, the Capitals are taking advantage of a tough Washington sports scene at the moment, and are on the radar of many casual sports fans in the area, and they have earned it. Boston has earned it as well, as they are in a city of champions in the past five years, and some Bruins fans are coming out of the closet hoping the B's can join in on the fun.

- From the Monday (1/12) issue of The Daily, Liz Mullen reported that NHL Player Reps will vote later this month on the current CBA, and are expected to extend it another two seasons.

Not much else there than that, it will be a hotter topic as it gets closer, but for now lets hope no problems arise between now and then.

Finally, kind of a non-business post, but nonetheless important to me, as I love international competitions...

- E.J. Hradek reports in his blog today that the NHL and NHLPA are working toward setting up another World Cup of Hockey, hopefully around late August through September of 2011, with Feburary 2012 as a backup date. That date doesn't look good, though, due to the fact that the NHL season would have to be halted once again. Hradek also said "The parties would like to stage a World Cup every four years, making it a regular event on the long-term hockey calendar."

My take? To take from Chris Farley; GOOD! GREAT! GRAND! WONDERFUL! NO YELLING ON THE BUS! With the 2010 Olympics having a good shot at being the last involving NHL Players for a while, I'm all for this. Because, I mean from what I know, the Olympics will obviously never be moved to another date, and unless the IIHF steps in and begins talking to the NHL about the problem, shutting down the NHL every 4th year will not be happening again. The last World Cup was held in 2004, and was considered a good success for reviving the tradition. So I say lets make it happen.