Blues Attendance Up 5%; 30% In Two Years

An empty Scottrade Center is a thing of the past...

Another night of final home games on Friday, another day of fresh attendance stats. To the chart (click to enlarge):



Anaheim, Edmonton, Minnesota, and St. Louis wrapped of their home ice schedules last night for the record. The Ducks dipped a bit from last season (which might have been an all-time high), but are still up over the long term and have really improved since before the lockout. The Oilers and Wild are steady as always, while the Blues made the biggest jump yet. In the 2006-2007 season, the St. Louis Blues averaged 12,250 spectators per home game, and a lot of the games looked like the picture above. Gone are those days, as the Blues made an incredible run for the playoffs after being in last place after the All-Star break, and rewarded the dedicated 19,250 fans that showed up for 29 sold out home games. Surprisingly, the Blue are still down a bit from the '03-'04 season, but to be back in the playoffs with sold out crowds this season probably is all that matters at the moment.

That's all for today, more of the same tomorrow.

The Wednesday Memo (Subway Update)

News and Notes from around the Business World of Hockey.

- So last night during the third period of the Canadiens - Rangers game Subway rented out the end glass where a virtual/digital Subway logo was in large letters across the glass. Innovative marketing, sure, but what is more funny is how many Ranger fans are actually mad at this (HF Boards). Some actually think it was a giant sticker, thus obstructing the fans views. Priceless; if I find a picture today I will update here.

Found one. Thanks to Capitals Kremlin. Go there to take a look for now, gotta run.

- Watch the Minnesota Wild's Xcel Energy Center get changed over from a Coldplay Concert to a Hockey Arena on DIY's "Project Xtreme" Tuesday, April 14, at 10 PM EST (NHL.com).

- I'm sure most have heard of TLC's hit show "American Chopper" where customer chopper motorcycles are built for mainly chairty auctions. Well on this seasons premier episode on Thursday, April 9, at 9 PM EST, Ranger legend Rod Gilbert will deliver an "Original Six" NHL-style chopper to the Reebok NHL Store in New York (NHL.com). I like the show and will def. be watching.

- TSN and Versus will broadcast a half-hour shower featuring the NHL draft lottery drawing (NHL.com).

- The Detroit Red Wings are helping out Hockeytowns fans by offering a new layaway system for ticket holders (Redwings.com):

"eLayawaySPORTS is a payment processor that allows the Red Wings' season ticket holders to customize their payments for their season tickets over time. These monthly payment dates are selected by the fan and automatically deducted from their bank accounts. The technology charges a 1.9% flat transaction fee and zero interest. The new program will give Red Wings' fans the opportunity to pre-pay for their season tickets in a manner that meets their lifestyle and budget and receive the tickets when the package is paid in full."

Very nice. I wish more teams would use such a system.

- Finally, the mysterious NHL Portal that opens on Monday, April 13:



More later.

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."

The Wednesday Memo

News and Notes from around the Business World of Hockey...

- NBC has chosen two Red Wings games to finish out the season in the Game of the Week series (Puck The Media). The Wild visit the Wings on Sunday, April 5 followed by the Wings going to Chicago on Sunday, April 12.

- James Mirtle posts four parts of a five part series that has been running in The Globe that takes a look at Junior hockey in Canada (From The Rink). Part 3 ("No longer a mom and pop business") and Part 4 ("When a career reaches a crossroads") are very much business-oriented and the whole series is worth a read if you have a bunch of time to kill.

- The Winnipeg Free Press took a look at the possibility of relocating to Kansas City for the NHL last week, and here is the response from a local KC blogger who keeps an eye on all things involving KC and the NHL.

- Finally, Peter Forsberg apparently struggles with lamps:



Also, this week I'm on break so I apologize for only one post a day but I'm doing the best to enjoy my break at home. Thanks for reading as always.

The Tuesday Memo

News and Notes from around the Business World of Hockey.

Somewhat of a slow day today, Playing Below Capacity will be coming up soon.

- An update/collection of all the ticket pricing news from the NHL and NBA (Sports Business Journal). They made this handy-dandy chart:



- An opinion piece where Shane Morin-Farraway wants four teams to be contracted from the NHL (Bleacher Report).

"Which leaves us with four possible candidates for retraction: Atlanta, Florida, Nashville, and Phoenix.

Although it could be argued that these teams have a chance to succeed in their respective markets, tradition dictates otherwise. The NHL, when all has been said and done, have failed in their Southern ventures."

Personally, four is too many. That robs the NHL of perfectly good revenue. If I had my way, Atlanta and Phoenix would be gone, and Florida would be moved. But lets save those rants for the long summer days of the off season.

- Another opinion piece by Sean Paddison where he is looking for coaches and managers of the future (Bleacher Report). One part I liked:

"Modern technology and research techniques allow coaches to develop solutions to help them beat previously-unbeatable teams. The Penguins record this year is a strong example of what happens when coaches have enough time to learn how to beat other teams."

Very true.

- Finally, a classic Nike Hockey promo:



This could be updated later so check back.

- Update, 12:30 PM EST:

The Mayor of Nashville is asking Gary Bettman to hold the 2015 All-Star game in Nashville (Tennessean):

"(Mayor Karl) Dean used the proposed new downtown convention center to make his pitch when Bettman visited on Feb. 19, said David Freeman, who leads the group of investors who bought the Predators in 2007. Previous inquiries about hosting the All-Star Game have fallen flat because the city doesn't have enough convention space or hotel rooms to accommodate the fans, media and others who would be here for the game and related activities, Freeman said."

Hey, I think they deserve it. Why not.

- Update, 2:05 PM EST:

The Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild, might get a big boost in value soon as $33 million of loans might be wiped clean in an effort by the city of St. Paul to line up funding for another ice rink to be built across from the Arena (Star Tribune).

"The idea is to provide a place for the Minnesota Wild to practice, to host amateur ice hockey and figure skating events, to handle overflow from Xcel Center events and to give downtown visitors another reason to hang out and spend time and money."

Wild to Freeze Season Ticket Prices

More business-related news out of the Globe and Mail, as the Minnesota Wild will apparently freeze their season ticket prices for next season with the U.S. recession in mind.

Vice president Jamie Spencer said feedback from fans indicated the organization needed to adjust to their financial situations, so the Wild made the announcement early and will provide more-flexible payment plans. Prices typically aren't finalized until the spring.

The Wild have sold out every night in their 351 game franchise history, and I expect this to continue. The waiting list for season tickets is over 7,500 people strong. The Wild's average premium ticket price is $99.38; about $15 below the NHL average. Their single game ticket prices went up just over 6% last season, so it will be interesting to see if they roll over the freeze to that end of ticket sales as well (all from teammarketing.com).

The Wild are the first club to announce this, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if this became a regular event among teams; especially with season ticket holders in an effort to keep them from bailing on their seats.

Also, I'm officially calling it that if the Rangers manage to re-unite with Sean Avery, good things will happen (not to mention my freshly bought Avery jersey from Christmas 2007 will be revived). Hey, Mirtle doesn't see a problem with it!

That's all for now.

Minnesota and Revenue Sharing

Messing around with the Attendance tracker at ESPN today, I sorted the "Road" attendance by average. The team in dead last didn't shock me, but it did get me thinking.

The Minnesota Wild are in last place in visiting team attendance, as the chart shows. What does this mean? Well, nothing really. The list is a rough correlation of which teams are most popular in the NHL, because casual fans might circle the date when the top teams on that list come to town for their team. But other than that, what could it be?

To be honest, I racked my brain all day. All I could come up with is the fact of how the Wild play their game, which is their infamous trap style. Still. a quick look at the standings shows that the Wild are not last in Goals For, in fact they would rank around 25th if I drew up a chart. As for Goals Against, they are tied for the second lowest, but I don't think this affects the fans decision.

They do have the 2nd lowest shots on goal, per 60 minutes. Any way I put it, they are a trap team. What got me thinking about this was that I wonder if their reputation really matters to fans when they see the Wild are coming into town. And if so, how much does it matter? Does it mean the difference between going to a game and not? Does it mean the difference between not watching a game? I'm going to keep an eye on this and see if I can think up of any ways to look into it.

Some plans for the future...

A comment last week from the Nashville Predators Playing Below Capacity article suggested that I look into NHL Revenue sharing, as Nashville should figure into that mold. Well after a couple days of poking around and actually reading the CBA, I have something.

I do plan on taking a deep look into NHL Revenue Sharing, and I hope to be able to forecast it in the months to come. But the following are just some raw facts that we all need to know going forward, as they are key in understanding on how I will compute the numbers for Revenue Sharing:

• NHL Salary Cap (2008-2009): $56.7 Million
• NHL Salary Floor (minimum): $40.7 M
• Salary Midpoint - $48.7 M
• Minimum Team Player Compensation: $29.9 M
• Targeted Team Player Payroll: $48.7 M
• Pro Rata Benefits Portion: ???

Understanding the Salary Cap and Floor aren't too difficult. The Salary midpoint is just the difference in the cap and floor ($16 M) divided by two which is added to the floor. This represents what each team should target for a payroll in order to maximize revenue. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the closest to this figure this season, at $48.6 Million, and only 8 teams including the Leafs are below this figure.

The Minimum Team Player Compensation represents what each team should have available at the start of the season to spend on players in regards to league revenue. It is calculated by dividing 20 Million by 1.74 Billion, and the multiplying that figure by the leagues revenue (which at the end of last season was 2.606 Billion). As you can tell, the floor is nearly 10 Million higher than this, but this gives the league a sense of the bare minimum of at which it can operate.

Finally, the Pro Rata Benefits portion. The Pro Rata is a small figure but it nonetheless figures into the final available funds for revenue sharing. It takes the total benefits paid by the NHL during its season and divides it by the number of clubs in the league (30) in order to determine the amount. I'm a bit confused on this, as the benefits cover a broad range of topics. If anyone has any information on how much the NHL spends in this area, please let me know.

That's all I feel like explaining at the moment, as the Rangers take on the Penguins. Tomorrow I will explain how clubs can qualify for revenue sharing to the best of my abilities. Please feel free to comment if you think I mis-spoke on anything or have something to add.