Re-Grand Opening: What a Pass

Few will read this, but for those of you who will (because your either still following or you forgot to delete me from your RSS feeds), I'm back with a new look. Welcome to What a Pass (WaP for short), where I (Rob) give my dilettante-esque opinion on the business of Hockey and Soccer (and occasionally the sports) in North America (for the most part).

If any of you remember Puck Money, this is the same site (with all the old posts), but instead of trying to act like the journalist I will never become, I am just going to write what I think and post it. It may not get much attention here, but I plan on sending stuff around to see if I can make any waves. I would venture a guess to say half the time I will be reacting to a link or story I saw, while the other half I will be attempting to share some ideas with many about improving the popularity and financial viability of Hockey and Soccer in North America.

Why Hockey and Soccer? Well, I've played Hockey almost all my life, and I've suffered almost fifteen years now of being a New York Ranger fan (It doesn't help when one of your first sports memories is the 1994 Stanley Cup win). As for Soccer, I am memorized by the loyal support of the fans in Europe along with the high level of difficulty of the game (similar to Hockey, to me). In a perfect world, I would be singing and supporting the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden with 10,000 other crazed fans like at Soccer games and SC Bern games in Switzerland. But, thats not how Americans work, so I'll have to settle with what I've got for now.

I plan on going into the Business World of Sports in one way or the other. My plan now is to crack in with the MLS or NHL, and go from there. Ideally, I get lucky and get the right connections and end up with decision-making power of some sort for a North American NHL or MLS franchise. Being the "non-traditional" sports guy among friends of NFL, MLB, and NBA fans, I seem to spend a lot of time explaining issues and persuading them to watch NHL and MLS games with me. Big games aren't the problem - even I watch the World Series and the Super Bowl - its the league games that I wan't to improve.

So if you're reading this, check back in eventually. I expect to update the site three to five times a week, so lets see where this ends up going. I'm actually headed to Ottawa this weekend for the Ranger game, so I'm sure I'll have something on that.

Have a good weekend.

The End (?) of Puck Money

To any loyal readers:

I am sorry to say that I will not continue this blog beyond this day. It has been four months of fun and I have learned a lot about the Business of Hockey, but I am unable to fully commit to writing this blog daily, which makes it unfair to you guys to keep it going. I am not deleting the site in case anyone needs my statistics and such, but this will most likely be the last post unless I for some reason revive it in the unforeseeable future.

This blog did allow me to improve my writing skills and get noticed for a new gig (New York Ranger analysis at Blueshirt Banter). For that I am grateful. Thanks to all the commenters, and if anyone needs anything feel free to email me.

Here's to Northern Relocation and the NHL growing in general,

Rob Luker - Puck Money.

Light Week

Readers,

I have a final tonight at 7 PM, a paper due Wednesday, and another Final on Thursday at 8 AM. Because of this I will most likely be absent most of the week. And it's 80 and Sunny in Norhtern New York, kill me now.

Thanks for reading as always, and check out Blueshirt Banter for all your Rangers News and Opinion.

Rob

Marketing the Game: Celebrities and the NHL

Vince Vaughn at the 2009 Winter Classic.

One of my roommates here at school is an Ottawa Senators "fan." I use the quotation marks because he doesn't watch any games during the season, he only knows three to five current players on the roster, and above all has absolutely no clue where they are in the standings. All that matters to him is two things. First, Mike Fisher stays with the team. And second, the Senators win in our annual trip to Scotiabank Place when the Rangers visit the Sens in October or November of each season (three years and running the Rangers have lost this game, kill me now).

I subjected you to all of that because he just started talking the whole Mike Fisher-Carrie Underwood relationship thing/fling/news; weeks after I mentioned it to him. This got me thinking about other NHL celebrity fans. Jeremy Piven has been interviewed at least once if not twice at Ranger games this year, both of which seemed forced and awkward. Spike Lee was also caught at the garden as well. I've seen Pat Sajak at Kings and Capitals games, and plenty of stars showed up for the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Do not get me wrong, having Celebs at the games are great. It no doubt brings attention to the game along with probably making a couple of fans out of dumb Americans that follow celebrities. But like I said above with the Jeremy Piven-New York Rangers interviews, most interviews just seemed forced and fake. I guess what I'm really trying to get at is, the NHL seems so desperate when it comes to recognizing public figures at its games. Personally, I think the NHL should be very nonchalant about it. Sure, do a story about them at the Winter Classic and ask some simple questions. Sure, take a picture of Hilary Duff and Carrie Underwood once or twice and ask them their opinions during the game. But after that, just let them be. I understand celebrities are used to attention, but don't bring it to them when they are trying to relax watching a great game in a great sport that is under-appreciated to begin with.

This isn't really a big issue, but it just seems like anytime a famous face is in the Garden during a Rangers game, they have someone sticking a mic in their face and asking awkward questions about their next entertainment ploy. I guess I just don't want to drive away any star power the league has to begin with. The league should act like the cool older brother to the group of little sister and friends, where they say hello, talk to them from now and then, but at the same time just let them be most of the time.

Any thoughts on the issue for the few of you loyal businessmen/women out there?

Back Tomorrow

I apologize once again. I finished a hectic weekend in which my younger brother won the New York State High School Hockey Championship. I will be back tomorrow posting again.

Congrats to the New Hartford Spartans on a 6-1 win, making this alumni proud as we lost the Section championship just two years ago.

Programming Note

I apologize for the lack of posting today, I had a long Thursday night with friends, along with a 3 hour traveling session home to a new puppy. I will be back tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, as always.

2009 NHL Average Attendance: Month by Month

I changed up my spreadsheet today by applying a color scheme to each teams game by game attendance. I went through each teams schedule, month by month, and applied a different color so I can see (when the end of the season comes) which months were the strongest. So as I wait for the season to end, I figured I would find the NHL average attendance by month through January thus far. It isn't much, but it is nonetheless something new and it will help when it comes to determining the Second Half Attendance Boost and other analysis questions. Take a look (click to enlarge):



Somewhat interesting, ha ha. December is clearly the best month in terms of average and total spectators, but also helped from having the most amount of games during the month. I think something I will tackle tomorrow is finding out the leagues average capacity percentage which will give us a different look at this topic.

Labatt Blue's and Rangers hockey calling, as the Blueshirts blow their 1-0 lead halfway through the third.

Check back tomorrow.

New ESPN "NHL" Commericials

Seeing as the "worldwide leader in sports" doesn't promote hockey, the fact that they use their usually funny "This is Sportscenter" with hockey-themed objects (in this case, mascots) is somewhat of a shock. Below are two "new" ads, I say "new" because I'm not exactly sure when they debuted, but I've seen ad each once in the past two days. There pretty funny as well:





I like the second one better.

No updates that I know of in terms of last nights "offer" to buy the Coyotes as reported by TSN's Darren Dredger. If anything comes my way it will be up ASAP.

More later.

Will the MLS pass the NHL and NBA in Average Attendance?

The Sedin twins kickin' it.

Messing around on the 'net today, I found an article from October of '08 stating that in 2009 the MLS will pass the NHL and NBA in average attendance per game. Naturally, this got my wheels turning, as this is very much a possibility.

Below is the chart that the blog Synthetic Turf provides for their argument:

I thought this might be possible with the relatively old news that Major League Soccer's new franchise this season, Seattle Sounders FC, have sold over 18,000 season tickets for this upcoming season of MLS, and expect to average around 20,000 a game. In 2008, the MLS averaged 16,459 spectators per game; down just about 2% from 2007. By looking at the chart above, Synthetic turf is projecting an average attendance below/around 17,500 per game for the MLS over the summer of 2009. Now I'm not sure what number he used for the new Seattle franchise to come up with a the projected number for MLS in 2009, but using the season-ticket sales number (18,000) for Seattle FC, I came up with the following three projections:

1. MLS '09 (down another 2%) - 16,885
2. MLS '09 (flat difference) - 17,229
3. MLS '09 (up 2%) - 17,574

Remember, that includes the additional 18,000 (which may be bigger) per game that Seattle Sounders FC will account for. Now MLS teams have either 19 or 20 home games depending on their schedule, or roughly half the home games NHL and NBA teams have. Seeing as I don't follow the NBA with enough detail, I won't compare them to the MLS; but I can speak for the NHL.

With all NHL teams having played past the statistical "halfway point" of 20 home games each, I will use this average. According to my excel graph, the NHL average for the first 20 home games, or 300 games this season, was 17,242 per game. Compared to my 2009 projected MLS numbers, only a raise in attendance (1-2%) for the MLS will put them over the NHL average attendance mark. But, this neglects the second half attendance boost the NHL receives, which as of tonight before the games were played was up from 17,242 by a little over 1.5%, or 17,512.

Could the MLS pass the NBA and NHL in average attendance per game? Absolutely. Is it fair to compare these numbers? Absolutely not. The amount of teams (30 for NBA and NHL; 15 for the MLS) along with the number of games (82 each for NBA and NHL; 30 league games each for MLS) make the attendance comparison unfair. If the MLS ever gets near the total fans for each sport (According to my spreadsheet, just under 10.4 million fans went to NHL games in the first "half"), then maybe we will talk.

- Update: 11:35 PM EST

According to TSN's Darren Dredger, an offer has been made to buy the Phoenix Coyotes. Someone must have been drinking somewhere...

More on this tomorrow (hopefully).

Monday Afternoon Roundup.

- The Tampa Bay Lightning are accused of giving thousands of tickets away a night.

Numbers provided by Hillsborough County, which owns the 13-year-old facility, show that through December (the latest data available) the team sold an average of 14,119 tickets for 16 dates. Announced crowds, however, averaged 16,698.

NHL teams announce attendance based on tickets distributed, which means Tampa Bay gave away an average of 2,579.

Oh boy, that's not a good sign.

- An overview/update of the Atlanta Thrashers troubles off and on the ice.

Welcome to Blah-land — formerly Blueland — where the ownership is fighting itself, the team is in the cellar and angst grows over the very future of hockey in Atlanta.

Yee-haw.

- Puck The Media has the 2010 Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament Schedule posted, and Hockey Weekend Across America seemed to be a success as 13 out of 15 games in American markets sold-out on Saturday and Sunday night.

If something else breaks, I'll cover it, but I'm not sure there is anything more to come today.

I'll leave you with a great commercial from FSN in 2004:

YouTube Night Cap/NHL Premier News (Update)

Seeing that the Flyers visit the Rangers this Sunday at 12:30 PM EST in NBC's Game of the Week, I figured I would show a scrapped NHL on FOX promo involving the two teams.



Good night and come on back tomorrow.

- Update (9 PM):

George Richards of the Miami Herald says that the Panthers and Blackhawks will kick off the NHL Season in Helsinki, Finland along with the Red Wings and Blues in Stockholm, Sweden.

Apparently, the NHL will not be back in Prague, according to Richards. This had been previously speculated at CBC.

My take? Cool beans.

There is a God

I am detecting virtually no business related news today, except for this quick piece by Cassie Campbell at CBC. It takes a different look at the Coyotes and Predators situations. This will be my only post before I begin my afternoon/night of exams, and although the Devils trounced the Rangers last night; there is a god.




My Sean Avery NYR Jersey could be put to use, soon. Avery is heading to Hartford. I am filled with boyhood joy today.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

NHL on NBC Schedule

Doing some light reading, I ran into the NHL on NBC spotlight for this Sunday on NHL.com, which begged the question of which rivalry is the best in hockey?

Their top three came out to be Leafs-Canadiens, Bruins-Canadiens, and Flyers-Rangers (You think the NBC would miss such an easy opportunity to promote next weeks game?). But this is not why I am typing this up.

On the sidebar came this chart which showed the possibilities for the game of the week through the end of the season (click to enlarge):


I figured I would go through and attempt to predict which games NBC will pick along with some commentary.

- 2/22/09: Pittsburgh @ Washington.

With the only other possibility being the Avs/Canes, this is really a no-brainer.

- 3/8/09: Boston @ New York Rangers.

Although I'm sure NBC wouldn't mind more Crosby-loving, I don't think they'll go with the exact same game two weeks in a row. I think a close second could be Colorado @ Chicago, because in all honesty that might be a better game.

- 3/15/09: Detroit @ Columbus.

I'm going out on a limb here. NBC won't go with Philly @ NY again, I think. The Wings are arguably the most popular team in the league nation-wide, and Columbus is fighting hard for a playoff spot. The other option is Boston @ Pittsburgh, which I wouldn't be surprised if NBC went with, but I'm sticking with my original guess. They can go with Columbus because the time difference isn't that huge in terms of an east-coast broadcast.

- 3/22/09: New Jersey @ Boston (I guess...)

This pick will easily be the hardest for NBC. If they go with Philly @ Pitt, NBC stays in the same mold as always. The next option is New Jersey @ Boston; a little different matchup but this pick won't happen if on the previous Sunday NBC goes with Boston @ Pitt. And like I said previously, I don't think they will go with Pittsburgh two weeks in a row, so that axes this matchup.

This leaves Chicago @ L.A., a very interesting possibility. NBC is shying away from west-coasters because of the time difference, but in all honest if I had to pick a game from the three to watch, it would be this one.

- 4/5/09: Minnesota @ Detroit

Easily the most competitive option. The Wild will be fighting for a playoff spot, and Detoit will be in cruise mode. Other options are Pitt in Florida; which could be possible if the Panthers are on the brink of the playoffs, but this will also depend on which dates Pittsburgh is picked for previously. The final option is Atlanta @ Washington, which I don't think will happen.

- 4/12/09: New York Rangers @ Philadelphia

Another tough choice. The close second is Detroit in Chicago; which if NBC went with I wouldn't be shocked. They could play off the Winter Classic again but in all honesty both teams will be in cruise mode at this point before the playoffs. Meanwhile, my Rangers could be fighting for a playoff spot by now, and a game in Philly is always great because of the packed Wachovia Center. Sorry Boston @ NYI and St. Louis @ Colorado, but you won't cut it.

Conclusion: NBC will have some tough decisions.

This stretch will be tough on NBC. They have to decide if they want to broaden their horizons west, and if they do, they will have some good choices to choose from. They already backed out of a possible great game with Boston in San Jose, going with the currently playing Detroit in Pittsburgh.

But with so many good choices, even if NBC decides to keep staying east, they will still have some long nights trying to decide as so many matchups depend on previous matchups.

Hope your enjoying your Sunday.

Marketing the Game: the MLS, Video Games, and NHL GameCenter

I've had a bunch of thoughts rolling around in my head for the past week or so regarding the marketing of the game we all love. As we have seen the past two to three years, the NHL has been growing in terms of dollars, attendance, fan base, and TV ratings (since the lockout, at least). I was going to make this into some kind of series, but like I said, all I have thus far is just a bunch of random thoughts on what markets are out there that the NHL could possibly reach out to in order to extend its growth.

All of this thought began when I ran back into a report published back in October by Experian Customer research (via Yahoo), which showed that NHL fans, in general, have a higher mean household income than any of the "big five" sports leagues in North America (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS).

The average between the NHL (around $88,500 a year) and the NFL (just under $82,000) isn't shocking big; but it is a difference. But what really got me thinking wasn't this, it was the further research done by the report.

Average NHL fans, according to Experian, are 27% more likely to own/play video games in their spare time. Furthermore, with exception to the MLS, NHL fans are in general of a younger age than NBA, NFL, and MLB fans; respectively. The report goes on to also state that NHL fans are doing more shopping online and are more tech-savvy than any other league in North America.

Most of you might have already heard this spiel, for which I am sorry. But, as I sit here enjoying one of Canada's finest beverages (Labatt Blue, of course), I wonder if the NHL will take this information seriously enough to actually think about the possibilities. Now I don't have many suggestions, but I have thought of some. Here are three "common" "assumptions" about the NHL and their fans concerning marketing:

1. Hockey does not fare well on TV, and is much better in person.
2. Hockey is a niche sport, therefore only having die-hard regional fans that really only pay attention to their respective team.
3. With Hockey fans being so tech-savvy, many avoid paying the $169 a season for the newly launched NHL GameCenter by the NHL.

I do not disagree with any of these assumptions. Number one is somewhat true, as a game in person is 100x better than a game on TV, no argument. I would say number two has some truth to it as well, because I would say that hockey has more die-hard fans than most sport. And finally, with number three, lets just say I have my sites for when the Rangers are blacked out the nine times a season so I can continue my horrible habit of watching an offensively capable team struggle in a defensive system with an all-star goalie (sorry for the rant).

Now, with all this said, I don't think the NHL can go anywhere near mainstream like some think it can within the next 5 to 10 years (I will leave the ESPN issue to another day). I love to see the NHL growing in dollar figures and in fan bases, it only means (for now) better things for a game that I think has some of the highest levels of honesty (sans betting schemes), integrity, and culture within North America. Some around the hockey world would like to see the NHL get right back on ESPN and grow grow grow as fast as possible, but I refrain from that, as I am more of the slow and steady type. I think the game right now is fine where it is, and if it continues on the current path, I think it could be a very viable product for many for years to come. I think some NHL fans have to come to accept this and realize that we will never reach the heights of the NFL and MLB because to put it perfectly honest, Ice Hockey is not America's pastime.

So here are three areas/ideas/situations that I think the NHL could look into in order to continue growing its product off the ice.

1. Major League Soccer

The MLS, whether you believe me or not, is actually growing. Now many point to this in large part due to the rapidly growing Hispanic community all across the US, and I wouldn't disagree. But, at the same time, Soccer is the biggest sport in the world and is another niche sport in the U. S.A. that attracts families of children and much of the same demographic as NHL fans. 11 out of its current 15 franchises are located in or around the same area as NHL franchises. As of next summer, that number will jump to 12 out of 16 with the arrival of a Philadelphia team.

In that same Experian report, the MLS is right behind the NHL in the Household Income, video games, and average age statistics. The MLS and NHL seemed to be poised for the future, and together I think they could really help each other out.

Now I am in no way a Marketing wiz (Hell, I'm taking my first marketing class as I type), but I like to think I know a good ploy from a bad. I don't have many suggestions for the NHL here, but one that stuck in my mind the past few days would be a year round plan. The MLS, unlike most soccer leagues around the globe, starts in the spring and plays through the summer and ends in the early days of autumn. The NHL, as you know, is on the opposite schedule. Could the two link up and offer a year-round season ticket plan? As Mythbusters would put it:


- Video Games

More specifically, NHL 09. The game won 4 best game of the year titles in 2008, and is very addictive (trust me). Many puckheads are always upset with the game not being on the same level in terms of game mode compared to EA Sports Madden NFL series, but what makes NHL so good is the game play. I enjoy nothing more than playing my football and basketball obsessed friends in NHL, and beating them on a consistent basis.

The NHL must explore this market, as there has to be something to the mass appeal to the game. The Video Game guys around the net could easily pick Madden every year, but NHL has been a hot topic the past few seasons, and NHL 2010 is already greatly anticipated.

Ideas? I don't know, do an online tournament through NHL.com where 16 randomly chosen gamers get to re-create the NHL playoffs over the summer to keep interest up. I'm not big on ideas for this section, but there has to be something.

I say this because people like playing the game of hockey via NHL 09. They realize how intense and fast the game is through their video-game console, which keeps them coming back for more. If the NHL can figure out a way to parlay that into keeping them coming back to Versus to watch a live game, they will have done their job.

- NHL GameCenter

The NHL GameCenter was launched fresh this 2008-2009 season. The idea and platform was loved and prasied by some, but also labeled as a rip-off by others. Let's debate both sides of the issue:

Pro's: The GameCenter lets you have everything at your fingertips. Since us NHL fans are so tech-savvy, this makes us giddy as information is everywhere and we can watch any game at any time. Also, a key for die-hards, it allows the die-hard fan to catch every game all year, which to some who live in markets where hockey is an afterthought in the media, this is awesome.

Con's: Being a hockey-traditionalist myself, I love the idea of sitting down at 6:30 on a Rangers game-night or a Saturday night before Hockey Night in Canada; and finishing up the program when the game(s) are over. When this idea gets accomplished, I feel complete and refreshed. I am on my computer enough as it is, I don't really want to sit and watch a game on it some times. The lazy boy calls me often.

The GameCenter is a great idea by the NHL and in no way should they abandon it. I'm sure they did well in its first season and I'm sure it will continue to grow. One thing I think they should due in light of the economy is cut the price. It should be in no way above a $100, to me, and they should offer some really flexible offers at the beginning of the season.

So that's it; all my random thoughts written down in a somewhat coherent way. If I come up with anything else or remember something, I'll either add it or save it for another post. Please let me know what you think, as this stuff really does interest me.

I have a busy Sunday planned so I'm not sure how much I will be around. If not I will be back Monday.

Happy Birthday Don Cherry

Happy Birthday to a man that I listen to week in and week out, and I always for some reason agree with. Don Cherry is 75 today, and although its an afternoon post, I'm sure Don isn't napping. The Globe and Mail's Tim Wharnsby has a nice piece on Don and some candid comments, which always leads to some Cherry logic:

"A doctor told me that he can tell if an old guy walks into his office wearing a new suit, that means he's feeling good because he is expecting to live a long time," Cherry said. "I just bought six new suits a couple months ago, and I have another six coming."

Brilliant.

Seems like a slow day on the business side, again. I tried running some revenue-sharing projection numbers earlier, but I think I'm missing something as my original projections came out saying no team qualified for revenue sharing last season. I'll try to figure that out next week, as I will be on break from school starting Wednesday. Speaking of which, a heads up for the next couple of days: I will not be around that often. I have a paper due tommorow and a full slate of work this weekend as Clarkson Hockey has three Womens games and a Mens game planned over two days. Tack on two tests Tuesday before I hop on home and I will be plenty busy. If I have a minute and there are some pieces of news, I will throw them up for your viewing pleasure. But if not, refer to your other sources for a couple of days.

So with that, I will thank the few of you that read consistently, and here is a clip showing Don Cherry's best side:



Have a nice weekend.

Fun with Maps

Being bored, I took to the Internet doing some minor research on some possible relocation/expansion cities for the NHL. It first started as an NHL/NBA comparison along with other sports, but then it led me to some interesting sites with sweeeet maps.

The first site that got me thinking was the CommonCensus Sports Map Project. The first question is "Where do the fans for your sports team live?" I'm hooked.

Using their sister project, the CommonCensus Map Project, people are allowed to "record" themselves via their hometown. They then answer some questions based on how they feel they relate to the area they live in. Then, at the end of the questionnaire, you have the option to pick your favorite sports teams from the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, and Division 1 NCAA Football. You can pick your favorite, and then optionally pick your #2 or 3. I suggest you do it, and tell your friends, it kills time and it is slightly interesting.

The site says the maps are updated every couple of days, but the Maps itself says Updated as of June 30, 2008. Either way, its still cool. The NHL have the least number of "fans" (surprise surprise!) so far in this survey. Take a look:



As you can see, I clicked on the NHL map. And without further adieu (click to enlarge):



Plenty of Hockey fans (Vancouver) near Seattle, eh? Food for thought.

What does all of this mean? Nothing, at the moment. I will be using maps like these (and ones to come) over the summer when I look at teams and cities more in depth, so I'm glad I found them.

So, lets view some more maps...

First, a map with all the NHL teams (found here):

So exciting I almost fell over. I'm sure you felt the same. (ha).

And now we have a map of Pro, College, and Major Junior Hockey by County in the US (found here):



Gives a good idea of where hockey is watched the most, in my opinion.

And finally, a map I will definitely use again when it comes to analyzing teams and cities, we have this dandy which shows the number of Ice Hockey Rinks by State/Province throughout Canada and the US (found here):



The numbers that caught my eye were 87 in California, 51 in Dallas, and 39 in Missouri. Kansas City Islanders anyone?

So that's that. I realized as I was writing this I don't use many pictures, so I'll make more of an effort to do that. Check back tomorrow as I will have another edition of Playing Below Capacity.