Damien Cox: Panthers have bigger problems than the Pens

[Gaucho]

Well, I don't know...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/s ... id=2734128

[Draftnik]

His premise is flawed. There are many teams that have bigger problems than the (Pittsburgh) Pens when it comes to fan support. None probably have arena revenue streams as poor as the Pens and none definitely have a lease expiring at the end of this season.

Nashville has a lease that can be bought out for $28M if certain attendance thresholds aren't met next season. I'm not aware of any other teams that could be relocation candidates despite tepid fan support. Leases are difficult and expensive to break.

[dman66]

His premise is flawed. There are many teams that have bigger problems than the (Pittsburgh) Pens when it comes to fan support. None probably have arena revenue streams as poor as the Pens and none definitely have a lease expiring at the end of this season.

Nashville has a lease that can be bought out for $28M if certain attendance thresholds aren't met next season. I'm not aware of any other teams that could be relocation candidates despite tepid fan support. Leases are difficult and expensive to break.

ya, you are right about that. nashville would be the only team relocating anytime soon.

[steel pens]

I thought this was interesting, Nashville (top of their division) played the Ducks (one of the best teams in the west) on Jan. 9th. 9 goals were scored in the game and was won 5-4 in overtime by the Preds. A typical arena seats 17 to 18K, they only sold 11,821. I hope to god this team leaves Nashville and the Pens don't go to KC.

[wm0712]

I thought this was interesting, Nashville (top of their division) played the Ducks (one of the best teams in the west) on Jan. 9th. 9 goals were scored in the game and was won 5-4 in overtime by the Preds. A typical arena seats 17 to 18K, they only sold 11,821. I hope to god this team leaves Nashville and the Pens don't go to KC.

The Nashville owner admitted that 1500 seats/game are give-aways.

So, the recent attendane I saw for a game of ~12,011 was probably 10,500 actually sold.

that's rough.

and they are a really good team.. imagine if we were that good... we would sell out every game

[Maestro]

The Preds main problem as I read on SI website is lack of corporate money - that's why the owner is trying to get local investors in the team to regain the corporate money that has disappeared since they first came in - it is a cautionary tale for a team looking to relocate to say, KC when they've been part of a community for 40 years. $ comes from corporations not individual ticket sales.

Basic premise is:
You want 65% corporate sales to 35% individual sales

Preds have those percentages reveresed so they are in trouble

KC offers corporate $, but the problem comes in the long term when corporations may back out of aggreements made with the team like has happened in Nashville

[penny lane]

i guess this is as close as Damien Cox will come
to saying the penguins do have a hockey fan base
and are deserving of a hockey team.

I wish no city the sports nightmare of having a supported
team moving. Can't imagine the baltimore colt thing with
moving vans in the middle of the night.

[FLPensFan]

The link between the Pens problems and Panthers problems is a far, far stretch, at best.

The short, short version of the Panthers problems....think of them as the Pirates of the NHL.

Their owner, Alan Cohen, never puts enough money into the team to make them contenders. Cohen also seems to make too many decisions based on friendship, not business (for example, Keenan's 2nd term in Florida was a friendship decision, and not a good business decision).

The Panthers main problem is a lack of star players. Because hockey is new to the area (even though it's over 10 years old), they need a few flashy superstars. The building was packed when the team had Pavel Bure. The hockey fans and hopeful new hockey fans went nuts every time he touched the puck and rushed it up ice.

Jokinen is not that type of player, and their other big name that the fans associated with, Roberto Luongo, was traded. There were way more Luongo advertisements around town than anything associated with Jokinen.

There is a true lack of a "hockey" fan base here in South Florida. I was appalled at the lack of attendence for the Pens game on January 10th. Crosby and Malkin, arguably the two best young stars in the game, and the place looked half full at best....because these aren't hardcore diehard hockey fans that "get it."

The real shame is that the Panthers have one of the nicest arenas in the NHL, but don't have a hardcore fan base to fill it.