zombi 43 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 (edited) I'm sorry if this is old news to some of you, but this is not something I normally pay attention to. I was very surprised today when I looked at the 2009-20110 NHL Attendance listing I actually find it surprising that the Wings are still #3 considering how hard our area has been hit economically over the last few years. It is very encouraging to see how supportive our fans can be. I thought for sure that we had dropped out of the top 5 during these hard times, but that is not the case. I am also surprised to see that Pittsburgh is ranked #18. I thought that they would definitely be higher than that. Thoughts? Edited June 2, 2010 by zombi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 (edited) Edit: page load error Also, Pittsburgh I'm thinking has a tiny arena. Edited June 2, 2010 by Echolalia 1 Lidstrom for life reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_redwing 495 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 97%? Yeah, right. Divide that by 1.5 and thats probably closer than 97%. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 97%? Yeah, right. Divide that by 1.5 and thats probably closer than 97%. I know you know this UK but for those that don't, attendance figures are for paid ticket sales, not the number of people that attend a game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest micah Report post Posted June 2, 2010 Sort by PCT and it gets real. 1 Lidstrom for life reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McAwesome 754 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 I wondered about this last year too, how does Chicago average almost 10% over capacity? Do they purposely overbook, like airlines and hotels do, or they have a really big standing-room section? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carman 387 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 The statistic that stands out to me is how much the Wings draw when they play away, 98%! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cusimano_brothers 1,655 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 (edited) The statistics that stand out for me are that Detroit, along with three other teams, only played 80 games and two only played 81 games this past season. Or are these figures for games played in North American arenas only? Edited June 2, 2010 by cusimano_brothers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 The statistics that stand out for me are that Detroit, along with three other teams, only played 80 games and two only played 81 games this past season. That would be the European games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cusimano_brothers 1,655 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 That would be the European games. And they didn't count the Winter Classic. Got it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 I don't understand...how can a team draw when they're playing away? If you're looking at just how many fans buy tickets to games you play on the road, there are so many other factors that could attribute for that and should be a terrible stat to look at. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 Many games it looks like there's like 12,000.I understand this is based on purchased tickets.The Joe look real empty at times tho... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lidstrom for life 20 Report post Posted June 2, 2010 My thoughts: 1. Apparently the wings don't need a bigger stadium because they are only 17th in the league in attendance percentage. Having a bigger stadium would certainly allow them to sell more tickets during the playoffs but we aren't selling out during the regular season as it is so the economic gain from a bigger stadium wouldn't be that great, at least not until the economy recovers and more people can afford to go. 2. Phoenix should not have a team. Seriously. 68.5% attendance at their home games? Dead last in the NHL. That is terrible for a bottom feeder, for a team that finished with the fourth best record during the regular season it is absolutely disgusting. 3. Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, and Minnesota all missed the playoffs yet they all had 100% + average attendance. I gained respect for the fans of all four of those teams after seeing that, good for them supporting their team even though they weren't good. 4. The biggest surprise to me was Colorado. Why is their attendance so low? They finished in 8th in the west but they were higher than that for most of season. I can't believe they didn't attract more fans. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
F2B&G 15 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 3. Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, and Minnesota all missed the playoffs yet they all had 100% + average attendance. I gained respect for the fans of all four of those teams after seeing that, good for them supporting their team even though they weren't good. Those markets are serious hockey cities/regions. They'll watch any hockey at any level, even mediocre/bad hockey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drumnj 459 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) 4. The biggest surprise to me was Colorado. Why is their attendance so low? They finished in 8th in the west but they were higher than that for most of season. I can't believe they didn't attract more fans. Colorado's attendance has been dropping since the lockout. They were right up there with the Wings in amount of game sellouts, waiting lists and what not. Of all the teams, Colorado has been hurt the most since the lockout. They spent a lot before the cap, similar to the Wings...look at what team wasn't effected in the cap era . They were a dominant team in the 90's but just haven't been quite the same since. I guess the fans know this (or got bored) and probably the loss of a few popular players. Edited June 3, 2010 by drumnj Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cprice12 117 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 The statistic that stands out to me is how much the Wings draw when they play away, 98%! People love to hate the Wings...so they buy tickets to see their team try to beat them. Makes perfect sense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Esquire 324 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 Those markets are serious hockey cities/regions. They'll watch any hockey at any level, even mediocre/bad hockey. Let's make it prefectly clear that Toronto is NOT a hockey city. It's a Maple Leafs city. Don't believe me? Check out a Marlies/OHL game in the area, have a look at the stands and get back to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ram 240 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 I fail to see how Minnesota and Washington are out of the top 9? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
F2B&G 15 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 I fail to see how Minnesota and Washington are out of the top 9? Same reason the Pens and the Oilers didn't crack the Top 15 - arena size. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toby91_ca 620 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 Detroit and Pittsburgh were the biggest draws on the road, drawing 98.4% and 98.5% respectively. This is not surprising at all. Detroit is down around 17th in terms of filling their home arena, which is not good, but at the same time, not surprising. What I do find really bad is that Phoenix only sold at 68.5% capacity and that's considering the fact that they practically give away tickets. It's embarrassing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bannedforlife 403 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 1. Apparently the wings don't need a bigger stadium because they are only 17th in the league in attendance percentage. Having a bigger stadium would certainly allow them to sell more tickets during the playoffs but we aren't selling out during the regular season as it is so the economic gain from a bigger stadium wouldn't be that great, at least not until the economy recovers and more people can afford to go. The simple novelty of a new arena would sell out games for several years. Add to that the possibility of an economic turnaround and/or a championship within that time and I don't think it would be a problem for a while. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest zackmorris Report post Posted June 3, 2010 Take a look at teams 21, 22, 23, 26, 28 and 30. Now go listen to Gary Bettman speak about them, specifically, go listen to his interview with Ron McLean last night, and get ready for your head to explode. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McAwesome 754 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 Take a look at teams 21, 22, 23, 26, 28 and 30. Now go listen to Gary Bettman speak about them, specifically, go listen to his interview with Ron McLean last night, and get ready for your head to explode. I followed your advice, hoping my head would explode (since it already feels like it's going to thanks to stupid Florida allergies) and I agree, the teams in question, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Carolina, Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix (and I would add Florida to that list, they were 25th in attendance) would benefit in every conceivable way by relocating to a more traditional hockey market, and by his own admission he wants to give Winnipeg and Quebec a second chance at a franchise, and in today's economic climate it would work, then he could take a closer look at putting a team in Southern Ontario. That takes care of 3, now where do we put the other 4? Not that I want to steer this thread into a realignment discussion, but I hear what you are saying, if Bettman is so concerned with doing what's best for the NHL as a business, why is he, more importantly why is the BOG, allowing franchises to hemorrhage money and teams to skate in front of half-empty stadiums, what does that do to promote the game? They say numbers don't lie, and these numbers actually expose a very ugly truth: Hockey is not catching on in the Sun Belt, try putting it back where it belongs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drumnj 459 Report post Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) This is interesting, compares the last 2 seasons in both attendance and local ratings. http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/435996/combined_ratings___attendance.png article: http://www.fromtherink.com/2010/4/20/1432444/2009-2010-nhl-attendance Edited June 3, 2010 by drumnj Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barrie 900 Report post Posted June 4, 2010 Also, Pittsburgh I'm thinking has a tiny arena. Right. Look at the PCT column, they're at 100.7% capacity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites