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Win And They Will Come

I don’t know another person who finds the Jim Balsillie vs. Gary Bettman more annoying then I do so all I’m going to say about the fight for the Phoenix franchise is this.
As a Canadian, a Torontonian and as a hockey fan, I would love to see another team in southern Ontario.

I’m a die-hard Maple Leafs fan, but like many others, I’m not a die-hard Leafs fan who can pay $200 for a good seat at a game.

So yes I would love to see a team in Hamilton and yes, I would drive from Toronto to Hamilton to watch a game.
But the annoying battle for the Coyotes has got me thinking a little bit, not so much as how much a slice of pizza and a drink would cost at the new arena in Hamilton compared to the Air Canada Center, but moreover, what does it take to put fans in a stadium?

I did some research. I took five teams (Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston and Carolina) and looked at their attendance in a season where they did poorly in the standings and a season where they did well in the standings or were coming off a strong season.
Chicago Blackhawks: In 2003/2004 the Blackhawks were atrocious, finishing 29^th in the league with only 20 wins, their attendance fell victim only averaging 13,253 fans at home per game.
All the sudden with some rebuilding and good drafting the Blackhawks sit in the Western Conference finals and finished 6^th in the league this season. Their attendance remarkably skyrocketed to an average of 22,243 per game. An average increase of close to 9,000 fans per game.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Back in 03/04 the Penguins were a disaster. Finishing in dead last in the league the Pens also averaged only 11,877 fans per game and were on the verge of going bankrupt.
But inking Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in back to back drafts and adding a pretty deep supporting cast the Pens are now on their way to the Stanley Cup finals for the second straight year. Their attendance has shot up as well; in 2008/2009 the Pens averaged 17,076 fans per game, a difference of over 5,000 fans per game.

Carolina Hurricanes: The Hurricanes were a franchise that many felt would always struggle to fill their seats. In 2003/2004 they finished 11^th in the Eastern Conference standings and only averaged 12,330 fans per game. All the sudden a season after winning the Stanley Cup the fans began to fill in.
In 2006/2007 the Hurricanes averaged 17,386 fans per game, an increase of over 5,000 fans per game. You can bet that as the team continues to improve on the ice, the fans will continue to pour in.
The same kind of idea exists now in Washington and Boston as well. As their team win games, teams that once struggled to fill their seats aren’t struggling anymore. Didn’t you see Washington’s version of “the sea of red?” Pretty incredible.

My point is that in cities where the hockey team isn’t the first priority, a lot of the time the arena seats can only be filled if the team is succeeding on the ice.

The funny part is I don’t think the Phoenix Coyotes are far away from success. I think they need to start by resigning the cheap young talent they picked up in Nigel Dawes, Scottie Upshall and Petr Prucha and then they need a couple of free agents.

With over 11 million dollars in cap space the opportunities to grab a big name center like Mike Cammalleri and a big man on the back end like Mike Komisarek are options not out of the question.

If they can then draft another solid defenseman like Spokane Chiefs, Jared Cowen or a forward like Brandon Wheat Kings, Brayden Schenn the Coyotes could be on their way to building a solid core of young talent.

The Coyotes have never been able to be consistently successful on the ice. Sure they’ve made the playoffs here and there but consistency is what I believe to be the main reason for the franchises major debt and problems. If teams in all parts of California can put people in seats then so can a team in Arizona.

As the famous line from the famous movie “Field of Dreams” goes, “Build it and they will come.”

Build a competitive team in Phoenix and the fans will come. But you need an owner who’s willing to spend money on players rather than lawyers.

Posted By Dustin Pollack on Tue, May 26, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Categories: NHL

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