Trouble in Hockeytown
Michigan
Posts: 4,942 ✭
in Sports Talk
A bad omen for the NHL in general?
Sprinkle red roses over the grave.
The myth of Hockeytown officially passed away Wednesday.
Historians will mark the time of death at 7:44 p.m., at the conclusion of the first period, when at least a third of Joe Louis Arena sat empty on the evening of the regular-season opener with the defending Stanley Cup champions as the honored guests.
There was little, if any, foot traffic heading down the aisles. The late arrivals had already arrived.
Some club officials desperately sought false comfort, believing the masses of empty red seats were the result of ticket buyers staying home.
That's a valid explanation when Columbus makes its 22nd visit of the season and it's only December. But this was the season's first game against the foe that bounced the Wings out of the playoffs last spring.
There's clearly a disconnection between the Wings and a fan base that once crossed the border into blind obsession.
Wednesday's game snapped a streak of 396 consecutive regular-season sellouts -- dating to Dec. 10, 1996. That was the season that culminated in the Wings' first Stanley Cup in 42 years, as they embarked on a decade-long run of sustained excellence.
"It's more than a little disappointing," Nicklas Lidstrom said after the Wings outlasted Anaheim in an exciting overtime shoot-out.
There was a time when only two words were required from the Wings come October -- "We're back!" -- and this city would fall all over itself in unabashed exhilaration. But there's now heated competition for the city's heart as well as its entertainment dollar, and the Wings seem ill prepared for battle.
They made 200 tickets in the corners of the upper bowl available for $9 every game. There were some still available if you checked online an hour before face-off. That was the only ticket price adjustment made.
Despite the Wings' sustained success, they've nonetheless fallen to fourth place among the city's four professional sports entities.
The NHL should worry. If Hockeytown doesn't come out en masse to celebrate the opening of another season, what does that say about the overall state of the league?
Michigan's poor economy has certainly curtailed discretionary spending, but tighter family finances didn't keep people from filling Comerica Park in record numbers this summer. The Lions' 3-1 start isn't an applicable reason because they've always sold out Ford Field, even when their seasons ended come the start of October. The average cost of a Pistons individual game ticket this season is eight dollars more than a single-game Wings ticket.
General manager Ken Holland believes a residual resentment remains from the owners' lockout three years ago. If you take away something once thought irreplaceable, and people comfortably adjust to life without it, they no longer consider it essential when it returns.
"I can't believe that would be the case here in Detroit," Lidstrom said. "It certainly helped that we were the only team for awhile there. But the Tigers have had a great run the last two years, and I think they're stealing some of our fans to their side."
But there's also a much less North American appearance to this team, especially after Steve Yzerman's retirement a year ago and Brendan Shanahan's exodus to Broadway. The Wings still boast more than their share of world-class skill, with Lidstrom and young cornerstones Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. But this has become a Euro-dominated team, and it's quite possible the lack of prominent Canadian or American stars may have had an adverse effect.
"I do think that Steve's retirement after being here for so long and being the face of hockey here might have chased some people away," Lidstrom added.
Maybe if the Wings had marketed Anaheim's appearance as the long-awaited seventh game of the Western Conference finals. But, then, the Wings couldn't regularly sell out their playoff games, either.
Despite 16 straight playoff appearances, the longest current consecutive postseason streak in professional sports, the Wings must still earn the fans' affection because now there's competition. The fans are not unlike the wife happily married for 16 years yet nonetheless feeling unappreciated, begging her husband to woo her as though they were in the initial courtship stage.
Hockey is no longer the obsession it once was in Detroit, and it's time for team management to stop buying its own marketing hype and seek practical solutions for getting Joe Louis Arena filled once again.
Sprinkle red roses over the grave.
The myth of Hockeytown officially passed away Wednesday.
Historians will mark the time of death at 7:44 p.m., at the conclusion of the first period, when at least a third of Joe Louis Arena sat empty on the evening of the regular-season opener with the defending Stanley Cup champions as the honored guests.
There was little, if any, foot traffic heading down the aisles. The late arrivals had already arrived.
Some club officials desperately sought false comfort, believing the masses of empty red seats were the result of ticket buyers staying home.
That's a valid explanation when Columbus makes its 22nd visit of the season and it's only December. But this was the season's first game against the foe that bounced the Wings out of the playoffs last spring.
There's clearly a disconnection between the Wings and a fan base that once crossed the border into blind obsession.
Wednesday's game snapped a streak of 396 consecutive regular-season sellouts -- dating to Dec. 10, 1996. That was the season that culminated in the Wings' first Stanley Cup in 42 years, as they embarked on a decade-long run of sustained excellence.
"It's more than a little disappointing," Nicklas Lidstrom said after the Wings outlasted Anaheim in an exciting overtime shoot-out.
There was a time when only two words were required from the Wings come October -- "We're back!" -- and this city would fall all over itself in unabashed exhilaration. But there's now heated competition for the city's heart as well as its entertainment dollar, and the Wings seem ill prepared for battle.
They made 200 tickets in the corners of the upper bowl available for $9 every game. There were some still available if you checked online an hour before face-off. That was the only ticket price adjustment made.
Despite the Wings' sustained success, they've nonetheless fallen to fourth place among the city's four professional sports entities.
The NHL should worry. If Hockeytown doesn't come out en masse to celebrate the opening of another season, what does that say about the overall state of the league?
Michigan's poor economy has certainly curtailed discretionary spending, but tighter family finances didn't keep people from filling Comerica Park in record numbers this summer. The Lions' 3-1 start isn't an applicable reason because they've always sold out Ford Field, even when their seasons ended come the start of October. The average cost of a Pistons individual game ticket this season is eight dollars more than a single-game Wings ticket.
General manager Ken Holland believes a residual resentment remains from the owners' lockout three years ago. If you take away something once thought irreplaceable, and people comfortably adjust to life without it, they no longer consider it essential when it returns.
"I can't believe that would be the case here in Detroit," Lidstrom said. "It certainly helped that we were the only team for awhile there. But the Tigers have had a great run the last two years, and I think they're stealing some of our fans to their side."
But there's also a much less North American appearance to this team, especially after Steve Yzerman's retirement a year ago and Brendan Shanahan's exodus to Broadway. The Wings still boast more than their share of world-class skill, with Lidstrom and young cornerstones Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. But this has become a Euro-dominated team, and it's quite possible the lack of prominent Canadian or American stars may have had an adverse effect.
"I do think that Steve's retirement after being here for so long and being the face of hockey here might have chased some people away," Lidstrom added.
Maybe if the Wings had marketed Anaheim's appearance as the long-awaited seventh game of the Western Conference finals. But, then, the Wings couldn't regularly sell out their playoff games, either.
Despite 16 straight playoff appearances, the longest current consecutive postseason streak in professional sports, the Wings must still earn the fans' affection because now there's competition. The fans are not unlike the wife happily married for 16 years yet nonetheless feeling unappreciated, begging her husband to woo her as though they were in the initial courtship stage.
Hockey is no longer the obsession it once was in Detroit, and it's time for team management to stop buying its own marketing hype and seek practical solutions for getting Joe Louis Arena filled once again.
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Comments
<< <i>General manager Ken Holland believes a residual resentment remains from the owners' lockout three years ago. If you take away something once thought irreplaceable, and people comfortably adjust to life without it, they no longer consider it essential when it returns.
>>
Gee, ya think, Ken?
Not that it had much market share to begin with, but I don't think the NHL will ever reach pre-lockout levels of fan support in the U.S. Maybe in isolated areas where the home team is enjoying tremendous success, but the casual hockey fan is probably long gone and even former diehards like myself are now generally indifferent.
<< <i>Hockey is no longer the obsession it once was in Detroit, and it's time for team management to stop buying its own marketing hype and seek practical solutions for getting Joe Louis Arena filled once again. >>
LOL... They miss one sell out in nearly 400 straight games and what, the ship is sinking? Time to sell the team for a huge loss because the end is near!!!
As you should know, our economy is so bad here that our state government almost shut down the majority of operations just a few days ago. That had a lot of people on edge, and most certainly stopped many people from considering buying tickets for the opening game. The Wings will be fine as usual.
<< <i>Well, it would help if the games were on a channel you can find. >>
Yeah, they screwed the pooch on that one by trying to hold out for more money from ESPN. ESPN will likely carry games again soon, but I know they said last year that they weren't going to do anything as long as the NHL had a contract with NBC for weekend games later in the year.
http://sportsfansnews.com/author/andy-fischer/
(1) The NHL regular season has already started?
(2) I have no interest in attending regular season games, even for the face value of tickets. In fact, I am so spoiled as a Red Wing fan, I am no longer that interested in attending the first two and possibly the first three rounds of the playoffs, even at face value. I would much rather spend 4 times face value to attend the final Stanley Cup game than spend face value to see 4 different games in the earlier rounds.
(3) I think in the past, season ticket holders could make a lot of their money back by selling some or all of their playoff tickets. Because of (2) above, I don't think this is true anymore, especially when the team continues to lose in the first or second round.
(4) I think Steve Yzerman was more of a draw than people think.
<< <i>
<< <i>Hockey is no longer the obsession it once was in Detroit, and it's time for team management to stop buying its own marketing hype and seek practical solutions for getting Joe Louis Arena filled once again. >>
LOL... They miss one sell out in nearly 400 straight games and what, the ship is sinking? Time to sell the team for a huge loss because the end is near!!!
As you should know, our economy is so bad here that our state government almost shut down the majority of operations just a few days ago. That had a lot of people on edge, and most certainly stopped many people from considering buying tickets for the opening game. The Wings will be fine as usual. >>
I doubt that near state shutdown thing had anything to do with a poor turnout, this is the opening day in Hockeytown for crying out loud and they have an arena 1/3 empty?
<< <i>I doubt that near state shutdown thing had anything to do with a poor turnout, this is the opening day in Hockeytown for crying out loud and they have an arena 1/3 empty? >>
The near- shutdown is partially a result of many losing their jobs because the auto plants are hitting the crapper. And the fact is, the auto industry "drives" our states economy. You don't think that is a factor?
The organization admitted itself that they likely raised the prices for the playoff tickets too much. The regular season games are quite pricey already. You can take a family of 4 to a Tigers game for about 1/3 of the cost. Families cannot afford that anymore with everything going on. They've made a few changes, but it will take more than a couple hundred $9 seats to help people afford the cost of taking their families to a game.