OT: Panthers Sens game

[TheSgtDabbs]

7,311

That is the attendance from last night's game. Rough! Most people laugh but as a Devils fan, can't help but feel for them. Our attendance has seemed to improve is last few years, but still not where it could be.

I guess the good news is, we won't be the crap end of attendance jokes this year!

 

[MadCaptain]

I read somewhere that their new owner was going to be releasing gate attendance and that he didn't give a fuck about inflating the numbers.

They only had 11k against the Devils and that was opening night on a Saturday.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Hate to say it but they need to move to Seattle.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

Hate to say it but they need to move to Seattle.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I understand trying to build a fanbase and getting the youth involved and all that but the experiment is done. There are no youth hockey programs sprouting up there, it's been 20 years, the generation that they were trying to influence has shown they don't care. Time to cut your losses and move on.

 

[nj_cup]

i dont understand how that team is still there?

the thrashers are sold and moved the next day.

i read that the yotes if were sold to that guy he would've moved them to seattle the next day.

yet somehow this owner is still willing to eat all these losses? i know owning a hockey team isn't really profitable but still this guy has to be taking a bath! whats keeping him in florida? obviously he has to have some type of sweetheart deal with the arena?

that being said though he could probably get the world from the QC. and easily afford to break his lease

 

[DevilishWon]

Hate to say it but they need to move to Seattle.

F seattle....Vegas baby!

Then you got a road trip we all could go on!

 

[MCDevils]

That really is rough. Jeez. Wysh has an article on it:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/in-defense-of-florida-panthers--epically-embarrassing-crowd-vs--ottawa-131239655.html

I think Broward County owns the arena, so it's not like a Devils situation where they also come with a shiny new arena.

Here's the problem. They have a new owner, and what could a team struggling that much be sold for?

It would have to be less than us right?? Way less?

So the NHL think it will get more tan $2B in expansion fees for Toronto 2, Quebec, Seattle, Kansas City/LV. Are the owners really going to say eff it to $500M minimum to relocate Florida if they have a willing owner to cover the bills down there?

I have no idea why they don't move to where the heat play in Miami proper.

 

[irishwhip03]

Looked like a good chunk of the crowd were Devils fans for their opener too.

No team in Florida really draws well though. Not even the NFL ones or the Heat during their dynasty.

 

[DevilishWon]

Looked like a good chunk of the crowd were Devils fans for their opener too.

No team in Florida really draws well though. Not even the NFL ones or the Heat during their dynasty.

Typical south florida you are right. Watch a Marlins game if a NY or Chicago team is in town. Far more visitors fans than locals.

 

[irishwhip03]

Typical south florida you are right. Watch a Marlins game if a NY or Chicago team is in town. Far more visitors fans than locals.

No doubt about it. I guess part of that can be because there are so many transplants down there but still.

Florida is not that big of a state and they have atleast 2 teams for each sport. Way too much.

 

[nj_cup]

the only city that would pay through the nose for a relocation team would be a city in canadia! besides i really doubt you will see another team get sold BEFORE any expansion happens. if your an owner of an nhl team right now and you do want to get out you will wait til you get a cut of that phat expansion fee then sell.

the 2 new expansion cities will be in the states. vegas and seattle. that evens out the conferences.....THEN

qc will get the panthers i bet and if things go bad with the yotes i can see them moving to toronto for the 2nd team there. qc is in the east 2nd toronto team is in the "west".

 

[MCDevils]

the only city that would pay through the nose for a relocation team would be a city in canadia! besides i really doubt you will see another team get sold BEFORE any expansion happens. if your an owner of an nhl team right now and you do want to get out you will wait til you get a cut of that phat expansion fee then sell.

the 2 new expansion cities will be in the states. vegas and seattle. that evens out the conferences.....THEN

qc will get the panthers i bet and if things go bad with the yotes i can see them moving to toronto for the 2nd team there. qc is in the east 2nd toronto team is in the "west".

I doubt you would see relocation for the Canadian Teams. Their expansion fees will be higher than Seattle or Vegas. Toronto 2 could be a $1B fee according to some reports.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Toronto 2 also may not get approved by the league for a few reasons. The Leafs will be fine but then you are cutting into Sabres revenue since they have something like 25% of their season ticket holders from Canada. Plus, the NHL is already getting those people's money, they're not gaining a whole lot from them. They want a new market with money that they're not yet getting.

 

[DevilishWon]

And money (network not local) is the biggest reason there are even teams left in South Florida & Arizona. The league wants to be able to present the appearance of a national fan base to the networks for TV.

Plus if they move the panthers it will suck for me because my in-laws live in Ft Lauderdale....

 

[I_Shall_Return]

Looked like a good chunk of the crowd were Devils fans for their opener too.

No team in Florida really draws well though. Not even the NFL ones or the Heat during their dynasty.

Tampa Bay Lightning yearly attendance at hockeydb.com

List of National Hockey League attendance figures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia <----this link shows that the Bolts had the 10th best attendance in the league last year, 8th best the season before that...

Not too sure what you mean by "NO" team in Florida???

 

[I_Shall_Return]

I'd like to see the Hartford Whalers come back! Maybe the Cats could move up there & go from a feline mammal to a fishlike mammal!

 

[TheSgtDabbs]

I think I might be one of the few that does NOT want to see expansion.

 

[DevilishWon]

Hartford is an awful place

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

I'd like to see the Hartford Whalers come back! Maybe the Cats could move up there & go from a feline mammal to a fishlike mammal!

Or call themselves the Catfish?