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Improving Attendance in Colorado

Steven Ovadia — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:51:52 +0000

I love how Adrian Dater’s pet issue is tracking attendance at Avalanche games.

Yesterday he posted some ideas on how to improve attendance.

It’s interesting stuff: brighter lights around the arena; classic rock music, rather than metal; and a high definition JumboTron screen.

Dater also talked to some players about the low attendance this season, with one player calling it “disappointing.

Dater’s suggestions are good, but the easiest way to improve attendance is to lower ticket prices. There are tons of hockey fans in Colorado. You don’t have to sell them the game. You just need to sell them the ticket. It makes attendance a much less complex issue, compared to markets where you have to get people into the game before you can even begin to get them to consider buying a ticket.

Pepsi Center: ‘Why Am I So Empty?’

Steven Ovadia — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:09:37 +0000

Adrian Dater points out Monday’s Avs-Flames game drew just 11,448 fans.

The comments on Dater’s post are interesting. Some say attendance is low because the Avs play the same teams over and over.

Other people said it’s a marketing issue.

One poster said Avs fans are still put off by last season’s debacles.

I’m going to throw out another theory: fan fatigue over the course of a long season.

Right now, Colorado is leading the Northwest Division. Calgary is right behind them, but considering there are around 50 games left in the season, Calgary and Colorado will probably swap places a few times. But basically, as long as Colorado doesn’t have some kind of epic collapse, fans know Colorado is heading to the post-season. So why would a casual fan spend money on tickets if the game is going to be relatively meaningless? Casual fans need to be told why a game is important or exciting. Casual fans aren’t opposed to buying tickets, but they need some kind of reason to do so. The reason can be an opposing star, a significant game, or an important storyline, but you have to give them some kind of motivation to leave the house. Hardcore fans know why a given game matters, but the casual fan doesn’t.

This isn’t just a Colorado problem, either. Scotty Hockey said Madison Square Garden was pretty empty last night, although in that case, the Rangers had a sell-out. Fans just didn’t show up to claim their paid seats. But that probably has to do with the Rangers being horrible right now.

Hockey is a two-season sport: The regular season and the post-season. As more and more things compete for our time, my theory is that a decent number of hockey fans are focusing their time and money on the post-season. I have no doubt that come the playoffs, the Pepsi Center will be jam-packed with rabid fans.

And one final possible factor: Are hockey fans changing? Hemisphere Magazine, an in-flight magazine, sent me a link to an article on the NHL’s embrace of the Internet as a marketing tool. I was going to dash off some airline jokes and ask you to imagine I’m reciting them in front of a spotlit brick wall, but instead the article got me wondering if the NHL’s use of the Internet might be hurting regular season attendance a bit. Are these Avs fans home because they’d rather watch the game while posting on Twitter, with GameCenter Live on in the background, in case the Colorado game isn’t great? As amazing as a live game is, do these fans prefer the online experience in some way?

Also, as we close in on Christmas and pass Hanukkah’s halfway mark, please be aware you can buy a putter shaped like a hockey stick. I’m not being compensated for this plug. I just thought it was a funny product.

Thibault Phones-A-Friend; Redden Reclamation Project Continues

Steven Ovadia — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:54:43 +0000

I know this is hardly the most important story of the day, but I have to point out Jocelyn Thibault’s goaltending consultancy gig in Colorado:

Rather than being with the team full time, as goaltending coach Jeff Hackett was the past few seasons, Thibault still lives in Montreal and is spending occasional stretches with the team in Denver and on the road. He is empowered to pick up the phone and speak with either Anderson or backup Peter Budaj.

So is it me, or is Thibault getting paid to hang out with the team? And is he also getting paid to call his goaltending friends on the phone?

I guess this is my roundabout way of announcing my own goaltending consultancy. Email me if you’re an NHL GM or coach who’d like me to occasionally hang out with your team or call your goalies.

Although, the way Anderson is playing for the Avs, something must be right with this arrangement.

Speaking of odd arrangements, the Rangers are apparently considering allowing Wade Redden back on the powerplay.

Coach John Tortorella had kept Redden off of the powerplay to let him focus on his even-strength play. And, because with Redden on the point last season, the team gave up 14 short-handed goals, second only to the Flames eye-popping 15.

Now, the Rangers are ready to give Redden another shot, perhaps because defenseman Marc Staal has a shot that seems to take a good 45 seconds to get off.

Redden has responded very well to Tortorella’s coaching. His play has settled down a lot since last season and while Redden is still overpaid, most nights he’s no longer a liability. It’ll be interesting to see if more powerplay times leads to more confidence, of if it crushes the house of cards Tortorella built.

NHL Is a Two Financial Tier League

Steven Ovadia — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:53:42 +0000

Forbes released their annual NHL franchise valuations and things actually look pretty good for the league. Or at least for some of the franchises. The average operating profit was $6.1 million, aggregate income increased, as did average franchise value.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t an across the board thing for the all of the franchises. While successful teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, and Chicago are doing great (as one might expect), other franchises like Nashville, Atlanta, the Islanders, and, of course, the Coyotes, are struggling. Here is the Forbes valuation chart.

One thing the article doesn’t mention that I’m curious about: the Stars and Avs, two seemingly successful franchises, lost $10 million and $11 million in value, respectively. I’m not sure if that’s a business loss of some kind that has nothing to do with the actual franchises, or if something else is going on.

Looking at the list of struggling franchises (and I’m assuming Dallas and Colorado aren’t actually struggling, that they just lost some value this year), you can’t help but wonder when the NHL is going to contract. You have wildly successful teams rubbing elbows with teams that can’t fill their arenas and can’t attract a buyer. Why not cut the fat and streamline league profits?

Speaking of value, the Blackhawks are about to see some return on their investment in Marian Hossa: he’s expected to begin contact drills this week, putting him one step closer to making his season debut. Like everyone else, I’m very curious how/if he’ll fit in with the rest of the team.

Also, here is my look at Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s demand to be made the starting goalie in Anaheim.

LL Cool J to Foppa: ‘We Should Call This a Comeback’

Steven Ovadia — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:55:22 +0000

How shocking! Adrian Dater is hearing Peter Forsberg is a bit undecided about his NHL comeback. Although, this is actually a comeback from a comeback.

Dater thinks Forsberg is going to give the NHL another go once he’s extensively tested his foot.

Do they not get NHL news in Sweden? Has Forsberg not seen the laundry list of strong, sturdy NHL players go down this season? Has he not seen that the NHL right now is ultimate fighting without the restraint?

I get that Forsberg is a competitor who didn’t get to leave the game he loved on his own terms. But at this point, given his age and his health, it seems downright irresponsible for Forsberg to try and return to the NHL and for the NHL to make it possible. It seems like no one in the league has taken the time to warn Forsberg off of what increasingly sees to be an obsession of his.

It’s very interesting how competitors react to their limitations. Last night, at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Brian Leetch said he retired because he was mentally drained from not making the playoffs for so long. And he seems to have walked away from the game without much anguish.

Maybe Leetch can talk to Forsberg about how great a real retirement is.

Avs Winning Games and Losing Fans

Steven Ovadia — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:39:12 +0000

Wednesday night’s Avs-Coyotes game was a Colorado record for low attendance. Adrian Dater asked fans what happened and he got back some very interesting responses.

According to Dater, a lot of fans reported ticket prices weren’t the only factor keeping them away from the Pepsi Center. Some fans reported problems with the Avs ticket office — strange ticketing policies and newer season ticket purchasers getting treated better than older ones. Apparently the music played in the Pepsi Center is pretty bad, too, and geared more toward teens than the older fans who probably make up a significant portion of the Avalanche fan base.

And this, to me, is the challenge of sports for the next few years. The NFL treats its fans like garbage, gouging them until there’s nothing left, operating with impunity, because if some fans get tired of the exploitation, there are usually plenty more ready for the opportunity (in most NFL markets, that is). But eventually sports run out of fans to gouge. In the NFL, you’re seeing it in Detroit and Jacksonville. In baseball, even the Yankees wound up dropping regular-season ticket prices when fans wouldn’t pay exorbitant prices for the good seats.

The challenge of sports, for the NHL in particular, is not just accommodating current ticket-buyers, which is huge, but also creating an environment inviting to non-ticket holders. It’s not enough to have your core audience taken care of. Successful teams will think about ways to get new fans into seats, too. Even if it means lowering ticket prices, so people who might not normally attend a game get the chance to experience the sport as a live event.

If teams don’t take care of current fans while simultaneously cultivating new fans, you have what happened Wednesday night in Denver: a first-place team playing in front of 11,012 fans, or a three-quarters full arena, in a previously hockey-mad city.

Keeping fans happy and finding new fans isn’t easy, but it’s crucial to the survival of teams. It takes just a few years for people to fall out of the habit of live hockey; for people to find some place else to take their families and to find another fun way to spend whatever extra cash they have.

Finally, the saddest part in all of this is that this is probably one of the largest crowds Phoenix has seen in a while.

Also, totally unrelated, but in case you somehow missed it, Puck Daddy interviewed Kevin Dallman about life in the KHL, and it’s a really great conversation. If you wonder about life in the KHL, and sadly, I do, this gives you a great sense of what life is like in the league.

Some NHL GMs Already Prepared to Surrender

Steven Ovadia — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:59:48 +0000

What a crazy season.

Jeff Gordon says he’s already hearing trade chatter from certain NHL GMs, with many already thinking about giving up their season and trying to dump salary.

What separates NHL GMs from most other sports, is that NHL GMs only seem to think about salary implications after a contract is signed.

Vinny Lecavalier, under attack in Tampa, has to be one of those names being whispered about (despite a strong game last night and despite a no-trade clause). People are surprised by Lecavalier’s struggle; I was surprised by his success.

Carolina will also probably be a fire sale, although the Hurricanes seem to alternate strong/awful seasons with a relatively static line-up.

The fact that there are GMs who have already given up on their season is pretty sad, though. Did no one in management see St. Louis’ miracle run last season?

On the flip side of dumping salary, if the play of the Avs continues to be strong, they’ll probably be buyers before the trade deadline. Terry Frei didn’t realize how good the Avs were until he went to Canada and saw the attention the Avalanche were garnering.

Isles and Leafs Place Offense Before Winning

Steven Ovadia — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:27:27 +0000

What are we? Two weeks into the season? And already the Doug Weight trade rumors are starting. This has to be some kind of trade rumor record.

The Islanders are still waiting for their first win of the season and are in a challenging situation. Coach Scott Gordon has some talented, but undeveloped forwards and uses a very aggressive, attacking style. So the team has been sacrificing just enough defense to put a win out of reach. Gordon could dial back the offense and play more of a defensive game, but then what is he teaching his young team?

Basically, the Islanders aren’t ready for Gordon yet. But Gordon is an interesting, talented coach, so I’m sure Islanders management, whoever that is, wants to keep him in the organization.

It’s almost like what’s going on in Toronto. There too, you have a coach who refuses to dial back the offense. Of course, over in Toronto, coach Ron Wilson doesn’t have to deal with young, undeveloped talent. His undeveloped talent is older. And Wilson’s goaltending situation is just absurdly bad. But, like Gordon, he refuses to retreat into a defensive posture.

I’m sure it’s frustrating for the fans, but at least it makes for much more interesting hockey.

Speaking of struggles, Simon Gagne is still waiting for his first goal of the season, and is trying not to let it drive him crazy.

And just so we’re not too negative today, how about Colorado not struggling, helped by strong goaltending for the first time since Patrick Roy was an Av. The Avs are riding the shocking emergence of goalie Craig Anderson. Of course, that raises the question of how long Anderson can play, because there’s no one behind him on the Avalanche goalie depth chart. But for now, the Avs are off to a strong start, and a strong enough NHL start can pretty much guarantee you a seat in the playoffs.

Sharks Need Defense; Avs Need Goalie Luck

Steven Ovadia — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:02:20 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, it’s still early in the season, so it’s still hard to make observations about team problems and team successes. But having said that, some interesting ideas are already starting to emerge.

Like will the Sharks play defense this season? They went down four goals to the Kings, managed to come back, but then couldn’t keep the momentum and still wound up losing. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov wasn’t great but he certainly wasn’t horrible. And you can kind of see that in Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi’s going a combined -7 on an eight-point night. Sharks coach Todd McLellan might have to think about dismantling that line to get some defense inserted into it — maybe someone like Manny Malhotra. Or maybe the issue can be resolved with coaching. But right now, something seems off in San Jose.

Things were rolling well for the Avs. But yesterday Adrian Dater reported goalie Craig Anderson has a minor groin strain. It’s not expected to keep Anderson out of practice today, but as Dater points out, groin injuries can be catastrophic for goalies. And the Avs need Anderson and his .973 save percentage and 1.00 goals against.

Finally, Kevin Allen has some interesting Atlanta Thrasher predictions, including that the team will stay in Atlanta and 70-30 odds the team will re-sign Ilya Kovalchuk, which are pretty great odds. I was thinking it was more like 30-70.

Humor In (an NHL) Uniform

Steven Ovadia — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:05:38 +0000

It’s corn Friday. Sorry!

Buccigross’ ‘Heatley will be a Shark’ call is just a big misunderstanding: he’s talking about an upcoming Ottawa production of WESTSIDE STORY. Also, don’t miss Jason Spezza as Maria.
The Sabres released photos of the commemorative bricks from the Aud, which they’ll be selling. So the Sabres will hold onto bricks from demolished buildings, but not players? Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Brian Campbell, etc. can’t feel good about that. At least now we know the best way to stick around the Sabres is to have some kind of plaque attached to you.

I know you’re out there. I can hear you breathing.

Adrian Dater asks who should be the next captain of the Avs: Adam Foote or Paul Stastny. Foote is obviously very interested in wearing the C for Colorado, as it could give him some trade leverage.
New Calgary coach Brent Sutter has been impressing his players with his attention to detail. Of course there’s one detail Sutter often misses: the contractual one. Am I right, New Jersey?

Is this thing on?

Speaking of New Jersey, former Devils coach Larry Robinson said he might be getting the itch to coach again. Which is great, because GM Lou Lamoriello says he’s getting the itch to fire again.

Thanks! You’ve been great! Don’t forget to tip your waiters.