Post by jaylon1970 on Oct 12, 2009 16:10:04 GMT -5
heres something to ponder..
www.versus.com/nw/article/view/83170/?tf=nhl_article.tpl
Music City Off Beat For NHL
By Adrian Dater
October 9, 2009
Nashville is a fun city and all. The Music City, tons of great country landmarks, the Grand Ole Opry, great honky tonks to go after games, etc., etc.
But part of the NHL’s image problem stems from being in cities like Nashville, especially when embarrassments happen like that of Thursday night.
On opening night – opening night – the Preds drew a well-below capacity crowd of 14,797 against the Colorado Avalanche. About two thousands seats went unsold, in a city where the Preds were the only pro sports team in town playing that night.
It’s a tough thing to say, but it needs to be said: the Predators should get the heck out of the NHL. They’ve been a charity case team the last few years, needing revenue-sharing money from the rest of the league just to stay operable.
And the thing is, they’ve had a good team in Nashville! They didn’t make the playoffs last season, but came close and made it a few times before that. Barry Trotz is one damn fine coach, and Nash might have the best young defenseman in the game in Shea Weber.
Look, we all know the economy still stinks. In Denver, only 13,000-plus showed up for a game between the Avalanche and division champ Vancouver Canucks last Saturday. That’s awful.
But the Avs also still hold the NHL record for most sellouts in a row (487), and besides, would you want to watch the Avalanche play right now?
The Predators have been consistently good for several years now, but the fans don’t care. And it’s not like the ticket prices are outrageous. According to the latest Team Marketing Report, the average ticket price in the NHL is a little more than $51, but the average to a Preds game is $48 – and those averages are always skewed unfairly by the outrageous rinkside glass prices. The fact is, you can get a seat in the upper bowl of the Sommet Center for between 10 and 20 bucks.
A team can only do so much to draw fans. The Preds have done their part, with competitive teams that make the playoffs. It’s time for the fans in Nasvhille to get off their wallets and show some appreciation. If they don’t? Get the heck out of Dodge.
www.versus.com/nw/article/view/83170/?tf=nhl_article.tpl
Music City Off Beat For NHL
By Adrian Dater
October 9, 2009
Nashville is a fun city and all. The Music City, tons of great country landmarks, the Grand Ole Opry, great honky tonks to go after games, etc., etc.
But part of the NHL’s image problem stems from being in cities like Nashville, especially when embarrassments happen like that of Thursday night.
On opening night – opening night – the Preds drew a well-below capacity crowd of 14,797 against the Colorado Avalanche. About two thousands seats went unsold, in a city where the Preds were the only pro sports team in town playing that night.
It’s a tough thing to say, but it needs to be said: the Predators should get the heck out of the NHL. They’ve been a charity case team the last few years, needing revenue-sharing money from the rest of the league just to stay operable.
And the thing is, they’ve had a good team in Nashville! They didn’t make the playoffs last season, but came close and made it a few times before that. Barry Trotz is one damn fine coach, and Nash might have the best young defenseman in the game in Shea Weber.
Look, we all know the economy still stinks. In Denver, only 13,000-plus showed up for a game between the Avalanche and division champ Vancouver Canucks last Saturday. That’s awful.
But the Avs also still hold the NHL record for most sellouts in a row (487), and besides, would you want to watch the Avalanche play right now?
The Predators have been consistently good for several years now, but the fans don’t care. And it’s not like the ticket prices are outrageous. According to the latest Team Marketing Report, the average ticket price in the NHL is a little more than $51, but the average to a Preds game is $48 – and those averages are always skewed unfairly by the outrageous rinkside glass prices. The fact is, you can get a seat in the upper bowl of the Sommet Center for between 10 and 20 bucks.
A team can only do so much to draw fans. The Preds have done their part, with competitive teams that make the playoffs. It’s time for the fans in Nasvhille to get off their wallets and show some appreciation. If they don’t? Get the heck out of Dodge.