NHL: Can we please stop with the empty seat pics?
By Mike Majeski
Everyone’s new favorite NHL photo to share is of the fans that didn’t show up
Before the days of social media, the only way to get attendance data for a game was to look it up in the box score the following day. Sites like ESPN kept a yearly total, but all of this was based off announced attendance – hardly ever accurate. Today with fans actively sharing photos of sporting events on Twitter and Instagram, we can instantly see which arenas are filled and which ones everyone came dressed up as a seat cushion for.
While it’s great that we get a more accurate representation of fan attendance, one of the negative side effects is the feeding frenzy that ensues from fans in so called “traditional hockey markets” using these photos as evidence of why some cities are not viable hockey markets.
At the start of the 2014-15 NHL season, the Florida Panthers were planted firmly in the crosshairs – mostly due to a series of tweets from the Ottawa Sun that showed a near empty arena mid-way through the first period. Out of context it looks bad, but remember this was the beginning of the NHL season – a time when the majority of American fans are more fired up for the start of football season. It was the Florida Panthers, a team that hasn’t been good in years and was expected to once again struggle this season. And they were playing the Ottawa Senators – a city that the majority of the 1200 fans in the building probably can’t even find on a map.
The formula for hockey attendance in most cities in the United States is simple: crappy team + crappy opponent + week night = crappy attendance. Why do you think teams like the Anaheim Ducks have things like the “Original Six” package? Those opponents are the money maker.
The Florida Panthers have been a pleasant surprise this season and their attendance has picked up since the start of the season. Lately the sharks have been circling the Carolina Hurricanes, who in case you haven’t noticed are absolutely terrible this season. Last week they played a nearly equally terrible Buffalo Sabres squad. Is it any surprise that no one showed up? The same was the case last night when they took on the Colorado Avalanche.
And if you think it’s just the Canadian press picking on Americans teams, check out this tweet from the Sun Raleigh Times:
If the #Canes win a game and no one’s there to see it, does it still make a sound? http://t.co/NT9JSPogpt #NHL pic.twitter.com/mnAIlQ4KYn
— Raleigh (@SunTimesRAL) January 9, 2015
Way to support your own team and city!
But speaking of the Canadian media… On the rare occasion that attendance numbers start dropping in a Canadian city (these people actually pay to see the Maple Leafs and Oilers!), the market is never questioned. No, in those cases it is obviously poor ownership and management that is keeping the fans away. But when a team like the Hurricanes or Panthers is mismanaged or the Coyotes are run into the ground due to poor ownership, it is a direct reflection of the viability of that hockey market. Why the double standard?
American fans have proven time and again that when the wins start coming, butts will be in the seats. There was a time when the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks played in front of sparse crowds. A handful of Stanley Cup wins later and both franchises are marquee teams for the NHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets were on the receiving end of many attendance related jokes for years. One playoff appearance later and there is a considerable amount of buzz surrounding the team this season.
It’s too bad that some of the cities without teams see the empty seats and get their hopes up. The NHL has made it clear that relocation will be used as a last resort. This was the case in Atlanta where literally nobody wanted to buy that franchise. Empty seat tweets are not going to sway the NHL’s feelings on a current market. Look how long they have given the Arizona Coyotes to prove that Glendale can work as a hockey town.
So please, stop viewing the empty seat pictures as valuable insight into the viability of a hockey market. Instead take a look at the big picture and factor in when the game is taking place, the current situation surrounding the home team and who the opponent is. All of these things can have a big effect on how many people show up.