NHL 2014-2015 Season

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I had a suspicion that the Flyers were the worst shootout team of all-time, and not only was I correct, they're far and away the worst. They have a .342 win percentage in shootouts, dead last. The next worst is Florida at .398. God I hate this team and this league and motherfucking Paul Holmgren.
 
Despite rumors, it's not very realistic for them to be moving until about 2020. They're on a massive deal for their stadium, and their parent company relies on them to operate the arena just as much as they rely on their parent company.

At the end of the day though the clock is ticking. If they continue to sick through this decade, that protective lease won't be so large. The fate of the franchise pretty much depends upon their success on the ice, because nobody is going to go to the games now if they're continually worse. Especially if they haven't been going for the past decade due to the same reason.

It has been shown that success attracts audiences for the Panthers though. And for Florida teams in general.

As for that infamous game against the senators, that was a decision by new ownership. They decided to stop what several ownerships have been doing for years -- giving out free tickets to fill the house. So, in reality, despite the fact that the game looked really pathetic, nothing is new. That's what (roughly) a paid audience has looked like for years on Florida.
 
Man that was a disappointing loss. The Flames suck and we outshot them by a mile. Just one of those nights where the puck can't find the net no matter what.
 
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LuckyNumber7 said:
As for that infamous game against the senators, that was a decision by new ownership. They decided to stop what several ownerships have been doing for years -- giving out free tickets to fill the house. So, in reality, despite the fact that the game looked really pathetic, nothing is new. That's what (roughly) a paid audience has looked like for years on Florida.
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Why would Florida's ownership do that? Even though the tickets are free, wouldn't they hazard to guess that those same ticket holders are gonna at least spend some money on concessions and/or souvenirs?
 
Here's an article on the Panthers thing by Elliotte Freedman with Sportsnet (formerly with CBC) who knows his stuff:

Seventeen years ago, Oleg Tverdovsky joined the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs during a contract dispute with the Phoenix Coyotes. A high-school friend of mine, Cary Kaplan, worked in the marketing department and came up with a great idea for a promotion.

He wanted to designate one home game as “OT night,” where, if Tverdovsky scored the winning goal in overtime, everyone would win a free ticket to another game. (Get it: OT scores in OT.)

The idea was rejected.

The Oilers, who ran the team at the time, didn’t want to do it. They believed very strongly that a person who paid full price for a ticket should never turn to someone next to them and hear, “Oh, I got in for free.” That is method number one of infuriating loyal customers.

I disagreed for years. Until a Hockey Night in Canada assignment in Broward County for a Panthers’ home game against Toronto.

There was a fan (a dentist, he was happy to tell people) with seats right on the glass. There were plenty of empty ones around him. The usher decided to move some fans into the area. But, he wasn’t paying enough attention, because, twice the dentist went to the concourse, and twice the usher put people in his seats.

The guy freaked. It was a “Mommie Dearest” wire-hanger-level meltdown.

“I’ve had these tickets for years!” he yelled. “Why do I bother? Everyone gets in here for free!”

His date looked terrified. The people around him looked terrified. The usher looked terrified. For me, it was an “uh-huh” moment. I finally understood why OT Night didn’t happen.

Monday evening, the Panthers crawled under the microscope for all the wrong reasons, as the smallest crowd in franchise history booed the end of a 1-0 loss to Ottawa. There is no doubt the NHL and the organization were ready for this. They made a conscious decision to stop the freebies.

They know October is their worst month for attendance. (You’d be surprised how many owners want to start the season in November.) They know the Senators are not a huge draw in Southeast Florida. They know the team hasn’t won a playoff round since Joe Thornton began his NHL career. They know this is a tough market. Even the once-mighty Miami Hurricanes’ college football team is aching for bums in the seats.

You can know all that, and still find those empty seats jarring. It’s not a new phenomenon — its happened in Canada — but the social media age makes it look soooooooooo much worse.

Everyone says new ownership is in this for the long haul, and the current lease is ironclad for another decade. There are no out clauses for bad attendance. There is nothing like Arizona, where $50 million in losses over five years triggers an escape, if wanted. The NHL’s history is to fight to the bitter end as long as an owner is willing to do so.

City council is exploring the possibility of breaking that lease, if there is good financial reason to do so. Maybe that’s what happens, although, if only free tickets are not being used, how much of a revenue hit is it, really?

We made fun of the Panthers for their crazy $9 discount plans. Now, we’re making fun for getting rid of them. They can’t win, which is one of the problems.

Free tickets haven’t worked, so why annoy those who actually pay? As ugly as it looks, it’s the right move.
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Headache in a Suitcase said:
Start planning the parade route down Hempstead Turnpike
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Shit, I might have to take my lady to a game this season. She's never been to the Coliseum. For the last three seasons I've wanted to take her and then they'd start tanking in December. When the Isles are playing good hockey, the place gets pretty fuckin' loud.
 
MrPryck2U said:
Shit, I might have to take my lady to a game this season. She's never been to the Coliseum. For the last three seasons I've wanted to take her and then they'd start tanking in December. When the Isles are playing good hockey, the place gets pretty fuckin' loud.
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I've said this before, but I have a soft spot for the Islanders because they were my first hockey memory. I remember watching their Stanley Cup runs when I was 4 or 5 years old. The league is better off with a strong a Islanders franchise and I'm happy when they do well.

When you go to the Coliseum, say hi to Beav for us. :wink:
 
Your regular reminder that the Flyers traded James van Riemsdyk for Luke Schenn AFTER turning down an offer of Keith Yandle for JVR.
 
When our offense is working, the team is frightening. When it's not, well, we lose to Winnipeg at home. The shot count is always high, but there's not enough aggression happening around the net and too many low percentage perimeter shots.

Tonight was obviously a great step in the right direction though.
 
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