Hockey is growing in Phoenix

[BlueWolfZero]

That stable ownership sure has the great vibes in the desert at an all time high. Attendance for tonight's game vs Nashville a whopping....7,408.
Bu hey, Arizona is a must have hockey market right Gary?

 

[Cobiemonster]

lol

 

[Judge Fudge]

DW.

There is a team in the WHL that gets atleast 1,500 fans

and it's canadian

 

[IndyAndy]

Oh, I dunno: For a weeknight attendance figure, given that it's Phoenix, I'm not too depressed about it.

Now if that's the kind of numbers that they get on weekends as well, it's a different matter entirely.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

That horse isn't getting any deader.

 

[dash]

All they (Bettman, the ownership group in Phoenix, and Glendale) have done is bought themselves another five years before the team is relocated. The team was losing close to $30 million per season prior to the new owners taking over, losing $50 million in the first five years is a virtual certainty. The current ownership group will get a nice cut of the relocation fee (I mean, they barely put up any of their own money to buy the team in the first place) and we can close the book in hockey in the desert.

 

[forty_three]

I miss that little kid who claimed to be on a high school hockey team in Phoenix and that hockey was HUGE down there.

He kinda wilted when I asked him the hard questions like "What is your team name?".

 

[Darkstone42]

I've watched some weekend games on TV, and the crowd seemed pretty good for those. The lower bowl was full, and the crowd was loud.

We'll see if that keeps up, though.

I actually think hockey is bigger in Tucson than it is in Phoenix. I see a lot of hockey sweaters around here, and there are a bunch of roller and street leagues. But most of the hockey fans are fans of teams from "back home" since this town is full of relocations and retired folks.

 

[esls79]

I think the thread title is a typo - it's supposed to be growling.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

And they're a good team, it's just a bad market for them. Coyotes are just 2 seasons from the Western Conference Finals and are off to a good start again this year.

 

[juliansteed]

The problem is they were playing Nashville. Nashville aren't known for filling up other team's arenas. That seems to be what they need in Phoenix to get big crowds.

The fact that it was Halloween probably didn't help them much either.

 

[dash]

The fact that it was Halloween probably didn't help them much either.

Maybe a lot of people were dressed up as empty seats

 

[juliansteed]

Doesn't take last night's game into account.

Putting Phoenix Coyotes Attendance Figures in Context

 

[dash]

I'd like to know what the average Coyotes ticket price is as well as how many tickets are essentially "freebies" handed out with the purchase of a two-four at your local Glendale area grocery store.

 

[forty_three]

Doesn't take last night's game into account.

Putting Phoenix Coyotes Attendance Figures in Context

Interesting figures, but the one asterisk they aren't taking into account is how the people in the seats are getting the tickets into their hands.

How many of the butts in the seats are spending pocket money to go and how many are getting 2 with a happy meal or a tank of gas? I'd really like to know that.

When I first moved here, especially early in the season when they were competing with Buckeye football, there were all kinds of giveaways. Now, you hardly see any. Attendance here could be better, but it seems like the people who are going are spending their own money to go. That's a pretty big factor. Fan enthusiasm.



Edit: that dash is a smart feller ^^

 

[jstewismybastardson]

on the bright side, at least the Coyotes are finally charging people for parking lol

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

I'd like to know what the average Coyotes ticket price is as well as how many tickets are essentially "freebies" handed out with the purchase of a two-four at your local Glendale area grocery store.

I wish it was like that here in NY. What we pay to probably sit in the 400's of the renevated Garden, could probably get you 5 rows off the ice in Phoenix.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

I'd like to know what the average Coyotes ticket price is as well as how many tickets are essentially "freebies" handed out with the purchase of a two-four at your local Glendale area grocery store.

There's something to be said for having butts in seats regardless of how they get there though.

They may get the tickets for free, but they still have to pay for parking. Hopefully they then buy some over-priced beer, food, or souvenirs.

Then there's the intangible benefits of (hopefully) growing your fanbase by getting people who have never been to a game before in to realize how awesome hockey really is.

Not defending the Coyotes or Bettman, just saying.

 

[juliansteed]

I'd like to know what the average Coyotes ticket price is as well as how many tickets are essentially "freebies" handed out with the purchase of a two-four at your local Glendale area grocery store.

Yeah I'm betting the average ticket price is pretty low. But I also guess that has remained relatively constant over the past 5 years, so any improvement I would consider a positive. But they'll have to start improving at a much faster rate by the time the 5 years is up.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

There's something to be said for having butts in seats regardless of how they get there though.

They may get the tickets for free, but they still have to pay for parking. Hopefully they then buy some over-priced beer, food, or souvenirs.

Then there's the intangible benefits of (hopefully) growing your fanbase by getting people who have never been to a game before in to realize how awesome hockey really is.

Not defending the Coyotes or Bettman, just saying.

for the first time this season in phoenix