If you have a sale...they will come.

[pixburgher66]

50% off for the first 4 home Pens game at all PensGear locations.

Consol Energy Center late morning on a weekday? Yikes.

 

[pixburgher66]

SouthSide store. Crazy, yo. If only these people knew that you can find stuff online for much cheaper EVERY day.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Damn!!

It's like the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

[dash]

I know Pittsburgh is still a Steelers town first, but when you look at the fan support and tv ratings for Pens hockey, man it's quite impressive.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

canucks did the same thing ... i think the sale ends today

friend told me (mattola said so too) at the home opener people were lined up for close to a full period to buy stuff ... and the staff kept coming out with racks of jerseys to re-stock

sheep!

 

[dash]

canucks did the same thing ... i think the sale ends today

friend told me (mattola said so too) at the home opener people were lined up for close to a full period to buy stuff ... and the staff kept coming out with racks of jerseys to re-stock

sheep!

Bettman was right.

 

[Upstater]

Sabres did it for the week of training camp and grossed over $2million

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I know Pittsburgh is still a Steelers town first, but when you look at the fan support and tv ratings for Pens hockey, man it's quite impressive.

dash, I imagine hockey is huge in Calgary 12 months out of the year as it is. So I ask you this: How would it be in Calgary if the Flames had Crosby, Malkin & Neal?

 

[wings-pens2166]

I know Pittsburgh is still a Steelers town first, but when you look at the fan support and tv ratings for Pens hockey, man it's quite impressive.

I read an article a few years ago that predicted, based on the growing participation in youth hockey coupled with the declining participation in youth football in the Pittsburgh area, in a generation or two, the Pens would over take the Steelers as the top team in Pittsburgh. Not sure if I believe that or not, but the Pens and hockey in general have definitley grown big time there.

 

[pixburgher66]

I know Pittsburgh is still a Steelers town first, but when you look at the fan support and tv ratings for Pens hockey, man it's quite impressive.

The crowd there doesn't impress me too much...but what does was the 19.4 rating opening day. That was during the AFC Championship game. But yeah, it's always going to be Steelers first. HOWEVER, my generation, the 20 somethings and 30 somethings, are most definitely Pens first fans. Or at least Pens on par with fans. Once the older generation, uh...moves on, or at least their wallets do, there very may well be a shift. I love all my teams, but I love the sport of hockey the most.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

dash, I imagine hockey is huge in Calgary 12 months out of the year as it is. So I ask you this: How would it be in Calgary if the Flames had Crosby, Malkin & Neal?

10 times the slurpin'

 

[pixburgher66]

dash, I imagine hockey is huge in Calgary 12 months out of the year as it is. So I ask you this: How would it be in Calgary if the Flames had Crosby, Malkin & Neal?

I honestly cannot comprehend what any Canadian city would do with the Pens roster. I'm a spoiled fan, I know it. I mean, not saying that the Canadian teams don't have talent on their rosters, but the Pens have two of the best players in the game and Neal is becoming the Kevin Stevens to Mario/Jagr.

 

[dash]

dash, I imagine hockey is huge in Calgary 12 months out of the year as it is. So I ask you this: How would it be in Calgary if the Flames had Crosby, Malkin & Neal?

Well, the on-ice product would be much improved, that's for sure.

Attendance for Flames game dropped in the late 90's and early 00's when the team was terrible, but I think with the mass population increase and the fact that Calgary is a rich city, I think fans will likely continue to attend Flames games regardless of how well the team does.

/They might not have sellouts, but I still see at least 90% capacity filled even if the team is terrible.

 

[pixburgher66]

I read an article a few years ago that predicted, based on the growing participation in youth hockey coupled with the declining participation in youth football in the Pittsburgh area, in a generation or two, the Pens would over take the Steelers as the top team in Pittsburgh. Not sure if I believe that or not, but the Pens and hockey in general have definitley grown big time there.

Four local products on the US junior team, growing participation in youth hockey, more rinks. And I tend to think this is still more the Mario effect, and the Sid/Geno effect has only begun to have an impact. Good for US hockey, that's for sure. Like I said in my last post, the demographic that's big in the Pens fandom is my generation, and we'll be making money soon. Heck, when you go to a Pens game it's nearly all 20-30 somethings.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Well, the on-ice product would be much improved, that's for sure.

Attendance for Flames game dropped in the late 90's and early 00's when the team was terrible, but I think with the mass population increase and the fact that Calgary is a rich city, I think fans will likely continue to attend Flames games regardless of how well the team does.

/They might not have sellouts, but I still see at least 90% capacity filled even if the team is terrible.

Come on dash.

It would be like it was when Edmonton had Gretzky.

 

[dash]

Come on dash.

It would be like it was when Edmonton had Gretzky.

You could be right, although I don't think that Flames fans fawn over their players like they do in Edmonton. I mean, over the years you've heard former Oilers players complain about "not being able to escape" and "living in a bubble". I don't hear the same thing (at least to the same extent) in places like Calgary and Vancouver.

 

[pixburgher66]

You could be right, although I don't think that Flames fans fawn over their players like they do in Edmonton. I mean, over the years you've heard former Oilers players complain about "not being able to escape" and "living in a bubble". I don't hear the same thing (at least to the same extent) in places like Calgary and Vancouver.

That's one of the things that Pittsburgh athletes have always spoken about appreciating. Pro-athletes are given privacy for the most part.

 

[elocomotive]

Great the Pens are doing so well, but I really don't think the Pens are anywhere near the Steelers. If you remember where attendance was a few years back and factor in they have 2 of the best 5 players all of hockey, it's tough to say that will sustain long term, and even harder to say it will move pass the country's #1 sport by a mile. You can go into a grocery store or a restaurant on any day of the year and see multiple people wearing Steelers' jerseys.

But I think it's fair to call Pittsburgh a "hockey town" and I don't think we have many of those in the U.S. - Detroit, Boston, Philly, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and New York is probably the whole list. So it's good for the sport and good for the Pens.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

Sabres did it for the week of training camp and grossed over $2million

Yeah at half price. Those pictures from Pittsburgh is what it looked like when me and my son went down there when it opened at 10:00am Monday morning. He lives in Ohio and wanted his Gilbert Perreault jacket before he went back $200 dollar jacket for $100, not bad.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

The crowd there doesn't impress me too much...but what does was the 19.4 rating opening day. That was during the AFC Championship game. But yeah, it's always going to be Steelers first. HOWEVER, my generation, the 20 somethings and 30 somethings, are most definitely Pens first fans. Or at least Pens on par with fans. Once the older generation, uh...moves on, or at least their wallets do, there very may well be a shift. I love all my teams, but I love the sport of hockey the most.

Sorry pix but we just eked you out.

Sabres rating numbers for opener in..


Sabres Opener Sets Viewership Records


Buffalo, NY (WBEN) With the exception of the 2008 Winter Classic, the Sabres' opener against Philadelphia set a ratings record for a regular season game.

Sunday's NBC telecast drew a 20.1 rating, which means 1 in 5 homes with TVs were tuned to the game. The 34 share means 1 in 3 homes watching TV at the time watched the Sabres defeat the Flyers.