Fan-Friendly Moves Get Mixed Results

The Montreal Canadiens are giving tickets away.

Think about it. The Glorieux are offering two-fers at the Molson Centre to offset an attendance drop of about 1,000 a game.

And they’re not alone.

Teams are trying discounts, frequent-buyer rewards and snappy advertising campaigns to lure fans, with mixed results.

The Boston Bruins returned from a six-game trip last week and drew 14,760 at the FleetCenter, 84% of capacity. The defending Eastern Conference champion Buffalo Sabres drew 14,494 (78% of capacity) against Tampa Bay last Wednesday.

The Washington Capitals, whose ads trumpet the theme, “Always Intense,” drew 11,112 against San Jose and 10,522 against the Mighty Ducks three days later at the 19,740-seat MCI Center. Ottawa had two crowds under 16,000 last week at the 18,500-seat Corel Center, and the New York Islanders announced a crowd of 5,219 against Atlanta Oct. 14, but the turnstile count was about 3,000.

The Kings sold out their Staples Center opener, but attendance dipped in each of the next three games before rising to 14,779 Thursday against Pittsburgh. Their average is 15,582, 86% of capacity. That’s better than the 12,167 average in their first five games at the Great Western Forum last season, but the number of good seats and suites that went unused Thursday was startling.

“I’m not a big proponent of weeknights in October because, like me, people have [their kids’] volleyball games and soccer and homework,” said Tim Leiweke, president of the Kings and the arena. “Clearly, the new building has made a difference. We’re up 3,000 from last season, and from that standpoint I’m happy, but I want to sell out every night. Our payroll [$36 million] needs us to sell out. I think we can do better. . . .

“As to the league, my opinion, and Commissioner [Gary] Bettman knows this, is, we start way too early. We do it so the playoffs don’t run late, but as a team operator, hockey in L.A. in October is a difficult sell, and I think the Ducks would agree. We will make our judgments based on January, February, March and April, which are our strongest months.”

The Ducks, who filled 99.4% of the Pond’s seats in their first five seasons, have seen a big drop-off lately. Their average slipped to 15,804 last season (92% of capacity) and their sellouts fell from 25 in 1997-98 to nine. They are averaging 14,437 over five games this season, 84.1% of capacity.

They are no longer a novelty--and having marquee players Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne isn’t enough to sell tickets.

“You usually see that honeymoon last two or three years,” said Ron Minegar, vice president of sales and marketing for the Ducks and Angels. “But they did a phenomenal job launching the team, so they had about a five-year period where everything they did was golden. Fans have become a little more sophisticated and the expectation levels are higher, in terms of what happens on the ice and their interaction with our office and customer service issues.”

Minegar is working on several levels to bring old fans back and win new ones. To pamper season-ticket holders, who are their foundation, the Ducks plan unique events such as “Hockey 101” lectures and clinics. They started a “Mighty Ducks Rink Rats” program to take portable rinks to schools and neighborhoods so kids can play street hockey, and are considering promotional tie-ins with sponsors to increase their presence.

The 18-24 audience has been targeted with exhibitions of extreme sports such as skateboarding and stunt bike riding in the Pond parking lot before Wednesday games. That group is the focus of another program, “Mighty Ducks Extreme.” Those who sign up get gifts for attending four Wednesday games--which are bad draws--and get discounts on terrace level seats and merchandise. Minegar said about 1,500 people have enrolled and he hopes for 20,000 by season’s end.

“What we need to do a better job of, and I think it’s true across the league, is making an emotional connection with the fan,” Minegar said.

That’s tough to do when the emotion most fans feel is shock over ticket prices. A survey by Team Marketing Report found the average NHL ticket costs $45.70, most among the major leagues; Leiweke disputed the Kings’ reported average of $49.22, but he agreed high prices hurt attendance.

“We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror real hard and we’ve got to ask ourselves, are the prices we’re charging too high?” said Leiweke, whose team cut its Family Night discounts from 12 to 10 games. “Look at where the empty seats are--down low, not up top. If you price it right, people will come and we’ve got to look at ways to keep it affordable.”

CANUCKS CAN DO

The Northwest Division standings look odd with Vancouver on top, but it might become a regular sight. Despite missing defenseman Mattias Ohlund because of an eye injury, and goalie Garth Snow because of a broken finger, the Canucks are 7-4-2-1 and gaining confidence. “It’s a lot better start than people expected,” said Steve Tambellini, the team’s senior vice president of hockey operations.

Winger Steve Kariya, Paul Kariya’s younger brother, is defying critics who said he’s too small to play in the NHL, and free-agent center Andrew Cassels has been a great find. They have rejuvenated their linemate, the talented but moody Alexander Mogilny, who has five goals and 13 points.

“This was probably the best condition Alex has showed up to training camp and he’s really excited to play with Cassels, who is unselfish with the puck,” Tambellini said. “He’s also been happy playing with Kariya.

“Everybody who has seen Steve has doubted him. They say, ‘How is he going to do it?’ But he keeps doing it. I refuse to doubt that kid.”

ONCE A BULLY

Flyer General Manager Bob Clarke banned Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Tim Panaccio from practices last week, saying Panaccio’s stories were too negative. The NHL interceded and persuaded Clarke to back off, but it’s absurd he even tried. Clarke’s frequent trades and the team’s erratic play certainly leave him open to question. And if the Flyers had a perfect record Clarke would still have been wrong to silence a differing opinion.

It’s not 1975 anymore, Bob, and you can’t intimidate people, as you and your Broad Street Bullies did.

SLAP SHOTS

Byron Dafoe hammered out his three-year, $9.3-million deal without his agent, Ron Salcer. Asked if Salcer still represents him, Dafoe said, “I really don’t want to comment on that whole situation.” So tight-fisted Boston General Manager Harry Sinden won this battle of wills. It tells Sergei Samsonov, Joe Thornton and every other Bruin to expect a similar hard-line stance when their contracts expire.

The Senators hired a firm to find investors who will agree to keep the club in Ottawa. They got some good news last week with the promise of a cut in their municipal taxes, but federal tax relief remains unlikely. A group commissioned to study the financial problems facing the six Canadian NHL teams issued a report saying because no one can agree on what form the help should take, further discussions are useless. The study involved officials at the federal, provincial and city levels as well as representatives of the teams, the NHL and the NHL Players Assn. That doesn’t bode well for Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton, the neediest teams.

Voters in Scottsdale, Ariz., and two nearby cities vote today on financing for a $535-million hockey and entertainment complex. The Coyotes say they need a new arena to survive.