rwilson99
Registered User
With the future of the NHL hinging on effectively marketing the game and maximizing revenue, especially shared playoff revenue, I propose moving the best of 7 Stanley Cup Final to a nuetral site in a traditional hockey market.
The Super Bowl tends to rotate among warm-weather sites and an occasional domed stadiums to create the best experiece for football fans and corporate sponsors who plan a vacation around the event.
I suggest we do the same with hockey, rotating the event between Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, Boston, New York and other markets that can help maximize exposure, ticket revenue and sponsorships for the event.
Imagine a six game Stanley Cup Final in Montreal and the economic impact on the league. Last year, Finals tickets would have been priced in the $500-$1000 range for Habs fans. Ticket revenue from such a series would be 6x750(avg. ticket)x20,000 or 90 Million Dollars. That's almost enough revenue to offset the loss of the ABC television contract that expired last year. Such an audience would also provide great opportunites for the league to sell major, high end sponsorships.
A nuetral site would also maximize revenue from memorabillia as fans with deeper pockets attend the finals, and fans from participating teams spend more on merchandise rather than tickets. This plan would also give greater access to the media, allowing them to spend less time flying from coast to coast and more time covering the game and it's impact in major North American Markets.
Expand the playoffs to 24 teams... let's put the 06 Cup finals in Toronto and take it from there. If we get a deal, it will be because the large market teams sacrificed. This would be a win-win for the league and those teams that gave up the most to get a deal.
Thoughts?
The Super Bowl tends to rotate among warm-weather sites and an occasional domed stadiums to create the best experiece for football fans and corporate sponsors who plan a vacation around the event.
I suggest we do the same with hockey, rotating the event between Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, Boston, New York and other markets that can help maximize exposure, ticket revenue and sponsorships for the event.
Imagine a six game Stanley Cup Final in Montreal and the economic impact on the league. Last year, Finals tickets would have been priced in the $500-$1000 range for Habs fans. Ticket revenue from such a series would be 6x750(avg. ticket)x20,000 or 90 Million Dollars. That's almost enough revenue to offset the loss of the ABC television contract that expired last year. Such an audience would also provide great opportunites for the league to sell major, high end sponsorships.
A nuetral site would also maximize revenue from memorabillia as fans with deeper pockets attend the finals, and fans from participating teams spend more on merchandise rather than tickets. This plan would also give greater access to the media, allowing them to spend less time flying from coast to coast and more time covering the game and it's impact in major North American Markets.
Expand the playoffs to 24 teams... let's put the 06 Cup finals in Toronto and take it from there. If we get a deal, it will be because the large market teams sacrificed. This would be a win-win for the league and those teams that gave up the most to get a deal.
Thoughts?