Wrong on both accounts...
1) Pittsburgh supported their Pens without a "phenom"... unless you consider Kehoe a "phenom"...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SD1Jw-VbTPY
2) Pittsburgh has had good TV ratings as long as I can remember, back to the 80's, Sid & Kids not the issue.
- Islanders average 7,336 viewers a game
- Devils average 13,206 viewers a game (based on a .18 rating)
- Rangers average 36,834 viewers a game
- #2 in U.S. = Pittsburgh average viewer rating is around a 5.0
- #1 in U.S. = Buffalo average viewer rating is around a 7.0
* These are local ratings, how many people watch their own team, verifiable through the archives and their links.
Rangers have Jagr and an enormous population, what is their excuse for poor ratings?
There are plenty of "stars" and "good teams" in U.S. cities that have poor TV ratings and poor attendance. The fact is, Pittsburgh is the
oldest hockey market in the U.S. and the least of the NHL's problems when it comes to viewers.