What can the NHL do for you?

[Timmy]

Gary Bettman can make good on his promise and make the game more affordable for it's fans.

Link?

 

[Golden Ducky]

I do predict the NHL will create there own NHL channel (not tsn nhl network)and sell there feed to other stations , I think MLB does that right.

 

[nyr7andcounting]

Link?

If you don't think that Bettman hasn't used more affordable prices as a way to sell this lockout to the public you are crazy. Since I don't want to go looking around for old quotes, here is a link to Spector's site, June archives and he wrote a whole article about it. http://spectorshockey.tripod.com/June2005_soapbox_archives.html

Just a few...in fact in the first one he himself states that he owes it to the fans.

Excerpts of the text of Gary Bettman speech
Following Board of Governors meeting
September 15, 2004. NHL.COM:
"I stand here today to say that we owe it to hockey's fans to achieve an economic system that will result in affordable ticket prices and stable, competitive franchises."

Toronto Star News Services, 16 Sep 04:
Ticket prices: Bettman said the league's ticket prices -- now $44 on average -- will go down with a new CBA.

"It varies from market to market," he acknowledged, but said, "More than a majority of our teams would use the opportunity of economic stability to lower their ticket prices."

The league claims that salaries drive up ticket prices and that those teams in the top one-third in salaries are three times more likely to make the playoffs than those in the bottom third.

CBC THE NATIONAL September 22, 2004
Excerpts from "Your Turn with Gary Bettman":

"With the right economic system, we can have 30 healthy, competitive franchises all with affordable ticket prices, which frankly all of this is about the fans."

"I think this is a union that is intent upon keeping the status quo, doing everything in its power to bargain as tough as it can, to keep as much as it can for the players. But the simple fact remains that we need to have a system where we're not losing hundreds of millions of dollars, where all of our teams can be competitive, and where we have affordable ticket prices."

"One of the things that we're trying to accomplish in collective bargaining now is an economic system that enables us to take the inflationary pressure off of ticket prices and ensure that we have affordable ticket prices so that families can go to games. That's vitally important to us."

Excerpts from Gary Bettman
Chat Transcript
Oct. 13, 2004 NHL.COM
Before we can open our arenas, we need to fix the economic system under which our sport operates. We'll be back as soon as the players' Union is prepared to talk to us about a partnership that allows us to offer all NHL fans affordable tickets prices and 30 stable and competitive franchises.

We believe that a partnership is critical for the future of our game. A partnership will ensure 30 healthy and competitive franchises with affordable ticket prices. This is a goal that we will not abandon.


Well, he got the new CBA and the partnership that will allow ALL 30 franchises to offer affordable ticket prices, to ALL fans.

 

[Oil_slick9416*]

I dont think so.

MLB had fans before its labor issues. The NHL was falling fast. The people that were there were hardcore fans. The NHL chased away most of the casual fans before the lockout.

What is absurd, to me, is people acting like jilted lovers. Like the NHL did something to personally hurt their feelings. The NHL is not you lover and not your friend. If the NHL hurt your feelings you need to get your priorities in order.

Its a business. It shut down for a year. Now its back. If you like NHL hockey watch. If you dont watch something else. Quit thinking everyone owes you something when they do something you dont like.

+1

 

[SwisshockeyAcademy]

I dont think so.

MLB had fans before its labor issues. The NHL was falling fast. The people that were there were hardcore fans. The NHL chased away most of the casual fans before the lockout.

What is absurd, to me, is people acting like jilted lovers. Like the NHL did something to personally hurt their feelings. The NHL is not you lover and not your friend. If the NHL hurt your feelings you need to get your priorities in order.

Its a business. It shut down for a year. Now its back. If you like NHL hockey watch. If you dont watch something else. Quit thinking everyone owes you something when they do something you dont like.

Are you a hardcore fan? Do you think there may be an uproar if the NFL missed a year? Would the fans in England keep their mouths shut if the Premiership took a year off? The game gets ingrained in you and sports being what it is, is a great source of entertainment as well as a release. You come to expect it to be there. I found other things to do but for some their real joy is NHL hockey. Even if you show little respect for the diehards you have to believe the NHL feels it owes their fans and they are showing signs with reduced ticket prices. I am surprised at the cavalier attitude in thinking they do not feel they owe something. I'd say they know they have some making up to do. If Tim Hortons locked out their workers( hypothetical) and had a years shut down, then tried to come back- do you think they may try a few things to entice people back? Would they not owe their loyal fan base? They would not legally but they would be morally compelled. Such as it is with the NHL.

 

[missK]

I also think Tampa Bay will not be able to spend the whole cap amount if they depend solely on those sales so far. They will have to generate a lot of walk-up sales to pay the bills. Those numbers sound good and make decent print, but it won't finance a hockey team.

I think $400,000 in season-ticket sales and $100,000 in suite sales IN ONE DAY this past Thursday is a damn good start!

Tampa Tribune

And then there's the 93% retention rate of season ticket holders from the 04-05 lockout (which includes the additional 4,000 season ticket holders since our Stanley Cup Championship).

 

[NYRGoalieGlut*]

They can brainwash all of America into thinking that it was created in the United States. That's about the only thing, Americans don't like games that they didn't invent. They would even pretend that baseball is interesting to watch a game they invented and pretend that hockey's boring in order to avoid watching a game that they didn't invent.

 

[Beauty eh?]

Can't wait. Such a fan!

 

[Tekneek]

NO PULL ? TRY this , our games are in HD we will entertain selling our rights to stations that can trasnmit our signal, if your station wants to transmit both 480i and 1080i together then you can do so.

cbc, src, tsn, rogers, ctv and so on. IF you want NHL games then make sure you can transmit in both regular and HD

Even if NHL games were the highest rated broadcast in the country, the individual ad revenue of local stations would not cover the upgrade costs by itself. They would need a whole lot more incentive than just the NHL. You appear a bit naive about this. What experience do you have with this industry to arrive at your conclusions?

 

[Tekneek]

I do predict the NHL will create there own NHL channel (not tsn nhl network)and sell there feed to other stations , I think MLB does that right.

NBA has its own channel, as does the NFL. I don't believe MLB has their own channel. They have a video subscription service through their website, which is not the same thing.

 

[Tekneek]

I think $400,000 in season-ticket sales and $100,000 in suite sales IN ONE DAY this past Thursday is a damn good start!

Tampa Tribune

And then there's the 93% retention rate of season ticket holders from the 04-05 lockout (which includes the additional 4,000 season ticket holders since our Stanley Cup Championship).

In one day is meaningful, if it means the rest of the days actually compete closely with those numbers. Where are the articles talking about the sustained interest? That's what we need to see.

 

[Tekneek]

They can brainwash all of America into thinking that it was created in the United States. That's about the only thing, Americans don't like games that they didn't invent. They would even pretend that baseball is interesting to watch a game they invented and pretend that hockey's boring in order to avoid watching a game that they didn't invent.

This is the truth about it in the US market. They pretend that NASCAR is actually more appealing and exciting than Formula One. That's the way it goes.

Knowing this, most savvy businessmen would understand that they will have to do more than gain "cost certainty" to get their seats filled and their TV broadcasts watched. It seems quite a few people in here don't think it works that way. They think a sports league that has seen interest dwindle for years simply has to re-open its doors and more people than ever before will be waiting to throw their money down for this product. If ANY hardcore fans have discovered that they can do other things during the winter, after being forced to discover it by the NHL itself, then the NHL is going to restart with less than it had before.