How Come Colorado Isn't More Popular For Hockey?

[Pay Carl]

I don't understand why they don't sell out every or most games and how they are such a low budget team...

They won a Cup recently, and another one still kind of recently

They are in a cold climate and hockey is popular in cold places

They have pretty cool looking jerseys haha

They have had some really big names (Forsberg, Sakic, Bourque, Roy, Foote, probably forgetting some) and have some big names now (Duchene, Stastny, Johnson)

Anyone have a good reason? Not trying to troll, I actually kind of like them. I just feel like Denver seems like it would be a great place for hockey (even if the team is kind of slumping)

I was looking up sellouts and stuff and saw they sold out for 11 years in a row but this year their attendance at home is only around 85% which is 23rd in the league

Click to read more...

 

[jwolbach]

The Avs are a low budget team because they were burned badly by the last lock-out and CBA. Given the likelihood of another lockout, management is hesitant to spend money with so much uncertainty.

As to why they don't sell out, the product isn't compelling (though there is hope for the future) and the prices go up every year. There is a lot of competition for the entertainment dollar with the Broncos and Nuggets in town. Beyond that, there is no shortage of good hockey to watch in the state with three D-I college teams and an ECHL team an hour away that holds the minor pro record for most consecutive sellouts.

An over-priced, under-performing team whose ownership has questionable dedication to the team is a tough sell in this state.

 

[saskriders]

I think it is because they got spoiled early on.

The first year the team is there they get a cup, then one of the best teams until the lockout.

In my opinion the numbers will pick up, even if the team doesn't

 

[Blue Regime]

Simple, they aren't currently winning.

 

[Pepe Silvia]

colorado is a great state for hockey. boston has had the same attendance problems (if you can call it that) too. and like jwolbach said, D-1 hockey teams, USA Hockey, the Avs

 

[Colin226]

I go to Steamboat to ski every year and the locals there do talk about the Avs some but it's all about the Broncos

I was speaking to a guy who remembered the Colorado Rockies from back in the 70's.. He sai that back then people in Colorado didn't know anything about hockey, so the commercials for the team would teach you the rules like what is icing or offsides

 

[barneyg]

They have had some really big names (Forsberg, Sakic, Bourque, Roy, Foote, probably forgetting some) and have some big names now (Duchene, Stastny, Johnson)

I'm not looking for a main board type of debate but that's a pretty big downgrade right there. You're missing Blake and a prime Hejduk in the former list. They missed the playoffs 3 of the past 5 years and are on the outside looking in again this year. Duchene and guys like ROR have potential but that's pretty much all they have right now, while Stastny doesn't hold a candle to Sakic and Foppa.

But I'm not in the least worried. Colorado loves hockey and they'll support a team that has a shot at playoff success. Tough to do that on the cap floor.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

For every Avalanche fan there's 10 Broncos fans.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

The Avs are a low budget team because they were burned badly by the last lock-out and CBA. Given the likelihood of another lockout, management is hesitant to spend money with so much uncertainty.

This. We got burned badly. We lost Foote, Forsberg and we could'nt sign basically anyone. Now we are in great shape and this team will be very good in 2-3 years. Fans will come when team starts playing better. Rebuilding takes time.

 

[Pepe Silvia]

For every Avalanche fan there's 10 Broncos fans.

just like every nfl/nhl city?

 

[Alpine]

Well there's still the ECHL Eagles that have sold out every game for like 5 years and talk of the Grizzles being re-born in Denver in the CHL. No not the ECHL team in Utah.
There's Colorado College and Denver in NCAA.
I wouldn't call Colorado devoid of hockey.
Av's just gotts win some.

 

[HabsByTheBay]

I am always fascinated by places in the US where it's really darn cold and there is little or no hockey culture. That doesn't exactly describe Denver with its long college hockey tradition, but it sure describes some of the places around it. Montana and Wyoming have never produced an NHL player, which I find amazing. Idaho has produced two, but one is Guyle Fielder, who was raised in Manitoba. Utah has produced three, including Steve Konowalchuk. Colorado has produced eight, which is not bad, but six of them are from Denver.

They are not highly populated areas, except for central Colorado, but I've always been fascinated by the disconnect between areas where it's cold and hockey culture. The Northeast, Michigan and Minnesota all have a very strong hockey culture but it seems to disappear around western ND.

Why is that? I'd be fascinated to know why hockey didn't catch on in the mountain states.

 

[CpatainCanuck]

I am always fascinated by places in the US where it's really darn cold and there is little or no hockey culture. That doesn't exactly describe Denver with its long college hockey tradition, but it sure describes some of the places around it. Montana and Wyoming have never produced an NHL player, which I find amazing. Idaho has produced two, but one is Guyle Fielder, who was raised in Manitoba. Utah has produced three, including Steve Konowalchuk. Colorado has produced eight, which is not bad, but six of them are from Denver.

They are not highly populated areas, except for central Colorado, but I've always been fascinated by the disconnect between areas where it's cold and hockey culture. The Northeast, Michigan and Minnesota all have a very strong hockey culture but it seems to disappear around western ND.

Why is that? I'd be fascinated to know why hockey didn't catch on in the mountain states.

It's hard to create an icesheet on a mountain. Flatlands are much better.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

I don't understand why they don't sell out every or most games and how they are such a low budget team...

The second part helps to answer the first. Compare ticket prices with expenditures.

As for "Colorado", it's exceptionally popular for hockey. Successful WCHA teams, successful ECHL team, lots of college ACHA teams and support, solid youth hockey organizations, and rec league participation is through the roof.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I think it should be pointed out that hockey is really popular in Colorado, but the collegiate game is just more popular there much in the same way that high school and collegiate hockey are more popular in Minnesota.

Now, exactly why the Wild can sell out game in and game out despite, let's face it, having a pretty poor record historically while the Avalanche can't despite the fact that they've won two cups "relatively" recently, I can't say. Maybe ownership factors, maybe fans are pissed off, maybe their expectations were set too high by getting immediate success in the league that a prolonged period of bad play isn't acceptable to them, dunno.

 

[BAdvocate]

It's no different from any major sports market. With all those options if you don't win consistently the fans dwindle. Especially considering the fanbase was spoiled with Stanley Cups and a plethora of eventual Hall of famers.

It might be easier to draw fans if a team is a perennial bubble playoff team, as opposed to one with Championship history. I wouldn't be shocked if a lot of Blackhawk fans are already beginning to look to spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere now that the team has lost their elite status in the NHL. Sports fans are fickle, one only needs to visit a losing team's game thread to see how quickly they throw the players, coaches, and GM under the bus.

 

[beenhereandthere]

I wouldn't reach much into the Av's attendance, even though it's not pitiful, but in the lower 1/3 of the NHL. CO has really grown into a solid hockey state. It's easy to find a rink within 1 hour of just about anywhere there.

 

[Brodie]

I am always fascinated by places in the US where it's really darn cold and there is little or no hockey culture. That doesn't exactly describe Denver with its long college hockey tradition, but it sure describes some of the places around it. Montana and Wyoming have never produced an NHL player, which I find amazing. Idaho has produced two, but one is Guyle Fielder, who was raised in Manitoba. Utah has produced three, including Steve Konowalchuk. Colorado has produced eight, which is not bad, but six of them are from Denver.

They are not highly populated areas, except for central Colorado, but I've always been fascinated by the disconnect between areas where it's cold and hockey culture. The Northeast, Michigan and Minnesota all have a very strong hockey culture but it seems to disappear around western ND.

Why is that? I'd be fascinated to know why hockey didn't catch on in the mountain states.

I've often wondered this re: Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and to a much lesser extent Wisconsin.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I am always fascinated by places in the US where it's really darn cold and there is little or no hockey culture. That doesn't exactly describe Denver with its long college hockey tradition, but it sure describes some of the places around it. Montana and Wyoming have never produced an NHL player, which I find amazing. Idaho has produced two, but one is Guyle Fielder, who was raised in Manitoba. Utah has produced three, including Steve Konowalchuk. Colorado has produced eight, which is not bad, but six of them are from Denver.

They are not highly populated areas, except for central Colorado, but I've always been fascinated by the disconnect between areas where it's cold and hockey culture. The Northeast, Michigan and Minnesota all have a very strong hockey culture but it seems to disappear around western ND.

Why is that? I'd be fascinated to know why hockey didn't catch on in the mountain states.

This is a total shot in the dark, but the population in Montana and Wyoming may not be large enough to sustain high-quality high school hockey divisions. They certainly don't have high-profile college hockey programs, which doesn't help either.

 

[sawchuk1971]

i think it has to do with ownership.....

the owner of the avs also owns a soccer team, somewhere in england....

from what i hear, he is more involved with the soccer teams than being involved with the avs...

 

[Brodie]

he owns Arsenal. And the St. Louis Rams. And the Denver Nuggets. And the Colorado Rapids.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

This is a total shot in the dark, but the population in Montana and Wyoming may not be large enough to sustain high-quality high school hockey divisions. They certainly don't have high-profile college hockey programs, which doesn't help either.

Most places don't even have ice rinks and you can't play pond hockey in places that don't have ponds.

It's not even a matter of having populations large enough to sustain high-quality high school hockey, it's a matter that the population is so minimal and spread out that there's no possibility for any such thing as 'high school hockey'. Hell, most of the high schools in these states don't have enough students to field football teams, so you get variations where there's 6 positions on both sides of the ball instead of 11 (Montana has sent some guys to the NFL that were unscouted by bigger programs because they played 6 man football in high school).

Speaking solely for Missoula...there weren't any rinks here until late in 1986, and it was just an open-air pavilion on the grounds of the Western Montana Fairgrounds. When it was enclosed a few years ago it attracted a Tier III junior team, the Missoula Maulers, and the University of Montana started hosting club hockey. It's growing interest in the sport here, but the vast majority of that interest is driven by transplants coming from the east, such as me. Only 8 players on the University's club team (and 4 of the Maulers) are actually from Montana. Team sports, outside of football at Montana, Montana State, and Wyoming, have little foothold in these two states. Most people who grew up here are far more interested in climbing or snowboarding than watching any team sport.


You have to remember that Montana just hit the 1,000,000 people mark a couple months ago and covers an area roughly the size of the entire northeast....Wyoming has an even lesser population density.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Kroenke is incredibly cheap for a guy worth billions

(coming from a frustrated Arsenal follower.)

i think it has to do with ownership.....

the owner of the avs also owns a soccer team, somewhere in england....

from what i hear, he is more involved with the soccer teams than being involved with the avs...

He's not involved with them at all.

 

[deeznuts]

Denver is the most overstretched sports market in the United States.

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjourn...11/08/denver-is-most-overextended-market.html

 

[Mike Jones]

They have pretty cool looking jerseys haha

They can't hold a candle to the old blue, red, and golds.

Not by a long shot.