Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Isles Sale, Pre-Sale and NHL Epic Fail

April 23, 2014, 7:25 AM ET [9 Comments]
Dee Karl
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
While reporters and bloggers discuss the potential sale of the NY Islanders, Commissioner Gary Bettman says nothing has changed. Yes, there is more than one suitor whispering into Charles Wang ear, but nothing concrete has happened as of yet. Some say a deal could be finalized by summer, personally I doubt that.

What Mr. Bettman DID say was that the contractual agreement with Barclays in Brooklyn will keep the team from moving even with a new owner. Of course, contracts were made to be broken.

As for the General Manager's job security, I'm pretty sure he's not worried. Certainly he has work to do right now to make the Islanders a team everyone can be proud of.

The Pre-Sale code for the Isles vs. NJ Devils on Friday 9/26/14 was leaked immediately, so if you want tickets to that game, you can purchase them right now before the release date of Friday 4/26. However, be prepared to pay some pretty high prices as the Ticketmaster fees jack up the tickets to unreasonable levels for a meaningless pre-season game.

With the Ticketmaster rape fee, tickets range from $61.65 to a whooping $318.00. (Yes, there are lower priced ones, but they could be obstructed view for hockey.) In stark contrast you can get a Rangers playoff ticket at MSG in section 205 for $306 - $393 or a Nets Raptors playoff ticket in section 9 for $280.75. Ahem. Is NHL hockey pricing itself right out of existence? And if you are trying to attract NEW fans in a NEW arena, shouldn't you make it enticing by offering up some REASONABLY priced tickets? Why should someone who doesn't really have an interest in the game spend hundreds of dollars just to find out?

And that is where my epic fail comes in. As the MLS will have a new team playing in NY,
the 6 o'clock news was all over it this week. I was pained to hear them talk about MLS joining the MAJOR sports in NY: MLB, NBA and NFL.

Not a single word about the NHL. Nothing. Not even a foot note. With three million children signed up to play soccer in the USA, the MLS has been gaining in popularity over the last 20 years.

While the NHL has also increased in popularity over the same time period, it has not grown far beyond the niche sport it always has been. Will the NHL turn into something only the rich can afford? Will it go the way of Polo? (Marco...)

According to the latest USAHockey statistics, there are only 510,278 registered players in the US including Adult to 6 and under, both male and female. That is a .18% decline since 2011-12 numbers came out.

WE ARE LOSING GROUND!

It will be cheaper to take a family of four to a baseball or soccer game than it will be to take them to a hockey game. It is FAR cheaper to enroll your child in soccer than it is to outfit them for hockey.

And if the NHL doesn't do something quickly about gaining more fans in the US, while the MLS sees only an increase in revenue, the NHL will see a decrease in revenue from every angle especially the most important one; AD SALES.

I know hockey has always been a subculture in the sporting world, but they had gained ground with their marketing efforts over the last ten years. But now they have a new competitor and they better be ready to fight like hell to keep their place.

Just like the Islanders who may or may not lose ground with their move. (New fans yes, but some old fans will suffer.) Certainly having the pre-season game on a Friday night instead of a Saturday was a well-thought change. The LIRR remembers the mess they had on their hands that Saturday night in September when they didn't have enough trains running out of the Atlantic station. I suppose they want to see what happens on a weeknight.

Certainly many east-enders like myself will not be able to make it as we do not work in the city. But I'm sure it will still be packed and Ticketmaster will be the biggest revenue winner.
Join the Discussion: » 9 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Dee Karl
» Boychuk for Seven
» Good Ain't Good Enough NYR 2 - NYI 1
» The Return of Isles' Capt. America
» The JT Show in TO in OT
» Kennedy's Debut