By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
Proof that the Detroit Red Wings are the New York Yankees of the NHL can be found in the glee and giggling that you hear around the league over the Red Wings' attendance woes.
Everyone celebrates when the giant starts to stumble.
After more than a decade of playing for full houses, the Red Wings are playing in front of more than 2,000 empty seats every night. Hockeytown has become like Atlanta or Los Angeles.
This week the Red Wings, probably the NHL's most attractive road attraction for the past decade, are playing to about 85% capacity in paid attendance, and clearly there are ticket holders who also aren't showing up. Joe Louis Arena has seemed less than three-quarters full this season. The Kings are actually outdrawing the Red Wings, and the 1-6 Thrashers are playing to a little more than 84% capacity. Tampa Bay's attendance is better. Carolina's attendance is better. Can you believe that?
For years the Red Wings have had so many supporters that they helped fill up many arenas around the league. At various times, the Red Wings have lured enough of their fans to Chicago and Nashville that it seemed like they brought their own crowd when they played there.
And they also helped fill up the arenas because they were a team easy to hate. They were big spenders before the salary cap. They had a roster full of future Hall of Famers. When most NHL teams were crying poverty, they still flashed the bling.
But the hatred for Red Wings has been erased. It has been replaced by members of the media poking fun at the destruction of the Hockeytown image and constant reminders on Detroit telecasts that good seats are still available.
For the first time in many years, the Red Wings are as concerned about a marketing strategy as they are a power play strategy. As is always the case, there is never just one reason for any downward trend. In the Red Wings' case, it was a convergence of many negative factors:
•Economic collapse: You have to live in Michigan to appreciate how bad it is. Unemployment is high. No one can sell their home. The real estate market is a mess. Everyone knows someone who has either lost his or her job, lost their home or is thinking about moving to another state. There is a constant stream of bad news about the numbers of mortgage foreclosures. There is clearly less discretionary income than in previous years. Given the state of the economy, shelling out eight grand for a couple of Red Wings' season tickets seems almost immoral.
Why do i have a feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that many other franchises will be in the same boat sooner rather than later.
Really, it has nothing to do with the Wings franchise. I am sure most people here outside of the Midwest have no idea how bad it is here in Michigan.
It has nothing to do with the Wings team, or the franchise. Everyone I talk to about the Wings, it is all good. There are many reasons why a portion of people are not attending.
The state government shutdown for about 7 hours two weeks ago because an agreement could not be meet to settle the state budget and attempt to erase the 1.7 billion deficit. A new “Luxury” tax was issued, along with a state income tax raise from 3.9 to 4.35. Side note, more than ¾ of the companies do not give annual increases anymore and the cost of living has continued to increase. This wonderful 6% luxury includes sport tickets. Like hockey tickets are not expensive enough? Example, a lift ticket for skiing used to cost 20-30 for an all day pass….now, 50-60….
Jobs are not plentiful around here anymore. I know way too many people that have been laid off or have been lucky to basically dump their homes cheap and find another line of work in other states. GM, Ford and Chrysler have cut many jobs, closed many plants and that trickles down to the suppliers and have to cut jobs. Our crappy governor has let Comerica and Volkswagon just walk out here and she has done nothing to bring business back to the state. Plus Michigan has one of highest business tax in the nation....hmm, maybe it has something to do with her being from Canada?
Real estate….ugh. No one is buying. of course, no one is working, so it is obvious why no one is buying. I wish we could buy a new home right now, you can get such a steal on homes, but we have to sell ours and that is not happening.
Things are bad, and there is a good portion of people that are doing fine. For my wife and I, we both work for automotive suppliers. I have been thankfully lucky to not be affected, other than no annual increases and no company contribution to my 401k. My wife on the other hand is on her fourth company in three years. Twice the companies were preparing to close down, and the last, the programs she managed were cancelled. It sucks! Thankfully we make good salaries, so when she was in between companies; we were in no position to lose our house. I know to many that have lost there homes from being laid off. Not a great feeling.
The is truth in the last sentence about spening 8 grand on season tickets feeling immoral around here. We made a decision to watch our spending into two categories, must have and want to have. Wings fall in want to have…..hey, if we both could not find work, I would much rather have the savings than nights at the Joe.
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"A winner in my opinion is a guy that goes out and gives it all he has, plays well, and shows up, and is a good teammate. There is a definite difference between being a winner and a champion. You don't control who is a champion, but you control being a winner."
The Wings are boring to watch. Why is it that the Tigers can draw a record 3 million fans? Why is it that the Pistons sell out? The sorry Lions get sold out. New casinos. You put an exciting team on the ice and the fans will come.
Kwings00--what does the new luxury tax passed a few days ago have to do with the Wings not selling out as far back as last seasons playoffs? You can get a Wings ticket for $9 and they still don't sell out. 9 dollars!!!
Let's be honest here--The Wings don't sell-out like they used to because people don't want to watch this kind of hockey.
I'm sure the feeling from making purchases at the concessions are still comparable to getting raped.
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From what I hear, the 9 dollar ticket is mostly obscructed view. But, it does suck in Michigan.
I'd sit in the obstructed view for that. I love nothing more than being inside that building. Look at this from my perspective: I'm 14, and crazy about the game. I get to go to one or two games a year, because ticket prices are high, along with gas to get out there and then food at The Joe, my parents can't afford it, so I don't get to go so much. The last two times I've seen games at the JLA were game 2 of the Western Confrence finals against Anaheim where the Wings lost in O.T. and then before that U of M vs. MSU at the JLA. The first one because me and my dad were given tickets, and the second because, again, we got tickets for free. But let's look at if maybe upper bowl seats were $9, and then the high lower bowl was $15, and the ten rows closest to the rink were $25. Do you think more butts would be in the seats? I do. What if a beer or hot dog was $2/3 apposed $6/7? What if parking wasn't $25?
And too, it's surely not the Wings team, it's the area around it. The economy sucks here in MI. We could have Crosby, Ovechkin, Thornton and Kiprusoff and it would be the same deal. It's time for some of these big names to step up and take a pay cut to make it possible for the all guys out there and kids like they once were, watching Mickey Redmond or Bobby Clarke and getting to go to games more than twice yearly, to acctually get to the stadium and acctually enjoy the best sport in the world, and not out of their television sets.
__________________ 2008 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS - DETROIT RED WINGS
Why do i have a feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that many other franchises will be in the same boat sooner rather than later.
From what I see on television, it's the same around the league.
Quote:
Bettman recovering from surgery
BOSTON - Talk about a tough league.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman showed up at Thursday night's game between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning with a cast on his left arm.
Bettman gave his league good grades on its opening weeks, which included a two-game series in London between Anaheim and Los Angeles. Attendance is up across the league, he said, though the Bruins had about two-thirds of the new Boston Garden filled for their home opener as they went head-to-head with a Red Sox baseball playoff game.
I'd sit in the obstructed view for that. I love nothing more than being inside that building. Look at this from my perspective: I'm 14, and crazy about the game. I get to go to one or two games a year, because ticket prices are high, along with gas to get out there and then food at The Joe, my parents can't afford it, so I don't get to go so much. The last two times I've seen games at the JLA were game 2 of the Western Confrence finals against Anaheim where the Wings lost in O.T. and then before that U of M vs. MSU at the JLA. The first one because me and my dad were given tickets, and the second because, again, we got tickets for free. But let's look at if maybe upper bowl seats were $9, and then the high lower bowl was $15, and the ten rows closest to the rink were $25. Do you think more butts would be in the seats? I do. What if a beer or hot dog was $2/3 apposed $6/7? What if parking wasn't $25?
And too, it's surely not the Wings team, it's the area around it. The economy sucks here in MI. We could have Crosby, Ovechkin, Thornton and Kiprusoff and it would be the same deal. It's time for some of these big names to step up and take a pay cut to make it possible for the all guys out there and kids like they once were, watching Mickey Redmond or Bobby Clarke and getting to go to games more than twice yearly, to acctually get to the stadium and acctually enjoy the best sport in the world, and not out of their television sets.
They'd be filled, but they wouldn't be making money. It's still a business, and as such they need to generate profit. But I'm sure that a decrease in ticket prices for at least the playoffs is imminent.
The Wings are boring to watch. Why is it that the Tigers can draw a record 3 million fans? Why is it that the Pistons sell out? The sorry Lions get sold out. New casinos. You put an exciting team on the ice and the fans will come.
Kwings00--what does the new luxury tax passed a few days ago have to do with the Wings not selling out as far back as last seasons playoffs? You can get a Wings ticket for $9 and they still don't sell out. 9 dollars!!!
Let's be honest here--The Wings don't sell-out like they used to because people don't want to watch this kind of hockey.
I just love people who have no clue.
Sorry Lions? Now I am no football fan, last I checked the Lions are actually doing good and the NFL is the top sport...nuff said there.
Tigers have just started to sell out after two great seasons. Piston do not always sell out. Plus, there tickets are cheaper.
Your right, the wings are borning, 6-2-1? Zetterburg racking up points, a couple of great young kids, two of the best old farts still at the top of their game? Typical reply I expected.
The luxury tax is new. The states unemployement rate, which is the highest in the nation, plus the poor ecomony did not start yesterday, the fall started about four, three years ago.
__________________
"A winner in my opinion is a guy that goes out and gives it all he has, plays well, and shows up, and is a good teammate. There is a definite difference between being a winner and a champion. You don't control who is a champion, but you control being a winner."
Don't get me wrong, I love being in that building as well. But, our economy sucks. I don't have 150-200 dollars to spend on tickets all the time. I would love to go to like 10 to 15 games a season but I cant. It pretty much is lousy attendance all around the league except for in Pittsburgh where they are selling out non-stop. The team is exciting, that's for sure. I love hockey also, but the ticket prices do need to go down a little bit. The parking is 15 dollars in the JLA parking garage. I don't know where you would park that is 25 dollars.
wings losing fans
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