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NHL

NY Times Declares War on Sun Belt Hockey

Posted Feb 14, 2008 1:10PM By Greg Wyshynski (RSS feed)

Filed Under: General NHL, Thrashers, Lightning, NHL Economics

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For some, "balanced reporting" and "The New York Times" are mutually exclusive terms. Last weekend's notebook item titled "Enthusiasm Cools for Hockey's Foray Into the South" did little to dispel that notion; here was a doom and gloom report on the NHL in non-traditional markets -- an indictment of Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Nashville, Atlanta, Washington, Florida and Carolina -- that contained not a single interview with any of the defamed. Instead we have two financial consultants, a crackpot Marcel Dionne and NHLPA president Paul Kelly, keeping that Canadian wet dream of the NHL's return to Winnipeg alive.

There are some basic misconceptions and ingrained hypocrisy throughout the piece. Let's explore them together, shall we?

Start with the obvious agreement between perception and reality: Nashville is a franchise in transition, and is clearly one "on the block" for potential relocation (depending on several economic and governmental factors). The Predators, unfortunately, belong in this conversation; but what about the rest of the teams in the cross-hairs? From the Times:
Evidence that Southern teams are struggling abounds. Local TV viewership for the Atlanta Thrashers in the first half of the season was down 50 percent from last year and in Dallas, Tampa Bay and Phoenix it has dropped by 29 to 35 percent. (It rose by 50 to 114 percent in Detroit, St. Louis and Minnesota.)
Using television ratings as a gage for popularity is probably the most creatively bankrupt measurement a journalist can take. It doesn't take into account other media used by fans to follow a team -- blogs, radio, newspapers -- and the accepted fact that hockey pretty much sucks on television (ask NBC). Also, AMA Supercross and Professional Bull-riding both outdrew the New York Rangers two weeks ago on national TV. Quick: Which sport can draw over 18,000 fans for 41 home dates and demands a traveling beat writer from no less than five major NY metropolitan newspapers? Hint: It ain't Supercross.

Has "enthusiasm cooled" for the Tampa Bay Lightning? I think I'll take ninth in the NHL in attendance -- at a better capacity than Detroit -- over some tepid television ratings, especially in a season where the team's been in the conference basement.

How can one claim that "the league's longstanding Southern strategy may have run its course" while failing to acknowledge the playoff droughts in Florida and Phoenix, or the fact that Atlanta made just its first appearance last season, as primary factors? Playoff hockey builds rivalries and stokes fan passions. I say this as a New Jersey Devils fan who witnessed his team's Bar Mitzvah from a "Mickey Mouse" franchise to burgeoning conference contender with a run to the Wales Finals in 1988.

One of the experts driving the narrative for the Times is Drew Dorweiler of the Montreal valuation and accounting firm Wise, Blackman. He's someone who evaluates the viability of businesses, and has assisted Forbes Magazine in its annual franchise rankings. He also provides the money quote for the piece:
"It was a noble experiment," said Drew Dorweiler of the Montreal valuation and accounting firm Wise, Blackman. "But five years from now, I can see quite a few Sun Belt teams relocating. At the least, the league will be short a couple."
Experiment? Was San Jose ever called an experiment when expanded hockey in California was still a question mark? Canadian elitism, running wild. Which teams? He doesn't say, but "quite a few" seems like a mass exodus when there are only about seven franchises that fit the description. Why five years? No clue, other than it's first digit that fell out of his ass. He continues:
"There have been problems with a lot of teams in nontraditional markets since the late '90s," Dorweiler said. "Except for brief periods when a Florida or a Carolina has a Stanley Cup run, there just isn't enough interest in the sport to make it work. There comes a point when the losses become too much, and teams are put on the block."
That Florida made Dorweiler's list seems a bit hypocritical. He's gone on record claiming that a team owning its own arena is the most important factor in its value, and the Panthers own their building. With more success on the ice, the value of this franchise could be every bit as lucrative (in Forbes's eyes) as Dallas (No. 5) and Tampa Bay (No. 11).

But the battle to change the mindset about hockey in non-traditional markets isn't limited to unbalanced coverage in the New York Times. The fact is that unless the U.S. hockey community steps up and attempts to make the counter-argument that these cities and their fans deserve NHL hockey, there could be sweeping changes. Check out this exchange from a Mike Modano press conference this week about the upcoming Hockey Weekend Across America:
Q. Just finally, there's a lot of the Canadians obviously who would like to see more NHL teams up here. When you say that, the common opinion sometime is that the U.S. Southern expansion hasn't worked. I imagine you have a different take on that. What's your take on the NHL's expansion in general?

MIKE MODANO: For the most part I think it's been tough. Some cities I think have found it difficult to maintain a great fan base. With the Lightning winning a couple years ago, that certainly helped that area of the state and the country. But Nashville, Florida, you know, Phoenix, there's been areas where it could be better. You know, time will tell with that.

Then there's other cities that are dying to get teams, like Seattle or Las Vegas or Kansas City, which would definitely be great for us who are out west a lot and in the Pacific Division. But I think our standard was set so high and our bar is pretty high here in Texas that it's tough to compete with that.
Dallas symbolizes everything the Times piece failed to consider: Sustained success on the ice, rather than the here-and-gone prestige of the Hurricanes, Panthers and Lightning; sustained star power, rather than the mass exoduses we've seen over the years in Nashville and Florida; and, above all else, the notion that despite what the thermometer reads, hockey might actually belong in the region. Instead of floating relocation rumors, U.S.-born players like Modano should be trying to build confidence that hockey can indeed work across America.

Tags: Atlanta, Carolina, Hurricanes, Miami, Mike+Modano, MikeModano, Nashville, New+York+Times, NewYorkTimes, NHL+Fans, NhlFans, Panthers, Predators, Stars, Tampa+Bay, TampaBay

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