Quote:
Originally Posted by Antithesis
Don't the Panthers have some sort of sweetheart lease that more or less makes it impossible for them to lose money? They seem to be particularly loathed by many here, but I don't see them moving.
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They do but the new owners are also asking for the county to use some tax dollars to help pay the rent at the BB&T center until the team's finances are stronger, and the locals aren't going for it (you know, because America and taxes, especially in a state with so many Republicans). This is causing a bit of a conflict already with the new ownership and the community at large.
So far, the owners have committed to spending some money in order to make the team more competitive in the hopes of drawing more fans, but that remains to be seen this year. There was a lot of interest around the team in the late 90's, but the franchise has squandered all of that good will by icing terrible team after terrible team for over a decade with little understanding of the market. I don't blame fans for staying away.
The attendance sucks because nobody wants to watch a team that is so easily beaten on most nights. It's the one thing the Flames have gotten right so far thankfully because it's hard to keep fans interested in a losing team, especially one that's been losing for so long. The Lightning don't have this problem because they: 1-have a cup to their name, and 2-have been competitive way more often than they have not. It's hard to buy season tickets when you don't see any way of things getting better, and until now there was little to no hope for the Panthers. Look at the Hurricanes situation and they are also on the verge of squandering all the good will from the cup winning team. That building was full not long ago, and still draws more than New Jersey and the Islanders.
Which brings me to my next thought, you might see one or both of those teams in the New York area move. Jersey's financial problems are well documented and have a very old arena. The Islanders situation is a little more stable, but with a new owner and what is possibly the worst arena in the entire league, with no chance of getting a new one any time soon, they are ripe for moving off Long Island. I think the Islanders move before the Panthers or Hurricanes move.
Oh, and attendance figures? Arizona is still dead last, despite a better chance for success (I won't say on-ice product because they are horrible to watch), and stable ownership. I don't know how much longer they can stay below 14000 and remain in Arizona. I would say they would be likely to move as well, just for financial reasons.