Quote:
Originally Posted by Sec214
They've missed the playoffs since 19-20. Sure the Sharks loaded with young talent but that doesn't mean it ends anytime soon. Even with Celebrini and all those years of top 10 picks the sharks are still in the bottom.
Imagine having no meaningful hockey to watch for a half decade and the future waits to be written.
People around here don't seem to see the impact of bottoming out. It takes 5+ years to recover financially as an owner. They don't get merch sales, playoff revenue and the list goes on.
More oilers 97/29 jersey were sold in Alberta than any flames jersey in the last 10 years. I also would bet you that in the "youth market" that disparity would be even higher and the "youth" are your market in 10 years.
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The Sharks tried to keep the band together for too long, and even went and acquired Karlsson in 2018. They went to the conference finals in 2019. Then they hung around for a few years trying to stay competitive before being forced into ripping their band-aid off. They didn't start selling until arguably the Brent Burns trade in July 2022. I said arguably since it seemed they were just trying to balance out their roster and give themselves some cap room to maneuver. They just tanked by trying to win for too long. They really started taking to down in February 2023 and onwards. Now they are probably selling quite a number of Celebrini jerseys.
Bedard's Jersey was the #1 selling jersey in the NHL last year:
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...l-jersey-sales
Calgary will never have jerseys that outsell McDavid or Draisaitl unless they get a young superstar. I would bet my life that if Calgary drafts McKenna next season, that his jersey will out-sell McDavid and Draisaitl combined.
Aside from jersey sales, what matters most is overall revenue and team valuation.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/cnbc...ions-2024.html
Edmonton is 6th, and they are generating 379M. Yes, their building absolutely makes it easier to generate revenue, and I expect that the Flames' new building will do the same when it opens up. However, McDavid's worth to that organization is immense. He allows for increased ticket prices and he puts seats in every building he plays in. The entire league watches him all the time. Americans want to see him play, and I assume Oilers games are much more watched on average than Flames' games. Plus, they made it to the Finals. Their 'brand power' has completely eclipsed Calgary's.
I am not saying that the only way up is to draft McKenna or bust. McKenna would certainly help the market and the overall valuation of Calgary, and bring in a lot of revenue on his own. I am saying that if Calgary does not find superstars and continues to be without playoff success, it is nearly as bad as terrible tank job. This is actually one of the reasons I was glad to see Treliving go, as there was a distinct lack of success.
Hockey is an entertainment business, period. You entertain fans by having an exciting and fun to watch team, or you entertain fans by winning - ideally both! Flames haven't really been doing that for a long time. It has been over 20 seasons since they made it out of round 2. So if you are going to fail, does it matter if you are Buffalo or if you are the Islanders? Nobody wants to watch either team right now.
The above combination of fandom numbers, brand, and overall excitement is what brought me from team "never tank" to team "it is ok to tank, but only in certain years". I will not insist it is the only path. I just insist that the Flames NEED to find superstars and they absolutely need to find a path to a few deep runs at least. So far I do trust Conroy to bring the Flames back from what I perceive is a level of apathy towards the franchise, especially from the outside. Your post just made me think of overall brand value here. Sorry for the lengthy reply. (and no, this is not a pro tank vs pro compete now post - just ways to increase the brand).