Future of Panthers in Miami

[FlamesAddiction]

Owners tend to be a little more cautious these days about their intentions.

If it is a team that is loved but lacking support, threatening to leave might help guilt the fan base into buying tickets, but when the team is already being supported by mostly casual fans, threatening to leave actually has the opposite effect. It drives people away.

No matter what the Panthers owners say, I have to believe that if they have an opportunity, the moving vans will be there is the middle of the night with little warning (similar to how the Thrashers left for Winnipeg). It won't get talked about until it is already about to happen.

[Beatle17]

Please quit comparing all other NHL teams to the Atlanta situation. The owners of the hockey, NBA team and arena in Atlanta wanted the Thrashers gone. The ownership situation was so screwed up that they were suing each other for control. Full stop. They purchased the teams and rink because of the NBA and arena only, and the NBA teams attendance sucks also but the TV money is paying for them.

[powderjunkie]

I can't imagine Lebron's presence helped the Panthers at all - the Heat's attendance went from 90% pre-Lebron to 100% while he was there (although they appear to have been a sellout team from 05-08 as well).

If I had the choice between saving up for 1 Heat game or going to 10 Panthers games, the answer is simple...and I like hockey.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

I can't imagine Lebron's presence helped the Panthers at all - the Heat's attendance went from 90% pre-Lebron to 100% while he was there (although they appear to have been a sellout team from 05-08 as well).

If I had the choice between saving up for 1 Heat game or going to 10 Panthers games, the answer is simple...and I like hockey.

I'm sure the answer is also made easier by the fact that in order to attend the Heat game you don't have to drive all the way to middle-of-nowhere swampville.

[Ozy_Flame]

Maybe the Panthers can be the warm-up entertainment for the Heat. Force NBA fans to like hockey in Florida or there will be no precious basketball for them.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by troutman

NHL Attendance:

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance

Wow, Ducks averaging only 7,843 for first two home games. AZ not included in rankings?

Those Anaheim numbers are pathetic. They have a great team, in the playoffs with star players.

Nice to see those Minnesota numbers, I guess losing their team made a difference.

[Barnes]

Aren't most of the Hispanics in Florida Cuban? Do Cubans care about soccer?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Jacks

Those Anaheim numbers are pathetic.

They are also completely wrong.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Jacks

Those Anaheim numbers are pathetic. They have a great team, in the playoffs with star players.

Nice to see those Minnesota numbers, I guess losing their team made a difference.

For some reason, the Ducks home opener didn't have an attendance number on the Game Summary report: http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreport...5/GS020062.HTM

Their real average attendance is 16,497.


Arizona's number is 13,183. 29th out of 30.

[Bill Bumface]

The Panther's made a bunch of hockey fans in the area with their Stanley Cup run, then promptly moved a $120 cab ride away from where that all happened. I think it's another case where they really didn't do themselves any favors with their arena location.

[trumpethead]

It is 35 miles from DT Miami to the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL. Seaman Stadium in Okotoks is closer to DT Calgary by a few miles.

[troutman]

There are 5.5 M people between West Palm Beach and Miami.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_metropolitan_area

A long (180 km) and narrow Metro Area. Sunrise is in the middle.

[Erick Estrada]

Florida is simply a poor state for sports franchises. Miami is the worst of all the cities as they don't support any of their teams outside of the Heat but that will change fast as they will soon be playing to an empty arena as soon as the Heat are only merely competitive. Tampa is almost as bad as nobody goes to Devil Rays games nor the Bucks as you can argue that the Lightning are the best draw in the city. The NFL should have never, ever gone to Jacksonville as it's another stadium with taped off upper deck. Lots of bad teams but also largely fantasies that don't care.

[chubeyr1]

Come on guys!

Owners of that team in florida wanted a Hockey team so they could get a building for events that would make them money.

They have a sweetheart deal on the arena and rake in the money. They lose on the hockey team, but make money overall. Hockey fans don't own this team. A hockey team is there only because they needed a team to get the sweetheart deal they got.

Owners make money there, just not on hockey. It also show by the lack of interest of making their team a good team. They just don't care.

Worst ran NHL franchise in the league. They don't care. Yet lately they are crying they are losing money. On the team? Absolutely. Don't think they ever made money on the team, but now they want bail outs etc. Screw them.

Panthers are a waste of a franchise and an embarrassment to the league. Yet no one cares! Are they moving soon? Nope, losing tonnes of money in hockey, but they make up for it and then some. I mean even the Oilers management as bad as they are try to win. Lead by idiots but they at least want to win. In Florida they just don't care.

Fans are dumb, but sooner or later even dumb fans learn. I say this without even looking at the standings in the league. I have no idea where the panthers are. I expect at the bottom of the league. Maybe I am full of hot air. I will go check the standings right now. As expected!

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by troutman

There are 5.5 M people between West Palm Beach and Miami.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_metropolitan_area

A long (180 km) and narrow Metro Area. Sunrise is in the middle.

Right, but they built up their fan base in Miami, then bailed on them and went on to find no success in an area where they were at least partially drawing from a different fan base.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

The fans are tired of watching a losing team, that's all.

Another thought I had - in a 30 team NHL, you can only expect to be a playoff team about half the time (all things being equal). You can only expect one championship every 30 years. The team has to be supported in good times and bad, and there will be plenty of bad times in a large league.

[bubbsy]

i'm sure the panthers are more than happy to not only suck this year, but also to flag the risky market their in today.

sounds like their bringing out the pouty eyes to get mcdavid

[united]

Last week Bob McKenzie had a Q&A on Twitter:

Q:More likely, Florida or Arizona relocating within next 3 years?
A: ARI locked into Glendale for 4 more years, IIRC. I know optics in FLA, especially after last night, are bad but I don't see a move.

Q: Hey Bob. How many NHL teams do you think there will be by 2020?
A: I can see it being a 33-team league with SEA, Las Vegas, and QC in. I don't think the NHL is hung up on round number. Put me down for 33.

Just one guy's opinion but as we know, Bobby is fairly connected.

[PeteMoss]

I don't like the idea that you can't judge a market unless they are successful team. You could probably find 50 markets that would support a top team if you could guarantee that performance.

You need a market that can deal with dry spells that inevitably every team will go through.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

I don't like the idea that you can't judge a market unless they are successful team. You could probably find 50 markets that would support a top team if you could guarantee that performance.

You need a market that can deal with dry spells that inevitably every team will go through.

That's an understatement when it comes to the Panthers. They haven't had any meaningful success since 1996 when they went to the finals. Since that time they have won 6 playoff games total. They have made the playoffs 3 times and been a first round exit each time. They missed the playoffs 14 times in 17 seasons. In their 20 seasons as a franchise, they have made the playoffs 4 times, well below what you could consider average if half the teams make the playoffs every year. That's not a "dry spell", that's icing poor team after poor team for a generation. As bad as the Oilers have been since then, the Panthers have been far worse.

If the Flames had ever lost as much as the Panthers over that period of time there would be talk of moving the Flames too (and there were worries of that in the late 90s). Very few franchises can absorb sustained losing on that level.