Another game day, another poor crowd at Credit Union Centre. For the 11th time in 27 home games, less than four thousand fans turned out to watch the Eastern Conference leading Saskatoon Blades. Just 3,685 fans took in tonight's game with the Swift Current Broncos. It was an exciting game that saw the Blades win 2-1 in a shootout… it also featured an unbelievable shootout goal by Marek Viedensky – shades of Marek Malik! I've already talked about the attendance issue way too many times so I'll just leave it at that.
One thing that strikes me as funny is that while fans aren't willing to support their local team, they have no problem shelling out a lot of money to see the NHL. Granted you can't compare the WHL and the NHL – but it would be nice to see some local support.
It's also interesting that some people think Saskatoon can be home to an NHL team. It was a dream that nearly became a reality in the 80's when "Wild" Bill Hunter wanted to move the St. Louis Blues to Saskatoon. It's a dream that could become reality should Ice Edge purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and the NHL's Board of Governors give the green light to playing a handful of games at Credit Union Centre. If fans won't support a first place team in the Saskatoon Blades, what makes you think the City can support a franchise that has no ties to Saskatoon like the Phoenix Coyotes?
Which brings up the point of this blog entry…
There are many from coast to coast who think the NHL made a terrible decision in expanding south of the border. Many feel teams like the Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers are better off in Canada or not existing at all. So I decided to find out for myself.
Andrew Imber is a half-season ticket holder with the Florida Panthers. He's an aspiring broadcaster, the voice of the FAU (Florida Atlantic University) Owls Football team (NCAA Division 1-A), host of the "Rush Hour Sports Report" and writes a Florida Panthers blog as well. He also happens to be a good friend of mine.
As a hardcore hockey fan, I wanted his thoughts on the game and if hockey is working in the sun belt.
(Andrew with Mike "Doc" Emrick – NHL on NBC, NHL on Versus and Hockey Hall of Fame Broadcaster)
KJ: How long have you been a hockey fan – or how did you first get hooked on the sport?
AI: My dad took me to my first game at the old Miami Arena when I was about five years old. We went with a couple of friends and I was immediately hooked on the sport.
KJ: What is the state of hockey in Florida? Here in Canada, many people find it difficult to believe that hockey can survive in a place like Florida.
AI: The fact that hockey is currently even alive in Florida is proof enough that it can survive here. Think about it – 10 years of futility marked with no playoff berths, the loss of every super star we’ve ever had for small returns, and a team that hasn’t usually been all that interesting to watch. I’d be interested to see how other markets would respond to those circumstances, but I think we’ve done pretty well given the situation. When we made our Cup run back in 1996, the place was jumping every game. Hockey can definitely succeed here in Florida, and a little success wouldn’t hurt the cause either.
KJ: Since the creation of the Panthers and Lightning, has there been an increase in the numbers of people playing the sport? Have rinks been built?
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AI: I think we’ve seen a decent number of rinks built in that time. There is a park about 10 minutes from my house that has a couple of roller hockey rinks, as well as a league. There’s another ice hockey rink a little ways further, and a state of the art ice rink where the Panthers actually practice, down in Coral Springs. It has three rinks and a brilliant gym. The number has probably increased, although I was only a few years old before the Panthers existed, so it’s tough to say exactly.
KJ: Aside from 1996 – the Panthers have never really been a contender. How much has that hurt the growth of the sport?
AI: It’s decimated the growth of the sport. Unfortunately, because of the numerous amounts of teams and sports to choose from down here, people will root for whatever team is winning. If the Dolphins are losing, they move to the Heat. If the Heat drop off, they can try University of Miami football, and so on. Most of the teams down here are average at best in recent memory, so if the Panthers can make the playoffs and become an annual contender, I guarantee you the sport would explode here and everybody would be a fan.
KJ: Can hockey survive in Florida? Can the Florida Panthers survive?
AI: Again, absolutely, if success comes. I’m not sure how many franchises could survive missing the playoffs every single season. If the Cats continue to miss the playoff year after year, and we’re talking in 2015 about the 15 year playoff drought, we may lose this team. However, if we’ve turned things around and have made the playoffs a few times, we’ll be having a completely different discussion about how the sport has gained such popularity down here.
KJ: In your opinion, is a "hockey culture" being created or has a "hockey culture" been created in Florida
AI: A hockey culture was temporarily created during the Stanley Cup run in '96. However, again, the recent mediocre play has really driven it away. The Panthers are a second thought in South Florida sports and will continue to be until they start to win some games again.
KJ: You've suddenly become Commissioner of the National Hockey League, would you do to ensure the success of these teams? In other words what can be done to make hockey work in places some feel it doesn't belong.
AI: Very interesting question. I think the salary cap has already been an absolute blessing to the small market teams. Because teams like the Rangers and Red Wings and others can’t spend 100 million dollars on a roster, the talent can spread to the smaller market teams, which basically includes every non-traditional hockey market. Unfortunately, it hasn’t completely worked, with the fleeing of Jay Bouwmeester last year and Ilya Kovalchuk this season. The one thing that needs to be done is to make sure the cap doesn’t grow to an extremely large number because the larger it gets, the worse off we’ll be down here as the talent level becomes more concentrated with the wealthier teams. There isn’t a whole lot that can be instituted that can make hockey work in non-traditional market, however, winning cures all woes. So anything, such as the salary cap, that keeps more teams competitive every year, will be the best thing for the small markets.
KJ: Some Canadians feel the NHL would be better off moving teams like the Panthers, Lightning, Predators, Thrashers, and Coyotes to Edmonton or the Northern United States… your thoughts.
AI: I can see why some Canadians feel that way. After all, hockey really is their sport, and Americans have a pretty big monopoly on all the other major sports. If the NHL ever decides on another expansion, which I would probably be against, I would suggest it definitely go to a Canadian(s) market. In the end, there may be one or two teams that do get moved from the States to Canada, and I would feel badly for those markets because in every market, contrary to popular belief, there are diehards that are just as passionate as the biggest in Montreal. I know personally, I would be beyond crushed if the Panthers ever move, and I wouldn’t want to put any other fan base through that. The current split may be a tad unfair for Canadians, but that’s the way things are and should continue to be until a situation that can’t be remedied comes along.
KJ: Do you or hockey fans down in Florida hold any animosity towards Canadians or maybe the stereotypical Canadian that tends to look down on hockey in the sun belt.
AI: I don’t think so. I respect Canadians and their passion for the game, but it does exist in similar forms (albeit in smaller quantities) here too. I know some Panthers fans are upset when half, or sometimes more, of our building is taken up by fans of road Canadian teams, but that will all change with success. We just hope they realize that true fans do exist down here and that we are just as deserving of a hockey team as everyone else.
KJ: What is media coverage like for the Panthers?
AI: What coverage? Seriously, it is pretty brutal down here in terms of media coverage. My closest daily newspaper cut the already small hockey section down when the economy got rough. There are a few prominent writers, and they do a decent job, but there is very little pressure put on the team or coaches, and perhaps that has allowed the mediocrity to continue here. Most local sports radio stations largely ignore the Florida Panthers – including the closest ESPN Radio which has no coverage during the off-season, and not much more during the regular season. As you get closer to Sunrise, the radio stations pay more attention to it, including the closest one that has a show with the Panthers radio play by play guy every week. I hope to break into the market soon and change things for the better.
So what do we take from this interview? There are a number of dedicated hockey fans in Florida. With success, hockey can survive in non-traditional markets. But perhaps the biggest thing to come of this is patience. The sport of hockey has been around since the 1800's – it originated in Canada so we've had over two hundred years to learn, play and grow the game into our culture. It's been less than 20-years in a place like Florida. So maybe we all just need a bit of patience.
A big thank you to Andrew Imber for sharing some insight from beautiful Florida. You can visit his blog Frozen Lair for everything you need to know about the Florida Panthers. You can also tune into The Rush Hour Sports Report Thursdays, 5-6pm EST for everything you need to know about the FAU Owls.
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