12/03/24
February 01, 2003
The NHL's financial disarray.: Blame is doled out to over-ambitious expansion, the recession, the weaker Canadian dollar, soaring (by North American professional sports standards) labour costs, and the mirage of television money. All the reasons why there will be a lockout in September 2004 can be seen right here. WashPost, minor registration required
posted by Mookieproof to hockey at 03:03 PM - 2 comments
I'm pretty sure that's total attendance, and you're right, it doesn't mean much. Bettman's point is that he's increasing the overall presence of the sport--how many people in Nashville had ever seen a hockey game five years ago? That's all well and good, but the expansion strategy seems to have created financial burdens that the sport is ill-equipped to handle. It's also, despite the league's efforts, changed the game on the ice.
posted by Mookieproof at 11:35 AM on February 03, 2003
"We've set four years of attendance records..." Bettman is always gonig on about this, but he never explains if it's overall attendance or average attendance per stadium. One would think the addition of expansion teams could account for an increase in total attendance, right?