Canes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. was in town today and took a few moments to field questions from the media at the RBC Center.
Among the points he made:
-- Having an American Hockey League affiliate in Charlotte can help solidify the fan base in North Carolina. An announcement on the Charlotte team will be made Wednesday.
-- The Canes are optimistic about their bid for the All-Star Game. Pittsburgh, which will open a new arena next year, could be the Canes' top competitor for the 2011 All-Star Game.
-- The Canes now have a season-ticket base of about 10,000 season, either in full season-season holders or season-ticket equivalents. Karmanos said that needs to be raised to 14,000 for the team to have a more sound financial base.
-- Karmanos isn't that concerned that the trip to Helsinki, Finland, to open the 2010-11 season will lead to a slow start next season. "We couldn't do much worse than we did this year," he said.
-- Karmanos said he wants the Canes to continue to win games this season, but also said he'd like to have one of the top NHL Draft picks to help quickly rebuild the team. "We're bi-polar when it comes to winning and losing," he said.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
Comments
Excellent comments all
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 15:18 — xpukguyIt really does come down to marketing. Stop sending out third and fourth liners and Albany callups. If this team is going to grow its fanbase and season ticket base, the stars need to go out and do some work. They need exposure in every hockey rink in the state. They need to make more than 1-hour appearances at stores. Heck, for years the Boston Bruins sent out every player -- including Raymond Bourque and Adam Oates and Andy Moog -- to make more than 1-hour appearances. That's how you build a fan base -- along with winning games and playing an exciting brand of hockey, win or lose.
Partial STHer treatment
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 11:46 — wxray1So he wants 14k? How about treating those of us that count as 1/2 or 1/3 of an STH a bit better?
I'm not asking for full STH privileges. I understand they get more and should.
I'm asking to be treated with some respect and some degree of appreciation (and I don't mean cheap trinkets of junk like they give away).
I cut down from 26 to 12 games because the marketing dept really ticked me off when they made some negative changes to select-a-seat, and then tried to cram down my throat the "if only you were a full STHer", blah, blah.
Don't have time for all the details, but after 1/2 hour call with head of ticket operations, I finally gave up after we played "chicken" and dropped my STH back to 12.
Turns out I must have hit a nerve, because the behaviors that ticked me off were withdrawn this year.
But I hold grudges. It is going to take some sweet talkin' to get me back to 26.
Partial STH Issues
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 14:13 — CaniacGuyWxray ... just be assured that you're not alone in being more than slightly ticked off about the (OVERWHELMINGLY PREFERENTIAL) treatment afforded to full STH vs Partial STH.
My own list starts with losing my seats on the 300 level of the past 4 years (in a formerly closed-to-new-STH-accounts ... only those already in the section were allowed to renew in the section) to partial and full STH accounts moving up from the lower bowl. Not a HUGELY big deal but we DID get bumped 2 rows higher up. It's a matter of principle.
My list continues (although this isn't strictly STH related) with the lack of cupholders in our section when 75 - 90% (I haven't actually counted) of the rest of 300 level has them.
Add in the fact that the team should have opened the lower bowl to all attendees during the 1/30 snowstorm (we got there) coupled with the fact that no concessions were open on 300 level, and there's another frustration.
And as a person who has prepaid for parking, I'm still waiting for a makeup parking pass to make up for the free parking that EVERYONE received that night ... all 6,894 of us. I'd like to use that pass for one of our voucher'ed games (see below).
I also will express my gratitude for, and acknowledgement of, the fact that we *did* receive vouchers for 3 additional games that we did not have to (directly) pay for as a benefit of having a partial STH. That part IS nice and should be acknowledged as such. Thank you 'Canes management.
Media Training?
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 08:27 — SkylinerThe point was made that Mr. Karmanos needs "media training" Not really. More probably he could benefit from a stint in Charm School and learn to holster that loose mouth of his. He, on occasion, breezes into town and the media flock to him as if it were the Second Messianic Coming when history has taught that his critical and intemperate comments will be inflamatory; that his barbed words will be directed at someone else and that he will assume none of the responsibility. It is indeed a pity that a man of financial means does not use the smarts that helped him acquire a fortune to formulate some positive thoughts, even on a rare occasion. A wise man (normally) stays away from the fray instead of instigating it. Please sir, stop shooting off your mouth before your head is loaded! If you want a stronger fan base then deliver an improved product. He calls for another 4K STH's and then mounts reasons why people should stay away friom the arena, whether it is, in his own words, Cam playing badly, players not giving their all...all the way back to undue criticism of Coach Laviolette, etc. etc. etc. After all, if what he says is true why should anyone pay to see a team that he seems to demonize? The fans we have seem to like appreciate the team much more than his words indicate he does. It's OK to have opinions, but people react to the negative way they are presented. A seat in Charm School awaits you sir!
You all missed it...
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 17:04 — nancydThe Canadian comment was a swipe back at all the Canadian press that says the 'canes are a crappy draw in their markets. 'let me turn the tables on my Canadian friends'
I don't blame PK, even if it
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 18:32 — ctillI don't blame PK, even if it was snarky. The Canadian press often doesn't distinguish between Southeast markets that do support their teams with decent attendance (TB, Carolina) and those that don't (Florida, Atlanta). Of course, what fundamentally galls Canadians is that purported "not a hockey market" teams in TB and Carolina each beat a Canadian opponent to win the Cup. Or that of the top 10 teams in the league this afternoon, only 1 is Canadian.
I don't blame PK ,EVEN IF IT
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:11 — hellfishYour exactly right ,all the Canadian press does is take snipes at the "non traditional" markets with a impossible dream one team from the S.E will relocate back to Winnipeg or a New team in Hamilton...GET OVER IT! .Las Vegas and Kansas City are the next 2 cities that will get a NHL franchise. The idea is to GROW the NHL not go back to retread Canadian cities they left in the 1st place even Hamilton the most feasable city has TV territorial right conflicts with Det/Buf/Tor and even then the NHL would have to "realign" and more owners would fall out favor. Then going back to Canada is just not happening...As for Greensboro the failure of previous minor league teams sealed there fate along with city/county officials that were in charge of something they new NOTHING about...HOCKEY. The powers that "were" should've brought in hockey people to help manage the teams they had...and the fans that THINK they were ENTITLED to a AHL team because of being "slightly" closer driving wise get over that. Charlotte will more than make up STH sales over the G.Boro area because of the AHL/NHL association...Why? Money...banks/NASCAR/population...If P.K. does'nt know what he's doing...Compuware...Hurricanes...yeah everybody said NC was'nt a Hockey market or TB is not a Hockey market? yeah right it's the "gleam" of those Stanley cup rings that shine down on PK's or the Canes/S.E division "nay-sayers" that makes them so mad and us Cane fans so happy...Keep beating that dead horse(bring a team back to Canada) thing...REALITY called and there NEVER coming back!...MOVE ON
14,000 STHs
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 16:22 — abramsdougThe goal of having 14,000 STHs is a feasible aspiration. The entire community benefits when the Hurricanes organization is successful. In a salary cap era, even small market teams have equal chances to field top six teams consistently. One thing about the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill community is that we are excellent problem solvers. 4,000 more STHs would make a tremendous difference. Clearly, more work can be done to involve hockey fans West of Raleigh and East of Raleigh. The Greensboro/Burlington area would be expected to have 2,000 additional hockey fans who would become STHs.
I appreciated Mr. Karmanos' candor. I hope the Hurricanes organization will work with its fans to help locate the 4,000 additional SThs.
He was much closer to 14K
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 18:34 — ctillHe was much closer to 14K STH in September 2006. Unfortunately, the first-to-worst syndrome in 06-07 drove many non-renewals.
2006 - 2007 Season and Post Stanley Cup Meltdown
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:02 — abramsdougI think you make a very valid point with regard to the impact of the poor play by the Hurricanes in 2006-2007. I remember watching far too many games in 2006-2007 at the RBC where I saw veterans acting indifferently and playing without heart. It was really painful to watch at times. I had friends who were so upset about the play of the 2006-2007 team that they did not renew their season tickets.
After Paul Maurice was hired, I have never seen the Hurricanes team fail to give effort; even when they are not playing as well as I would like. I am hopeful and optimistic that former STHs will come to some Hurricanes games and find themselves impressed with the grit and heart of the Hurricanes team. Last night was a great example of Hurricanes hockey. The team battled the first period and never gave up. By the start of the second period, the Hurricanes continued to pressure the puck and generally out-stake the Panthers.
I think former STHers are a logical place to begin the process of building the STH base to 15,000.
Pete K/STH's
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 16:53 — GoShelfI don't have problem with him being candid and saying what he thinks, it's refreshing.
As far as our ticket based being so small - kind of sad, I understand that we can't compare this market to the Northern Traditional markets, but it doesn't seem like any of the other sports teams locally are struggling - how are the Bobcats doing?
They need to sell this team/sport harder in North Carolina especially outside the Triangle. I am baffled how when I'm on the coast (Wilmington area) and trying to find the game it's nearly impossible at a sports bar - most would rather show re-runs of old Nascar races.
Whoa! Hold on there
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 20:30 — LouWhoa! Hold on there GoShelf. I live in Wilmington and there are bars in town that show the hockey games - when they are broadcasted on FSN. We have a hockey rink on the north side of town. I play weekly, and we have three different leagues, a woman's team, and the UNCW Seahawks play all their home games at this location. When the canes where in the Stanley Cup in 2002 the NHL brought the cup to our downtown area and thousands of hocky nuts; including me, lined up to touch & pose with the cup! Now, the lack of visibility outside the Triangle is a challenge for the Canes to solve, not the fans! Me, and a number of my hockey buds make the drive to Raleigh during the season to watch the canes. Every southern hockey nut in this town goes to games. We even have families who are STH's that go to games. Enough said about the Wilmington support. Got it?
I am not sure what bar you ventured out this way when you did come to town but I can tell you with complete certainty that games are shown. We even have a Carolina Ale house; just built and opened this season. You know they show the canes games! So the marketing department of CH, whch PK declared himself early this season to be more proactive in that business thinking, needs to figure out why they are 4k short on STH's. We have multiple rinks across the state and CH needs to come out and visit these areas if they want to expand their fan base. It shouldn't be "we need 4K STH's to get an All-Star game." It takes both sides working at it and so far the marketing department get's a grade of "D" on my end.
Where's the media training for Pete?
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 16:05 — xpukguyI watched Pete's diatribe on all things hockey and came away with this:
-- He ticked off his goaltender by blaming the team's slow start on Ward's poor play (Pete's words, not mine), then injuries and bad luck.
-- He ticked off Canadians by putting down teams from the North with his comments about playing a Western Canadian team on a Wednesday night will not draw fans.
-- He ticked off Pittsburgh with his comments about their new arena possibly not being open in time for next year's All-Star Game. It will be open in August.
-- He ticked off any possible fans in the Triad with his anti-Greensboro comments. Plus, there was no way he could have possibly done anything with Dorton Arena to make it NHL-ready. He should have stayed in Hartford and dealt with the consequences before moving to NC.
-- And, while some may not think he ticked off local fans, I felt his comments/tone about needing 14,000 season tickets (they need more full-timers, not equivalents) needed to be toned down a tad.
He really needs media training in the worst way.
He wasn't entirely wrong.
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 00:54 — beer210He wasn't entirely wrong. C Ward's play was pretty dismal early on. It wasn't until he had an actual NHL goalie pushing him as a back up when his play improved. And he's really not wrong about his other comments, but they could be soften a bit. Hey at least its not all PC "coachspeak".
It was defensive play
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 09:54 — JRs_Fault.... that was so dismal early in the year. Put that in front of Miller, Brodeur, Nabokov... you name it, in October, and any one of them would have had a terrible start.
And don't forget
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 16:58 — hnic66... last year's attack on Laviolette.
Remarks
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 15:08 — louis12580Mr. K is nothing, if not honest. Having the AHL franchise relocate to Charlotte would help a lot financially. A 3 hour drive versus air fare from Albany is more cost effective. Also, there are more flights available from Charlotte if a player has to join the team if it's on the road. As for the All Star game, it will go to Pittsburgh. New arena and they are second only to Chicago as the darlings of the league. The team does market outside the triangle and yes, the down economy does play a role in things. Group sales and suite sales lag, but what lags more is sponsorships. A prime example of that is with John Deere. They used to promote the Hat Trick giveaway, but that stopped in the middle of last season. As for winning/getting better draft choice it is a double edged sword. The players have a lot of pride and hate losing. The teams that everyone is quick to bring up, Washington, Pittsburgh, Chicago (theirs was just plain incompetent ownership) had to be bad for a long time and make trades to get extra draft choices. The 'Canes will make the moves necessary to get more draft choices, but won't tank to get a top 3 pick.
How do you know?
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 17:25 — hnic66Just curious how you know it will help financially?
Do you know what the arena leasing cost is in Charlotte versus Albany? What about increased overhead costs. Scouting expenses, broadcast expenses, advertising and marketing. More people on staff. And don't forget travel and lodging expenses as the closest team is in Hartford. The list could go on.
STH and Marketing
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 14:51 — WAStoutYes - tough economy and Mo's antics don't help the cause...
But what does the Marketing group do? Outside of Raleigh you hardly see or hear anything to do with the Canes? Yes, you could grow the Raleigh market some - but you need to head east & west too...I guess a Charlotte team may help overall....
Mo stole Was Stouts
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 00:49 — beer210Mo stole Was Stouts girlfriend. Serious dude, let it go . . . she probably was probably going to leave you anyway.
Hmmmmm
Wed, 02/10/2010 - 11:05 — WAStoutWhat was it that Sean Avery said about his ex-girlfriends....that may apply here...
The First Financial Crack
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 14:38 — hnic66"The Canes now have a season-ticket base of about 10,000 season,
either in full season-season holders or season-ticket equivalents.
Karmanos said that needs to be raised to 14,000 for the team to have a
more sound financial base."
I believe this is a rarity for a public comment to be made by the owner on their financial situation. It shows there are some huge concerns. Corporate sponsorship and luxury suite sales are all down. They can't increase ticket prices next year.
Before you say, "what do you expect in a down economy?" ... those in the sports marketing business advocate that in a down economy, targeted sports marketing is one of the best and effective buys ever that can bring results to sponsors. That is if it's being sold that way, which I doubt it is.
It shouldn't
Tue, 02/09/2010 - 16:02 — esteban1949really surprize anyone that with the economy in the toilet, and STH's down ...IF the Canes really want to be a Carolinas team, the marketing group does need to focus on cities like Winston,Greensboro, Charlotte, and even places like Elizabeth City & Fayetteville, Columbia and etc...and during major home stands...work out deals with bus tours...heck, it can't be that hard can it ? Now for the record, my family and i have talked IF the Canes AHL Affiliate does move to Charlotte we will commit to buying season tickets...as it is only 80 min drive from my house to the arena where the checkers currently play...yes i drive too fast ..
but it would be cheaper for me to do that than to say go and buy season tickets for next season for the canes...especially seeng i can see,or listen to the canes cheeper here at home via cable or the internet...Now i am a season ticket holder for the WHL's Spokane Chiefs but seeing i do live 2735 miles away...my daughter nad her family go to 95% of all of the home game...so I understand the importance of team support via st's...the sad thng is here in W/S we seldom see (aside from when the canes are on via TWC) Cane's ads, billboards, or news reports locally (aside from TWC news 14) on tv or the radio...so if we read how it's more geared to raleigh...then folks wonder why Hockey hasn't a bigger following than it has...but i admit i am not a marketing guru...so i don't know...i am saying what i see & don't see out there...be safe and enjoy tonights game
The Canes are Good,My Grandkids are Better, and Life is Great !! Go Canes !!