Everybody is talking basketball. Duke basketball. N.C. State basketball. North Carolina basketball.
The Canes? Hockey? Not so much. It's out of sight, out of mind.
Question: how much will the NHL lockout hurt the Canes in this market?
Will Canes fans come flocking back if there's a season, letting bygones be bygones? Or has some irreparable damage been done with this lockout? After all, it could be a very exciting basketball season about to unfold.
The floor is open.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at
Comments
Well
Mon, 11/26/2012 - 15:15 — squeaky83Like some others, I will watch on TV, but not of the Canes--I live in VA and don't get the Canes games on normal cable. I usually get NHL Center Ice, but I cancelled that as soon as the NHL cancelled games. I will not get it this year, maybe not again, unless the Canes look to be definite playoff contenders. I will not pay to hope they make the playoffs.
I will not attend games this year, I usually attend between 2-6, with three people, so not a big loss to the org I guess.
The point being, it's small, and I'm sure I'm not alone. The NHL's revenue pile will not be 3.3 billion when they come back, but it will not go away. They may get back to it soon like others have said, sooner if they play this year. If they miss the whole year, hockey takes a big hit in NC, and a smaller hit around the league which will take 2-3 years to recover. Canadian teams and their waiting lists will bouy the sport overall, but US markets will take a larger hit.
Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment!
Mon, 11/26/2012 - 10:29 — oldpoliticalsThe great Being _________ (fill in the blank yourself) who created all did not grant an exclusive unalienable right to attend, watch and have hockey games. Its entertainment and nothing more. Although emotionally attached, entertainment none-the-less. I will be just as entertained watching the first game back in my seats and all those games following regardless if it is in mid-December or the fall of 2013 or whenever. I have to view it this way to keep going crazy.
The second thought is if fans go away then the locals who directly or indirectly earn some part of their living on hockey will continue to suffer. If you are pissed and you want to "hurt" the NHL (players and owners both) then you also "hurt" these locals.
There will be a hit on attendance and other things when they get back but the game is so good, past fans will find it difficult to ignore their favorite teams. They will be back eventually or someone will take their place.
Depends!
Mon, 11/26/2012 - 10:15 — Caniac5I have heard many people talking and most say they are done with the NHL. Some have said they will not return until Bettman is gone. This talk, to me, is coming from the anger inside and most will be back once they start playing again. If there is any hockey played this year, the numbers will be very low and next season may start out slow. If no season this year, it will be felt hard next season. Eventually, fans will come back but if it happens again...it's over! (IMHO)
Now, me personally! I want every single fan to boycott the first home game of very team! I know this will have no effect on the league other than the fans showing their dislike of what has happened. But, we the fans have to be heard some how, and the best way is through empty seats. Being a hard-core fan of the sport, it eats at me every single day that there is no hockey, NHL anyway, and these bickering millionaires are acting like little cry babies! They need to grow up and see who they are actually affecting and realize their paychecks come from these people.
Now, in short, I think once a contract is signed, it should be honored. But, if it does not state anything about "Other Revenue" the players should just be SOL! A contract is a binding agreement and BOTH sides should make sure everything they want is in that contract. This extra revenue, if not in the contract, should not be touched by the players. But, as I stated, if the owners draw up a contract for a certain salary, they should honor that agreement...PERIOD!
Today's the day...
Mon, 11/26/2012 - 10:02 — ElevenYearsInCaryWell, I think today's the day. I was rationalizing the lock-out as a forced savings plan, but I realize that the money I'm 'saving' isn't doing me any good until I get it out of the season ticket holder plan. If it was a week's worth of games, or even a month's worth, it made sense to leave it with the Canes organization. Now, it's looking like at least half the season and probably the whole season.
And, for what it's worth, I don't buy into any of the perks that STH's get for keeping their dollars with the Canes. Cancelled season ticket holders will be getting the first phone calls when hockey starts again.
Ill effects
Mon, 11/26/2012 - 09:33 — lewpulsBefore the last lockout I attended the occasional game (I'm quite distant), since then I've not been to a single game. But I watched most games on TV. After this lockout, I'll probably watch many fewer, and certainly not go to any.
Multiply that by many other fans and where are you? Less money for the NHL.
The league overall? I still
Mon, 11/26/2012 - 09:25 — ctillThe league overall? I still believe it will be down 15% the first season of play, down 7.5% the second season, and back to where it was in the third season. Look, markets like Toronto won't see any glitch at all. Non-traditional markets will do worse than average. Is it a death knell for hockey in Raleigh? Depends on team performance. If the Canes make it into the second round of the playoffs, memory of the lockout will be short-lived -- as it was in 2005-06. But if the Canes stink up the ice in their first season back, it could be very difficult for this franchise.
I've seen the lockout...
Mon, 11/26/2012 - 09:13 — louis12580and the damage done (apologoes to Neil Young) and it's not pretty. I know of several people, one being an original season ticket holder, who have given up their seats. I've talked with others who will probably do the same after this season. That's, of course, if there is a season. As a reader of message boards, support for the players at the start of the lockout was strong and almost non-existent for the owners. Not so much any more. As for me, I'm staying the course although it's getting tougher by the minute. The word to describe it all is, disheartening. Other words come to mind, but disheartening is the one that keeps creeping into my mind.
I'm done...
Mon, 11/26/2012 - 06:56 — jkanderson7694Let's just put it like this. I'm just looking for a day when I can get over to the PNC Arena and drop off all my accumulated gear and wipe my hands clean of this whole mess that is the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL.