The NHL's Best (And Worst) Fans

[camhockey16 5]

http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/17/nhl-best-...s-nhl-fans.html

"For scoring two goals in game seven to help beat the defending champion Detroit Red Wings and win the Stanley Cup last year, Pittsburgh Penguin Max Talbot earned a spot at the breakfast table in every Pittsburgh household--on the town's "City of Champions"-themed cereal boxes. But Penguins fans deserved a spot on the box too--for being the best in the NHL.

How do we know? For the 2008-09 season, we ranked teams based on average regular-season home game attendance as a percentage of arena capacity, regular-season local television viewers as a percentage of the team's metro area population and team merchandise sales...."

[Chadd 916]

Pittsburgh has always been one of the best TV markets for the NHL. That said, taking a one year snapshot shows that it is a bandwagon town, they were near the bottom for the rest just a couple years ago.

[camhockey16 5]

i didn't realize chicago was number 1 in attendance - i knew they have always had good attendance - but i didn't know it was THAT good.

then again if this is only based on this year - it probably just been since the toews/kane era.

[start_today 770]

Yeah...a few seasons ago everyone in Pittsburgh said they hoped the team moved, now everyone has a baby-blue Crosby jersey.

[Habs21 0]

yeesh, hard to believe that the Habs aren't 1st on that list. 4th is a bit ridiculous if you ask me. Every game is a sell out (regular season tickets sell out for the whole season in like 30 minutes)..., RDS covers ALL of the games, there are like 200 tv shows in Quebec about the team, a few magazines only about the habs, the merchandise is sold in grocery stores and corner stores everywhere. I could literally buy a jersey while doing groceries here in Quebec (I'm right next to Ottawa). Just a bit strange...I get that the Penguins are popular all of a sudden because they've been winning but...it's a weird ranking. Good for them though if it's true...

[Balzinsker 0]

yeesh, hard to believe that the Habs aren't 1st on that list. 4th is a bit ridiculous if you ask me. Every game is a sell out (regular season tickets sell out for the whole season in like 30 minutes)..., RDS covers ALL of the games, there are like 200 tv shows in Quebec about the team, a few magazines only about the habs, the merchandise is sold in grocery stores and corner stores everywhere. I could literally buy a jersey while doing groceries here in Quebec (I'm right next to Ottawa). Just a bit strange...I get that the Penguins are popular all of a sudden because they've been winning but...it's a weird ranking. Good for them though if it's true...

The focus of the article is more on how much money the teams make, not really how "good" their fans are. While people love the Habs here in Montreal, they love the Leafs even more in Toronto, and Edmonton is far more fanatical about the Oilers then either of those two teams are about their respective teams. Also while RDS may cover the games, they in many ways are no different then any of the FSN networks in the states, essentially a local channel that caters to the local market. The fact that the Leafs consistently draw the largest audiences on national television tells you just how powerful a brand they are.

[Law Goalie 147]

Toronto fans do *not* love the Leafs more - most of us don't even pay for our tickets, even though more per ticket was paid. That we draw more on TV is largely a function of the city's size.

Conversely, the Oil fans may be more 'fanatical', but they pay less for the privilege, and the market is far smaller and much more concentrated.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Pittsburgh has always been one of the best TV markets for the NHL. That said, taking a one year snapshot shows that it is a bandwagon town, they were near the bottom for the rest just a couple years ago.

I agree with that to a point, as well as some of the comments on the article itself at the bottom. Of course, I think when any team starts to win your going to see a jump in attendance, revenues, merchandise sales etc. I just got back from PA last night and was amazed at how many people in my hometown I saw wearing Pens gear and at bars/resteraunts to watch games. I saw people from highschool that I know had no (or very minimal) interest in hockey wearing Pens gear. I had to laugh to myself. Old grannies and everything decked out in Crosby or Fleury stuff.

Its great to have a young team that draws new, young fans. The Pens were really bad for awhile and there was hardly any interest when your best players are Rico Fata and Brian Holzinger :) I do think that as long as the Pens have Crosby and Malkin they will have good attendance and such because those boys along with Fleury have a cultlike following amongst fans in the 'burgh. The new arena should definately help matters because as was commented on in the Pens topic, even some people with season tickets dread trips to Mellon because its not a very friendly to access and, well, its ancient as has all the problems old things have. If someone diehard for the team doesnt like going to the arena not many casual fans are going to make that trip either.

The Steelers have a hardcore following no matter what and hopefuly the success the Pens are having now and all the fans they are gaining now, especially the younger ones, will hopefully become diehards and be there thru thick and thin. That will be a win:win for everyone :)

[dsjunior1388 81]

Edit: Open mouth, insert foot. Wings are 2nd in merchandise sales, making my point completely false.

[Chadd 916]

The Steelers have a hardcore following no matter what and hopefuly the success the Pens are having now and all the fans they are gaining now, especially the younger ones, will hopefully become diehards and be there thru thick and thin. That will be a win:win for everyone :)

I hope so too, but the Lemieux, Francis, Jagr years didn't have that impact, so it's hard to believe that it will be different this time around.

[kakos26 0]

The Habs all the way but the wings in 2nd we ARE HOCKEYTOWN!

[Trooper 8]

Yeah...a few seasons ago everyone in Pittsburgh said they hoped the team moved, now everyone has a baby-blue Crosby jersey.

Nothing like a little hyperbole to show you don't have much of an argument. Who is everyone? I don't remember many people saying this at all except a few degenerate Stillers fans.

Pittsburgh has always been one of the best TV markets for the NHL. That said, taking a one year snapshot shows that it is a bandwagon town, they were near the bottom for the rest just a couple years ago.

You could walk up and buy tickets for Montreal games a couple of years ago, does that make it a bandwagon town?

[AllCanadian 2]

Of course the Leafs are number 1 in TV ratings they get shoved down the nations throat every Saturday at precisely 7pm est time. Is the home attendance based on the actual number or sellout %?

[Chadd 916]

Pittsburgh has always been one of the best TV markets for the NHL. That said, taking a one year snapshot shows that it is a bandwagon town, they were near the bottom for the rest just a couple years ago.

You could walk up and buy tickets for Montreal games a couple of years ago, does that make it a bandwagon town?

In the last decade the Canadiens haven't averaged less than 20k people per game.

[chippa13 1844]

While Montreal loves a winner, they love a French Canadian winner more and they haven't had that superstar Frenchie in a while.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Pittsburgh has always been one of the best TV markets for the NHL. That said, taking a one year snapshot shows that it is a bandwagon town, they were near the bottom for the rest just a couple years ago.

I agree with that to a point, as well as some of the comments on the article itself at the bottom. Of course, I think when any team starts to win your going to see a jump in attendance, revenues, merchandise sales etc.

Same with the caps, I remember going to games, regular season games and from our seats in the 400's we would see huge sections of seats empty all night in the lower level, so you could pick up a couple of beers during the second intermission, then head there for the third.

Now, every game is sold out and caps jerseys are everywhere.

DC will always be Redskins first, Redskins second and everything else behind it. College basketball (hoyas, terps, mason etc) are a big draw and there are a lot of VA Tech fans here too, so it's easy to get diluted as a hockey fan.

I don't know what the college sports scene is like round pitt, but having a good team after the NFL season without an NBA team has to help too, and with the Pirates not doing good they can sustain the interest all through the spring training period too.

[TheHerminator22 0]

Yeah...a few seasons ago everyone in Pittsburgh said they hoped the team moved, now everyone has a baby-blue Crosby jersey.

And You're from Pittsburgh? I remember huge protests and rallies trying to keep the team in Pittsburgh. I never heard ANYONE say they hoped the team moved. As far as bandwagon fans, I have no beef with them. They are the reason this team is still here, so I actually thank them, because after 15 years I finally got to witness my team win a Stanley Cup.

[BenderHockey 127]

DC will always be Redskins first, Redskins second and everything else behind it.

These days, that's a damn shame. Synder should be given the guillotine for what he's done to that team.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Yeah...a few seasons ago everyone in Pittsburgh said they hoped the team moved, now everyone has a baby-blue Crosby jersey.

And You're from Pittsburgh? I remember huge protests and rallies trying to keep the team in Pittsburgh. I never heard ANYONE say they hoped the team moved. As far as bandwagon fans, I have no beef with them. They are the reason this team is still here, so I actually thank them, because after 15 years I finally got to witness my team win a Stanley Cup.

I agree. I heard people complain they dont want their taxes to go towards the building of (yet another) arena, but I dont recall any mass cry for the team to be given away. I thank those bandwagon fans too because they put butts in the seats and revenue into the team and have created a bigger intrest city wide for the Pens. Probably a quarter of the current bandwagoners will stick around and turn into die hards even if the team starts to struggle and that will hopefully help keep attendence up better if and when the team starts to have a downward trend. Any and all positive interest in the team is a good thing to me. The only downside is the outrageous ticket prices, but go big or go home when you want to see some of the best talent in the game play.

[Trooper 8]

I don't know what the college sports scene is like round pitt, but having a good team after the NFL season without an NBA team has to help too, and with the Pirates not doing good they can sustain the interest all through the spring training period too.

Pitt basketball is good and gets a decent amount of coverage, but Pittsburgh is not a basketball town by any stretch of the imagination. The football team is in the same boat just because the season coincides with the Steelers. Pittsburgh has 3 pro franchises and two major college teams among many lesser teams (Duquesne and Robert Morris). That's a lot of product for a smallish major city.

Calling fans bandwagon is just the Pittsburgh hater coming out in people. I have X amount of dollars to spend, I spend it on what I feel is a good product. The people going to Pirates games are suckers in my view. Does that make the ones that will come back a bandwagoner? No.

[Chadd 916]

Calling fans bandwagon is just the Pittsburgh hater coming out in people. I have X amount of dollars to spend, I spend it on what I feel is a good product. The people going to Pirates games are suckers in my view. Does that make the ones that will come back a bandwagoner? No.

You do realize that is pretty much the definition of being a bandwagon fan right?

[Trooper 8]

Calling fans bandwagon is just the Pittsburgh hater coming out in people. I have X amount of dollars to spend, I spend it on what I feel is a good product. The people going to Pirates games are suckers in my view. Does that make the ones that will come back a bandwagoner? No.

You do realize that is pretty much the definition of being a bandwagon fan right?

Attendance doesn't indicate bandwagon or not. You can still be a fan and pull for your team in good times and bad, watch the game on TV, and only go spend the insane amount of money to be there in person when the actual product on the ice is worthwhile. It's the definition of a discerning consumer.

[team50 20]

Wow. Watching Leafs/Thrashers on Leafs TV. There are numerous empty seats and almost empty sections. Half the crowd are wearing Leaf jerseys. Didn't know Atlanta was that bad.

[kklinder 0]

I became biased against the Islander fans a long time ago when the folks in the cheap seats would seriously try to argue with me (a teenager back then) that Mike Bossy was better than Gretzky. It's one thing to be a fan, another altogether to be...

[ReggieDunlop 3]

"Except from This is HockeyTahn"

Long before Mario Lemieux called Pittsburgh home, hockey players were taking the ice at places like The Schenley Casino, Duquesne Gardens and The Winter Garden. Fans flocked to those venues to see teams like the Yellow Jackets, Hornets and the “other” Pirates play and even got a glimpse of the great Hobey Baker.

Pittsburgh has always been a Hockeytown - even before Detroit decided to call themselves HockeyTown - funny Pittsburgh has sold out I think a 162 consecutive home games and when I watch Detroit place looks empty until Playoffs. When the Pens were finally introduced in 1967 - maybe had an average of 5000 until Mario. Once the Pens finally won their first cup in 91, rinks started to appear in Pittsburgh and kids started to play hockey attendance is finally reached an average of 17000 - that's not bandwagon town by any means - yes somehow we are still in the shadows of the great Steelers - and you can tell the some bandwagoner's by the terrible towels they bring to a hockey game! But the rest of us have always been fans - I remember watching games when they were in Blue when I was a kid - believe it or not you could even smoke in your seats at that time! - Most Pittsburgher's are tough and love to give a little bit of banter to the opposition, but at the same time I've heard pens fans telling out of towners directions to clubs and hotels to have a good time while they're here - -just as long as they are not the fans that carry those big stupid flags! They get those up their ass at the end of the game - get the true meaning of Igloo Club! So for now we are the best fans in my opinion!