Wrapup/Upwrap: Your Nightly Attendance Nonsense

Here at Puck the Media, we know that every web-savvy hockey fan loves to obsess over the attendance of every Southeast American team.  So we decided our daily NHL Wrap-up/Preview feature would combine the basic stats with a look back on the night’s “asses-in-the-seats” stats, plus predictions for the day to come.  Enjoy.

 

Last Night 

New Jersey – 1
Atlanta – 0  
Game Winner: Brian Rolston 
Announced Attendance: 11,293 
Looked Like: 5,000 
Notes: Devils TV analyst Glenn “Chico” Resch called it the smallest crowd he’d ever seen to start a hockey game.  This is a man who played for the Devils.  In the 80’s!  

Washington – 4
Pittsburgh – 3
Game Winner: Boyd Gordon
Announced Attendance: 17,030  
Looked Like: About That.
Notes: Pittsburgh sells out the normal seats, but interestingly doesn’t sell all of their “Standing Room Only” spots for the Crosby-Ovechkin battle.

NY Islanders – 4
Tampa Bay – 3
Announced Attendance: 14,420 
Looked Like: About 12,000
Notes: Call it an effect of this new-fangled baseball team that’s all of a sudden shown up in Tampa, call it the effect of the Lightning already not living up to the hype.  New York teams are usually an easy sellout for Floridian clubs. 

Minnesota – 6
Florida – 2
Announced Attendance: 12,106
Looked Like: 9-10,000
Notes: Congratulations West Coast hockey fans, you got your “Every Team MUST Play Each Other” edict handed down by Bettman and Co. and this is what you’re going to get all season: Dead crowds in Eastern markets for teams like Minnesota, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

Vancouver – 4
Detroit – 3
Announced Attendance: 19,011
Looked Like: 16-17,000 
Notes: Eep.  The economy is clearly affecting the chances of the Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings drawing too many sellouts this season.  
 

Dallas – 1
St. Louis – 6 
Announced Attendance: 18,550 
Looked Like: 17,000
Notes: A clear sign that the “Name Your Price” deal for the Blues has worked, coming 600 seats short of a sellout on a Tuesday night for any team that has missed the playoffs every year since the lockout is miraculous. 
 
Philadelphia – 2
Colorado – 5
Announced Attendance: 18,007
Looked Like: About 17,000 
Notes: Fans in Denver love a high-profile matchup regardless of what the Avs are doing, and this sellout for the only Avs-Flyers meeting of the season proves it.

Tonight’s Games

Phoenix vs. Ottawa
Likely Attendance: 19,000.
Why: Ottawa fans tend to be pretty fickle as far as buying tickets to certain matchups go.  It’ll be interesting to see how they react to the young Phoenix Coyotes, while being coached by Wayne Gretzky, have few established name players.

Toronto vs. NY Rangers
Likely Attendance: 18,200
Why: Because they’re the Rangers, and they always sell out.  Also, Toronto ex-pats love to come see their team on the road.

Nashville vs. Columbus 
Likely Attendance: 18,136
Why: Columbus is one of the final teams to open their home schedule, and a Friday night vs. a division rival likely guarantees a full house.

Vancouver vs. Buffalo 
Likely Attendance: 18,690
Why: The buzz is likely just starting to build in hockey mad Buffalo, curious about what to make of a currently undefeated Sabre team.

Edmonton vs. Calgary 
Likely Attendance: 19,289
Why: Uh, maybe Battle of Alberta?

San Jose vs. Anaheim 
Likely Attendance: 17,174
Why: The Ducks ended their sellout streak by coming 1,000 short against Edmonton Wednesday.  Expect them to start a new run with a California rival coming in on a Friday night.

Carolina vs. Los Angeles 
Likely Attendance: 14,500 
Why: The Canes aren’t much of a draw out on the West Coast, and with the Kings not expected to draw more than flies this season, this could be a pretty empty one. 

Reminder: Puck the Media Officially Launches Monday at 1:00 PM, with a Livechat on the State of the NHL on TV.  Please join us, and shoot Steve Lepore an E-mail at SMLepore@comcast.net for any questions, comments and tips.