The state of the NHL is examined by Kevin Paul DuPont
of the BOSTON GLOBE in his "On Hockey" column. DuPont:
"Isn't this what we wanted all along, hockey imitating the
rest of the world, everybody talking money, really obscene
money, players sitting out all over the place because their
piece of the apple pie isn't oozing with more millions than
they can spend in a lifetime? Well, it's here, folks, and
it's only getting worse. By the hour." DuPont chronicles
Paul Kariya's holdout from the Mighty Ducks, the offseason
contract for the Avalanches' Joe Sakic and the impending
free agency for some of the game's top players. DuPont:
"Ultimately, there is only one measure of the market, and
that's if the fans continue to pay the ticket prices that
support these salaries" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/30).
IN THE HUB: Using the Bruins as an example, DuPont
notes that through four games, the team has averaged 13,635
at the FleetCenter, a "shortfall" of capacity by 20%. But
"more disturbing ... is the no-show factor in the lower
bowl." While Boston "has had among the most fertile fan
bases in the NHL ... those days are gone, and those empty
seats tell us they're gone for good. There is no chance of
ticket prices falling. None. Not here. Not anywhere. Not
when the likes of Kariya can't be satisfied with $7 million.
Not when it will take $10 million or better to bring in
[Eric] Lindros next time. The players fault? Management's
fault? The blame game is pointless. It's reality that
counts, and empty seats equal reality. When Boston is
working with a 20 percent vacancy factor, that should send a
clear, undeniable message to everyone in the equation --
management, agents, and [NHLPA] -- that the guy on the
street just can't pay it anymore" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/30).
