An "aggressive season-ticket sales effort since the
spring has boosted" the Capitals' season-ticket base to
10,600 full-season equivalents, more than triple the amount
team Owner Ted Leonsis "inherited" 18 months ago, but the
figure "is still less than" the 12,000 required for an NHL
expansion team, according to Fisher & Fay of the WASHINGTON
TIMES. The Capitals' average attendance of 13,921 is "sixth
worst" in the NHL. Leonsis: "We're not getting the walkup
right now." But Leonsis added, "We remain absolutely
committed to our three-year plan to have at least 12,000
season tickets, a clear path to profitability and a
competitive team in the hunt for deep playoff success each
year that's built primarily through the draft." With no
league expansion fees to share among the owners this year
and a team payroll up 10% to $31M, Leonsis said that the
Capitals "are on track to lose about" $15M this season,
"slightly more than last year." Leonsis: "That's the
situation, but we know it and we've planned for it. A lot
of our expenses this year, such as our new ticketing system,
are one-time deals" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 11/16). Leonsis, on
the team's 3-8-6 start: "No one is happy right now, nobody.
But if your belief in your players is so fragile that a
fifth into the season you throw your hands up, then you're
not a good leader because you didn't have a good belief
system. ... But that's not to say my head is in the sand as
an owner. I'm at every game. I walk around, I talk to
everyone. I send [GM] George [McPhee] the posts from [AOL]
message boards every day. But what leaders have to do is be
consistent and stick to the plan" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/16).
TARGET MARKETING: In other news, Fisher & Fay report
that the team is trying to market itself more in VA. As an
example, two Capitals games broadcast HTS were sponsored
exclusively by Timebridge Technologies Inc., a computer
services firm. Leonsis "helped broker the unusual" deal,
and "more of the same are expected." Leonsis: "It's pretty
simple, really. The people in the stands and watching on TV
are the ones these [tech] companies want to recruit and do
business with" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 11/16).
