NHL Kings' Solid On-Ice Performance Not Generating Buzz In L.A.

Robitaille Says There Are Subtle Signs Kings Are Catching On In L.A. Market

The NHL Kings through Thursday are 25-16-3 and in eighth place in the Western Conference, but the question is “whether anyone cares,” according to Billy Witz of the N.Y. TIMES. Years of “losing and mismanagement and the lockout of 2004-5 have dented the fan base, but there are others who have lost interest, too.” The L.A. Times, “until recently, rarely traveled with the team, a circumstance that prompted the Kings" to hire former L.A. Daily News reporter Rich Hammond as a blogger to follow the club for its Web site. Kings games often consist of a “single newspaper reporter, a handful of bloggers and, once in a great while, a television crew.” Local ratings are “down 21[%] from a year ago at the same time, to 17,000 households per game.” Kings LW Ryan Smyth said, “It’s not a hockey market, for sure.” However, Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille said that there were “subtle signs that the Kings were catching on.” Attendance at Staples Center is “up slightly from last season,” despite ranking only 19th in the 30-team NHL. Also, the team is “distributing 35[%] fewer free tickets than it did a year ago, and has sold 1,000 more season tickets than a year ago.” Robitaille: “People says it’s a basketball town, but if it was, more people would go see the Clippers. It’s about winning” (N.Y. TIMES, 1/8)