The NHL Panthers' attendance and arena lease issues "have raised questions about the franchise’s long-term future in South Florida," according to a front-page piece by Barry Jackson of the MIAMI HERALD. The Panthers this season have "stopped distributing free and discounted tickets to games." Ownership said that while the freebies had "boosted attendance significantly in past years," it also "devalued the product and angered season-ticket holders." Record-low crowds this season come "at the same time the Panthers have asked the Broward County Commission to give them" a $78.4M bailout -- "a break the team says it needs to curtail losses of $100,000 a day." Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief said that the team's lease, which runs for another 14 seasons, "does not include an 'out' clause." But Commissioner Martin Kiar said that the Panthers "could leave at any time if they agree to cover their remaining debt payments," currently $63M. Part of the requested bailout is that the team "be relieved" of the $63M debt. The Panthers also are "seeking relief" from an estimated $8.4M obligation in property insurance and from $7M in payments "expected to be allocated to an arena maintenance fund." While Panthers Vice Chair & Partner Douglas Cifu "is adamant about not moving the team, he declined to comment" on whether he and Owner Vincent Viola "might sell the team -- potentially to an owner who would relocate -- if the commission rejects the bailout" in a vote that might not be taken until next May. County officials estimated that non-hockey events "have netted the Panthers more than" $127.5M in profits over the arena’s first 16 years, and the county "has received less than $400,000 from those events." But the team said that those profits "are not enough to offset the team’s annual losses" (MIAMI HERALD, 10/20).
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NHL PANTHERS' AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE
|
|
SEASON
|
AVERAGE
|
LEAGUE RANK
|
|
'14-15*
|
9,365
|
30th
|
|
'13-14
|
14,177
|
29th
|
|
'12-13
|
16,991
|
22nd
|
|
'11-12
|
16,628
|
21st
|
|
'10-11
|
15,685
|
22nd
|
|
'09-10
|
15,146
|
25th
|
|
'08-09
|
15,621
|
24th
|
|
'07-08
|
15,436
|
25th
|
|
'06-07
|
15,370
|
22nd
|
|
'05-06
|
16,014
|
19th
|
|
'04-05
|
NHL Lockout
|
N/A
|
|
'03-04
|
15,936
|
17th
|
|
|
|
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CHART NOTE: * = Through two home games
EVERYONE LOVES A WINNER: In N.Y., Brett Cyrgalis wrote if Viola and Cifu "are serious about turning the franchise around and not moving them -- which they seem to be -- they have to invest in the team on the ice before seeing any financial return." Otherwise, "no money coming in leads to no money on the ice leads to bad teams on the ice leads to no money coming in." The Islanders "did that dance for a decade and it almost buried them" (NYPOST.com, 10/17).
