NHL Panthers Owner Vinnie Viola and Vice Chair & Partner Doug Cifu this season are "counting on a team that improved significantly last season to send a stronger message to the fan base about the future and keep ongoing relocation chatter at bay," according to Craig Davis of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. Cifu yesterday said that the team remaining in playoff contention until the last few games of last season and offseason moves, including re-signing veteran RW Jaromir Jagr, has "provided an encouraging boost" to ticket sales. Cifu: “Our renewal rate for season-ticket holders is over 90 percent. We’ll probably end up with close to 2,000 new season-ticket holders for this season, which for us is very substantial.” Davis notes average attendance at home games "plummeted from 14,177" in '13-14 to 11,265 last season, "lowest in the NHL by a considerable margin." But that was "attributed in part to eliminating a long-standing policy of ticket giveaways and deep discounts that was used to boost crowds under previous ownership." Now, the team is "sticking with the consistent pricing structure, and Cifu believes it is driving increased sales, along with the perception that the Panthers are ready to take the next step to the playoffs." Cifu said, “It’s no mystery we’ve had some losses the last couple years. We view it as making an investment in hockey, but also in South Florida. We wouldn’t have done that if we thought we were going to cut and go someplace else." Cifu points to "another example of commitment to the region in the investment Viola and he made in purchasing controlling interest in resurrected Eastern Airlines, based in Miami." The Panthers will "fly this season in a customized Boeing 737-700 operated by Eastern" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 9/17).
CHANGE ON THE FLY: In Miami, George Richards notes the Panthers will take the plane to Nashville for their "preseason opener Saturday afternoon." The Eastern plane is "emblazoned not only with its familiar logo and striping, but also the Panthers’ leaping cat logo on the tail fin as well as on the fuselage." The plane is "equipped with 64 business-class seats, work tables and a training room, enabling players to get their bumps and bruises looked after while in flight." Panthers Exec VP & GM of Hockey Operations Dale Tallon: "It’s going to save on wear and tear on their bodies, and we’ll be able to do rehab right on the plane. It’s an advantage our team will have over others" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/17).
