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Hurricanes' Ownership Uncertainty Reflected In Attendance Woes, Declining Revenue

The Hurricanes' attendance struggles "are giving new life to questions about the viability" of pro hockey in Raleigh, according to David Bracken of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. The team is "last in attendance in the NHL, averaging just 11,516 fans a game through 26 home games this season." Additionally, the number of season-ticket holders "has fallen for six straight years and is now 7,000, down from a peak of 11,000" for the '06-07 season following their Stanley Cup win in '06. Last weekend’s 10th anniversary celebration of the Cup-winning team "wasn’t enough to fill the PNC Arena." Hurricanes President Don Waddell: "We have to make ourselves part of this community again. I think there’s been a little separation the last few years." Bracken noted team Owner Peter Karmanos Jr., has "made his intentions public" that he "seeks to sell all or part of the team." But "no buyer has come forward." The team lost $11.7M last season, and much of its financial problems "can be attributed to the team’s poor play on the ice." Waddell attributes much of the recent decline in attendance "to the team’s strategy, adopted last season, of reducing the number of complimentary and discounted tickets." The move is an "attempt to place more of a premium on season tickets." That strategy has "clearly become a problem" for the team. PNC Arena, "once considered the loudest building in the league, has become eerily quiet on some nights with the arena often about half full." But improving the atmosphere in PNC Arena "won’t remove the uncertainty that will surround the team until a new owner is found." Waddell is "adamant that the Canes are not in danger of being bought and relocated." Former team President Jim Cain said that he "expects fan and corporate support will return once the ownership issue is settled." He said, “We know we’re going to have to have an out-of-town owner and people are afraid of that. The fans are nervous about that. But it can work" (NEWSOBSERVER.com, 2/13).

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