Lightning Owner Jeff Vinik on Thursday said the team finished last season at a "roughly break even point." Vinik "wouldn't say how the year compared to others." In Tampa, Ashley Kritzer writes the team was "on the brink of insolvency" when Vinik bought it in '10. Breaking even is a "watershed moment for the Lightning, validating Tampa Bay as a viable hockey market." There were "fewer than 4,000 season ticket holders when Vinik bought the team; this season, there are 14,600" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/14).
SLOW START: In Ottawa, Wayne Scanlan notes the Senators drew a "mediocre" opening night crowd of 17,618 on Wednesday against the Maple Leafs. Some fans get "annoyed at all the Leaf fans in the building," but "not selling out the opener when the club has had six months to move the tickets suggests fan malaise over the past few mediocre seasons." Scanlan: "Especially disappointing is the lack of excitement around a team that has [D Erik Karlsson], one of the most exciting players in the world" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 10/14).
KNIGHT MOVE: In Las Vegas, Steve Carp notes NHL team Owner Bill Foley has had "informal conversations" with Army AD Boo Corrigan about the expansion club playing a preseason game at the academy's Tate Rink. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that the league "has no problem if Las Vegas wanted to play a preseason game at West Point." The Panthers last week played the Devils at Tate Rink, which seats 2,648 (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/14).
HOME BASE: The Coyotes on Thursday announced the team will build a new outdoor hockey rink at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale. The target date for completion of the rink is January 1, 2017. The cost of the project is $200,000 (Coyotes).
