Attendance for minor league hockey is "down across most leagues and most of the teams aren’t profitable, leading some to wonder if the minor-league game has lost its way," according to Rebecca Davis O'Brien of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Over the years minor league hockey has become "more polished [and] less pugnacious," as the game is "faster and more artful, which helps attract corporate sponsors and makes the minors a better pipeline to the big leagues." Yet at least 16 teams in the ECHL alone have "folded in the past 10 years due in part to financial difficulties." ECHL Fort Wayne Komets Owner Michael Franke said, "The physicality of the sport is nowhere near what it used to be, and that is something that fans in many markets miss." The ECHL's "average regular-season attendance has declined 20%" from the '96-97 season, from 5,273 to 4,213. Average attendance is also "down each of the past four years." Many argue it is "no coincidence that fighting is also down markedly." In the '95-96 season, ECHL teams "averaged 92 major penalties," but in the '15-16 season, the average was "less than half that amount, 42.5 major penalties." O'Brien: "Blame the National Hockey League for at least some of the changes." While the minors used to be a "home for burnouts and brawlers, they are increasingly used by NHL teams to develop young talent and stash players that might be needed imminently." Since '10, all 30 teams in the AHL have "affiliations with an NHL team, and some share ownership." ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna said, "The style of play changing may turn off some fans, but I think by the same token it opens up a huge potential audience.” O'Brien noted several owners echoed this, saying they were focused on “family-friendly fun" (WSJ.com, 4/5).
