Leonsis Sees Trade For Jagr As Big Business Opportunity

	The Capitals First True Celebrity

The Capitals' trade for RW Jaromir Jagr yesterday has given "new luster and marketing opportunities" to an organization "trying to lure fans" to the MCI Center, according to Jason La Canfora of the WASHINGTON POST. Leonsis: "I hope this knocks the chip off people's shoulders in Washington and they come out and buy tickets. Now's the time to prove this is a hockey town, that it loves sports, and we're as good a team as any others." While Leonsis said that the team lost about $20M last season despite increasing average attendance 7.3% to over 15,000 per game, La Canfora reports the trade for Jagr will cost Leonsis an additional $25M, "increasing a payroll that was already among the top 10 in the league." Leonsis: "I do think these things are smart business moves. We'll sell more tickets and we'll sell more (corporate) sponsorships. But we did this primarily because we want to win" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/12). Capitals President Dick Patrick: "A cheer went up from the sales staff when this came over their laptops and the phones have been ringing ever since" (USA TODAY, 7/12). In DC, Eric Fisher reports the Capitals sold over 150 season tickets by 5:30pm ET yesterday and adds the trade "should go a long way" toward Leonsis meeting his short-term goal of 12,000 season tickets — the number required for any NHL expansion team. The Capitals sold about 11,000 by the end of last season (WASHINGTON TIMES, 7/12).

Print This Article