Much of the AHL's yearly revenue comes from tickets and team sponsorshipsGETTY IMAGES
The AHL has "looked at opening the next season in various scenarios, knowing they can't do it without fans in the seats," according to Jim Matheson of the EDMONTON JOURNAL. Outgoing AHL President & CEO Dave Andrews said, "Our revenues come from ticket sales and corporate sponsorships and we don't have the luxury of broadcast revenue to any significant amount. We've got 31 different jurisdictions in our league and they're not all coming back at the same time in terms of mass gatherings (fans in rinks)." Andrews added, "We're developing our schedule for next season (with an October start) but also building models if we start in November, in December, in January" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 5/14).
ALTERNATIVE PLANS: TSN.ca's Frank Seravalli wrote while the NHL "may be willing to play without fans in the building, the AHL simply does not have a viable source of external revenue streams for franchises to operate without the gate produced by ticket sales, concessions, parking and merchandise." Bruins Assistant GM and AHL affiliate Province Bruins GM John Ferguson Jr. "suggested that with Providence located within a two-hour drive of three other AHL clubs in Springfield, Hartford and Bridgeport, a mini-circuit of games or scrimmages could be arranged with limited travel involved and no need for stays in hotels." Since so much of the coronavirus restart plans have been local, Andrews said the league "must be prepared to support an earlier start to the season for some teams," and the league would have to figure out how to conduct "meaningful play" for every team (TSN.ca, 5/12).
