by Daniel Dullum

GLENDALE AZ–The Florida Panthers who last Monday night drew a crowd of only 7,300 fans announced in Miami made national headlines by drawing the smallest crowd in the NHL in recent memory. The announced attendence also included all sold seats and that includes season ticket sales. The crowd of 7.300 fans was estimated to be closer to 4,000 that sounds about right.

There was a certain number of unused seats but with that said that does stick out in an arena like the one in Miami that would seat close to 20,000 for hockey. This is nothing terribly new keep in mind Florida like most of the sun belt there’s pockets of hockey fans but this game is in NASCAR and SCC football country that’s where all the fans are at.

To expect even a three quarters house this early in the season for the Panthers that’s kind of unrealistic. You talk about traditional and non-traditional hockey markets Miami is certainly not one them. It was an expansion team and it was started up with the purpose of creating a network of sorts of American large markets to make it have a television deal that would make it better.

As we know the idea is gradually backfiring, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the other day that the Arizona Coyotes are not going any place. There is no plans for the team to leave Glendale anytime soon. Their going to stay where their at. There’s still rumors that the Coyotes can wind up in Seattle. That’s not going to happen.

The Coyotes and Panthers situatons all kind of ties in together, what this does is if these types of crowds continues in Miami I can’t believe the NHL would stand for that much longer. You’ve got a premimum hockey market in Quebec City with a new arena if it hasn’t opened already it should be ready to go almost anytime. The Panthers certainly could move to Quebec City.

When push comes to shove the NHL Board of Governors they want money and hockey is still a gate driven professional sport you have to have people bucking the turnstiles. What can happen at best the next city that’s ready to go Miami could be headed in that direction. Teams have moved before leaving the cities to pay for an empty arena.

I’m a little older and I remember in the 70s in the city of St.Paul Minnesota they built the original Civic Center specifically for the World Hockey Association Minnesota Fighting Saints and that team folded twice and the city wound up with that arena on it’s lap. It happened before and it could easily happen again.

Daniel Dullum covers the NHL for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

photo credit: google images