The Lost City of Kansas City

To paraphrase Scott Levy: "What about us?? What about Kansas City??"

Lost in all the of the uproar of Winnipeg and Quebec City being the destination for the next team on the move in the NHL is Kansas City, Missouri. While the Sprint Center laying in the downtown core collecting dust when it's not arena football season, that city could be a solid location for a NHL team to come and enjoy the state of the art arena and in a city that has a somewhat solid location and is readily recognizable to the casual person.

Granted, the thought of this situation not being any better than the situation a team could be coming out of, as well as the rampant fan-base not being as on top of things like the Canadian counterparts, but it's just odd how they were very high in the bidding when it came to Nashville, Pittsburgh, recently with the Islanders, and mentioned when the Phoenix Coyotes' thing was still new; but now-- they've gone silent. There really hasn't had been much, if any, talk from Paul McGannon and his NHL 21 contingency about the recent developments on the relocating franchises.

Yet, it falls back on whether placing a team in another market that doesn't have the hockey heat as a Canadian site or another US market will always be one that looms over the Kansas City bid, though McGannon and his team are passionate in getting a team into the Sprint Center. Granted, it's an area that's close to the area airport (15 miles) has five Interstate and three US highways going into town, and is 31st in media according to Nielsen ratings system. More over, there's a lot of corporate backing possibilities with it being the home city of not only Sprint, but H&R Block, Applebee's Russell Stover's Candies, and Hallmark-- so it won't be without takers in terms of getting some kind of backing to the team. But...does that mean it'll bring in the people.

Even so, will the people show up for a hockey team in the area?? Sure, the corporations will be there, but is the area hot enough for hockey?? They'll have to deal with the Chiefs during the fall months, but is there a lack of interest in the Royals or college teams for people to clamor to the rink for a game?? That will be the biggest concern, even if there weren't other suitors for relocation. The CHL's Missouri Mavericks, who play in Independence, Missouri-- 13 miles East of downtown KC-- do have a decent amount of heat, as they are 2nd in the CHL in average attendance with 5,406 in a 5,760 venue. However, the ticket prices is drastically less in the CHL than in the NHL, which could be a deterrent to some hockey fans who follow the Mavericks. Then it boils down to is risk worth the reward??

I'm not saying that the Kansas City relocation play is good idea over Winnipeg or Quebec City; but I'm saying it's another alternative if a team doesn't want to move into Canada. They have the building, they could have the backing, but whether the fans will show up is the big unknown and in the end-- could be the deal-breaker should KC be in the fight for relocation. It's just amazing how they have really fallen off the radar in all of this mess.

Rubles Doesn't Provide Championships

The big thing about the summer was that many NHLers who were in the twilight of their careers were making a defection to the KHL, primarily SKA St. Petersburg. The likes of Maxim Afinogenov, Denis Grebeshkov, Petr Prucha, Sergei Zubov, and Alexei Yashin were on the roster. Even Evgeni Nabokov tried his hand at it.....but then left after it wasn't for him.

Yet, with all the big names out there-- much like Ak Bars Kazan in the 2004-05 season-- they still weren't able to get to their championship for the season; which shows how little marquee names matter in any game, much less the Russian KHL.

Yet, while in the North American game, the lean is more towards getting the Stanley Cup when acquiring elite players; is that the motive for those in the KHL?? When you look at it all, while teams do want to provide a core that'll win games and get the ultimate championship-- it almost seems like getting these players are more of a way to attract the fans into the building. Let's not kid ourselves, the fact is that there are many KHL teams who are in financial peril, mostly because they're paying out to get these recognizable names the fans would want to come out and see.

So, it begs the question on what is the best way to go about things and what values the fans hold?? Obviously, the one market in the NHL has a salary cap; but beforehand, you saw teams like the New York Rangers swooping up free agents because they thought it could give them a chance to win the Stanley Cup and give themselves a name recognition to get fans talking about the team and get a buzz surrounding them. In the end, however, the Rangers always boomed out-- but they got the attention needed and got the people coming in. This almost seems like the way some KHL teams have been going-- get the names in, the people will show up, who cares if you win a title, so long as you make a profit.

But how long are fans able to take it?? I'm sure the tolerance in Russia could be a little bit more, but in the end-- fans are fans and as much as they would love to have the best players for their team; if they aren't winning against teams who don't have as much star power, but are playing like a team-- you'll want to have the front office shift in dynamics; or you'd think, of course.

In the end, it's all about what makes the most sense, and in a time where the KHL has seen teams have to fold up because the ends don't meet, whatever gets people out there to the rink will be the bottom line and if it's bringing back recognizable names just for the sake of it and not to really go out there to take the title-- then that's what's it has to be. It may not be right for most people, but if it's right for the team....that's all that matters.

Infomercials Tactics for the Panthers

Today, the Florida Panthers posted a release on their website that the best party in South Florida is, in fact, a Panthers home game-- which has earned "rave reviews" in the first three games of the season; which includes attendances over 15,000 on two Saturday wins including a sell out for the opener. After a small synopsis, the Panthers put out commentary from ticket holders about their experiences at the BankAtlantic Center.

There's a couple interesting things about this whole PR move. First, the Panthers are averaging 14,563, which is 23rd in the league with Carolina not having a home game yet (though it happens tonight). The BAC holds 19,250, which doesn't include what they have tarped off for Party City ads and to not have as many empty seats there. Second, you're going to sell out on opening night in most instances, so it's should come as a surprise. Third, you have played three home games and to tout something big like that is as silly as people getting crazy over their team being top in the conference after six or so games.

What really bothers me, though, is just the testimonials that they have on their release. It's something that I'd expect if they were hawking Sham-Wows or any other product you see at 3:45 AM on a cable channel that doesn't want to replay anymore of their craptastic shows. While I get the idea they're trying to sell the actual part of going to the game to the people who look at the website and don't attend the games, but it seems like a tacky way to go about-- especially on the official site of the team. Odds are, the demographic that is visiting the site are the ones in the seats.

If they were to do this release and have it widespread into the mainstream media, it'd be a better looking thing for them and it's something that could get a buzz going for the team. However, with the Panthers playing head-to-head against the Miami Heat and the trio of terror they signed this summer-- they're going to get lost in the sports pages because they don't have that kind of allure. If you're going to throw out Tomas Vokoun, Bryan McCabe, and Rostislav Olesz against Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh....the Heat win out, even without Bosh.

You have to like the effort the Panthers trying to do anything through any means in order to get people constantly in the seats, but it seems a bit hacky to do it after three games and within the team website. Especially with the quotes, it's a desperate move by a desperate team. If anything, the Panthers are probably as bad or worse than the Phoenix Coyotes and could be the next team with the heat on them to move if they can't improve their appeal. The appeal is winning and the Panthers have missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons, which won't bode well for the box office. It'll take more than quotes (which I find suspect anyway) to sway some people to spend their money watching a mediocre hockey club. It takes results-- and the Panthers don't have that now.

Friday Five: When Fans Get Attacked

It's time for the F5, where I question some of the week's happenings and then answer them and then huzzah-- filler blog post. And there's been plenty to talk about, or at least on one topic.

1. So....Rick Rypien, huh??

I haven't talked much on it, because....well, everyone more greater than me have already tackled it. In the end, all sides are stupid: Rypien for actually going after the fan; the fan for actually saying something while that close to the guy and then going the legal action route in order to milk the 15 minutes; and the NHL for not doing enough to send a message to the other players for it all. It's a bad situation all the way around and no one looks good.

2. With the smallish suspension, does this really stop any players from going off the hook??

In the end, I don't believe it will happen again for the short-term, but it's not a complete deterrent and it shouldn't be. If they did something heavier, it would show that, yes, the NHL is doing something to send a message; but it would give the fans the wrong message that they are infallible and can do anything and feel safe. The fans need to use their own discretion and actually not think they are innocent in this whole ordeal. While these guys should be professional, the fans should put themselves in their shoes and wonder how they would react in the same situations.

3. There has been sub-10,000 crowds in Columbus, Atlanta, and Phoenix this week. There's some people tired of harping over the situation, are you??

At least that's less for players to attack. But seriously, I'm not done harping because it is news. It's not new, though-- but it's something to talk and something that needs to be talked about. The fans of those teams hate it because they know how they are going to be roasted, but if they don't show up; they deserve to be roasted. While it's not the fans fault wholly, the team should see this and adjust their marketing and sales process accordingly. However, it's the fans who are going to have to buy into what's being sold and if not-- they have no right to bitch and complain if they were to move.

4. Big talk was Rick DiPietro's pink pads for "Hockey Fights Cancer" month, though he didn't use them yet. Can we look forward to see other gear going into the pink form to follow what the NFL does??

We've seen the pink sticks over the years with guys like Rick Nash, Henrik Lundqvist, and the rest of the TPS Hockey roster; but outside of that, I don't think we'll see much equipment being pink, aside from laces. You'll see a lot of major junior teams and minor league teams do a special jersey night were the teams will wear special pink uniforms on the ice and auction them off. While it'd be something to see the pink gloves and all of that, it's something that doesn't need to be done. You can wear whatever to create the awareness, but if you don't actually donate (either time or money)-- it's meaningless.

5. Apparently, the Edmonton Oilers are going to be the first Canadian team to have cheerleaders. Huh??

Well, are cheerleaders and ice girls different, because the Flames have their own ice girls already. In any case, the ladies and some of the hardcore fans will complain about this not being a part of the game and it needs to be taken out-- but it's not something bad about it. The game should be an event, especially for all the money you're paying for the game. If they aren't distracting the game-play, then I don't see an issue with it. It's a bit better than watching the players stand at the bench during a TV stoppage.

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That's another week......huzzah. If you want to chime in with a topic, email me at Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com for your question/topic/ranting. If you don't and you hate this-- then change it, dummies-- be dialin'!!