Post by mikecubs on Aug 7, 2015 19:59:16 GMT -6
Jim Lites: Dallas Stars already 80,000 tickets ahead of last season’s pace
Compared to this time last season, the Stars have sold about 80,000 more tickets when figured on a one fan per game basis, according to Stars president Jim Lites
Spread out over 42 home games, that comes out to 1,904 seats per game.
Now, that doesn’t mean the team will see its average attendance soar to 2,000 above the 17,350 it averaged last season _ the place only holds 18,532 _ or that they will sell out 100 percent this season. But it does mean the demand for tickets is noticeably increased and the popularity of the team could be on the cusp of something fairly big.
“Jim Nill and his group have worked hard to put together an exciting product, and I think that’s being reflected in the numbers,” Lites said.
While the Stars (41-31-10) finished 10th in the Western Conference last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth time in the past seven seasons, they have had what many are describing as a great off-season. They made an attempt to fix their goaltending by signing Antti Niemi to a three-year contract and hiring Jeff Reese as their new goaltending coach. They boosted their top six forward depth by trading for Patrick Sharp. They have tried to add more defensive play to their defense by signing free agent Johnny Oduya and trading for young blueliner Stephen Johns.
When you mix that with the expected return to health for Valeri Nichushkin and Patrick Nemeth (who each missed most of last season with injuries), there’s a lot to like on paper about this team.
And that sells.
“I think star power sells, and we have that,” Lites said. “Jamie Benn won the Art Ross, Tyler Seguin was right there. Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp are legitimate stars in this league. All of that helps sell. But I think what people really are excited about is the fact Jim Nill addressed our concerns and he made our team better. That’s where the buzz is coming from.”
It won’t be easy to win in the tough West, where eighth place last season was 97 points. Calgary is better, Edmonton is better, Los Angeles is hungry to return to the playoffs, the Stars also want to get in the top eight _ it will be a dogfight. But that competition could also make the games very entertaining.
For all of their problems last season, the Stars had some exciting games. They ranked second in the NHL in goal scoring at 3.13 per game and were tied for 26th in goals against at 3.13 goals per game. That led to a lot of third period tension. There’s a very good chance the team could be the most explosive offensively and could improve its numbers defensively, and that could make for some fun nights at American Airlines Center.
“I think historically people like scoring, it makes the game more fun,” Lites said. “But I think, first and foremost, they like winning.”
Dallas back in the heyday of the 1999 Stanley Cup was among the most stingy teams in the league and could slow a game way down when needed, but it also had an incredible following and a long sellout streak. So winning is key. Lites also said that fan confidence is a significant factor.
He said fighting back from a bank-owned bankruptcy to strong ownership under Tom Gaglardi has changed the environment that the sales staff is working in. But it has been a hard climb. Two seasons ago, the Stars averaged 14,658 fans, 28th in the league.
“I think when fans hear a word like `bankruptcy,’ it does affect them,” Lites said. “I think there were some people who wondered if we were still going to be here. You can tell them that we’re not leaving, but it is a concern for them, and it does affect the overall feeling about the team.”
Of course, so does apathy. It just wasn’t worth it for fans to invest their money or emotions when the outlook wasn’t great. With Gaglardi digging in his roots by buying the Texas Stars last season, the outlook is much better.
“It all starts with Tom and the confidence he has in the market,” Lites said. “He’s invested in the infrastructure, he’s invested in management, he’s invested in the players. People can see that, and it gets them excited.”
The Stars on Monday will open up sales on single game tickets, and Lites expects the demand to be intense. That’s one of the benefits of creating a buzz.
“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “There is a lot of optimism surrounding the team right now, and it’s taken some time to get here. I think everyone is really looking forward to this being an exciting season.”
starsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/jim-lites-stars-are-already-80000-tickets-ahead-of-their-sales-pace-from-last-season.html/
Compared to this time last season, the Stars have sold about 80,000 more tickets when figured on a one fan per game basis, according to Stars president Jim Lites
Spread out over 42 home games, that comes out to 1,904 seats per game.
Now, that doesn’t mean the team will see its average attendance soar to 2,000 above the 17,350 it averaged last season _ the place only holds 18,532 _ or that they will sell out 100 percent this season. But it does mean the demand for tickets is noticeably increased and the popularity of the team could be on the cusp of something fairly big.
“Jim Nill and his group have worked hard to put together an exciting product, and I think that’s being reflected in the numbers,” Lites said.
While the Stars (41-31-10) finished 10th in the Western Conference last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth time in the past seven seasons, they have had what many are describing as a great off-season. They made an attempt to fix their goaltending by signing Antti Niemi to a three-year contract and hiring Jeff Reese as their new goaltending coach. They boosted their top six forward depth by trading for Patrick Sharp. They have tried to add more defensive play to their defense by signing free agent Johnny Oduya and trading for young blueliner Stephen Johns.
When you mix that with the expected return to health for Valeri Nichushkin and Patrick Nemeth (who each missed most of last season with injuries), there’s a lot to like on paper about this team.
And that sells.
“I think star power sells, and we have that,” Lites said. “Jamie Benn won the Art Ross, Tyler Seguin was right there. Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp are legitimate stars in this league. All of that helps sell. But I think what people really are excited about is the fact Jim Nill addressed our concerns and he made our team better. That’s where the buzz is coming from.”
It won’t be easy to win in the tough West, where eighth place last season was 97 points. Calgary is better, Edmonton is better, Los Angeles is hungry to return to the playoffs, the Stars also want to get in the top eight _ it will be a dogfight. But that competition could also make the games very entertaining.
For all of their problems last season, the Stars had some exciting games. They ranked second in the NHL in goal scoring at 3.13 per game and were tied for 26th in goals against at 3.13 goals per game. That led to a lot of third period tension. There’s a very good chance the team could be the most explosive offensively and could improve its numbers defensively, and that could make for some fun nights at American Airlines Center.
“I think historically people like scoring, it makes the game more fun,” Lites said. “But I think, first and foremost, they like winning.”
Dallas back in the heyday of the 1999 Stanley Cup was among the most stingy teams in the league and could slow a game way down when needed, but it also had an incredible following and a long sellout streak. So winning is key. Lites also said that fan confidence is a significant factor.
He said fighting back from a bank-owned bankruptcy to strong ownership under Tom Gaglardi has changed the environment that the sales staff is working in. But it has been a hard climb. Two seasons ago, the Stars averaged 14,658 fans, 28th in the league.
“I think when fans hear a word like `bankruptcy,’ it does affect them,” Lites said. “I think there were some people who wondered if we were still going to be here. You can tell them that we’re not leaving, but it is a concern for them, and it does affect the overall feeling about the team.”
Of course, so does apathy. It just wasn’t worth it for fans to invest their money or emotions when the outlook wasn’t great. With Gaglardi digging in his roots by buying the Texas Stars last season, the outlook is much better.
“It all starts with Tom and the confidence he has in the market,” Lites said. “He’s invested in the infrastructure, he’s invested in management, he’s invested in the players. People can see that, and it gets them excited.”
The Stars on Monday will open up sales on single game tickets, and Lites expects the demand to be intense. That’s one of the benefits of creating a buzz.
“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “There is a lot of optimism surrounding the team right now, and it’s taken some time to get here. I think everyone is really looking forward to this being an exciting season.”
starsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/jim-lites-stars-are-already-80000-tickets-ahead-of-their-sales-pace-from-last-season.html/
