St. Louis Blues: Is Home Ice Melting Away?

The official proclamation of the Chicago Blackhawks Dynasty with their third Stanley Cup in six years is not a good thing for the St. Louis Blues and their fans at Scottrade.

Just in case you were wondering.

And while the burgeoning Blackhawks bandwagon minions will continue their march across our nation’s highways into the rank-and-file of paid seats in enemy barns, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

My sister and I had an animated discussion about the sea-change taking place not just in our division or even just in the NHL. She was viceroyally offended by the Nashville Predators’ policy requiring multiple-game purchases restricted to certain geographical areas to keep ’Hawks fan numbers to a minimum in their first-round series against the Preds in Nashville.

And, in fact, there were an astonishingly minute number of red-sweatered fans in attendance in those games amidst a sea of gold.

My reaction?

John E. Williams III’s $50 Million Suit Against The NFL

Flashback to January, 2014: As reported widely in the media, San Francisco 49ers fan John E. Williams III, a life-long hardcore fan of the Niners dating back to the John Brodie days of the 1970s, was ecstatic over his team’s long-awaited success in the 2013-14 season. The Niners had advanced to the NFC Conference Championship Game in Seattle against the first-place Seattle Seahawks. The winner would play in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Williams found it particularly vexing that while his residence disqualified him from attending the game, someone living in Canada would be allowed into Century Link field in Seattle, no problem.

Williams, a promoter by profession in the entertainment business, despite his immediate and ardent efforts to secure a ticket, was barred from purchasing a seat for the game by the Seahawks’ and the NFL’s ticket policy, which denied transactions to individuals whose credit cards were from addresses other than from the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, and Alaska.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks fans during the third quarter against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Oddly, the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta were also acceptable addresses. Unlike the NHL, there is not a single Canadian NFL franchise. Williams, a Las Vegas, Nevada resident, had to settle for watching the game on television at home.

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As a result, Williams filed a lawsuit on April 15, 2014 in the U.S. district court of Las Vegas for $50 million against the National Football League and the Seattle Seahawks, alleging “economic discrimination and violation of public accommodation.” He sought $10 million in punitive damages.

Williams argued that because public subsidies and taxpayer funds were instrumental in building NFL stadiums, denying tickets to individuals based on where they reside should be impermissible. His complaint stated that such practices violated the Federal Consumer Fraud Act and common law.

Williams found it particularly vexing that while his residence disqualified him from attending the game, someone living in Canada would be allowed into Century Link field in Seattle, no problem.

At the time, this lawsuit was something I basically supported. Certainly this gentleman was possessed with a desire to watch his favorite team play for the right to go to the Super Bowl on an order of passion and fanaticism at least as great if not greater than many of the Seattle fans who attended the game.

If Mr. Williams was on the phone or online faster than anyone else, and was willing to pay all the extra costs to get to the game that someone local who simply hopped on a bus or on the local highway to get there would not have to pay, in my mind he should be more than entitled to a seat at the game. Even a great seat.

To categorically deny him that right, that opportunity, simply to keep the famous “Twelfth Man” of C-Link field in complete control, just did not seem fair.

But.

What was I picturing? I was picturing a sea of midnight-blue-and-lime-green shirts dotted by the occasional red Niner jersey.

I was absolutely not picturing a stadium filled with so many Niners fans that if the Niners’ Colin Kaepernick threw a touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin and put the Niners on top, the deafening roar would make it sound like Seattle just scored.

Because that, from where I sit, would be a far more obscene miscarriage of fan justice.

The St. Louis Blackhawks

Raise your hand if you have ever been cracking open a beer or fixing a sandwich with the game on—a game at Scottrade—and rushed back into the room thinking, from the tremendous roar of the crowd, that the St. Louis Blues had scored a goal, only to find that the Blackhawks had scored instead.

At Blues’ regular-season home games against the Blackhawks, especially when listening to games on the radio, as I have often done, the mere sound of the crowd is no meaningful signifier as to which team has scored.

Put it this way. If I had a dollar for every time I have heard it, I would have $1,734.

At that point, the reductio ad absurdum has been reached: even if in principle the John E. Williamses of the world are entitled to their seat in an opponent’s barn, when it has been carried all the way to its logical conclusion, the outcome is one which defeats the entire purpose of home ice.

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to this dilemma.

At Blues regular-season home games against the Blackhawks, especially when listening to games on the radio, as I have often done, the mere sound of the crowd is no meaningful signifier as to which team has scored.

This is deeply troubling.

The Blues did indeed implement a policy starting last year in which non-Missouri residents had to purchase tickets for multiple games to be in attendance at the playoff games at Scottrade.

And, while it cut down on the number of adversarial fans, to be sure, there was still a significant Blackhawks contingent in attendance at those games. You could tell the game was being played in St. Louis, but when Chicago scored the vocal out-of-towners made a powerful roar.

Jun 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks fans cheer after a goal by center Antoine Vermette (not pictured) past Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) in the third period game five of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Blues could try to implement some draconian policy, that permitted no more than some given number, say 10%, of ticket sales to non-Missouri residents, much like the Seahawks.

But there are other logistical problems. Game revenues, of course, drive team viability. Without them, the franchise flounders and will fail to secure the capital necessary to promote and conduct the games, meet its obligations, and pay those high salaries to its players.

While the United Center in Chicago holds over 22,000, the Blackhawks have had close to 350 consecutive sellouts there. The Blues, alas, with a far smaller rink, have had trouble selling out, have not consistently sold out over many years now, and arguably would have had reduced sales both last year and this year without those out-of-towners.

What to do?

The Blues’ third consecutive first-round playoff exit, lack of a first-round draft pick this year thanks to the Ryan Miller debacle, the retention of Head Coach Titanic, I mean Ken Hitchcock, and especially if a minimum of core player movement and trades take place in the offseason, surely do not herald sellout numbers for the team in 2015-16.

The Numbers: Then And Now

A report from the NHL.com website carried on the Blackhawks’ website on April 7, 2008, before the Blackhawks era of dominance began, had some interesting numbers. The total attendance at games for the entire NHL in 2007-08 was 21,236,255, with a per-game average of 17,265. These figures were records at that time.

NHL teams enjoyed playing in front of stadiums filled to 93.6% capacity that year over 1,230 games, compared to 91.7% capacity the year before.

In 2007-08 the six Canada-based teams, like the year before, sold every single possible ticket. The Montreal Canadiens led the league in average attendance per game. Of American teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins sold out their entire season for the first time ever, along with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Minnesota Wild. The Wild, hardly a storied franchise then or even now, had enjoyed 318 consecutive sellouts of 18,500 since their entrance in the League. The Buffalo Sabres and the San Jose Sharks were also “virtually sold out.”

The Blues were up 41% in sales that year, and the Blackhawks were up 32%, but still at only 16,814 per game.

Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues fans waive rally towels during the game between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild during the first period in game two of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Fast-forward to 2014. In another report, “Behind the numbers: NHL attendance surpassing NBA” carried by csnchicago.com on January 6, 2014, statistics showed that 15 NHL franchises were operating at 100% capacity or over, whereas only eight NBA teams were in that category.

The Detroit Red Wings led the NHL in 2013-14 with 23,780 per game, at 118.5% capacity, with the Blackhawks second at 21,528 per game and 109.2% capacity. Other teams on the list, in order, included the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, and Winnipeg Jets.

The St. Louis Blues do not appear on this list.

But the whole mojo of home ice is melting away, right before our eyes, and Blues management will have to get creative if they want to prevent those out-of-town crowds from becoming the norm rather than the exception against key division rivals.

And, in an ESPN online compilation, the Blackhawks led NHL regular-season attendance in 2014-15 with 21,769 at 110.4% capacity at home, with Montreal and Detroit at second and third, with 100.1 and 100% respectively. Thirteen clubs operated at 100% capacity or over in 2014-15.

The first thing you may notice is that the overall attendance at NHL home games has slipped from 2013-14. That is probably not good news for anyone, least of all for the Blues, who were at a comparatively dismal 96.8% home capacity in 2014-15.

This capacity figure is lower than Buffalo, lower than Anaheim (a consistently and historically low-volume market, even in the playoffs, especially when these figures are extrapolated to off-site television viewership), lower than Winnipeg, and only slightly above Ottawa. Only nine of the 30 NHL teams have a lower attendance percentage at home.

The trend of home ice support giving way to out-of-towners is only likely to worsen next year. Tom Stillman, Doug Armstrong and Co., by re-upping a coach with one of the worst postseason records and reps in professional sports and not exactly holding a fire sale on their lackluster core players to this point, are in danger of slipping even further into the red if they are not careful.

Apr 24, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock addresses the media after game five of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The Minnesota Wild defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Re-signing emerging superstar Vladimir Tarasenko and promising netminder Jake Allen will surely help fill up those seats with blue jerseys, and the bobblehead and Hall of Fame Plaza Brick promotions the Blues held this past year were good moves to drum up fan attendance and additional revenues.

Oh. So what happened to Mr. Williams’ lawsuit, you ask? According to a staff article by the Seattle Times on November 28, 2014, the NFL argued it had no role in ticket restrictions, and the Seahawks stated they were not under any obligation to make tickets available to anyone. On Halloween, 2014, aptly, the district court agreed, and the case was dismissed.

Williams has appealed.

Let us know your thoughts on home ice, Blues fans!

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