OT: Malloy Talks NHL, New Arena

[EdgewoodNHV]

You need affluent people to have professional sports. NHL ticket prices are 50%+ higher than UConn basketvall and there are more than 100% more games a season.

I don't care why demographic has the disposable income but you need a hell of a lot more of these people before major league professional sports are back on the table here.

The point is that weather has nothing to do with it. Other northeastern cities are doing fine. The reason Hartford lacks the demographics to support a professional team like Boston or Philly has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the size, proximity to other, larger cities, etc.

 

[Waquoit]

The point is that weather has nothing to do with it. Other northeastern cities are doing fine. The reason Hartford lacks the demographics to support a professional team like Boston or Philly has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the size, proximity to other, larger cities, etc.

I was a season ticket holder and I know the ship has sailed. The Whale is never coming back. They had a shot to make it in a Packers kind of way. But once they left they weren't coming back.

 

[The Viking]

1) Here is Pittsburgh's attendance by year.

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=7475

There are two years where they had attendance under 10,000 (82/83 and 83/84). They've been between 15,000-18,500 since 1986. So, your Pittsburgh point is simply inaccurate.

2) I jump in on it because there is a silly, romantic idea that Hartford was a good NHL city and deserves another team.....and they simply don't. Shoot. I went to UConn/Maine on a Friday night and there were 9,600 people. You think people are coming out to see the Whalers/Nashville on a cold Tuesday night? Laughable.

You are missing my point.
Before Mario came to town they had not topped 11.5k per year and in two years they put up 6 and 8k averages (your hatred for hartford as an nhl market would be off the charts if we did that. )
On the flip side despite only having two or three good seasons out of 18, hartford topped 11.5 k average 13 times.
Tell me what does a good nhl city have to do to show it deserves an nhl team as poorly run as the whale.. Sellout very game?
Also, just curious if you are a fan of some other team becaus you sure as hell like to jump to the front of the line bashing hartford as an nhl market

 

[Deepster]

On the flip side despite only having two or three good seasons out of 18, hartford topped 11.5 k average 13 times.
Tell me what does a good nhl city have to do to show it deserves an nhl team as poorly run as the whale.. Sellout very game?

I'm not sure why you think 11,500 a game is good? It's not. In 1983/84 it was the 3rd worst attendance in the NHL. That's 2/3rds capacity in the Civic Center at that time. And what you need to realize is that was an AVERAGE. They got a full house when Gretzky came to town or 7,000 Bruin fans would drive down the Mass Pike. Night in and night out, this state did not support their hockey team. Deal with it.

Also, just curious if you are a fan of some other team becaus you sure as hell like to jump to the front of the line bashing hartford as an nhl market

Nope. I stopped following hockey when the Whalers left. I loved following them....but I'm not a moron and realize why they're gone and why a new team simply could not be supported here.

 

[whaler11]

The point is that weather has nothing to do with it. Other northeastern cities are doing fine. The reason Hartford lacks the demographics to support a professional team like Boston or Philly has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the size, proximity to other, larger cities, etc.

Like I said I disagree. There are a lot of people in the demographic you'd want who have moved to Raleigh, Austin, Charlotte, Atlanta and Florida at least partially if not mostly because of weather.

The upper middle class that has departed has not been replaced by people with similar disposable income.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Like I said I disagree. There are a lot of people in the demographic you'd want who have moved to Raleigh, Austin, Charlotte, Atlanta and Florida at least partially if not mostly because of weather.

The upper middle class that has departed has not been replaced by people with similar disposable income.

Those are not comparable cities. Raleigh, the smallest city you listed, is still 3 times bigger than Hartford. The others are even bigger. You can't expect a place like Hartford to compete with cities like Atlanta and Austin. Small cities will always be at a huge disadvantage.

The question is, are there other successful cities the size of Hartford and how can Hartford emulate them?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Like I said I disagree. There are a lot of people in the demographic you'd want who have moved to Raleigh, Austin, Charlotte, Atlanta and Florida at least partially if not mostly because of weather.

The upper middle class that has departed has not been replaced by people with similar disposable income.

I'd be curious to see some hard numbers to back up any of what you're saying because, frankly, I think you're confusing anecdotal evidence for hard data.

 

[Husky25]

Like I said I disagree. There are a lot of people in the demographic you'd want who have moved to Raleigh, Austin, Charlotte, Atlanta and Florida at least partially if not mostly because of weather.

The upper middle class that has departed has not been replaced by people with similar disposable income.

That is just a given. The Upper middle class is replaced by college graduates, who certainly do not turn their tassels and automatically have cash to burn, whether they have a job or not out of college.

 

[whaler11]

That is just a given. The Upper middle class is replaced by college graduates, who certainly do not turn their tassels and automatically have cash to burn, whether they have a job or not out of college.

In Connecticut the upper middle class isn't replaced by college grads. That would be a good thing.

 

[whaler11]

I'd be curious to see some hard numbers to back up any of what you're saying because, frankly, I think you're confusing anecdotal evidence for hard data.

I am using a good amount of anecdotal evidence from being born in Hartford, working in Hartford and living in and around Hartford for 40 years.

There is plenty of economic data available. There is plenty of demographic data available too - who is Connecticut's congressman from the 6th district these days for example?

 

[The Viking]

I'm not sure why you think 11,500 a game is good? It's not. In 1983/84 it was the 3rd worst attendance in the NHL. That's 2/3rds capacity in the Civic Center at that time. And what you need to realize is that was an AVERAGE. They got a full house when Gretzky came to town or 7,000 Bruin fans would drive down the Mass Pike. Night in and night out, this state did not support their hockey team. Deal with it.



Nope. I stopped following hockey when the Whalers left. I loved following them....but I'm not a moron and realize why they're gone and why a new team simply could not be supported here.

One last time, I'm saying that until Pittsburgh had Mario and soon after excellent hockey teams, their NHL market SUCKED - they were WORSE than Hartford.
Hartford never got the chance Pittsburgh did. According to you though they don't need to becuase unless you sellout your building 90-100% capacity year in and year out for a s h * tty ass product, than you aren't deserving of said product.
Comical mindset, but you're not the only one. Just the most obnoxious about it.

 

[Deepster]

One last time, I'm saying that until Pittsburgh had Mario and soon after excellent hockey teams, their NHL market SUCKED - they were WORSE than Hartford.
Hartford never got the chance Pittsburgh did. According to you though they don't need to becuase unless you sellout your building 90-100% capacity year in and year out for a s h tty ass product, than you aren't deserving of said product.
Comical mindset, but you're not the only one. Just the most obnoxious about it.

I don't know what your insistence on using Pittsburgh from the early 80's as an example has to do with me saying Hartford is a terrible sports town and that it can't support an NHL team. I agree. Pittsburgh was a bad hockey town at one point. They also have an MLB and NFL franchise there. Hartford is, always has been and always will be a minor league town.

I never said you have to sell out your building. Towards the end of the Whalers stay here, they were the 2nd or 3rd worst team in attendance in the NHL. That's. Not. Enough

 

[sledog]

Another ploy by the Democrats to spend $$ they don't have. I heard many talking about LEAVING CT due to the tax burden. So where are these millions of fans necessary for a fan base? When ObamaCare Really hits in 2014, that last piece of discretionary spending will evaporate. If this gets any legs at all, don't hang near the CC during a big snow storm.