Apparently so...The Nashville Predators are looking to buy unused tickets in an attempt to secure a game attendance average of 14,000. If they hit that number, then they get the maximum allowed share of the NHL's revenue-sharing plan.
Owner David Freeman told Michael Cass in an article in The Tennessean newspaper that they haven't done that yet, but they're really thinking about it.
From the Cass article:
"We've consistently said that we're here to give everything we've got to make this work," Freeman said.
Through 22 home games, the Predators' average paid attendance stands at 13,744, said Ed Lang, president of business operations. That's 256 tickets short of the 14,000 average required for a full share of the NHL revenue-sharing pool.
The team also must increase its revenue at the same rate as the rest of the league to qualify. That means the owners can't just buy up tickets on the cheap to get to the attendance requirement, Freeman said, adding that they would buy them at market rates.
Teams that don't fully meet the criteria can receive partial revenue shares, Lang said. For example, falling just short of one target might mean a 75 percent share. The revenue-sharing plan was worth a full share of about $12 million to the Predators after the 2007-08 season. The plan exists for small-market clubs like Nashville, which receive money from a pool the NHL collects from the 10 highest-earning teams.
Lang declined to discuss the Predators' expected earnings from the revenue-sharing plan, but he and Freeman said the money is key to the organization's business plan.
"It's absolutely critical to us," Freeman said. "We're doing everything we can to grab as many dollars as we can so we can build the best hockey team we can build."
City officials said they weren't concerned about the possibility of the Predators' owners boosting the attendance numbers without actually putting more people in the seats.
"If it's fair to do and it's OK with the league, I don't know why anybody would question it," said Arnett Bodenhamer, who was elected last week as chairman of the Metro Sports Authority, the Predators' landlord at city-owned Sommet Center.
Other than calling frozen shenanigans in order to save your own ass, those of us here at OSG HQ would like to suggest that Mister Freeman either put up or shut up where the franchise is concerned.
If it means selling the other 73-percent share to Jim Balsillie to make the team profitable- and movable- then, so be it. If Balsillie is awarded the 27-percent share from US Bankruptcy court over the "Boots" Del Biaggio fiasco, it should only be a matter of time anyway.
We have always thought that hockey in Nashville is a cool idea- pardon the pun. Barry Trotz has been forced to work financial miracles in trying to turn ice water in to wine. It should serve as a small-market model of success.
And Trotz should be awarded an official order of the Volunteer for all he's done...
But there's only so much bailing of the bath water before you reach the baby...
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