How many people in Texas really care about hockey?

Do people in Texas really care about hockey?

First, let me say that I know there are hockey fans in Texas.  There are those that are passionate about the game.  Those that read this post on SportDFW most likely are hockey fans who follow the Stars and the NHL.  I’m sure there are several people who read this who are just casual hockey fans or who are just looking around on the site and that’s great.

Hockey isn’t one of the most popular sports in the country today, especially since the lockout wiped out the entire 2004-2005 season.  A lot of people upset with the lockout, and the NHL lost a lot of fans, some of which still haven’t returned.  The NHL became an afterthought: even soccer, the MLS, is surpassing it in interest in many parts of the country.  When the NHL resumed play, the fans in some cities welcomed it back as though the lockout never happened.  Minnesota, Detroit, all of Canada, and New York were all right there in supporting their teams.  Outside of these ‘hockey-cities, the other teams have really had to work hard to bring in fans.

The NHL was helped out immensely by the 2010 Winter Olympics and the USA’s quest for Olympic gold.  The games were exciting.  That battles between the USA and Canada were amazing.  That helped put hockey back on the map and get fans excited about the game.  I’ve heard numerous people say that they went out to purchase tickets for the team in their area because the Olympics made them hockey fans.  Hockey truly benefited from the Olympics.

As a native Minnesotan, I’ve always loved hockey.  I’ve appreciated the sport of hockey and how great the athletes are.  They may be the best athletes in all of sports.  Going full speed on skates on ice in all of that equipment and the moves they make are truly remarkable.  You will not sway me in that argument.  I’m sure several players could dunk a basketball, but how many NBA players could shoot a one-timer for a goal on skates?  My guess is very few.   My ability to skate is not something I’m proud of being from Minnesota, but I’ve always enjoyed watching the sport of hockey.  The state high school hockey tournament in Minnesota may be the best high school tournament outside of the football playoffs in Texas or basketball playoffs in Indiana.

But I’m getting a little off topic.  The point is, it seems that people in Texas, and the Sun Belt for that matter, don’t care a lot for hockey.  Take this past week of home games for the Dallas Stars.  Attendance for the three games:

• 17,012 (91.8% full) against Phoenix Tuesday night
• 16,618 (89.7 % full) against Vancouver Thursday night
• 17,238 (93.0% full) against Calgary Saturday night

Those numbers aren’t bad, particularly for a southern team, but the arena didn’t look that full.  There were plenty of sections of empty seats.  The Stars are in the middle of the playoff hunt.  The arena should be filled to capacity!  The Dallas Mavericks have no issues in selling out a game against the Charlotte Bobcats or New Orleans Hornets in the middle of the regular season in the NBA.  Yes they are the defending NBA champions, but it’s the Bobcats and Hornets!  I know the NBA is more popular in Dallas and in most cities, but still, the Dallas Stars have been red hot of late and are in the middle of Pacific Division race and the NHL playoff chase.

(Empty seats always seem to be plentiful for Stars home games as evidenced by this photo)

Cities like Nashville, Tennessee and Raleigh, North Carolina, home to the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes respectively, have not had too much trouble in drumming up fan support, especially since the Olympics.  The Predators are currently fifth in the Western Conference standings.  Winning helps bring fans in, but the Hurricanes have struggled this year and the fans still come in to support the team.  Other teams like the Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, and to a lesser extent the Los Angles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning, don’t receive great fan support at all except come playoff time.  Tampa Bay and Los Angeles fans are not as bad as the ones in Phoenix and Florida.  Dallas could very well be thrown into the mix as well when you watch the games and see how many empty seats there are.

Again, I’m not saying that there aren’t hockey fans and a lot of Dallas Stars fans in Texas.  Just based on appearances though, it seems like they don’t get a ton of people to come to their games.

There is potential for another NHL lockout next year, something the league and the sport can ill-afford.  Fans in some of these areas will not come back ever again if there is a second lockout in less than ten years.  And that may mean contraction.  Not saying that Dallas would be on the list, or near the top, but they need the fans to come to the arena and support them.  As we near the postseason and the Stars continue to make their run, let’s see what the attendance numbers are and whether they increase at all.  And if the Stars do indeed make the playoffs, let’s see how full the arena will be and how full it will look on TV.

To those of you who are loyal Stars fans and hockey supporters, spread the word about the Stars in the state of Texas.  Get people interested.  Hockey is a great game, and it would be even better if more people could see that and become enthusiastic about the sport.

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