They can also clinch a sport business milestone that only 16 other franchises in the history of North American professional sport have to their official credit: 300 consecutive home game sellouts.
http://www.teamradio.ca/news/story/?id=2917
The streak at General Motors Place dates back to November 14th, 2002 and has straddled the NHL lockout of 2004-'05, survived the worst economic recession in a half-century and navigated around the complexities of hosting the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It has also stayed intact at an expanded capacity this year created by the launch of 180 premium seats in the Best Buy Club at Level 500.
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/Playbook+sellout/2760496/story.html
Reaching the 300-plateau consolidates the Canucks' place as one of the box office juggernauts of the NHL, behind only tonight's visitors among active sellout streaks in the 30-team league. The Wild have sold out every one of their games played at the XCel Energy Center (381 regular season and playoffs and another 27 pre-season contests). It puts the Canucks in elite company and within striking distance of venerable streaks by iconic sport brands such as the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Stoking+coals+hockey+hotbed/2760498/story.html
Canucks fans would gladly trade in those status symbols of sport business success for one thing: the club's first Stanley Cup in its 40-year history. Yet the sellout streak still matters as more than a ticket marketing statistic.
First and most simply, it makes it more fun for fans to go to games when they're sold out. There's a certain civic pride and sense of community that accompanies full houses at sport events.
Second, the sellouts and per game pops of $1.2 million and more underlines the solid financial position of the franchise. Even in the salary cap era of the NHL, strong revenues increase the chances for long-term on-ice success through investment in athlete services and amenities. There are limits to what the Canucks can spend on player contracts, but no limits to what they can pour into player development and resources.
Third, it strengthens the capacity for the market to host other sport events and potentially even new professional franchises when promoters and investors see the 18,810 box office score each and every night at General Motors Place.
Most impressive about the home game sellout streak is that it happens under NHL reporting protocols that are as stringent as any in North America. Unlike the NFL, the sport marketing Goliath which requires only non-premium seats to be sold out to lift its local television blackouts, the Canucks and the NHL include all seats: luxury suites, club seats, restaurant seating and regular seats.
If the Canucks were an NFL club, for example, about 14,300 would constitute a sellout at General Motors Place.
Now there are skeptics -- including my good friend and respected colleague Bob Mackin of Business in Vancouver and 24 Hours Vancouver -- who question the integrity of the Canucks' sellout streak: http://thesportmarketguest1.blogspot.com/2010/04/canucks-tri-centennial-not-legit.html
To those of you in that camp, I say good on the Canucks for having us question the odd empty seat rather than criticizing them for sluggish ticket sales (witness the half-empty buildings that greet a half dozen teams in both the NHL and NBA and describe many of the ballparks in Major League Baseball).
Remember this is not about actual attendance or tickets scanned at the gates. It's about tickets sold.
Empty seats are not necessarily unsold seats. Mostly they are either season tickets not used that night or scalper tickets not resold. They can be un-used tickets from large group sales. They can be "corporate holds" held for NHL sponsors or "player holds" held for the visiting team in compliance with the league's collective bargaining agreement. The latter two categories typically account for about 200 seats and when they're released on game day, all but the odd single are gobbled up quickly.
The Canucks' sell-out streak measures up to what I'd consider to be best practices in the industry. And the bottom line to it all is that it's made possible by a season ticket base capped at 17,000. As long as that base and a waiting list of another 4,000 stay in place, the sellout streak has some real staying power to hit 400 straight by 2012. Last month's renewal pace of more than 95% is a big step in the right direction as the club prepares for its 40th anniversary season.
Reaching 400 would put the Canucks into an even more exclusive group of North American major pro teams. Currently, it's a club of one: the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (550 going into tonight's 2010 home opener against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park). All-time the club of 400 or more includes the BoSox and Cleveland Indians, the NBA's Portland Trailblazers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings.
The Wild are already at 400 including pre-season games. Depending on their own season ticket renewals after missing the playoffs again this season, they should get to 400 officially by the 2011 NHL All-Star break. The NBA's Dallas Mavericks are also closing in on 400.
By 2012, there could be a roster of 10 or so on the all-time list of franchises at 400 or more. For the Wild and the Canucks, it's not the big prize -- the Stanley Cup -- but it's still worth celebrating, appreciating and shooting for.
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