WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Hurricanes Slumping On Ice, In Stands

Jan 21, 2003

RALEIGH, N.C. — Less than a year ago, the Triangle cheered the Carolina Hurricanes into the Stanley Cup finals. Now, the team is struggling to pull people to the games and move the team out of the red.

Last spring, fans jammed the then-Entertainment and Sports Arena, clamoring for playoff tickets. Half a hockey season later, there is frustration both on and off the ice. Jim Hollister has a lot of elbow room at Monday night's game against St. Louis.

"It's a Monday night -- a school night. You come here on a weekend and it's usually very crowded," he said.

Despite making it to the finals last season, the Hurricanes rank 18th out of 30 NHL teams in attendance, averaging 15,300 fans a night. Officials said the team is projected to lose at least $5 million this season. A losing streak of late is not helping either.

Sports marketing consultant and former Canes employee Jay Wisse said the team's low payroll and committed ownership is good for the long run.

"The No. 1 factor is the way the team plays. There's no getting around that," he said. "I'm not really worried about the Hurricanes because they've done some great things since they've come to the market."

Wisse said last year's Cinderella's story has raised the bar to some possibly unrealistic heights.

"People expect a championship now, especially for a new team that can be a curse sometimes," he said.

• Reporter: Brian DeRoy
• Web Editor: Kamal Wallace