The Pens have turned it around AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
We need to take some time and remember where the Penguins were just a few short years ago. This was a team in bankruptcy, a team that needed a new building, and a team that was rumored to be relocating to Kansas City or Las Vegas.
Now just a few years later, this team is on a sell out streak of 108 games, they have a new stadium, Consol energy Center; will open for the 2010-22 season. They have had record ratings, and just signed a new radio deal. All in all the Penguins are back on the right track.
The question then becomes how did they do it?
Well having the league focus in its marketing efforts on their young star Sidney Crosby didn’t hurt. Putting together a strong line up that also features Evengi Malkin, and having a hot goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t hurt either.
As much as the NHL’s over hyping of Crosby is to the benefit of the Penguins truly is this team did plenty of other things to get their business model fixed. Their front office went out a built a team that was a Stanley Cup runner up a year ago and looks poised for another deep playoff run.
This seems to be the business model that has the most success for NHL franchises. Since the regular season of the NHL gets little to know national attention, at least here in the states, getting a team on a couple of deep playoff runs is essential.
Think about it all the national media and national broadcasted games are ones deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs. If teams like the Penguins, or the masters of this strategy the Detroit Red Wings, make a few runs deep into the playoffs they get a lot more national attention then all the other NHL teams.
A NHL home playoff game is worth around 1 million dollars in revenue for that team and city. It is now clear, even in a salary capped NHL, team who can make a few deep playoff runs in a row will do much better then teams who either do not make the playoffs or lose in the early rounds before the national media takes any notice.
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