
                          ^^
      


Funny you should mention it...this is exactly the case I was going to make.


I will grant that a star like Mario will draw fans, even if the team sucks. 
But this is short term only; I still do not think the attendance increase 
will last, unless the team is a winning/competitive/improving/butt-kicking
one.  Pittsburgh was still getting better, so people continued to support
them.  If they suddenly dropped to, say, 50 points, you'd have knee surgery
for some of the people jumping off the bandwagon.  


Ok.  My numbers came from the NHL Guide and Record Book. 


You can give the credit to Mario since he deserves it.  But my point is that
it wasn't Mario himself, but it was the *expectation* of things to come (i.e.
a winning team) that he created by being the next great hockey superstar. And
before anybody jumps in and says I'm nit-picking and mincing words, go back
and read from where this thread started...

It might help to think about what would go through a fan's mind who suddenly
found an interest in Mario and the Pens.  Was it "gee, Mario Lemieux is
amazing, I'll go watch him play", or was it "gee, now we've got a *kick*
*ass* guy on *our* side, I'll go watch him play".  I think it was the latter.


I don't think this is accurate.  The *tickets* sell, but people don't go to
the games.  I think this thread has already been discussed...season ticket
holders in LA don't always use their tickets.  So in effect, after the Kings
initial success following Gretzky's arrival (68 to 91 points, same source)
and corresponding attendance jump, there has been an effective drop in
attendance even though ticket sales may not have changed much.  

Whether or not the Kings are a 'winner' is debatable.  I claim that since
Gretzky's arrival they have at the very least been competitive...I also claim
that McNall has made a stupid move in trying to reassemble the Oiler
dynasty...but that's another story and included only because I don't like
McNall:-).  Anyway,  McNall did do some heavy marketing around Gretzky, and
that undoubtedly was also responsible for the attendance and merchandising
sales, etc.  But as I said, when the Kings have been in there little
tailspins over the past couple of years there have been empty seats at the
Forum even if the tickets were sold.


For the short term, IMO.  Although I think that it's inevitable that the team
will improve with a player such as Lemieux or Gretzky, simply because they
make people around them better.


Well, at least we are in full agreement here!


So are you saying Roger has ever had a valid point? <couldn't resist...>


Yes, but they are doing no worse than last year.  I think the same type of
reasoning I applied to a new Pittsburgh fan applies to all the extra people
showing up at Winnipeg games.  It's difficult to predict, but do you think
that if the Jets miss the playoffs next season that in the year after they
will maintain their attendance levels?  I seriously doubt it, because in that
case the expectation of an improving team would be gone, with or without
Selanne.