Florida Panthers in Jax?

[thelakelander]

IMO Jax may very well have a better hockey fan per capita ratio than Miami, but we are also much smaller than MIA, so IMO a hypothetical Panthers move to JAX would just be a lateral move at best. The Panthers are currently averaging 10,853 with an arena capacity percentage of a dismal 63.7 percent. 10,000+ would be pretty tough of for Jax to attend on a consistent basis. I don't see the NHL in Jax for the foreseeable future.

As you said earlier, they'd probably be better in a Canadian or Northern market. Outside of areas there are a couple of cities like Houston and Kansas City that would be intriguing.

[I-10east]

The Panthers don't play in a great location, but that location doesn't stop thousands of people from going shopping at Sawgrass Mills (across the street) everyday. Jacksonville has already showed that they'll support a team when it's losing, so if the team clicks with the market, attendance won't be that big of an issue.

IMO population is the issue in Jax moreso than attendance.

[thelakelander]

South Florida loves its winners. Panther games were packed back in 1996 when there was a decent product. When the team went down the drain, so did ticket revenue.  I think this season is the first in a long time that there's been a quality product worth seeing.

I know that you are a big South Florida fan Lake, but what you said is part of the problem. No offense, but South Florida is known to be a big touristy fickle bandwagon area. When the team is competing for championships, it's all good, but during tough times they crawl into the woodwork. Also, I don't know if MIA have that suitable hockey demographic for a downtown arena to alleviate any reoccurring attendance problems. In baseball, the Miami Marlins has the ideal stadium, suitable demo, and still was 27th in attendance. While I don't think that NFL, NBA, and MLB is going anywhere in MIA, I can't say the same about NHL. Maybe if the Panthers played the Rangers everyday. 

Oh, I'm very aware of South Florida's fans being pretty fickle.  I believe most of Florida and the South is. For example, fans in Tampa and Atlanta tend to be bandwagoners too. Outside of football, there's not a lot of tradition when it comes to our major sports franchises. Combine that with a good chunk of our residents moving down here from cities with established franchises and our perfect weather and it make sense that our teams struggle with attendance when they are down.

[I-10east]

As you said earlier, they'd probably be better in a Canadian or Northern market. Outside of areas there are a couple of cities like Houston and Kansas City that would be intriguing.

I'm not sure about Kansas City, but I totally agree with you about Houston. Like I said earlier, I think that many of the Southern NHL teams are dying, but I had a choice of Southern cities, it would be Houston. There's no reason if Dallas can support a NHL team, that Houston couldn't. 

[Ocklawaha]

[JeffreyS]

I do not care about Hockey but Jax would support an NHL team very well.

[tufsu1]

I do not care about Hockey but Jax would support an NHL team very well.

I highly doubt it

[FSBA]

Las Vegas makes some sense because it has the population to support a major league team, it is a matter of a league deciding the positives outweigh any gambling concerns.

I think the NBA would've put a team in Las Vegas had 2007 All-Star Game not been a disaster. The NHL is desperate for new cash flows, so they make sense as the likeliest league to put a team in Vegas.

Side note: When I saw this thread on the front page I thought this meant there were confirmed sightings of panthers in Jacksonville.

[pierre]

I do not care about Hockey but Jax would support an NHL team very well.

I don't see it. NHL tickets are not cheap.

[KenFSU]

I do not care about Hockey but Jax would support an NHL team very well.

I don't see it. NHL tickets are not cheap.

Neither are NFL tickets.

Bringing in a competing big-four sport whose season runs concurrent to the NFL when the Jaguars already stretch Jacksonville's citizen and corporate support to the max is a surefire recipe for disaster.

Until the area's population and economy doubles, we should stick to our strengths as a city -- football and soccer.

MLS, not the NBA or NHL, is the logical next step for Jacksonville. The season is shorter with less NFL overlap, ticket prices are lower, and the area has demonstrated year after year that the appetite for soccer is there. We shouldn't even think about that though until the Jaguars are fully stable and the NASL Armada prove successful for at least five years. The NBA and NHL are beauracratic pipe dreams, with zero demonstrable evidence that there is even a demand in Jacksonville for basketball or hockey at that level.

Jacksonville has a terrible history of ignoring our most valuable assets -- Hemming Park, Hogan's Creek, our historical building stock, the St. Johns River, Friendship Fountain, etc. -- in favor of pursuing the next shiny object or carrot on a string. I'd hate to see the Jaguars fall into that trap.

[Wacca Pilatka]

100% agree with everything Ken noted.

Though I understand the argument that some markets that are not much bigger or a little smaller than Jax support two pro teams (Nashville, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Buffalo, New Orleans), all of those places have secondary market support in a way Jax doesn't, or more corporate money in the market. 

[finehoe]

Ha!  I thought this thread was about a local sighting of puma concolor coryi.  My bad, carry on.

[Ocklawaha]

Ha!  I thought this thread was about a local sighting of puma concolor coryi.  My bad, carry on.

Actually about 15 years ago on the Julington/Durbin Creek Peninsular I was on a trek with state FWM and we found fresh tracks of at least one con color coryi and one or two cubs. In 2004 whilst living on the state line in Lake Park Georgia (just north of Jasper FL) we had a regular visitor in the evenings that would run between our house and another to get out onto the golf course. My wife came in all wide eyed one night and said, 'I just saw that cat and it jumped the entire street in one leap!' Cool, but they are among us.

[Coolyfett]

With the plummeting attendance at Florida Panthers games and the NHL considering expanding to accommodate las Vega's expansion... Do you think the panthers could survive if they moved to Jacksonville? I know I for one would prefer to watch pro hockey over the sharks.

I dont think its a good idea. Hockey is better suited for northern regions of the US. Plus Id like to see the Armanda build a strong fanbase before something else comes to town.