There is no question that with the sluggish economy, certain luxuries lose out on the deal and major sports is not excluded.  Don’t get me wrong, the NHL just had their fourth consecutive attendance record with 21,475,223 overall giving the league an average of 17,460 per game and there is no doubt that the birth of the Winter Classic has boosted the interest in hockey in most areas.

The Pittsburgh Penquins had a first in franchise history , back to back season sell outs. Other teams that sold out the 2008-09 season were the Canucks, Leafs, Oilers, Rangers and Flames with the Bruins, Blackhawks, Canadiens and Minnesota Wild with significant increases over the 07-08 season.

So what’s the problem you ask? The smaller market teams are suffering severely, teams like the Panthers, Predators and Thrashers who are looking to sell or move out of Atlanta. It’s no secret in the NHL that the Coyotes are in serious trouble and what about the Islanders who thought signing a goalie to a 100 year contract (obviously exaggerated) would fill the seats.

Then you have the city of Winnipeg, looking to get an NHL team and there is some rumors out of Winnipeg of course, that the Atlanta or possibly Pheonix are just a few teams that may be looking to re-locate to Winnepeg. But is that the answer?  Lets think about this, a city that once had an NHL team and lost it , only has a 15,000 seat arena wants an a team that once played there.

Here’s the harsh reality, with the crazy money that pro players make now a days and the sluggish economy, unless you have a very strong core of players in your locker room, you will not fill the seats. There are 30 NHL teams, use that formula and do the math…we are talking about roughly 150 marquis players (give or take)are needed to make 30 teams strong enough to survive.

There is no shame with a few of these teams shutting down and letting those fourth line players and back-up goalies, play where they should be.. the AHL. There are great advantages of downsizing, the players I am referring to will get some quality ice time instead of a shift or two a game and it will make both the AHL and the NHL well represented.

Bruins season tickets price from $1247 to $9116 per seat with only seats $3098 and up available. Going to an AHL game is a great alternative with ticket prices under 20 bucks. They are very kid oriented with games and events going on through out the building. I personally think that the AHL should expand and the NHL should down size. It is time to give the fans some quality hockey games for the price they are paying to see them.