What are the NHL’s options to bring fans back to the arenas?

Baseball and football have started welcoming back limited fans. Why can they? Will the NHL be able to do the same soon?

Last night was the first time since March that Major League Baseball had a game with real fans in attendance. Instead of cardboard cutouts, a limited amount of people were allowed to buy tickets for the National League Championship series that’s being played at the neutral site of Arlington, Texas. Many NFL teams have had games with “limited” fan attendance. If every other sport is seemingly allowing fans to at least start coming back, when will the NHL?

There’s good news and bad news there. The good news I that time is definitely on the league’s side. Commissioner Gary Bettman publicly committed to a January 1st start date, still about three months away. Getting some fans in the building also seems to be a priority for the league. Rumors had the initial new season starting on December 1st until being pushed back.

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Then there’s the bad news. Soccer, football and baseball are all “outdoor” sports. Plus they play in huge stadiums where it’s easier to spread out limited groups of people. NHL arenas are enclosed with seats packed together. Even if the players have a plexiglass barrier protecting them, there’s nothing between the fans in their oh too small seats.

What fans have to realize is that there’s different levels of decision making in this process. First, the government, more specifically individual United States states make the decision on if their state will allow in person fan attendance. That’s why while Texas has limited capacity in stadiums, New York’s stadiums remain empty. Next the league will make their respective decision. If only some states allow fans, will the NHL allow fans to go to those stadiums? Or will they have a blanket policy of no attendance until everyone is on the same page.

This part of the off season is normally the time of year when franchise fill seasonal and part time jobs for games and for their team. Very few teams have begun posting open positions. The Florida Panthers are one of them, beginning to post those arena jobs that aren’t needed once the season ends.

One thing the NHL hasn’t announced is looking at alternate venues. Why not take the game out doors if needed? Assuming the NHL starts January first many NFL stadiums might not be available due to their playoffs, but there’s a plethora of other options. It might be hard to negotiate a part time lease with a Major League Baseball or NFL team stadium, but what about minor league baseball teams, or college stadiums?

Even if capacity is limited it’s a start and worth trying. Minor league stadiums would love the extra revenue, even if it’s just off concessions. Every time the NHL goes outdoors with the Winter Classic and Stadium Series they do it in dramatic fashion. Take away all the theatrics and it’s a much more cost viable option.

At this point let’s all be glad that we’re at least having the discussion “when will hockey have fans back”. Remember a few months ago we were asking “when will hockey just come back?” For what it’s worth, this is a step in the right direction.