When you think Florida, it’s easy to think of beaches, sunshine, and summer in a melting pot of people from the Americas and across the world, covering all demographics. Of all the states in the USA, Florida is arguably the most similar to Australia - one of the last places you would think of when you think ice hockey.
Entering the NHL in 1993-94 alongside the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, the Florida Panthers missed their first two attempts at making the NHL Playoffs. But in 1995-96, the Panthers won all the way through to the Stanley Cup Final before eventually going down to the Colorado Avalanche 4-0. The future looked bright for the Panthers but despite making it back to the playoffs the following season, the Floridians have only had two other forays in the past 17 seasons.
Enter New York businessman Rory A. Babich, a lifelong sports fan who was brought in as a consultant for the current owners when they were looking to acquire the team in late 2013. It was only six months later that Babich was instilled as the CEO and President of the Florida Panthers.
“It wasn’t the game plan,” Babich said of the whirlwind process. “Even dating back to the consulting work, it wasn’t the idea that I was consulting them on the acquisition with the intention of joining. It was just the way things developed. The owners were considering who they wanted and even though I don’t come from a sports management background, they wanted someone who is used to being in turnaround situations and someone who could bring a fresh perspective to the sports and entertainment business.”
For Babich, there are a few main points for the team to focus on to be successful in a non-traditional market where there hasn’t been much success over the past two decades. After the team’s early success saw plenty of buzz in South Florida, Babich is focused on building a winning team on and off the ice.
“Winning certainly solves a lot of issues but it doesn't solve everything and winning by itself isn’t necessarily enough. But without winning it’s obviously all the more difficult,” Babich said. “It starts with putting a better product on the ice and with the resources from the new ownership, we were lucky enough two summers ago to sign some free agents, to acquire a top goalkeeper in Roberto Luongo and we had a great draft. Our team was the most improved team in the league last season but we fell a little bit short of the playoffs. We were certainly happy with the progress and this year we’re going into the season with high expectations which is carrying over to the fans. We see it in our renewal rates and new ticket sales and a real buzz that just builds on itself.
“Now of course if we start off the season and don’t get off to a good start, buzz can be fragile, especially in the beginning. But as we build up buzz, it just multiplies and grows and that’s how we continue to attract new fans. We want fans to identify with the team. It’s a hard working team. It’s a good team with a good mix of young guys and veterans.”
While the on-ice performance is one thing, Babich wants the Panthers to engage with the community in order to connect and develop the fan base.
“A large part of it is how do you connect with the fans and that’s through community activities,” Babich said. “The guys who play hockey are just great people. They’re doing community activities whether it’s the team doing things to connect with the community or the players putting themselves out there.
“I know the people in the Australian Ice Hockey League aren’t full time so there are time issues getting out in the community and doing those things. It’s definitely a challenge but anytime there is a challenge there is also an opportunity and players and executives have to devote their time to build those community bonds.”
One of the most successful community campaigns the Panthers developed last season was the goalkeeper tryouts following a game when starting goalie Roberto Luongo and backup Al Montoya both went down injured in the same game. Goalkeeper coach Rob Tallas suiting up in what would have been his first NHL appearance since 2001 but wasn’t required to take the ice with Luongo returning from hospital to complete the match. It’s where the idea was hatched to hold goalkeeper tryouts with the winner to get the chance to serve as a practice goaltenders for a day.
Despite the unfortunate situation for the Panthers having two injured goalies while still in the playoff hunt, it was turned into a positive with huge media interest and overwhelming response from goalkeepers who wanted to throw their helmets into the ring, including “a number of people who applied to be part of it from Canada and a few from Europe”.
“Everything needs to be looked at in the business of sports as potential opportunities - what started out as a bit of a promotion turned out to be a once in a lifetime experience,” Babich said. “The day the event happened, I was in the back watching them all get dressed and go out on the ice. For so many of these people, it was a dream come true. For them to suit up for a day and stand on an NHL rink and face NHL players and alumni was just an incredibly special feeling. So it was a win-win all around for us and it’s why we look challenges for a way to turn them into opportunities.”
When looking at non-traditional markets, Babich said there was plenty to learn from the early days of expansion in the NHL and how new markets grew and developed. He points to the LA Kings and their acquisition of Wayne Gretzky in the 1980’s, and the youth development by the Anaheim Ducks, suggesting that no two markets are the same and it’s up to the individual teams to develop their own identity in their respective locations.
“In all the non-traditional markets there’s always a bit of scepticism in the beginning but from my perspective, there’s a big belief in the sport and a big opportunity to attract new followers of the sport because it is such a fast growing sport,” Babich said. “So for us, we view being in South Florida as an opportunity to offer people another exciting game to watch.
“Many people ask ‘how are you competing against the weather’? Of course we might have some weekend afternoon games but we have a bunch of night games and I view it as a nice complement to the weather. After spending the whole day outside in the heat, whether it’s golfing, boating or fishing, it’s a nice change of pace to come to the cool arena and watch a game.”
However, with the positives, there are always some difficulties in being set up in a market that isn’t known for winter sports. The biggest problem is its location. Florida is not a location where a lot of people have grown up with hockey.
“There is not the ready-made fan base [in Florida],” Babich began. “People who are transplanted and make their way down here from other places. They’re going to have their initial allegiance to their home town team. So even if they’re in South Florida, they’re still going to be fans of the teams where they grew up.
“For all of us sports fans, we might have our favourite players but our allegiance is to the jersey. Players come and go and although we may have liked them, the allegiance is to the jersey. We want our players to be proud to wear the jersey and we want people to be proud to wear their jerseys and identify with the team. It’s a work in progress. It doesn’t happen overnight but that’s what we’re working toward.”
In a similar issue faced by the AIHL, the Florida Panthers see introducing fans to ice hockey in a non-traditional market as an important step forward. Babich identifies two areas the Panthers can be better in this regard, focusing on the youth and drawing in sports fans.
“Part of it starts in the schools, which isn’t going to be an overnight process,” Babich said. “Ice hockey is obviously played on ice but you can also play street hockey and roller hockey so it’s about introducing kids to the sport of hockey in any form. Once we introduce kids to the sport of hockey and they understand the rules, they’ll start watching it on television and then get their parents to take them out to the arena.
“For adults who may not have grown up with it and at this point in their lives may not be interested in learning to play street hockey, you’re appealing to the sports fan in them and getting them excited about the sport. I firmly believe that once people come to a game, they get hooked. The challenge is getting people to the game but it’s all about making sure you do a good job of marketing the product. It can be through word of mouth but also making sure that people identify with the team.
“From the time that I lived in Asia, I really got a feel for what the European soccer leagues do to develop their international appeal. The connection people feel for their teams is massive on a worldwide basis. On a smaller personal level, not playing hockey but growing up with hockey in the New York area, I was a New York Rangers fan before I’d even been to a game because there was a connection because my father liked the team.”
Babich stresses that the fan experience is an important aspect of ensuring return customers and building the fan base and it starts from as soon as they pull into the carpark.
“The fan experience is absolutely critical and we can’t lose sight of the fact that everything we do on the ice and off the ice, we’re nothing without the fans,” Babich said. “The fans’ allegiance is to the jersey. Everything we do is driven by the fact that it’s attracting fans and building up that fan base and there is nothing more awesome than when the fans are supporting the team and the arena is rocking or when we’re outside in certain places and people are talking about the Panthers.”
From the in-game experience standpoint, Babich said he had learned several lessons from spending a season travelling around the NHL. He said there were teams that produced a hockey-oriented in-game presentation, while others had date nights, cheerleaders, fan experiences, or tried to encourage fans to visit the concession stands. While he doesn’t view any of these approaches as being right or wrong, he suggests teams should work out what their fans will connect with and how the team wants to portray itself.
Having ridden a strong vein of form at the tail end of last season, but just falling short of making the playoffs in 2014-15 after several strong trades last season, Babich is confident the Panthers will be able to hit the ground running to kick off the new season. With a core group of veterans including the record-breaking Jaromir Jagr and veteran goalkeeper Roberto Luongo and exciting young players including two of the past three Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) winners in Aaron Ekblad (2015) and Jonathan Huberdeau (2013), the Panthers are quietly confident of their chances of a return to the playoffs.
“While the team was the most improved team in the league last year, making the playoffs is the first step this season,” Babich said. “Once you get in the playoffs, anything can happen. Then it becomes about winning the Stanley Cup but we’re no different to any other team and that’s our objective from the outset. We recognise it’s a process and there are no shortcuts to success, but we took a giant step forward last year and this year we’re going into the season with high expectations. Importantly, the players expect to win. The players are holding themselves up to a high standard. It’s a good mix of young guys and veterans who are all pushing each other and there is a very good feeling heading into the year.”
|
ICE DOGS
RHINOS
ADRENALINE
BEARS
THUNDER
ICE
BRAVE
LIGHTNING
NORTHSTARS
MUSTANGS
