The Dallas Stars have seen their fair share of ups and downs this season. They have been on both sides of the spectrum both with their play on the ice and with their attendance.
An article from The Dallas Morning News reports that the Stars recently had their largest attendance for a single game in franchise history on March 16th. Ironically, the Stars also set a franchise record for lowest attendance at a single game earlier this season.
On March 16th, Dallas reported an attendance of 19,099 – the largest crowd to ever take in a home game in franchise history. Interestingly enough, just a handful of months back the Stars had a reported attendance on October 10th of 6,306 – the lowest in franchise history.
We can look at a ton of statistics from the Stars this season but few really capture how night and day the club has been in 2011-12. At times, the Stars have looked like an unorganized group all trying to accomplish unique goals that typically led the team to a decisive loss. More recently, the Stars have looked like a team all playing on the same page capable of competing with any other squad in the NHL. As the Stars have rebounded, their fans have followed along. During the team’s frantic late push for the playoffs the attendance has swelled, a clear correlation to the team’s play on the ice.
This opens up the old arguement about attendance that has followed different sports franchises for decades. Does winning directly relate to attendance? Based on the above information out of Dallas, it certainly does.
Recently, we took a glance at Dallas’ recent run towards the playoffs and whether or not they are legitimate Cup contenders. Ultimately, the jury is still out on that debate. At the same time, we will have to wait unto the dust settles on the 2011-12 season to see what the final attendance numbers are from the Stars and how they compare to the 2010-11 season.
Regardless of what eventually plays out in Dallas, one fact can be taken away from the two attendance records set this season – Dallas fans expect their team to win and won’t pay to see one that is losing.
