Nashville Predators hit key attendance goal again

John Glennon at the Tennessean reports this morning that the Nashville Predators have once again hit the critical 14,000 average paid attendance mark:

the Preds moved past the 14,000 mark in ave­rage paid atten­dance on Satur­day and will stay there for the remain­der of the sea­son, accor­ding to Ed Lang, the team's pre­si­dent of busi­ness ope­ra­tions. That means the team has satis­fied one of the two steps neces­sary to ensure it will receive the NHL's full revenue-sharing pac­kage this summer.

With 6 more homes remaining, it's likely that the final paid attendance figure could top 14,300, which would represent incremental progress over last season's 14,190. Considering the general economic situation, that's a remarkable achievement.

Lang also sounds optimistic about the Preds exceeding the NHL average revenue growth rate, which is the 2nd criteria to qualify for full revenue sharing. Back in February I wrote that ticket pricing might hold them back from that goal, but it's possible that the number of corporate sponsorships announced in recent weeks could make the difference there.

Will such news give the "relocation" jackals a chance to reconsider their position? Of course not, but it's a good story for us locals to enjoy.

Glennon also notes that season ticket prices for the 2010-11 season are going up between 2.4-6.45% depending on location. Many fans locked in their prices last summer under the "2/20" plan, so it's rubes like me that will pony up a little extra cash for our hockey fix next season.