Canes happy with crowd

Economy hasn't affected gate yet

RALEIGH -- Scott Shaheen of Raleigh had a financial decision to make last Wednesday: take his sons to a movie, or go to the Carolina Hurricanes game against the Washington Capitals.

Shaheen and the boys, Jordan, 12, and Carson, 10, went to the game at the RBC Center, though it cost considerably more than, say, three tickets to "High School Musical 3."

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but it's the Caps and we wanted to see the game," Shaheen said, lower-level tickets in hand.

In a struggling economy, entertainment dollars are fewer and being stretched. And while Forbes magazine has ranked Raleigh No. 5 on a list of "recession-proof cities," more and more people are having to make choices and are expecting added value for their dollars.

Shaheen and his sons witnessed the Canes take a 5-1 beating. The turnout for the game between the Southeast Division leaders was 14,261, more than 4,000 below capacity, and has been smaller in the two games since, against Tampa Bay and Montreal.

"We'd liked to have had a bigger crowd," said Jim Rutherford, the Hurricanes' president and general manager. "In times like these, we are appreciative of those who do come, especially like that man and his sons who had a choice.

"It's hard to compare with other years, but we are starting to feel the effects of the economy."

The Hurricanes raised ticket prices from last season -- a necessity, Rutherford said, to qualify for NHL revenue-sharing, a source of income vital to teams in smaller markets.

"We are in tougher times," he said. "When people are losing their jobs or having other problems, there will be an effect. But our corporate sales and our ticket sales, based on a revenue point of view, are at least even or up."

The Hurricanes don't release season-ticket figures but say they have surpassed last year's total. A year ago, Carolina finished 20th in home attendance in the NHL, averaging 16,633 in the 18,680-seat RBC Center, with eight sellouts.

Rutherford said 10 of the RBC Center's 66 suites are not leased for this season, although single-game suite rentals can offset that loss of revenue. He said 22 suites were up for renewal this year but that the net loss was four suites.

"All in all, that's pretty good considering some companies merged or do not have the same (financial) circumstances," he said. "We'd like to have them all leased, but I think the number of renewals was pretty good."

Suite leases range from $130,000 to $230,000 annually, and per-game rentals from $1,000 to $6,358 for a 34-seat suite.

Mike Hurley, the team's director of corporate sales, said the Hurricanes are "a little ahead of where we were last year" but said convincing corporate leaders to spend has become more difficult.

"There is absolutely more hesitancy among decision-makers," he said. "... People are being more cautious."

As president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Harvey Schmitt feels the corporate pulse as well as anyone. He noted a New York Times story reporting the relative strength of the Triangle market, saying it bodes well for the Hurricanes -- for now -- in terms of corporate support.

"The impact of the national economy has been slower to reach our market and decisions on the current Hurricanes season probably were made six or eight months ago," he said. "There's a certain stability in that, I think.

"Corporations are watching their P's and Q's more closely, no doubt. But I do not see the base commitment abating. There is support for the team, and I think they'll compete well for entertainment dollars going forward."