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As hockey opens, arena nears goal of leasing all of its suites
The Phantoms play their first game at the Chevrolet Centre tonight.
YOUNGSTOWN — Despite a struggling economy, a decline in sponsorships and the loss of its minor-league hockey team, the Chevrolet Centre hasn’t taken a hit when it comes to renting luxury suites, its executive director says.
The Chevrolet Centre is losing some of its sponsorships, most notably General Motors ending its $175,000 annual naming rights fee Sept. 30. He expects to have a new naming rights deal with another entity in a couple of months, said Eric Ryan, the center’s executive director.
“We have it tough ... but we’re not the only ones with challenges.”
Ryan returned Wednesday from a national meeting of arena managers in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“Big cities are losing suites and sponsorships,” he said.
But when it comes to luxury suites, 21 of the 24 have been leased for the year, one more than last year, he said. An annual suite lease is between $30,000 and $40,000. The center also has two suites it rents per event.
Bruce Zoldan, president of the Mahoning Valley Phantoms, the Junior A hockey team that plays the first of 21 regular-season games today at the center, remains in discussions with the facility to rent a suite.
“We’re still in negotiations with the Chevrolet Centre on the box,” Zoldan said. “Hopefully we can tie that up soon. It’s just some loose ends.”
The Phantoms of the North American Hockey League signed a one-year deal in September to play most of its regular season games — 21 of 28 — and playoff games, if the team qualifies for the postseason, at the center. The other seven games, including two that have already occurred, are played at the Zoldan-owned Ice Zone in Boardman.
The Phantoms replaced the Youngstown SteelHounds, the hockey team that spent the past three years as the center’s main tenant. The SteelHounds were kicked out of the Central Hockey League on June 2 over a financial dispute.
The Hounds averaged about 3,300 per game last season, according to CHL attendance figures.
The center can hold about 5,500 for a hockey game.
Zoldan said his goal is to get 2,000 to 2,500 fans a game.
About 1,600 single-game tickets combined are sold for today’s and Saturday’s North American Hockey League games between the Phantoms and the St. Louis Bandits, the two-time defending champions.
The team has also sold about 400 season tickets. But Zoldan said that’s not a fair way to gauge the Phantoms’ success.
With some game dates changed to accommodate other events at the center and delays in finalizing a schedule, the team didn’t push season-ticket packages, Zoldan said.
Walk-up ticket sales on game days are the true indicator of the success of hockey games at the center, Zoldan and Ryan said.
“It was the same way for the SteelHounds,” Ryan said.
Zoldan said he’d be “pleasantly surprised” with 2,000 for each game, and “happy” with 1,500.
Tickets for Phantoms games are $8.50 to $12.50 each.
The center isn’t charging its suite-holders a ticket fee for Phantom games. Suite customers paid a $20-a-game fee for each ticket for SteelHounds games.
“My expectation is we have to see what happens,” Ryan said. “It’s Junior A hockey. They have to prove themselves.”
Ryan said he hopes the team attracts more than 1,000 a game.
“The product is worthwhile and I’m confident people will enjoy the games,” he said. “But with the economy it is unknown.”
The Phantoms pay $2,750 to the center a game for those that draw up to 3,000 people. The fee increases for games that attract more than that number with $5,000 for 5,001 fans or more the maximum amount. It costs the city between $1,000 and $1,500 to get the center ready for a hockey game.
Even with the downturn in the economy, two Trans-Siberian Orchestra concerts held Nov. 1 at the center were sellouts, Ryan said.
“That show is not selling that well in all markets,” he said.
Also, tickets for the Dec. 2 Meat Loaf concert, postponed from Oct. 23 because the singer was ill, are selling well.
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame rented the center for four days for concerts Nov. 6 to this past Sunday. The hall had to cancel the Sunday show because of a lack of ticket sales.
The center received its rental fee from the hall for all four days, Ryan said.
The last show was canceled because ticket sales didn’t generate enough money to fund other costs related to the show, Tony Butala, the hall’s founder said earlier this week.
skolnick@vindy.com