NHL heads for record revenue and attendance

By Ben Klayman

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Fresh off an outdoor game that drew the highest overnight TV ratings for the sport in almost 13 years, the National Hockey League is headed to another year of record attendance and revenue despite the U.S. recession, the sport's leader said on Thursday.

"All of our metrics on our vital signs are strong," Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a telephone interview, citing attendance up more than 2 percent, higher television ratings and rising traffic on the NHL.com website.

Bettman, who acknowledges others have accused him of being wildly optimistic given the environment, said the North American sports league should top last season's record revenue of more than $2.6 billion. Last season, the NHL saw record regular-season attendance of 21.3 million.

"I'm not suggesting that as the economic climate continues and perhaps worsens from the way it is that we won't be impacted," he said. "I am of the belief that we are still in a growth mode, as startling as it may sound under the circumstances."

The recession has hit many sports leagues, forcing the National Football League and National Basketball Association to cut jobs, Major League Baseball to freeze budgets and the Arena Football League to cancel its 2009 season.

While the NHL has put a hiring freeze in place, Bettman said that was just being conservative and the league has spent on such initiatives as relaunching its website. He also pointed out that most of the selling season for tickets took place before the financial meltdown.

"In this environment, if you're not being cautious and conservative on the expense side you're making a mistake," he said.

The league has never been in better shape off the ice as well as possibly on it, Bettman said.

The Winter Classic, an outdoor game that was played in Chicago at the Wrigley Field baseball park on January 1, drew the best overnight TV ratings for a regular-season game since February 1996 and were up 12 percent from last year's game in Buffalo. Meanwhile, Winter Classic apparel sales are expected to double last year's numbers.

The site for next year's game will be selected this summer and all options are under consideration for future games, Bettman said.

"Nothing has been ruled in or ruled out," he said. "The notion of doing more than one game, be it two NHL games in the same weekend or an NHL and a college game, those are all things that have been discussed."

Any losses suffered by the NHL have been balanced out by gains.

For example, Japan's Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T), which last year cut ties with Formula One racing, replaced Chrysler CBS.UL as the sport's automotive sponsor, Bettman said. The NHL has added eight sponsors this year and sponsorship revenue is up from last year.

While acknowledging some teams' struggles, Bettman reiterated there are no plans for contraction or relocation.

NHL officials are counting their blessings, however.