If the Panthers and Heat both win...

[Voight]

I'm curious why the Heat and Panthers don't play in the same arena. Both were built around 2000.

Heat location is obviously much better. Smack downtown by the coast.

I know the Heat pay $0 in rent so maybe the county told the Panthers they would have to?

Leafs/Raptors nearly built separate arenas around the same time before joining forces.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

The arena is so far west on the edge of Everglades it isn’t really accessible for people living in Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach either.

Bwuh? Ask anyone from FTL/WPB who is familiar with both drives if they'd rather drive to the current location or the old Miami Arena. Go ahead, I'll wait.

 

[Renopucker]

A wise man once said the BMW manual has all of two things listed in it.

#1 How to bring up the fact that you own a BMW, regardless of the conversation topic.

#2 How to drive like a arse hole.

BMW: Bite my Weenie.

 

[pb1300]

While living in Florida, I had the season tickets to the Panthers, and would go to Heat games often. I did lots of Heat afternoon games, Panthers evening games. It would be amazing if both teams won this year.

Whats also good to see is that South Florida sports is really on the rise. The Panthers are good, and should get better over the next few seasons. The Heat are one of the best run sports clubs period. The Dolphins are an AFC favorite, and on the rise as well. Now all South Florida needs is for the Marlins to spend some money, and add some offense to that pitching staff. South Florida could become the center of the sports world over the rest of the decade.

Bwuh? Ask anyone from FTL/WPB who is familiar with both drives if they'd rather drive to the current location or the old Miami Arena. Go ahead, I'll wait.

I lived in Tamarac, and it took me like 8 minutes to get to the arena. It took me an hour to get to the Miami Arena, 2 hours to get home from it.

 

[jkrdevil]

Bwuh? Ask anyone from FTL/WPB who is familiar with both drives if they'd rather drive to the current location or the old Miami Arena. Go ahead, I'll wait.

I live down here (downtown Miami) and I am familiar with the drives. My point is the arena is in a bad location even within Broward County. Is the drive better for folks in Broward and Palm Beach than Miami? Yes, but it still isn’t even in a central location within Broward County. Though I will say with Downtown Miami (and if it was in central Fort Lauderdale) there is also rail access, though that is relatively new and didn’t exist when the arenas were built (in fact the rail station was basically built on top of the old Miami arena).

Anyways the big thing with the team is its historic success (or lack there of). The move to Sunrise basically reset the franchise and up until a few years ago the franchise was incompetently run. The previous owners basically refused to put money in the team. The reason why the Heat are the most popular team (putting the Dolphins and Football aside) is because they have been well run since their inception (or at least Pat Reilly arrived) and have been a consistently good team.

People will follow if there is sustained success.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

When was the last time NBA and NHL team from same metro area (can't use same city since Panthers and Miami technically don't play in same city) won in the same year?

 

[66871]

So what you guys tell me is Panthers fans are suburbanites and Heat fans are living downtown?

Sounds like a result of where they put the arenas.

I'd say it's more complex than that. There are large swaths of the population in Miami Dade County who will pay very little attention to hockey. Many of those who might be interested are living south of the city or on the other side of Biscayne Bay. NW Dade, (the area in Dade closest to the Panthers arena) is heavily Cuban and Venzuelan with some smaller populations of African Americans, Haitians, Jamaicans, Colombians and Nicaraguans (in no particular order).

POV, you are a person with a large amount of disposable income living on Key Biscayne who is considering taking your kids to a Panther game... (EDIT: Before anyone asks, no the Key Biscayne resident isn't driving their tricked out golf cart.)

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

If every single person in Key Biscayne went to a Panthers game on the same night, it wouldn't even reach the usual attendance numbers that people here love to make fun of on a regular basis.

 

[jkrdevil]

When was the last time NBA and NHL team from same metro area (can't use same city since Panthers and Miami technically don't play in same city) won in the same year?

No market has won both. Years that have seen 2 teams make it: 2016 the Warriors and Sharks both made it to the Final. The Nets and Devils (which shared an arena at the time) both made it in 2003 with the Devils winning. Rangers and Knicks in 1994 (with Knick losing in 7). 1974 the Bruins won while the Celtics lost in the Final.

 

[Laus723]

I live in the Shorecrest neighborhood and here it is soccer of some sort or the Heat if NFL isn't on.

Those are always popular, always will be in the demographic, but Panthers are still on in 90% of the places I go.

The arena is so far west on the edge of Everglades it isn’t really accessible for people living in Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach either.

They didn’t move there because of demographics. They moved there because Broward County offered to build them a new rink for free and that was where the available land was.

I live in Wellington, I can be there in 35-45 minutes depending on traffic. Friends I go with come from Hialeah and the Las Olas area. Others from Lake Worth, Boca, Royal Palm, Orlando, Homestead, and the west coast. Traffic isn’t always fun, but none of us complain. I prefer going to and leaving FLA Live than the Heat’s arena. Went to a Harlem Globe Trotters game there and it still took almost an hour to get to 95.

 

[EpochLink]

Been a fan since the Marino days. I wasn’t even born yet, last time they won. Lol.

I’ve been a Raiders fan since the late 80’s, they last won in 1983 and haven’t won since. The only time I seen them in the Super Bowl they got absolutely smashed by Tampa Bay.

 

[66871]

If every single person in Key Biscayne went to a Panthers game on the same night, it wouldn't even reach the usual attendance numbers that people here love to make fun of on a regular basis.

No doubt, but the challenge for the Panthers re Miami Dade fans is always going to be the general demographic distribution tends to put those most likely to already have some familiarity with or interest in hockey the farthest away. It would be great if the NHL could break out of it's demographic silo; but as a practical matter, I doubt it will be making major inroads in Doral, HIaleah, Miami Lakes or MG any time soon.

 

[Spydey629]

No market has won both. Years that have seen 2 teams make it: 2016 the Warriors and Sharks both made it to the Final. The Nets and Devils (which shared an arena at the time) both made it in 2003 with the Devils winning. Rangers and Knicks in 1994 (with Knick losing in 7). 1974 the Bruins won while the Celtics lost in the Final.

1992 - The Bulls won the second title in the first three-peat, the Blackhawks lost to the Pens.

 

[ViD]

Pretty sure a couple years ago when I visited Tampa and was greeted with a “Welcome to Champa Bay” sign

You might be a bit too late to the party in Florida

 

[RDTBay4]

One was on February and the other in June.

Lightning win Stanley Cup in Sept '20, Rays lose World Series in Oct '20, Bucs win Super Bowl in Feb '21, Lightning win Stanley Cup again in June '21, Bucs Lose NFC Champ Jan '22, Lightning Lose SCF Jun '22.

Pretty good stretch of deep playoff runs for all Tampa Bay teams.

 

[ichbinkanadier]

Lightning win Stanley Cup in Sept '20, Rays lose World Series in Oct '20, Bucs win Super Bowl in Feb '21, Lightning win Stanley Cup again in June '21, Bucs Lose NFC Champ Jan '22, Lightning Lose SCF Jun '22.

Pretty good stretch of deep playoff runs for all Tampa Bay teams.

Yup. But none occured simultaneously.

It's too bad the Montreal Devil Rays lost.

 

[ichbinkanadier]

No doubt, but the challenge for the Panthers re Miami Dade fans is always going to be the general demographic distribution tends to put those most likely to already have some familiarity with or interest in hockey the farthest away. It would be great if the NHL could break out of it's demographic silo; but as a practical matter, I doubt it will be making major inroads in Doral, HIaleah, Miami Lakes or MG any time soon.

I'm guessing the areas you mentioned don't have much background ties to Europe outside of Spain?

 

[drktmplr12]

The arena is so far west on the edge of Everglades it isn’t really accessible for people living in Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach either.

i drive from palm beach county on the Sawgrass expressway and past the arena every day. on game days, a non-insignificant number of vehicles have panthers stickers, plates, or people inside wearing jerseys driving from (you guessed it) palm beach county

further, there are fans driving in from Naples/Collier as well.

suburbanites will 100% drive 60-90 minutes to attend a hockey game. that encompasses the entire east coast up to Jupiter, and even naples.

so at least half of your statement is incorrect.

not that many people live in fort Lauderdale. yes it the highest density in Broward, but there are more people in the suburban sprawl than there are in the city proper.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Florida Panthers + Miami Heat + Harlem Heat will all win this year.

 

[drktmplr12]

I'm guessing the areas you mentioned don't have much background ties to Europe outside of Spain?

Cuban, Venezuelan, and Nicaraguan are the primary. no they do not care about hockey and won't soon

 

[ichbinkanadier]

Cuban, Venezuelan, and Nicaraguan are the primary. no they do not care about hockey and won't soon

Solution:

Panteras.

Theme song: Walk by Pantera

Boom! All you hear in the crowd is "Vamos, Pantera!"

 

[ShootIt]

i drive from palm beach county on the Sawgrass expressway and past the arena every day. on game days, a non-insignificant number of vehicles have panthers stickers, plates, or people inside wearing jerseys driving from (you guessed it) palm beach county

further, there are fans driving in from Naples/Collier as well.

suburbanites will 100% drive 60-90 minutes to attend a hockey game. that encompasses the entire east coast up to Jupiter, and even naples.

so at least half of your statement is incorrect.

not that many people live in fort Lauderdale. yes it the highest density in Broward, but there are more people in the suburban sprawl than there are in the city proper.

Quite a few Panther fans up in St. Lucie and Martin as well that make the drive.

I know for me, it's tough on a weekday due to kids/work early but for weekend games we'll make that drive ez.

 

[Ratsreign]

My point is the arena is in a bad location even within Broward County. Is the drive better for folks in Broward and Palm Beach than Miami? Yes, but it still isn’t even in a central location within Broward County. Though I will say with Downtown Miami (and if it was in central Fort Lauderdale) there is also rail access, though that is relatively new and didn’t exist when the arenas were built (in fact the rail station was basically built on top of the old Miami arena)

You’re correct that the arena is not centrally located within Broward County, but the fans aren’t only in Broward County. When you consider all of the different areas where fans are coming from, the arena is pretty centrally located. They will never go back into Miami, they will go east to the other end of Sunrise Blvd, if anywhere. They would be all over such a move if they can find a place in Ft Lauderdale close enough to said rail access, especially with the new Brightline fast train running up thru Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast and on to Orlando.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

I'm curious why the Heat and Panthers don't play in the same arena. Both were built around 2000.

Heat location is obviously much better. Smack downtown by the coast.

Agreed, was in Miami last summer and visited both buildings. The Panthers would benefit IMO so much from being at the Heat arena and get plenty of walk ins like you see at a ball game. Now you would have to plan a day at Sawgrass Mills and go watch a game

Even the Marlins are in the middle of nowhere, went to a ball game and was as bad as the Olympic stadium here in Montreal. Not the building but what's around it

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Even the Marlins are in the middle of nowhere, went to a ball game and was as bad as the Olympic stadium here in Montreal. Not the building but what's around it

............

Brother, that's the old Orange Bowl, the most coveted piece of land in the entire county.

Tourists who stay on Miami Beach, please spare us your opinions on this one.