ST. LOUIS — There is nowhere left for me to go, at least not for the first time.
This was my thought Friday upon arriving at the Gateway to the West from the Music City. City No. 2 of a three-site road trip that is keeping me from the Steel City for eight days, and so tired was I from an early-morning flight that I hadn't realized until setting foot inside the St. Louis Blues practice rink that this was the last NHL city I'd visit for the first time.
Well, until the Phoenix Coyotes return to Winnipeg as the Jets and the New York Islanders set up shop in Brooklyn.
Actually, some attendance figures from early in this NHL season have me wondering if some first-time visits aren't in my future.
According to ESPN.com, 19 teams were above 94 percent capacity for home games as of Friday. That group included all the Original Six clubs and each of the four remaining Expansion Six franchises, including the Penguins at 100.4 percent capacity.
Having 63.3 percent of its franchises playing to pretty packed houses is a big win for the NHL, a league in which gate drives revenue.
However, there are some troubling trends — starting with the Colorado Avalanche, an exciting young club that defied expectations to make the playoffs last season. As with all attendance figures in October, the sample size is small, but through two games, the Avalanche had played before only 85.6 percent capacity.
Seven teams had played below 80 percent capacity, including the perennial contender New Jersey Devils and resurgent Tampa Bay Lightning.
I'm not trying to slam the NHL, because there is a strong buzz about the league. This was evident by ESPN bringing in Washington winger Alex Ovechkin for a "This is SportsCenter" commercial shoot last week, not to mention HBO's "24/7" about the upcoming Winter Classic.
Still, nearly a full month into the season and over 25 percent of teams were playing to crowds that were 20 percent empty. Numbers will probably spike after football season, but there is no guarantee in this economy.
I get the feeling I'll be back in St. Louis, which was at 100 percent capacity. The same probably goes for Nashville, which was at 94.8 percent.
As for places such as Atlanta (65.8 percent) and, maybe (sadly), Columbus (77.5) - well, there is a last time for everything.
