Page 18 - BusinessWest April 1, 2024

“I remember saying we can be a standard bearer for the Ameri- can Hockey League, that we can get to 6,000 a game. And the gen- eral feeling when I took over was that it would be challenging to reach that number. But I knew we could get there.”
And now, well beyond.
Meeting Their Goals
The team’s impact has been felt far beyond the ice. Last fall, the Thunderbirds released the results of a comprehensive economic- impact study conducted by the UMass Donahue Institute that shows the team’s operations had generated $126 million for the local economy since 2017.
The study included an analysis of team operations data, Mass- Mutual Center concessions figures, a survey of more than 2,000 T-Birds patrons, and interviews with local business owners and other local stakeholders. Among its most critical findings, the study shows that the T-Birds created $76 million in cumulative personal income throughout the region and contributed $10 million to state and local taxes.
The impact on downtown Springfield businesses is especially profound. Seventy-eight percent of T-Birds fans spend money on something other than hockey when they go to a game, including 68% who are patronizing a bar, restaurant, or MGM Springfield. The study also found that median spending by fans outside the arena is $40 per person on game nights and that every dollar of T-Birds’ revenue is estimated to yield $4.09 of additional economic activity in the Pioneer Valley.
“I can’t say enough about the Thunderbirds,” said Mary Kay Wydra, president of the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. “They keep downtown hopping in the dead of winter. I hap- pen to live downtown, and I know when it’s gameday downtown because the streets are busy.
“I think they’ve really made Springfield a hockey town,” she added, before noting
“It’s a little challenging that we don’t control the product, but at the end of the day, we’re controlling the experience.”
Nate Costa says many were skeptical of his initial goal of drawing 6,000 fans to the MassMutual Center each night, but most home games now attract around 7,000.
thon Night, Springfield Ice-O-Topes Night, Throwback Night, Home- town Heroes Night, and Military Appreciation Night.
“These are staple nights now that we’re going to continue to build on year after year, with new giveaways,” Costa said. “Fans gets a custom experience — and then, oh, by the way, it’s the second-best hockey in the world happening on the ice.”
Having worked in the AHL for a long time, Costa believed from the time he took the reins in Springfield that a first-class experience at the games, coupled with the hard work of his sales and market- ing staff and an ambitious slate of community outreach (more on that later), the franchise could see the success it’s experiencing now.
some of the direct eco- nomic impact. “They drive hotel room nights.
Hockey
Continued on page 41
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WEEKDAYS on WHMP
Talk the Talk 9-11 am Buzz Eisenberg Bill Newman
Rebroadcast 4-6pm
Stream: WHMP.com
LAST CALL FOR TICKETS!
18 APRIL 1, 2024 << SPORTS & LEISURE >>
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