Out of Seats, Not Out of Ideas: Idaho Steelheads' 69-Game Sellout Streak

(Credit: Idaho Steelheads)

For over two decades, the Idaho Steelheads have been the ECHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars. This past season, the team may have missed the playoffs, but they absolutely blew the doors off the business side of the franchise ledger, as they currently ride a sellout streak that stretches 69 games.

“We've always sold out a lot of games,” said Steelheads team president Eric Trapp, reached by phone earlier this summer. “But over the last few years, Boise has just exploded [in population]. But I think the big part is our staff. We've got a pretty veteran staff. That's what I'm most proud of: the people that have been with us for a long time.”

For anyone who hasn’t attended a Steelheads game in downtown Boise, the first thing to know is the setup for Idaho Central Arena and the surrounding area cannot be beat for creating an environment that draws in fans to the entertainment district.

“Downtown Boise is a really cool place. It's clean, it's walkable, and there's lots of restaurants and bars downtown. It makes for a good evening out. Before you go to the game, you'll get dinner and just walk to the arena.”

Boise’s explosive population growth hasn’t hurt either. Ironically, perhaps, the surge in growth around Boise that is fueling the team’s current success at the box office really kicked into high gear at a low point for the franchise. Due to pandemic restrictions in Boise proper, the Steelheads were forced to shut down for the 2020-21 season while many in the ECHL continued operations. “We were able to stay in touch with our season ticket holders,” said Trapp. “We’re able to get most of those people to come back.”

COVID also pushed many to change their living situation. Since 2020, 74% of Idaho’s population growth has come from in-migration from other states. These new residents, many with prior hockey exposure from other markets including California transplants, are discovering Steelheads hockey as both entertainment and community anchor. “There’s a lot of people moving from other states to Idaho and to Boise who maybe had seen hockey,” Trapp added.

(Credit: Idaho Steelheads)

Similar to the situation in Cedar Park where the folks reading this right now are the exception to the rule, most tickets are sold to fans with casual knowledge of the ECHL. The night out is about entertainment, not purely hockey.

“Most of the people coming to our games aren't uber hockey fans. It’s that the product that they're coming to see is fun to go to. They may not know all the names, but there may be one person that is in their group that goes, ‘Oh, you need to see this guy. He's really fast, or he's a tough guy, or watch this guy.’ But for the most part, most of the fans are coming for the entertainment.”

Of course, filling the building often goes hand-in-hand with winning hockey games. Dating back to 1997 when they were in the WCHL, Idaho has missed the playoffs just twice. Winning means players want to come as well, and the thing just grows in a virtuous cycle.

“Boise, just like Austin, is a destination place in our league. At first blush, people from the East are thinking we still have covered wagons and outhouses, but I think it's gotten around now that Boise is a special place.

“The other thing is that we get a lot of guys that retire here. We've had tons of guys that made Boise their home over the years, and so we got a large number of former players that are still here.”

Trapp was actually heading from our conversation to a tee time with two former Steelheads later that afternoon.

Now, a business usually stays in business when it grows year over year. Part of the paradoxical challenge of a sellout streak is that the team has nowhere else to grow in terms of ticket sales. Trapp notes the size of the arena is pretty fixed with all of the things around the building, including an integrated hotel that is also owned by the same group.

(Credit: Idaho Steelheads)

The franchise is getting creative on the business side to continue growth with what Trapp calls a “campus” model that includes the arena, the hotel and the convention center.

“We're always trying. I think we could do a better job. We just had a flower show in our arena, which was with [grocery] buyers, and so a lot of them stayed in the hotel. We have a tattoo festival coming up. A lot of the tattoo artists are staying in the hotel and then they're using meeting room space in the hotel, as well as the arena. So we try to put events together with each other.”

The team is also always looking to expand on the hockey side with another NHL preseason game coming to town this fall. Las Vegas and Arizona came to town in 2022. Way back, the Kings and Sharks played an exhibition game in 1997 before the Steelies’ first season. This year, LA will bring Utah to town for another preseason bout. The Steelheads also hosted the Dallas Stars Training Camp in Sept. 2018, which included an intrasquad scrimmage on the final day.

“I always try [to schedule preseason games with Dallas], but I think it's difficult. It's a longer distance for them, but I'm always trying to have [Texas GM Scott White] put in a good word for me, though.”

One thing Idaho fans would love to see is more players in the NHL from the Cities of Trees. They can now lay claim to Neil Graham, who started his coaching journey in Idaho, as an assistant in Dallas. It has been a while though since an Idaho product made good on the NHL stage.

Trapp, being on the front office side, points to some of the other roles that have made their way up the chain with a special callout for the PR and media folks who’ve been through Idaho in their nearly three-decade history

"There’s not many organizations that can point to the consistency that we’ve had... we’re proud of that."