What the ... ranking?!?!?!?

I was reading one of my favourite Montreal Canadiens related sites. They had an article about the Canadiens being ranked 111 out of 122 by ESPN the Magazine.

I will be the first to admit the Habs sucked last season. Anyone who tries saying they didn't is deny reality. Can they turn it around? Any team can. Can they do it quickly? I hope so but it wouldn't surprise me if it takes time. I can wait. But I digress.

The ESPN Magaine ranking. Heh. Out of all the hockey teams in the NHL they rank the Phoenix Coyotes as the Number 6 out of  122professional sports franchises looked at. Really? 6? After reading the reasoning, and rereading it several times to make sure I understood it, the crux of ESPN reasoning seems to be because of the Coyotes 2011-12 playoff experience.

After beating Chicago in the conference quarterfinals, the Coyotes returned to Phoenix to find a crowd of hundreds cheering them on at the airport. Fans said they were more likely than any other fans in the NHL to "get the most out of the money they spend." That's a brand of fan loyalty that all the big-name free agent signings in the world can't buy. During the playoffs, the Coyotes turned the arena with the lowest attendance in hockey into a sellout machine and had to create additional standing-room sections to accommodate all the fans. 

What about the regular season? The fact that Phoenix had the LOWEST turnout of all NHL teams last season according to the stats compiled by ... ESPN? How about their ranking out of all NHL teams for attendance in the last 5 seasons?

2011-12   20
2010-11   29
2009-10   30
2008-09   28
2007-08   29

Of course "tickets are also the most affordable in the NHL" , no one wanted to watch the games! The fact they had to offer tickets as low as $25 to get people into the seats during the PLAYOFFS speaks volumes.

The Phoenix Coyotes? What the kimchi?!?!? I don't expect to see the Habs at the top of the list. But Phoenix ranked the top NHL franchise let alone #6 out of all pro sports franchises? Give me a break. It definitely makes me think the ranking is not worth taking seriously.