there are a few teams doing poorly as far as attendance goees, but if you look at the numbers... atlanta, colorado, detroit, new york rangers, and dallas have had consecutive sell outs for something like the past 5 years. both the thrashers and the minnesota wild have sold out every single game since their inception into the league.
hockey fans are still filling the seats, and supporting their teams -- the real problem stems from the tv contracts... or lack thereof. and this is where the real money is. most organizations are turning a profit, but the actual governing body isnt getting the national tv deals that it needs to "look" successful. apparently "design on a dime" outranked the nhl all star game in viewers. mind you, the all star game was broadcast on a cable network on a wednesday evening.