ESPN ESPN

Last Year's Rank: 36
Title Track: 30
Ownership: 106
Coaching: 86
Players: 93
Fan Relations: 61
Affordability: 50
Stadium Experience: 73
Bang for the Buck: 93

The 2003-04 Stanley Cup winners dropped almost 50 spots overall in our ranking this year. The main reason (aside from that woeful 24–40–18 record)? Incoherent ownership. New owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie hired ESPN analyst Barry Melrose as coach to create fan buzz. Melrose, a hockey lifer whose beloved TV persona was that of a hip, goofy loose cannon, guided the Kings to the Finals in 1992-93 but hadn't been behind an NHL bench in 13 years. He publicly ripped his top players for lack of fire on the season's opening weekend -- say it ain't so, Barry -- and was fired 14 games later. Now, that's buzz. Here's more. The team signed the face of the franchise, Vincent Lecavalier, to an $85M, 11-year extension, then reportedly shopped him around right up until the trade deadline. (They didn't pull the trigger, but word is he's still available.) All Lecavalier has done for Tampa is score 300 goals in 10 seasons, help win a Cup and personally donate $3M to build a new children's hospital in St. Pete. Great PR, dudes! Amazingly, average attendance slipped only to 16,497, a 2,195-fan dip from last year. Must have been the $2 dog, the free program, the league's third-cheapest beer ($4.50) and the news (announced in late February) that the team will reduce most 2009-10 season ticket prices 8-12% -- with an optional eight-month payment plan. An extended-pay plan is perfect; fans feel they've already been paying for the past year.