The Florida Panthers are a struggling franchise that hasn’t made the NHL playoffs in nine years, so the organization is trying to boost lagging attendance in a number of creative ways. One way is to offer “priority” for playoff tickets to people who buy a four-game plan, and if the team misses the postseason again (the team’s only one point out of a spot) they’ll get free tix to four games next year.

(Another big night for hockey in South Florida)

It’s actually a pretty good idea, but once you hear about a promotion that already didn’t work, it’s unlikely that any amount of ingenious marketing is going to save this team. Last night, all you had to do was show up at a tent outside the arena and you’d get tickets … free tickets. They still couldn’t fill the place.

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If the economy is affecting you at your job, I’m willing to bet it’s coming down on the working man. More hours, less pay, less perks. But I doubt your superior is really hurting that much; do you really think your company’s CEO is about to lose vacation days or health care coverage? So how bad must things be for the NFL when the big boss is taking a pay cut?

Roger Goodell is cutting his compensation for 2008 by 20%-25%, the league announced this week. Additionally, he’ll be freezing his pay for 2009. With attendance and merchandise sales struggling across the league, it’s nice to see the NFL not pretending that everything’s OK. Because when I buy a ticket, I’m mostly cool with knowing I pay the players’ salaries, but I bet people are less cool knowing they’re also taking care of the execs.

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Hockey without fighting? What once seemed like total crazy talk is perhaps getting closer to becoming reality. And, not surprisingly, the uproar is coming mostly from the media. But a former NHL enforcer is the latest to throw his support behind making hockey a little bit friendlier.

Larry Playfair has 1814 penalty minutes in his NHL career — many coming in 5 minute intervals — but he told the Buffalo Sabres’ broadcast operation that he doesn’t think the game needs fighting anymore. He joins a growing group of writers who are saying enough is enough after a 21-year-old player recently died and another minor-leaguer suffered a seizure after fighting.

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It’s not like you needed more evidence that Gary Bettman is the worst commissioner in professional sports, which is a title with stiff competition. But now we learn about the NHL’s latest senseless policy, which will cause two Red Wings stars to be suspended for a game because they’re not attending tomorrow’ All-Star game to rest their injuries.

Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom will miss the first game after the break, because they chose to spend this week-long respite getting healthy. The policy is in place because too many stars in recent years have skipped the All-Star game, and the NHL desperately needs exposure the few times it gets on network TV. But to force them to play a meaningless game in the middle of a grueling season, when the Stanley Cup often goes to the healthiest team? That’s just — well, that’s just what we’d expect from a league that just doesn’t get it.

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If you needed any more proof that the economic downturn is starting to seep into sports, here it is: The Columbus Blue Jackets, who happen to not be one of the professional hockey teams on the verge of bankruptcy (see under: Coyotes, Phoenix) are offering a payment “installment” plan to help fans pay for seats at upcoming games. As the unpronounceable yet terrific Greg Wyshynski writes in YAHOO’s PUCK DADDY blog — which may soon double as the “sad economic news in sports blog” — this just can’t be a good sign.

(Blue Jackets vs. Predators. Actual attendance: 2)

According to the team’s web site, the “payment plan” starts on Dec. 29th after paying the initial $10 when the seats are purchased. And what do you get for your 150 clams? Tickets to three weekend games … in the upper bowl. Lower bowl seats are twice the price. Ouch.

That’s right, it takes installments of $20 just to see a hockey game in Ohio in decent seats. Sure, the Blue Jackets may be paying steep rent for their downtown Nationwide Arena, but there has to be a better way to get people in the door to some of the most attractive games on the schedule (they can’t sell weekend tickets? Really?) than installment plans of $10-20, right? Evidently not.

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The Vote for Rory campaign last year was cute. Fans got behind a scrappy defenseman and stuffed the ballot box for the NHL All-Star Game, and it was a bit of harmless fun. Leave it to Montreal Canadiens fans to take things a little too far, and probably force Gary Bettman to cancel the All-Star Game altogether. This is why we can’t have nice things!

Currently, the third-place Canadiens don’t look like they’ll actually have a break during the All-Star break. Habs players lead the fan voting at all six positions, each with more than 180,000 votes. The highest totals for a non-Canadien? Sidney Crosby, only the most popular player on the planet, with 68,000. Way to subtly work the system, Montreal douchebags.

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Friendly reminder - SbB’s live blogging tonight’s Cavs-Wizards Game 3.

• If Kobe Bryant can jump a car, why can’t Kenny Smith?

• Erin Phillips is one basketballer we’d like to pick ‘n’ roll with.

• Mets pitcher Joe Smith engages in some friendly chatter with the folks at the Friendly Confines.

• Gatorade demands that they’re the only ones to quench the White Sox’s thirst.

• Braves fans try to prove they’re just as punch-drunk as your typical Mets, Phillies, Yanks or Red Sox supporter.

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FORTUNE magazine does the impossible this week, publishing a piece about NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that we found somewhat interesting. It’s not really a profile per se, but inside look at his daily life - with the focus on his travel habits.

Now we’ve always pictured a big-time sports league commissioner jetting around on a Gulfstream furnished by the league. But Bettman claims he flies JetBlue on occasion. If that doesn’t confirm all the recent eulogizing of the NHL’s “Major League” status, we don’t know what does.

Bettman from the piece: Read more…

Bruce Garrioch of the TORONTO SUN has what we hope is an erroneous report. Apparently the NHL is considering completely cancelling the league’s all-star game.

Excerpt:”Though cancelling the game seems a little harsh, there are proponents of that route in the NHL headquarters. At the very least, it would appear the skills competition is going to become a victim of the changes once the league figures out what direction it wants to take.”

Next year’s game in Montreal is definitely a go, but future games after that are up in the air. One option would be to cancel the skills competition and have a “headliner concert” the night before the game. That certainly would create a dilemma on which act would be chosen. Read more…

• THE WIZARD OF ODDS fingers Wyoming coach Joe Glenn saluting Utah for their 43-0 onside kick:

• As a teenage girl sues the Cardinals over a scoreboard message, JOE SPORTS FAN takes a look at other words of wisdom flashed on the Busch Stadium big board.• SPORTS FROG feels queasy in throwing up the sad situation on the Dolphins sidelines.

• GOING FIVE HOLE won’t touch that dial, as NHL commish Gary Bettman will be co-hosting a satellite radio show:

• LARRY BROWN SPORTS thinks its time for Karl Dorrell to ride out of Westwood, but they wouldn’t be thrilled with gunslinger Mike Leach stepping in the UCLA coaching shoes.• RAWLINGS pitches out their 2007 Golden Glove winners.