Attendance down at ice hockey games - lack of stars blamed

As the season draws to a close, there have been several press reports about falling attendance at ice hockey games here in the Czech Republic. The average attendance is down by around 600 people a game, with the average game attracting just under 4,000 spectators. The fall in attendance is blamed on the lack of stars in the domestic game - the likes of Dopita and Reichel have left for the NHL in the last few years and the Extraliga has been left looking like a distinctly poor relation.