WJC: Attendance

[Norman Crane]

I was in sweden as well and you are 100% correct, the place was packed AND rockin' for every game. Granted the venue was small (I think 8000k for Leksand and 5000k for the smaller town (forget the name) north of there.

The games were in Leksand (7,650) and Mora (4,500), and attendance was poor in that tournament.

Sweden's opening game against Canada was a sellout, but after that not even Sweden's games did particularly well. Their last round robin game was against the USA, for example, and the stands were 56% full, and in the quarters they played the Czech Republic to 43% of a capacity crowd. The semis against Russia were better (70%), but the other semi, Canada versus the USA, only managed 31%. The Canada and Russia final filled 69% of the seats.

Russia's final round robin game against Finland, the second-best team in the group, had a 22% crowd, and that was at the smaller rink, meaning there were only 1004 people watching.

Yesterday's Finland and Slovakia game, a significantly less profile one, in Montreal had higher numbers both in number of people and in percent of capacity (28%).

Attendance this year isn't bad. It's just not as good as it usually (sometimes?) is in North America. If ticket prices are indeed as high as people claim, that will mean the championships will be a big economic success, for better or worse. I'd rather see smaller venues, more capacity crowds and games played in smaller cities, where, as VanFlyer points out, the crowds can really be rockin' (even if they don't sell out).

 

[themightyquinn]

You just wrote "Lol!" with an exclamation mark. You have no credibility. That and the fact that you're apparently too ignorant to read any post in this thread past the first one.

Ignorance belongs only to you to use a hypothetical Toronto situation to try to distract the fact that the city of Montreal's "support" for the Canadian Juniors is quite frankly pathetic.

But fret not. We will see in 2017 when the situation is reversed and Toronto holds the round robin. Then we'll see if those thousands and thousands of empty seats we see now in Montreal for Canada games will be repeated.

 

[VanFlyer]

Then they shouldn't have had those games in the ACC. There are other venues in the GTA.

You are being sarcastic right? I mean what is ACC- the meca of all arenas? Why should having a game at a particular arena dictate a completely different price structure. Are they going to shine my shows and give me wine and cheese upon entering???

The concept you are suggesting is just to foreign to me I can't even get my head around it (which is not saying much).

 

[Champ10]

Ignorance belongs only to you to use a hypothetical Toronto situation to try to distract the fact that the city of Montreal's "support" for the Canadian Juniors is quite frankly pathetic.

But fret not. We will see in 2017 when the situation is reversed and Toronto holds the round robin. Then we'll see if those thousands and thousands of empty seats we see now in Montreal for Canada games will be repeated.

There's no hypothetical. In games in which Canada is not playing, a game in Montreal is 3x (2.8x, if you wanna be obtuse, which seems to be the case here) more expensive than it is in Toronto. If you knew how to read correctly, I wouldn't have to post that for the 2nd time in 2 pages.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

Is it Hockey Canada that is dictating the prices or IIHF??

No but buying a WJR's is negotiated (for a given year) based on how much Hockey Canada has made in the past. The bigger the past profit, the more money is spread around to other nations, the more money in the pockets of the IIHF.

 

[JoeyBeans]

You are being sarcastic right? I mean what is ACC- the meca of all arenas? Why should having a game at a particular arena dictate a completely different price structure. Are they going to shine my shows and give me wine and cheese upon entering???

The concept you are suggesting is just to foreign to me I can't even get my head around it (which is not saying much).

Everything comes down to money. He is right.

 

[JoeyBeans]

Nothing but empty seats at the bell centre.

 

[MaxChart]

Yep, that's a sad looking Bell Center.

I still feel bad that I am encouraging those thieves by going to tomorrow's game.

Those prices are an insult to our intelligence.

 

[Cody Webster]

It looks like they wouldnt even fill the lower bowl. What a disappointment

 

[With all do respect]

Thinking of driving up to Montreal from Ottawa to watch the USA vs Slovakia, then Canada Finland. But only wanna do if the price is right(stupid student loans) any suggestions where I can find the best deal.

Edit: Sorry if wrong section but seems like the best place since everyone is discussing ticket prices and attendances issues in this thread

 

[Rob]

So is Montreal still the Mecca of hockey?

Not anymore.

I hope they don't get any World Cup games in 2016.

 

[Tutu to]

So is Montreal still the Mecca of hockey? Lol! Terrible attendance and that city produces as many nhl players as large American cities. Watch out Montreal NJ is giving you a race for that title.

the fact that montreal has the best fan support and most history makes it the mecca of hockey

 

[Shadden]

I think we went through all of the pricing arguments (Reason I personnaly didnt go) but people tend to forget that few wants to see strong teams destroy weaker ones. Why is it a surprise seats are empty? People in Montreal knows this.

 

[OliverKloseoff*]

The hatred for the habs in this thread?

 

[Rob]

The hatred for the habs in this thread?

Not the Habs. For the city of Montreal maybe. It can no longer call itself the Mecca of hockey.

WJC not a big hit with Montreal fans

If the Canadiens were playing a home game it would be standing-room only at the Peel St. bar. Patrons wearing Habs jerseys would fill up on pitchers of beer before heading to the nearby Bell Centre for the evening.

On an even crazier night — when the Toronto Maple Leafs are in town, for instance — there might be a large crowd on the sidewalk chanting outside McLean’s and the neighbouring Peel Pub. A small parade would make its way toward René Lévesque Blvd.

For some reason, though, the World Junior Hockey Championship has not elicited the same passion from Montrealers that their beloved Canadiens do. There are people sporting the Team Canada jerseys at McLean’s and a few preparing to make the short walk to the Bell Centre but, mostly, it’s a quiet Saturday night at the pub.

“Montreal is not Canada, Montreal is not even Quebec, Montreal is Montreal,†says Farrar, also a producer and radio personality on a number of TSN 690 shows. “We’re like the Vatican that way, a country within a country. … There’s a level of civic pride in this city that you don’t see anywhere else in Canada and the Canadiens are a big part of that.â€

So it has nothing to do with the ticket prices. Montreal is just about the Habs. It is not a hockey Mecca.

 

[Bosswally]

Yeah, thats why most of the games at the Salt Lake Olympics were near full capacity if not sold out. Your post shows and obvious disdain for Americans / USA hockey. St louis was one of the original 6 expansion teams in 1967 (beyond the original 6).

Buffalo did not get a franchise until 1970- so to knock on St Louis is pretty lame. If you wanted to illustrate an attendance issue, using a place like Tampa or Miami (Florida panthers) would have been more appropriate. Then again, you would never see the WJHC there.

Just as a reminder, Hockey is not even Canada's national sport nor was it even invented by a Canadian.

Buffalo/Vancouver should have been in the initial expansion but both were blackballed, Montreal/Toronto didnt want to share the HNIC money with Vancouver and Toronto didnt want Buffalo encroaching on what they thought was their terriotory, but when the first expansion happened the owners realized how much money they could get through expansion fees

 

[OliverKloseoff*]

so hockey is not mecca in montreal because ppl do not want to see teenagers play?
ooook
80% of these kids are ur future mailmen,warehouse workers tradesmen etc.
this is a bash montreal thread due to the hatred of the habs

i want to see ppl in saskatoon pay these prices and fill a 20 000
arena
goodnight

 

[Tutu to]

Not the Habs. For the city of Montreal maybe. It can no longer call itself the Mecca of hockey.

WJC not a big hit with Montreal fans





So it has nothing to do with the ticket prices. Montreal is just about the Habs. It is not a hockey Mecca.

soo we are just the mecca of NHL hockey.

 

[Number 57]

I am 20 minutes from the Bell Center

I Heard people on HF saying attendance was a disaster

I thought OK then I'll do my part and I'll show up to a random game, could be fun

I look up Finland-Slovakia prices



I should sue them for nearly killing me laughing my arse off

If lucky they MIGHT have a good crowd for a game like this @ 10$ tickets general admission

Imagine 46$ the cheaper ones and like 200$ for the reds

OMG

 

[Shadden]

Not the Habs. For the city of Montreal maybe. It can no longer call itself the Mecca of hockey.

WJC not a big hit with Montreal fans





So it has nothing to do with the ticket prices. Montreal is just about the Habs. It is not a hockey Mecca.

Way to read what fits your argument, later in the article the scalper states exactly what everybody has been saying. who wants to pay expensive ticket prices to see kids beating on weaker kids. The only people that will attend are people that are paying stubhub prices who didnt plan anything or people that received tickets for free.

Let's not transform this thread in a Montreal bashing fest please.

 

[Rob]

so hockey is not mecca in montreal because ppl do not want to see teenagers play?
ooook
80% of these kids are ur future mailmen,warehouse workers tradesmen etc.
this is a bash montreal thread due to the hatred of the habs

i want to see ppl in saskatoon pay these prices and fill a 20 000
arena
goodnight

Nice try. How about Vancouver?

Other cities in the had no problem selling out. That's because they truly like hockey and are not just about their club team. Like I said. Not a hockey Mecca.

 

[Rob]

Way to read what fits your argument, later in the article the scalper states exactly what everybody has been saying. who wants to pay expensive ticket prices to see kids beating on weaker kids. The only people that will attend are people that are paying stubhub prices who didnt plan anything or people that received tickets for free.

You are ignoring the part about there being a lack of interest in the city altogether for the WJC because its not the Habs. The fact that Montreal fans are constantly referring to our national junior team as "just a bunch of teenagers" really says it all.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Not anymore.

I hope they don't get any World Cup games in 2016.

They never were the mecca of hockey. Montreal is not a hockey town, nor are they a sports town, they are a Habs town and that's it.

 

[Crusher117]

Prices are insane. And they aren't selling at all
Yesterday everyone i spoke to had free tickets.
I got 2 free tickets for canada Germany. And i now have 4 free tickets for tomorrow game as well. In the reds.

 

[Bixby Snyder]

Nice try. How about Vancouver?

Other cities in the had no problem selling out. That's because they truly like hockey and are not just about their club team. Like I said. Not a hockey Mecca.

When the tournament was in Vancouver it was played at the old Pacific coliseum which only seats about 16k and ticket prices were much lower.