Calgary Flames Experiencing Attendance Issues

[JianYang]

Yes, the Flames are struggling. But, I don't think this is fans not showing up because the team is in a rut. This is happening across Canadian NHL games whether the team is playing well or not. This was the scene with the Canucks team on Saturday night:



I think any story about attendance at Canadian clubs needs to looked in context with how much inflation is affecting the average Canadian family. Fewer people are able to justify spending hundreds of dollars on the occasional NHL game when they need that money to pay for groceries and childcare.

Vancouver has known for affordability issues well before covid. The lower bowl empty seats are the ones that sort of surprise me, because I've figured they were heavily corporate. There's a much different vibe in that arena in the lower bowl compared to the upper bowl.

Are those lower bowl seats actually sold seats that nobody wants or is the corporate community not bothering with them anymore? How do the suites look?

 

[TropicOfNoReturn]

This supposed to be some witty clapback? lol The "gods" will reign from the mountain tops just as they once did long ago. History is cyclical.

That's why I can only afford a game a year and attendance is dwindling in many established markets

I am legitimately curious as to what your agenda is

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

I am legitimately curious as to what your agenda is

 

[centipede2233]

The cost to go to a game is just not feasible for a lot of people. The cost of the ticket, parking if need be, concessions…I mean with todays tv quality and streaming on computers and iPads and such, I’d rather watch it for free from my bed snackin on snacks that would cost a fraction to what you get at the game. It just doesn’t make sense to go to an nhl live game anymore..

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

Team sucks, arena sucks, area isn't great. Not many reasons to go right now.

Lmao. Take a hard look at your own franchise before going down that road.

 

[CanadienShark]

Lmao. Take a hard look at your own franchise before going down that road.

Sharks are horrible right now, I agree.

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

The cost to go to a game is just not feasible for a lot of people. The cost of the ticket, parking if need be, concessions…I mean with todays tv quality and streaming on computers and iPads and such, I’d rather watch it for free from my bed snackin on snacks that would cost a fraction to what you get at the game. It just doesn’t make sense to go to an nhl live game anymore..

It's an unfortunate reality. The last game I attended 'live' I definitely enjoyed myself and had a 'good time' but throughout the game all I could think about was how much more I'd be enjoying this watching from home.

Comfy seats, exquisit beers for ~$3 a can. Also the ability to shout and curse openly without offending anyone or having "arena staff" bear down on you with some false sense of authority with their minimum wage, 3 day a week job.

 

[Skiiiiiiinerrr]

I dunno how bad it'll get. I was born here but raised outside of the city during the young gun era.. so I don't really recall how that was. Being young at that time doesn't help. I really don't have any connection to that period. I hear it got bad, though.

We'll see. I think for the first time since I've been regularly following the team.. there's a real outcry for ditching mediocre hockey. Not just the super passionate ppl here. A lot of ppl are getting fed up.

I honestly hope it shakes the ownership and wakes them up.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

For years and years we were told this would never happen in Canada and that all that sunbelt teams who had attendance issues should be relocated there

 

[ItWasJustified]

I’m not trolling, isn’t it safe to say a lot of teams are struggling on attendance currently?

I'm hearing that the Coyotes haven't had more than 4600 people at their home games this season.

 

[cowboy82nd]

You can get good tickets for ~60 bucks in Florida. Let's not pretend these Canadian markets can't EASILY get a sellout at Florida prices.

Hell, I'd kill for those in Seattle. Prices are insane here.

If they can EASILY get sellouts at Florida prices, maybe they should relocate to Florida????

 

[LeafGrief]

Honestly, sunbelt fans can just have the entire NHL if they want it. Move the Leafs to Ft Lauderdale and the Habs to Tucson. See what it's worth, this empire of dirt. This ponzi scheme league has reached the point where it can't sell hockey to Canadians, lmao. When you can't sell BBQ's in Texas, you know the apocalypse is nigh.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

You can get good tickets for ~60 bucks in Florida. Let's not pretend these Canadian markets can't EASILY get a sellout at Florida prices.

Just looked on StubHub and tickets are available for the Stars @ Flames game on Wednesday night for $8.

 

[Captain97]

Canada is in an affordability crisis at the moment. We are seeing all time high usages of food banks and according to MNP in July 52% of canadians were $200 away from insolvency.

On top of that we are seeing major companies cutting staff. 3 of our big banks are cutting 2-3% of staff and are expecting a recession.

It's hard for people to pay for hockey tickets at any significant price when they are struggling.

 

[Voight]

I dont think the NHL can reasonably relocate a team due to attendance issues when they have a team playing in a 5000 seat arena.

Regardless, aren't they getting a new arena? Saddledome is almost 40 years old at this point, so I'm sure the amenities aren't the best. The team is Also in a grey area right now.

 

[Mike Jones]

love to see em come home to Atlanta

I would too. The new arena being built here has to make money for Calgary taxpayers and that can't happen with an NHL tenant and management group.

 

[frisco]

I think teams focus too much on corporate sales. Although, that's where the money is and usually businesses will buck up $$$ for prestige factors (plus the tax write off), you end up getting a lot of non-fans going for free on the corporate dime or not going because they can't be bothered some nights which adds to a dead atmosphere in the lower bowl.

Meanwhile, fans without corporate connections, who usually are more die hard and loyal, are priced out of the market.

My Best-Carey

 

[Armourboy]

Canada is in an affordability crisis at the moment. We are seeing all time high usages of food banks and according to MNP in July 52% of canadians were $200 away from insolvency.

On top of that we are seeing major companies cutting staff. 3 of our big banks are cutting 2-3% of staff and are expecting a recession.

It's hard for people to pay for hockey tickets at any significant price when they are struggling.

It ain't just in Canada, the US is seeing the exact same problem. Companies are starting to do the same thing here as well. High interest rates and inflation is putting the hurt on the middle class down.

I used to be a season ticket holder in Nashville, and even when I wasn't I'd go to about 15 games a year. I haven't been in about 5 years because they kept raising ticket prices, parking kept getting more expensive, not to mention concessions and since I lived an hour away even the cost of gas factored in.

It's not just an issue with Canadian teams.

 

[Crease]

I’m trying to pay down my student loans, while saving up for a down payment on a house, with food, gas, and everything else feeling like it costs twice what it did five years ago. Sorry, I’m not paying $500 to take myself and my wife to regular season game 8/82. That’s two really nice date nights or a flight for vacation. I’ll watch from my living room.

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

$3.99 (before tax) for iceberg lettuce at the 'discount' grocery retailer. I literally have the absolute pleasure of eating fibrous water for a fiver these days.

$75 single ticket + $20 parking + 3 hours commute both ways when the city decides to cut off sections of the highway on a Saturday afternoon + having some boomer usher run his finger down my buttcrack to make sure I'm not hiding any weapons or tall cans as I also take off my belt and shoes and empty my pockets to walk through the metal detectors at the entrance.

All that so I can squeeze into my seat and enjoy the game for 10 minutes before I need to line up for 10 minutes to take a pee. It's never been harder to be a fan. Dark times.

 

[tfwnogf]

I’m trying to pay down my student loans, while saving up for a down payment on a house, with food, gas, and everything else feeling like it costs twice what it did five years ago. Sorry, I’m not paying $500 to take myself and my wife to regular season game 8/82. That’s two really nice date nights or a flight for vacation. I’ll watch from my living room.

It's all your fault

 

[WTG]

Just looked on StubHub and tickets are available for the Stars @ Flames game on Wednesday night for $8.

Just looked as well, for equivalent seats the Calgary seats cost roughly over 2.0x more than the Florida games.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

As I mentioned in the thread about Winnipeg's attendance issues, monetary policy and subsequent inflation is a huge factor in things rapidly becoming unaffordable for normal people. Absentee landlords unaffected, film at 11.

The salary cap going up isn't necessarily a good thing, regardless of how many bad decisions your team's GM has made in the past couple of years.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Just looked as well, for equivalent seats the Calgary seats cost roughly over 2.0x more than the Florida games.

OK, but you were saying that Canadian cities would be selling out. There are literally tons of $8 and $9 seats available for a game in two days. So, I don't believe your statement is at all true.

 

[Esko]

Bad economy + piss poor team + absurd ticket/concession prices = current state of attendance.