News Article: Lebreton

[darude]

Looking at how the Alexandra bridge replacement consultation has been handled, I have to wonder what is going on in their committees that doesn't just have people vote for a favoured design.

But it speaks to what Andlauer's team must be dealing with.

 

[Stylizer1]

Looking at how the Alexandra bridge replacement consultation has been handled, I have to wonder what is going on in their committees that doesn't just have people vote for a favoured design.

But it speaks to what Andlauer's team must be dealing with.

They are the landlords of the city and control too much. There is no better example of why they should be dissolved with what is happening with Lebreton. Nussbaum's tenure should be coming to an end very shortly and maybe that of the NCC.

 

[DackellDuck]

Nobody is trying to switch current fans, they are trying to catch some new fans, or possibly kids.

Which makes the initiative and how they went about it even more bizarre. If the target is “kids from Quebec City who don’t currently have a favourite team”… well then that’s an incredibly small pool of fans to try and draw from and the potential payoff is minuscule.

Based on Garrioch’s reporting though saner voices in the Sens organization warned of the potential fallout, and those voices have now been heard. He says the chances of Senators regular season games being played in Quebec City have gone up in smoke.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Playing who’s eyes match the Nordiques jersey most

 

[DackellDuck]

No everyone are millennials.

The theoretical unaffiliated fans living in Quebec City that the Senators are supposedly trying to attract probably are, though.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Deep seek is wrong then…. Guess there’s o thing to worry about

Lmao, yes,
That was a deep seek post you made, I should have guessed, the way it was written lol.

Or
You could believe what we actually know is correct for English viewers.
Which is what I posted already, it’s TSN as regional.

I don’t think you’re that gullible to think think that Sportsnet is the regional broadcaster of Sens game.

Did Deep Seek give you this TV schedule

Ottawa Senators Regional Broadcast Schedule | TSN

Viewers in the Ottawa Senators region can catch games on TSN5.

www.tsn.ca

 

[Karl Eriksson]

The sens consistently sold out from the mid 2000’s to like 2018. You don’t need to do a demographic study to prove that we are by and large a fair weather hockey town. When the team is good, 19,000 in the rink. When the team is bad or meh closer to 13-14,000. The secret isn’t more people, it’s a winning product.

A downtown rink will attract more corporate seats too. Kanata was ok for defense contractors and some mid sized tech. But the lions share of the financial and services sector is downtown. So that will put a higher floor under season tickets.

I work downtown, and plan to get 4 seasons tickets because by the time the rink is built I can just ask my kids to take the train and meet me after work. The idea of a mid-week game right now is logistically impossible for me.

Also not tied to population, is tourism. A downtown arena will attract more random tourist walk-ups. The average European or American won’t travel to Kanata because they have to pack in a day of museums/parliament and getting grifted in the market and the bus is off-putting to them. If they can get a dinner and game to cap that action packed day off, I think that boosts walk-ups substantially.

Lastly I think we see a huge spike in Gatineau attendance. The people who can be at the rink the fastest (other than the crooked yellow condo building weirdos or the folks at the very north end of Chinatown and little Italy) are the Zibi folks and those in old Hull. Can walk down and stagger home.

 

[Stylizer1]

The theoretical unaffiliated fans living in Quebec City that the Senators are supposedly trying to attract probably are, though.

No actually. Adults don`t change teams like that, kids do. You have to plant the seed so by playing some meaningless games in Quebec you are giving people a chance to watch your teams. Adult appreciate it but kids love it. Again you win a Cup and your fanbase gets a lot bigger.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

The sens consistently sold out from the mid 2000’s to like 2018. You don’t need to do a demographic study to prove that we are by and large a fair weather hockey town. When the team is good, 19,000 in the rink. When the team is bad or meh closer to 13-14,000. The secret isn’t more people, it’s a winning product.

A downtown rink will attract more corporate seats too. Kanata was ok for defense contractors and some mid sized tech. But the lions share of the financial and services sector is downtown. So that will put a higher floor under season tickets.

I work downtown, and plan to get 4 seasons tickets because by the time the rink is built I can just ask my kids to take the train and meet me after work. The idea of a mid-week game right now is logistically impossible for me.

Also not tied to population, is tourism. A downtown arena will attract more random tourist walk-ups. The average European or American won’t travel to Kanata because they have to pack in a day of museums/parliament and getting grifted in the market and the bus is off-putting to them. If they can get a dinner and game to cap that action packed day off, I think that boosts walk-ups substantially.

Lastly I think we see a huge spike in Gatineau attendance. The people who can be at the rink the fastest (other than the crooked yellow condo building weirdos or the folks at the very north end of Chinatown and little Italy) are the Zibi folks and those in old Hull. Can walk down and stagger home.

The time frame you posted there were hundreds if not thousands of giveaways almost every game. So the attendance numbers give an inflated view of actual tickets sold.

 

[DrEasy]

Other market expansion ideas for Andlauer:

- 2 home games in Victoria BC: population 100,000 waiting to cheer for a team other than the hated Vancouver Canucks

- 2 home games in Red Deer, Alberta, to win over the fans who can't choose between the Flames and the Oilers

- 2 home games in Mumbai, India. An untapped market of 18 million fans!

etc. We have 40 games worth of possibilities for market expansion!

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

2 home games in Mumbai, India. An untapped market of 18 million fans!

I think you meant to say Brampton Ontario

 

[IpsoPostFacto]

When did Melnyk use Quebec as a pawn again?

Forget the exact year. Was it not when he was drunk at the outdoor game on the Hill when he said it was like moving your McDonald's franchise to a better location?

 

[IpsoPostFacto]

What’s the big deal with a couple home games, as I said before, I’ll take Quebec City over Sweden.

Don't like those either. I'll take Ottawa over anywhere.

 

[BankStreetParade]

Leafs and Habs fans fill up every arena in the country when they’re the visiting team, Ottawa is just a bigger deal because of the proximity of the city and the history of the fanbases here that predates the franchise.

It’s an overblown topic and something we’ll have to deal with no matter what. You want to fight back? Go to some Sens games in Toronto or Montreal.

It's not an overblown topic. The owner is talking about playing regular season games in another part of the country to "increase the size of the fanbase" rather than putting all his time, effort and attention into figuring out how to get the ones who live here to go to the f***ing games.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I haven't read the pages and pages of this over the past few days so I don't know if this has been brought up or not, but....the NHLPA? Anyone honestly think any players at all would be down for having two home cities outside any sort of "once in a decade trip to Sweden" type of way? Especially when the two cities in question are Ottawa and Quebec City? Hell, players don't have us on their top destination list as it is, and were desperate to get out of QC before that franchise folded. No way the NHLPA approves regular season games in QC int he future unless there's a team there full time as part of expansion.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I had not heard about playing regular season games in Quebec City, that's definitely a bit of an eyebrow raise.

I assume it would be a money play, they'd be able to charge big money for the tickets.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Forget the exact year. Was it not when he was drunk at the outdoor game on the Hill when he said it was like moving your McDonald's franchise to a better location?

He was just drunk... have some respek!

 

[JD1]

Here's Cyril's quote

“We’re not likely going to convert somebody that’s living outside of Montreal and has been a Habs fan for the last 30 or 40 years. But if somebody was a Nordiques fan, we probably have a shot because if they were cheering for (Quebec) they were probably not a Canadiens fan.”

Which is what I've been saying about Gatineau for ages. I spent a lot of time working there and there isn't much opportunity to convert the Habs fans. The stupidity of his statement is the Nordiques have been gone for 30 years.

I spend a lot of money attending hockey, buying beers and food, paying to stream etc. If the Sens ever play a regular season game in Quebec City, I am out. I wrote the team and was clear about that too.

 

[GCK]

Here's Cyril's quote

“We’re not likely going to convert somebody that’s living outside of Montreal and has been a Habs fan for the last 30 or 40 years. But if somebody was a Nordiques fan, we probably have a shot because if they were cheering for (Quebec) they were probably not a Canadiens fan.”

Which is what I've been saying about Gatineau for ages. I spent a lot of time working there and there isn't much opportunity to convert the Habs fans. The stupidity of his statement is the Nordiques have been gone for 30 years.

I spend a lot of money attending hockey, buying beers and food, paying to stream etc. If the Sens ever play a regular season game in Quebec City, I am out. I wrote the team and was clear about that too.

Interesting. I’m of the opinion that I would support the idea IF the games were the dregs of the schedule.

 

[Stylizer1]

Here's Cyril's quote

“We’re not likely going to convert somebody that’s living outside of Montreal and has been a Habs fan for the last 30 or 40 years. But if somebody was a Nordiques fan, we probably have a shot because if they were cheering for (Quebec) they were probably not a Canadiens fan.”

Which is what I've been saying about Gatineau for ages. I spent a lot of time working there and there isn't much opportunity to convert the Habs fans. The stupidity of his statement is the Nordiques have been gone for 30 years.

I spend a lot of money attending hockey, buying beers and food, paying to stream etc. If the Sens ever play a regular season game in Quebec City, I am out. I wrote the team and was clear about that too.

Was it ever reported that the Sens plan to play a regular season game in Quebec?

 

[PlayOn]

Was it ever reported that the Sens plan to play a regular season game in Quebec?

Andlauer was asked and said that’s the vision, and something about how if they can play in Sweden they can play in Quebec.

Garrioch said last time the 5 games got out it killed the idea, and it seems like that’s likely to happen again.

I don’t really care if they play there personally but I also think it’s kind of dumb for regular season games. Maybe if you do stuff in pre-season for long enough and you feel like you’ve legit built a good Sens base it would make sense to throw them a bone. But I think saying it’s “the vision” is a little drastic.

 

[PlayersLtd]

I haven't read the pages and pages of this over the past few days so I don't know if this has been brought up or not, but....the NHLPA? Anyone honestly think any players at all would be down for having two home cities outside any sort of "once in a decade trip to Sweden" type of way? Especially when the two cities in question are Ottawa and Quebec City? Hell, players don't have us on their top destination list as it is, and were desperate to get out of QC before that franchise folded. No way the NHLPA approves regular season games in QC int he future unless there's a team there full time as part of expansion.

Andlauer himself said it was up to the league and his chuckle at the mere suggestion of it insinuated the near impossibility of it all, as you are outlining. He then went on to impress himself over QC by saying he *likes* the idea of 1 or 2 games and this ripped out the heart of 90% of our fanbase in a Lisa on Ralph Wiggum kind of way. And here we are.

 

[PlayersLtd]

Andlauer was asked and said that’s the vision, and something about how if they can play in Sweden they can play in Quebec.

He never said that was the vision. They were explicit that it was about exhibition games and that regular season games were up to the league. All he said about reg season games in QC was that he personally likes the idea of 1 or 2. (I'm paraphrasing)

 

[PlayOn]

He never said that was the vision. They were explicit that it was about exhibition games and that regular season games were up to the league. All he said about reg season games in QC was that he personally likes the idea of 1 or 2. (I'm paraphrasing)

This is where I got it from, but I didn’t watch/listen so apologies if he was misquoted!

 

[PlayersLtd]

This is where I got it from, but I didn’t watch/listen so apologies if he was misquoted!

I watched the whole thing. To me when he says that's the vision he is referring to the vision of preseason games. In the written sequence there it appears worse than it is. I can't remember if the Sweden part fell right after the vision part (as represented there) but he never sold the regular season games as 'the vision' in the presser. He was very clear that that is outside their control.

He certainly didn't discount the idea to the extent that he should have, and that much is clear by the reaction. But my opinion is he was just playing to the market he was speaking in front of, selling his product by dangling some hope.