Poor attendance

[Yeah15]

It is not like the Oilers or Flames sell out every game like the Leafs which I showed in the last post.

I'm willing to bet those numbers on ESPN are wrong for the Oilers, not sure about the Flames. Tickets for tonight's game (weekday) against the Kings (boring) are 180$ for the cheapest ticket on re-sale. Highly doubt there's been any tickets unsold in Edmonton this year.

 

[93LEAFS]

Not saying Toronto doesn't support the Leafs. I don't know, in fairness I'm likely being overly harsh. I just hate seeing all those empty seats on the international stage. Other cities would kill to host it, especially when TO/MTL just hosted.

Even a place like London or wherever would have a better atmosphere. What is going on in Montreal especially is just embarrassing, when we host the WJC the arenas should have better attendance than this. Even more so considering how much pride the two cities take in being the major hockey centres, that's my point.

The problem with the WJC in Toronto is a bunch of things. There are a lot of competing things, getting to the games if you live in the suburbs is going to cost you a fortune (tickets, but mostly dinner downtown and parking) or significant time.

Toronto probably isn't a good venue for it unless they make use of the Ricoh center for some of the games instead of putting it at the ACC and charging ACC prices. As stated, I got great cheap seats on Stub-hub yesterday for Slovakia vs USA, but regardless of ticket prices, the whole experience cost a decent amount for a junior hockey game for two teams I don't have emotional involvement with. If the stadium had realistic prices for their concessions and parking was reasonable I'd blame the fans more, but to realistically take a family of 4 downtown for any of the preliminary games is going to cost you probably a 100 to 150 in tickets, probably another 100 or more in concessions (maybe more if you actually go out for dinner but just get pop and beers at the game) and another 20 in parking. The issue is, they price the event like its a marquee event and put Leafs/Raptors prices when you are in the arena (because they won't change in-stadium pricing because it will alienate season ticket holders).

In comparison, I've been to Knights games in London when I was there for university. What would cost me 25 at the ACC probably costs me 10 at the JLC (now Budweiser Gardens). I would love to see the WJC split between London and Windsor, it would be an amazing experience. But, I'd say a lot of the flaws with the WJC in Toronto lies in the marketing as people feel they are generally being ripped off everytime they enter the ACC.

 

[93LEAFS]

I'm willing to bet those numbers on ESPN are wrong for the Oilers, not sure about the Flames. Tickets for tonight's game (weekday) against the Kings (boring) are 180$ for the cheapest ticket on re-sale. Highly doubt there's been any tickets unsold in Edmonton this year.

My guess would be unsold box-seats where the team isn't at full capacity. Its those seats which lead to teams having higher than a 100% capacity. Plus, it could also be obstructed seats or something that aren't selling.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Ottawa 2009 set the attendance record and it wasn't shared between 2 cities.

 

[Canadian Finn]

doesn't surprise me.

Ottawa is a great sports city.

Saw our local Ticats play the RB's there this past summer.

What an excellent experience.

Don't get me started about seeing the Alouttes. That was a "one and done" deal. (trying to see the cats play in all away stadiums).

 

[snipes]

The problem with the WJC in Toronto is a bunch of things. There are a lot of competing things, getting to the games if you live in the suburbs is going to cost you a fortune (tickets, but mostly dinner downtown and parking) or significant time.

Toronto probably isn't a good venue for it unless they make use of the Ricoh center for some of the games instead of putting it at the ACC and charging ACC prices. As stated, I got great cheap seats on Stub-hub yesterday for Slovakia vs USA, but regardless of ticket prices, the whole experience cost a decent amount for a junior hockey game for two teams I don't have emotional involvement with. If the stadium had realistic prices for their concessions and parking was reasonable I'd blame the fans more, but to realistically take a family of 4 downtown for any of the preliminary games is going to cost you probably a 100 to 150 in tickets, probably another 100 or more in concessions (maybe more if you actually go out for dinner but just get pop and beers at the game) and another 20 in parking. The issue is, they price the event like its a marquee event and put Leafs/Raptors prices when you are in the arena (because they won't change in-stadium pricing because it will alienate season ticket holders).

In comparison, I've been to Knights games in London when I was there for university. What would cost me 25 at the ACC probably costs me 10 at the JLC (now Budweiser Gardens). I would love to see the WJC split between London and Windsor, it would be an amazing experience. But, I'd say a lot of the flaws with the WJC in Toronto lies in the marketing as people feel they are generally being ripped off everytime they enter the ACC.

Fair enough, sounds like a deep rooted problem rather than apathy towards Team Canada and the WJC.

Yeah London and Windsor would be nice. What is the Kitchener arena like? It looks like it's a bit bigger than Windsor.

 

[Canadian Finn]

Fair enough, sounds like a deep rooted problem rather than apathy towards Team Canada and the WJC.

Yeah London and Windsor would be nice. What is the Kitchener arena like? It looks like it's a bit bigger than Windsor.

The K/W area (Kitchener / Waterloo) is much nicer than Windsor, and a heckuva lot more affluent.

I spend enough time in Windsor on business. Personally, I don't think that city would do well with a WJC.

London/KW or Hamilton/St Catharines would both work.

 

[Drij]

Contrarily to popular belief but the WHJC isn't as popular as TSN makes it out to be.

 

[patnyrnyg]

most people in Montreal are Habs fans, not hockey fans

you want hockey fans in canada, go to the smaller cities and you will see rabid hockey fans who will go tot he WJC's in droves

I don't understand this line of thinking. Do the Habs not play hockey? Do you have to follow hockey at every level to be a "hockey fan"? I have seen people in here tout places like Regina, Saskatoon, London. Can any of those towns support an NHL team? Since we know they can't, does that mean they are "Inexpensive ticket hockey towns" but not "hockey towns"?

The university of Pittsburgh's football team does not have nearly the following of the Steelers, is Pittsburgh not a football town?" HS and college football is huge in places like Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. However, the NFL would never consider going there, so are they not filled with football towns? The Giants are huge in NY and for the most part the Jets are as well. However, HS football for the most part doesn't get nearly the attention in places like Texas or Ohio and there is no major college team in the area. Rutgers and Army do not count. I guess NY is not a football town?

Or, is it simply a case of these small towns/cities not having the entertainment options outside of sports so locals will follow their local teams the same way people in larger cities will follow THEIR local teams?

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

I don't understand this line of thinking. Do the Habs not play hockey? Do you have to follow hockey at every level to be a "hockey fan"? I have seen people in here tout places like Regina, Saskatoon, London. Can any of those towns support an NHL team? Since we know they can't, does that mean they are "Inexpensive ticket hockey towns" but not "hockey towns"?

The university of Pittsburgh's football team does not have nearly the following of the Steelers, is Pittsburgh not a football town?" HS and college football is huge in places like Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. However, the NFL would never consider going there, so are they not filled with football towns? The Giants are huge in NY and for the most part the Jets are as well. However, HS football for the most part doesn't get nearly the attention in places like Texas or Ohio and there is no major college team in the area. Rutgers and Army do not count. I guess NY is not a football town?

Or, is it simply a case of these small towns/cities not having the entertainment options outside of sports so locals will follow their local teams the same way people in larger cities will follow THEIR local teams?

what it means is this and its very simple...

If the Habs arent playing, the fans dont care about hockey

 

[Pouchkine]

Another 80% empty seats game in Montreal.

 

[patnyrnyg]

what it means is this and its very simple...

If the Habs arent playing, the fans dont care about hockey

So, you have to care about every level of hockey? I just want to make sure I am familiar with the rules. Tried doing a google search, but couldn't find anything. Do people in Red Deer care about the Jr A leagues in Quebec and the Maritimes?

 

[Pouchkine]

What he means is that in Montreal the people follow the Habs, not the rest of the nhl even during the playoffs, never had a junior team here no ahl team no success at world hockey events etc...

Compare that to cities in Canada where they have NHL AHL Juniors teams and have supported world hockey events...

One final point is nobody these days play hockey in Montreal on outside rinks and youth hockey has never been less popular.

 

[Pouchkine]

So all in all yes Montreal isn't a hockey city. The media reflects that, all they talk about is useless stuff about the team and nothing else.

Like someone said earlier, many people that follow the Habs here don't even know there's a world junior tournament happening right now here!

 

[themightyquinn]

This. Centre of the Universe attitude, all that "Mecca" talk seems like propaganda. Habs town in MTL, TO is a massive metropolis with diverse interests.

You put an arena with 18,000 capacity and I bet Regina/Saskatoon would sell that thing out despite being a fraction of a fraction the size. People live and breath hockey in the west. TO/MTL can self-proclaim whatever they want, but the prairie provinces are the true heartland of hockey in this country.

Easier to deflect than accept that maybe those cities don't live and breath hockey in-itself the way they think?

I can appreciate your point and your passion but a quick check of tomorrow night's game vs. Latvia tells me what you're saying is not quite true.

I just took 4 tickets in the lower bowl in the corner. After taxes, convenience fees, delivery fees, etc it works out to $820 for 4 tickets.

After parking (Toronto prices), dinner, snacks, etc you are looking at $1000 dollars for a family of 4 for just "decent" lower bowl seats. These aren't even the best seats in the house, just four lower bowl seats in the corners. No family of 4 in Regina or Saskatoon would sell out an 18,800 seat arena at those prices.

If people around here wanted to spend that kind of money for Junior Hockey they could buy 2 Oshawa Generals/Mississauga Steelheads or Barrie Colts season tickets - just as you could buy 2 Pats or Blades season tickets - for the exact same price as opposed to one single, entirely forgettable 6-1 (likely) win for Canada.

Or a family of 4 could spend $100 and buy 4 tickets to a Generals/Steelheads/Colts game for 60 minutes of Junior hockey featuring some of the best young players in the country and still come home with $900 dollars more than they would seeing Canada/Latvia.

It reflects poorly on TSN and Hockey Canada for extortionate pricing, not Toronto/Montreal as cities that enjoy watching hockey.

 

[patnyrnyg]

What he means is that in Montreal the people follow the Habs, not the rest of the nhl even during the playoffs, never had a junior team here no ahl team no success at world hockey events etc...

Compare that to cities in Canada where they have NHL AHL Juniors teams and have supported world hockey events...

How many have all 3 that do well at the gate and get attention? How many jr teams are along the corridor between Montreal and Quebec City?

One final point is nobody these days play hockey in Montreal on outside rinks and youth hockey has never been less popular.

You have only said that in this thread 50 times, but feel free to say it over and over again.

 

[Pouchkine]

Great comment!

 

[snipes]

I can appreciate your point and your passion but a quick check of tomorrow night's game vs. Latvia tells me what you're saying is not quite true.

I just took 4 tickets in the lower bowl in the corner. After taxes, convenience fees, delivery fees, etc it works out to $820 for 4 tickets.

After parking (Toronto prices), dinner, snacks, etc you are looking at $1000 dollars for a family of 4 for just "decent" lower bowl seats. These aren't even the best seats in the house, just four lower bowl seats in the corners. No family of 4 in Regina or Saskatoon would sell out an 18,800 seat arena at those prices.

If people around here wanted to spend that kind of money for Junior Hockey they could buy 2 Oshawa Generals/Mississauga Steelheads or Barrie Colts season tickets - just as you could buy 2 Pats or Blades season tickets - for the exact same price as opposed to one single, entirely forgettable 6-1 (likely) win for Canada.

Or a family of 4 could spend $100 and buy 4 tickets to a Generals/Steelheads/Colts game for 60 minutes of Junior hockey featuring some of the best young players in the country and still come home with $900 dollars more than they would seeing Canada/Latvia.

It reflects poorly on TSN and Hockey Canada for extortionate pricing, not Toronto/Montreal as cities that enjoy watching hockey.

Insane, could of just used Stubhub for a fraction of that. I do agree that's extortion.

 

[patnyrnyg]

I can appreciate your point and your passion but a quick check of tomorrow night's game vs. Latvia tells me what you're saying is not quite true.

I just took 4 tickets in the lower bowl in the corner. After taxes, convenience fees, delivery fees, etc it works out to $820 for 4 tickets.

After parking (Toronto prices), dinner, snacks, etc you are looking at $1000 dollars for a family of 4 for just "decent" lower bowl seats. These aren't even the best seats in the house, just four lower bowl seats in the corners. No family of 4 in Regina or Saskatoon would sell out an 18,800 seat arena at those prices.

If people around here wanted to spend that kind of money for Junior Hockey they could buy 2 Oshawa Generals/Mississauga Steelheads or Barrie Colts season tickets - just as you could buy 2 Pats or Blades season tickets - for the exact same price as opposed to one single, entirely forgettable 6-1 (likely) win for Canada.

Or a family of 4 could spend $100 and buy 4 tickets to a Generals/Steelheads/Colts game for 60 minutes of Junior hockey featuring some of the best young players in the country and still come home with $900 dollars more than they would seeing Canada/Latvia.

It reflects poorly on TSN and Hockey Canada for extortionate pricing, not Toronto/Montreal as cities that enjoy watching hockey.

Why is everything about a "family of 4"? Why do they HAVE to get snacks and dinner? Can they not eat at home before heading in? Why do they HAVE to sit in the lower bowl?

Here ya go: Family of 4 can get in for $45 each plus fees. Well, at least in US$. Not sure on the exchange rate at the moment. But, I doubt it comes to $820CDN. https://www.stubhub.com/iihf-world-...false&qtyddab=false&dUpg=false&sort=price+asc

 

[Pouchkine]

Longueuil Montreal VerdunX2 Laval StJean StHyacinthe Granby TroisRivières etc etc etc and soon Blainville will join the list of towns "around" Montreal who have lost their junior teams. Add Sherbrooke who once lost their Junior team and Ahl team didn't last long there...

 

[Pouchkine]

So you should understand why this tournament isn't gonna be a success here especially at those prices...

 

[OilerPensfan97]

So, you have to care about every level of hockey? I just want to make sure I am familiar with the rules. Tried doing a google search, but couldn't find anything. Do people in Red Deer care about the Jr A leagues in Quebec and the Maritimes?

The point that you are missing is that the attendances for smaller markets like Saskatoon, Regina, etc. are better than Montreal, therefore they should be the ones hosting these events. No one has to be interested in every level of hockey, but cater to the places that ARE interested in that level, not to the ones that aren't.

It's not rocket science.

 

[Pouchkine]

Exactly.

 

[Canadian Finn]

why oh why do folks blindly pay exorbitant TM prices.

is it a fear that tickets won't be real unless they purchase from TM?

I mean, at minimum, you could just buy from scalpers in front of the arena...popped over to the ACC after work, before leaving home...

Tickets were as low as $5.

Was offered a single front row ticket for $18.

(those prices are for the Canada game).

 

[Mats13]

its pretty sad seeing 2 supposed "hockey Mecca's" struggle with getting butts in the seats...prices be damned

when the Tourny was in Edmonton, the lowest attendance was a Czech/Denmark game and 12,967 people showed up

Oh please. Living in Toronto is expensive. Where would you rather spend your money? The big 3 and the Leafs/Lowry and DeRozan's Raps or a junior tourney without any marquee Canadian names.

The tickets for Canada games are stupid expensive. I could go to a Raps game with that money. Guess which one I'm choosing.