Ticket/Attendance Discussion: The Sequel

[kylbaz]

Looks like quite a few released for game 3 now, starting at $271.

Sorry I meant game 4 when I posted. They are a lot cheaper

 

[blueandgoldguy]

Oh don't get me wrong, the saddledome is absolutely a shithole. But walking in there it felt like a big league sized arena. I'd still much rather sit there than at CLC or whatever the abbreviation is now. You actually have some leg room there, and I'm comparing their nose bleeds to the 100's here. Being nicer, brighter, and all that is great. But it doesn't matter when its so damn small. I'm not a huge guy by any means, and I find our 100's bad enough let alone the 300's.

For me, I'm there to watch a hockey game. I don't really care about all the bells and whistles. I want an arena thats easy to get to with decent parking, and comfortable seats. The dusty old saddledome has it and CLC doesn't. No amount of fresh paint and cool lights can make up for that.

FWIW I didn't find the acoustics bad for the concert I was at, and again I was in the upper deck/bowl whatever you wanna call it.

Lol there is plenty of parking within a 5 to 10 minute walk of Canada Life Centre and much of it is free to boot! I remember parking near the corner of Donald and Broadway and it's like 3 blocks to the entrance of the arena and best of all free!

 

[Gm0ney]

I've been reading through this thread to see what the locals think of this instead of the main board. I'm also from Winnipeg, but not a Jets fan. Even before reading this thread I thought TNSE hasn't done a great job, but wow.

For me personally, I'm a huge hockey fan first and love going to a game or two a year. But even if my favorite team played here, I'd still have 0 desire to be a season ticket holder. Between the dump of an arena, having to go downtown, and the overpriced concessions, I just don't get the appeal of doing it 5+ times a season (let alone for 20 or even 40 games).

I really don't understand the arena. Its in a central location? Thats about the only positive thing I can say about it. It was built on way too small of a lot for starters. Not only is it a small 15000 capacity, its cramped in there. The seats are tiny. The concourse is tiny. The parking is a nightmare. The bathrooms are tiny. Its laughable how TNSE keeps spending money on all these "upgrades" that'll never solve the real problem. Its a minor league arena no matter how many fancy TVs and fresh paint they throw on it.

I was amazed the first time I went to a game in Toronto at the ACC. I was in the nosebleeds, but the seats and legroom felt massive. Thats what a major league arena should feel like, and its even older than MTSC and also downtown.

What TNSE should've done is get a hold of some land like say what is now the Outlet Mall/Ikea. Build a real major league arena with 18000 seats. And then you could slowly surround the arena with a new entertainment district and a few hotels/condos like the area is now. Lots of parking. Put their own convention center next door. Maybe build a casino. Calgary really has it figured out with the stampede grounds. Forget about downtown altogether and build something new. But its too late now


See I couldn't disagree more. I went to a concert and a Flames game on back to back nights for the first time a few months ago. Given the Saddledome's reputation I wasn't expecting much. But I walked in and I was shocked. The concourse felt much larger than Winnipeg, the bathrooms felt bigger, and the seats/legroom were massive as well. Sure it looks like shit, but I'd take the functionality of that arena every single time.



Why would anyone want to spend their money on a downtown as shitty as Winnipeg's, when theres been 0 signs of improvement? It was a dump in the 80's when my parents moved to the city, it was a dump when the arena was being built to "revitalize" downtown, and 20 years later its still a dump.

Nobody with money is going to come downtown when its been such a lost cause.

I've been one of the harshest critics on here, but allow me to defend this thread a bit as a place where people have been coming to vent.

I sometimes come across as angry, I guess - I'm not really, but I do get a bit worked up when I start to go through the litany of issues I've experienced and observed with things over the years.

I like to describe the TNSE customer service experience as a death by a thousand cuts - it's not one or two big things, just a million little to medium ones.

Arena location - it really is good. Being central and downtown means it's easy to get to and easy to get out of. Easy to get to games after work for lots of downtown worker. There are lots of options before and after the game for food and drinks as well. Yes, downtown is rough - but having 15,000 people come down 45+ nights a year helps. I could walk to games from my place if it was on the IKEA lot, but I still take the Portage & Donald location 10 times out of 10.

Yes, the arena is shoehorned into a small lot. Not much can be done about that.

But what TNSE could do is:

- Start allowing re-entry again to relieve some concourse and washroom pressure. This would cost them captive customers, but I still think the benefits outweigh the $250k/season it might cost them (that's Jeff Malott money! ).
​

- Add zig-zag queues in front of concessions, so you don't have long lines stretching into the middle of the concourse.
​

- Finally, paint some clearly marked directional walking lanes on the floor:
----------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> NO STANDING >>>>> PAS DEBOUT >>>>
----------------------------------------------------------
<<<<< PAS DEBOUT <<<<< NO STANDING <<<<
----------------------------------------------------------
A whole two-way walking track around the entire concourse. You get people grouped together having a conversation right in the middle of the concourse mightily screwing up everyone's progress at intermission.​

I think these things would work and would go a long way to alleviating some of the worst issues inside the arena. Happy fans who can get where they need to go are going to be more inclined to leave their seats during intermission and spend money on concessions, merch, 50-50, etc.

Seat size, well, it's an intimate building. Upper deck is a bit more cramped than the lower bowl. If that's not enough room, there's ample space in the loge...

 

[JKG33]

I've been one of the harshest critics on here, but allow me to defend this thread a bit as a place where people have been coming to vent.

I sometimes come across as angry, I guess - I'm not really, but I do get a bit worked up when I start to go through the litany of issues I've experienced and observed with things over the years.

I like to describe the TNSE customer service experience as a death by a thousand cuts - it's not one or two big things, just a million little to medium ones.

Arena location - it really is good. Being central and downtown means it's easy to get to and easy to get out of. Easy to get to games after work for lots of downtown worker. There are lots of options before and after the game for food and drinks as well. Yes, downtown is rough - but having 15,000 people come down 45+ nights a year helps. I could walk to games from my place if it was on the IKEA lot, but I still take the Portage & Donald location 10 times out of 10.

Yes, the arena is shoehorned into a small lot. Not much can be done about that.

But what TNSE could do is:

- Start allowing re-entry again to relieve some concourse and washroom pressure. This would cost them captive customers, but I still think the benefits outweigh the $250k/season it might cost them (that's Jeff Malott money! ).​

​

- Add zig-zag queues in front of concessions, so you don't have long lines stretching into the middle of the concourse.​

​

- Finally, paint some clearly marked directional walking lanes on the floor:​

----------------------------------------------------------​

>>>>> NO STANDING >>>>> PAS DEBOUT >>>>​

----------------------------------------------------------​

<<<<< PAS DEBOUT <<<<< NO STANDING <<<<​

----------------------------------------------------------​

A whole two-way walking track around the entire concourse. You get people grouped together having a conversation right in the middle of the concourse mightily screwing up everyone's progress at intermission.​

I think these things would work and would go a long way to alleviating some of the worst issues inside the arena. Happy fans who can get where they need to go are going to be more inclined to leave their seats during intermission and spend money on concessions, merch, 50-50, etc.

Seat size, well, it's an intimate building. Upper deck is a bit more cramped than the lower bowl. If that's not enough room, there's ample space in the loge...

For me, craming an arena that's way too big for the lot size isn't something to just gloss over. That's a blatant f*** up by TNSE when they're planning to have an NHL team. I just wanna sit there and watch the game, the fact that even a shithole like the saddledome has bigger seats in their nosebleeds nosebleeds is inexcusable.

The zig-zag line is a brilliant idea, if people weren't too stupid to use them. I went to a game this year, went to the washroom at intermission, entered through the zig-zag area. Well don't ya know I get yelled at for cutting the line, by a bunch of drunken idiots who thought lining up in a straight line was a better idea.

 

[snowkiddin]

I’m hoping to go to the street party for Game 4. What do you think the chances are of me getting three tickets?

 

[Truenorthducky]

I’m hoping to go to the street party for Game 4. What do you think the chances are of me getting three tickets?

depends. Considering all three games are almost sold out the street party tickets are going to go in minutes.

 

[JetsNut]

For me, craming an arena that's way too big for the lot size isn't something to just gloss over. That's a blatant f*** up by TNSE when they're planning to have an NHL team. I just wanna sit there and watch the game, the fact that even a shithole like the saddledome has bigger seats in their nosebleeds nosebleeds is inexcusable.

The zig-zag line is a brilliant idea, if people weren't too stupid to use them. I went to a game this year, went to the washroom at intermission, entered through the zig-zag area. Well don't ya know I get yelled at for cutting the line, by a bunch of drunken idiots who thought lining up in a straight line was a better idea.

Actually the reason the seats are bigger at Saddle Dome is because that was the standard back them. The seat sizes of our standard lower bowl seats are the same as Rogers Arena in Edmonton.

 

[civic204]

Pretty sure when the arena was built, TN thought there was only a very small chance of the NHL returning. They pushed the capacity to the limits on that parcel of land to get to 15k. Personally, I can't fault them for a small concourse or a cramped arena. If they built a 10-12K arena like some had hoped for at the time, the Jets do not come back.

The arena has evolved quite a bit since 2011. All of the new bars in the upper level, atrium, allowing fans between the upper and lower bowl. There is more space now. Hopefully they have a plan for Moxies. There's an opportunity there to have another social area that people now like at sporting events.

As mentioned, the flow of people needs to improve inside. That's their fault.

 

[ps241]

I've been one of the harshest critics on here, but allow me to defend this thread a bit as a place where people have been coming to vent.

I sometimes come across as angry, I guess - I'm not really, but I do get a bit worked up when I start to go through the litany of issues I've experienced and observed with things over the years.

I like to describe the TNSE customer service experience as a death by a thousand cuts - it's not one or two big things, just a million little to medium ones.

Arena location - it really is good. Being central and downtown means it's easy to get to and easy to get out of. Easy to get to games after work for lots of downtown worker. There are lots of options before and after the game for food and drinks as well. Yes, downtown is rough - but having 15,000 people come down 45+ nights a year helps. I could walk to games from my place if it was on the IKEA lot, but I still take the Portage & Donald location 10 times out of 10.

Yes, the arena is shoehorned into a small lot. Not much can be done about that.

But what TNSE could do is:

- Start allowing re-entry again to relieve some concourse and washroom pressure. This would cost them captive customers, but I still think the benefits outweigh the $250k/season it might cost them (that's Jeff Malott money! ).​

​

- Add zig-zag queues in front of concessions, so you don't have long lines stretching into the middle of the concourse.​

​

- Finally, paint some clearly marked directional walking lanes on the floor:​

----------------------------------------------------------​

>>>>> NO STANDING >>>>> PAS DEBOUT >>>>​

----------------------------------------------------------​

<<<<< PAS DEBOUT <<<<< NO STANDING <<<<​

----------------------------------------------------------​

A whole two-way walking track around the entire concourse. You get people grouped together having a conversation right in the middle of the concourse mightily screwing up everyone's progress at intermission.​

I think these things would work and would go a long way to alleviating some of the worst issues inside the arena. Happy fans who can get where they need to go are going to be more inclined to leave their seats during intermission and spend money on concessions, merch, 50-50, etc.

Seat size, well, it's an intimate building. Upper deck is a bit more cramped than the lower bowl. If that's not enough room, there's ample space in the loge...

Yea I love our Arena location. I can get in my vehicle in my heated garage and not take a coat to the hockey game when it is minus 35 in January. There is an unlimited supply of heated underground parking connected to the arena that is affordable by NHL standards and yes if you want free parking you can find it. I can’t think of another NHL rink in Canada that checks all those boxes.

Good points on fixing the traffic flows inside the arena. They seemed to have just accepted the existing congestion problem which make no sense.

 

[Jets4Life]

Why would anyone want to spend their money on a downtown as shitty as Winnipeg's, when theres been 0 signs of improvement? It was a dump in the 80's when my parents moved to the city, it was a dump when the arena was being built to "revitalize" downtown, and 20 years later its still a dump.

Nobody with money is going to come downtown when its been such a lost cause.

I completely disagree with this, for a variety of reasons, that would take ages to explain. I recall what a barren wasteland downtown was 25 years ago, and it has improved. The population of downtown Winnipeg has been increasing for the past 20 years. The same can be said for a lot of areas relatively close to the CBD. The exchange district, Old St Boniface, West Broadway, and Wolseley are all more desirable today than 20 years ago.

Putting the arena downtown was the best decision, although I agree they should have made it larger, even if it meant closing off Hargrave to increase the size and seating capacity. Most North American cities that build arenas on the outskirts of the city have regretted it. Just look at teams like Ottawa, as a prime example of where not to build an arena.

Pretty sure when the arena was built, TN thought there was only a very small chance of the NHL returning. They pushed the capacity to the limits on that parcel of land to get to 15k. Personally, I can't fault them for a small concourse or a cramped arena. If they built a 10-12K arena like some had hoped for at the time, the Jets do not come back.

The arena has evolved quite a bit since 2011. All of the new bars in the upper level, atrium, allowing fans between the upper and lower bowl. There is more space now. Hopefully they have a plan for Moxies. There's an opportunity there to have another social area that people now like at sporting events.

As mentioned, the flow of people needs to improve inside. That's their fault.

From what I read at the time, TNSE had plans of building a 11,000+ seat arena, but the Government insisted the arena be built with a minimum capacity of 15,000 seats if they wanting public funding for the arena.

 

[JetsNut]

Pretty sure when the arena was built, TN thought there was only a very small chance of the NHL returning. They pushed the capacity to the limits on that parcel of land to get to 15k. Personally, I can't fault them for a small concourse or a cramped arena. If they built a 10-12K arena like some had hoped for at the time, the Jets do not come back.

The arena has evolved quite a bit since 2011. All of the new bars in the upper level, atrium, allowing fans between the upper and lower bowl. There is more space now. Hopefully they have a plan for Moxies. There's an opportunity there to have another social area that people now like at sporting events.

As mentioned, the flow of people needs to improve inside. That's their fault.

If you compare the concourse to other arenas around the league, it’s not as bad as some people portray it. You’re right managing flow is something they can do to avoid congestion.

 

[blues10]

I've been one of the harshest critics on here, but allow me to defend this thread a bit as a place where people have been coming to vent.

I sometimes come across as angry, I guess - I'm not really, but I do get a bit worked up when I start to go through the litany of issues I've experienced and observed with things over the years.

I like to describe the TNSE customer service experience as a death by a thousand cuts - it's not one or two big things, just a million little to medium ones.

Arena location - it really is good. Being central and downtown means it's easy to get to and easy to get out of. Easy to get to games after work for lots of downtown worker. There are lots of options before and after the game for food and drinks as well. Yes, downtown is rough - but having 15,000 people come down 45+ nights a year helps. I could walk to games from my place if it was on the IKEA lot, but I still take the Portage & Donald location 10 times out of 10.

Yes, the arena is shoehorned into a small lot. Not much can be done about that.

But what TNSE could do is:

- Start allowing re-entry again to relieve some concourse and washroom pressure. This would cost them captive customers, but I still think the benefits outweigh the $250k/season it might cost them (that's Jeff Malott money! ).​

​

- Add zig-zag queues in front of concessions, so you don't have long lines stretching into the middle of the concourse.​

​

- Finally, paint some clearly marked directional walking lanes on the floor:​

----------------------------------------------------------​

>>>>> NO STANDING >>>>> PAS DEBOUT >>>>​

----------------------------------------------------------​

<<<<< PAS DEBOUT <<<<< NO STANDING <<<<​

----------------------------------------------------------​

A whole two-way walking track around the entire concourse. You get people grouped together having a conversation right in the middle of the concourse mightily screwing up everyone's progress at intermission.​

I think these things would work and would go a long way to alleviating some of the worst issues inside the arena. Happy fans who can get where they need to go are going to be more inclined to leave their seats during intermission and spend money on concessions, merch, 50-50, etc.

Seat size, well, it's an intimate building. Upper deck is a bit more cramped than the lower bowl. If that's not enough room, there's ample space in the loge...

This is a great post.

Location downtown is great and parking is also a non issue. $12 to park indoors in -35C and not even have to wear a jacket to the game is well with the $$$$.

The cramped concourse really sucks and TNSE should be looking at solutions to alleviate that from the game atmosphere.

Wouldn’t it be nice to meet up with some friends between periods, have a beer and talk hockey? Way too hard to move around during intermission.

I don’t think that fans will ever be allowed out of the building during intermission. However, in seat food and beverage delivery service would also help alleviate lines.

Some better use of some current space may also help. Making use of and expanding access to the areas under the seating area would also help alleviate pressure on the main concourse. Build an entire easy access food and beverage area underneath. Only provide access underneath to the higher price ticket holders as done in Toronto, Florida etc..:..

I was recently in Toronto at a Leafs game and as a gold ticket holder had a separate entrance/security screening with no line to enter the building, access to food and beverage at ice level and it was great. Moving a few thousand fans away from the main level concourse would be helpful.

Washrooms?? Same thing more washrooms underneath to alleviate the pressure on the main level concourse. 11 seasons in and I am still using a converted women’s washroom that has no urinals, no hot water and the line stretches so long it blocks lines to the concessions.
As you said- death by 1000 cuts

I do want to give credit to TNSE for the extra playoff ticket perks. I am really pumped to be going to game 3 with a group of friends and family all sitting in the same section and not paying face value for the tickets. Things like that will keep SSH around and temporarily forget the hand numbing coldness of the tap water in the washrooms.

 

[Habitat]

Has anyone bought tickets from stubhub/gametime and got them delivered already?

 

[ps241]

This is a great post.

Location downtown is great and parking is also a non issue. $12 to park indoors in -35C and not even have to wear a jacket to the game is well with the $$$$.

The cramped concourse really sucks and TNSE should be looking at solutions to alleviate that from the game atmosphere.

Wouldn’t it be nice to meet up with some friends between periods, have a beer and talk hockey? Way too hard to move around during intermission.

I don’t think that fans will ever be allowed out of the building during intermission. However, in seat food and beverage delivery service would also help alleviate lines.

Some better use of some current space may also help. Making use of and expanding access to the areas under the seating area would also help alleviate pressure on the main concourse. Build an entire easy access food and beverage area underneath. Only provide access underneath to the higher price ticket holders as done in Toronto, Florida etc..:..

I was recently in Toronto at a Leafs game and as a gold ticket holder had a separate entrance/security screening with no line to enter the building, access to food and beverage at ice level and it was great. Moving a few thousand fans away from the main level concourse would be helpful.

Washrooms?? Same thing more washrooms underneath to alleviate the pressure on the main level concourse. 11 seasons in and I am still using a converted women’s washroom that has no urinals, no hot water and the line stretches so long it blocks lines to the concessions.
As you said- death by 1000 cuts

I do want to give credit to TNSE for the extra playoff ticket perks. I am really pumped to be going to game 3 with a group of friends and family all sitting in the same section and not paying face value for the tickets. Things like that will keep SSH around and temporarily forget the hand numbing coldness of the tap water in the washrooms.

You have some really good ideas. TNSE should take these into account because they are creative and smart.

 

[roccerfeller]

Has anyone bought tickets from stubhub/gametime and got them delivered already?

Not for jets but for other events I have used stub hub - I’ve found it takes 1-2 days before game day or concert day when they arrive

 

[kylbaz]

Looking at game four last two days and p2 are more expensive than p1. How does that make sense. Trying to take my dad to a game but would like him to experience lower bowl

 

[blues10]

Looking at game four last two days and p2 are more expensive than p1. How does that make sense. Trying to take my dad to a game but would like him to experience lower bowl

On the official Jets ticketing page? Game 4 is sold out with the exception of a few singles from my understanding. The secondary market is always fluid. Whatever people are willing to pay sets the price.

 

[kylbaz]

On the official Jets ticketing page? Game 4 is sold out with the exception of a few singles from my understanding. The secondary market is always fluid. Whatever people are willing to pay sets the price.

Some keep popping up. But it is on all sites. P2 are $400+

 

[blues10]

Some keep popping up. But it is on all sites. P2 are $400+

There are different versions of P2. Attack zone for 2 periods, aisle etc…. Cost more.

 

[Gm0ney]

For me, craming an arena that's way too big for the lot size isn't something to just gloss over. That's a blatant f*** up by TNSE when they're planning to have an NHL team. I just wanna sit there and watch the game, the fact that even a shithole like the saddledome has bigger seats in their nosebleeds nosebleeds is inexcusable.

The zig-zag line is a brilliant idea, if people weren't too stupid to use them. I went to a game this year, went to the washroom at intermission, entered through the zig-zag area. Well don't ya know I get yelled at for cutting the line, by a bunch of drunken idiots who thought lining up in a straight line was a better idea.

In the early 2000s when the arena was designed and built, the return of the NHL would've been a pipe-dream. There was no salary cap and the CAD was flirting with $0.60 USD. Edmonton almost went down in that era...

"Members of the Edmonton Oilers ownership group bit the bullet Thursday and coughed up almost $14 million to keep the struggling NHL franchise afloat."

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/oilers-get-14-million-cash-infusion-1.276164

Hell, even the Habs weren't immune in 2001:
"Beyond the team’s on-ice struggles, records from the period show that the Habs — once the crown jewel of pro hockey franchises — were bleeding tens of millions of dollars each year. The team needed a saviour and, in millionaire George Gillett Jr., it found a rather unconventional one."

George Gillett Jr. helped turn Canadiens into a billion-dollar team

It’s impossible to say exactly what turned the franchise’s value around, but the rebound likely began after Gillett purchased the Canadiens in 2001 and hired Pierre…

montrealgazette.com

So at the time, what TNSE was building was an arena primarily for concerts, touring shows (Disney on Ice, monster trucks) and AHL hockey.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Actually the initial plan was to have 12000 or so seats, but the province would not give their share of the funding unless 15000 was put in.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

No, the plan was an 11 - 12,000 seat arena 100% privately funded (maybe there was some federal money involved initially though) by TNSE or Chipman on the parking lot just to the south of the Convention Centre (where the expanded convention centre was built in 2014). I believe the initial cost estimate was around $90 - $100 million. Then a combination of events - Eatons site bought by Osmington (Thompson's company) for a $1 I believe, and the mayor at the time,Glen Murray, and the premier, Gary Doer, sold him on the idea of building the new arena where Eatons stood and expanding capacity to 15,000 in exchange for $13 million a piece from the city and the province...feds back then funded pro sports infrastructure so they were in for $13 million as well.

Total cost was $133 million with $39 million of public funding from 3 levels of government.

 

[Arthur Fonzarelli]

A quick google search shows many NHL venues and junior arenas with no re-entry policies. It’s profit driven by all of these companies. This isn’t some TNSE evil empire policy to stop your fun.

I don't need to search, I realize 2/3rds of the league have implemented these policies.

It why I dismissed the assertion the entire league has a no reentry police in place.

 

[Jets 31]

For me, craming an arena that's way too big for the lot size isn't something to just gloss over. That's a blatant f*** up by TNSE when they're planning to have an NHL team. I just wanna sit there and watch the game, the fact that even a shithole like the saddledome has bigger seats in their nosebleeds nosebleeds is inexcusable.

The zig-zag line is a brilliant idea, if people weren't too stupid to use them. I went to a game this year, went to the washroom at intermission, entered through the zig-zag area. Well don't ya know I get yelled at for cutting the line, by a bunch of drunken idiots who thought lining up in a straight line was a better idea.

I've been to the Saddle dome and it's horrible, i get that you would like more room, bigger concourse, bigger bathrooms but I've been to alot of bigger arenas and some in the upper deck but you are so far away from the ice it's like you aren't even at the game. I love the Canada life center because you are so close to the action and i go to hockey games to watch the game not walk around the concourse. Concerts are awesome there as well for the same reasons, sight and sounds are fantastic.

 

[jetsmooseice]

TNSE has done a great job improving the arena since it was built. Washrooms were an issue in 2011 but they have expanded them such that lines are short. If you play it smart (go with 5 minutes left in intermission instead of as soon as the horn sounds) chances are you won't have to stand in line at all.

TNSE has improved the decor so it looks more NHL than junior arena like it did when it was first built. They have added the various bars and lounge spaces. New scoreboard and premium seating. Flow through the concourses has been improved. Parking is a non-issue, you can find anything from surface parking lots to indoor heated parking to (my favourite) free on street parking barely a couple of blocks from the arena doors.

The only thing that TNSE hasn't been able to fix and realistically can't fix without dropping the capacity by a couple thousand seats is the cramped seating. I find the seats tight in terms of elbow room and leg room, and even the rows, aisles, entrances, etc. are cramped. Even an extra inch or two in either direction would have made a difference. But the seating is not so cramped as to be intolerable, it doesn't ruin the experience or make me want to stay away.