Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
One big thing, and KK has alluded to it, is how professional development is affected by fan support. Players are forced to learn professional accountability and become more motivated in environments where they have a higher profile. For some of the prospects, they were playing for smaller crowds in the AHL than they were in junior.... which brings in the business aspect as well. I would bet that the Abbotsford team does better financially than the QC team.
To be fair, the Flames should have expected to build a market and fanbase for their product in QC. I don't blame QC for the Flames having little patience.... but it is what it is.
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i do see your point in that, but it is important to remember that most of the teams in the midwest play in front of similar crowds. i have been to games in peoria and des moines and trust me their attendance is just the same as qc's was. there are lots of teams that draw poorly. so while its awesome that in canadian juniors, guys can play in front of 10k people a night, its just not a reality in most ahl cities. heck, i think the first game of the playoffs in peoria they had something like 1700 people there. so if low attendance is something nhl teams seriously thinks is important to development, they may need to dramatically shift the ahl and how its run.