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troutman · 11-05-2013, 04:20 PM

Glendale, Coyotes court Canadians to bolster NHL franchise

http://www.azcentral.com/community/g...nclick_check=1

“One thing you learn when you become a salesperson is the expression ‘Fish where the fish are.’ There is no question that we have a very resilient and devoted fan base here, but there’s also no question that we have to grow that fan base,” he said.

“Over 500,000 Canadians from Alberta and British Columbia alone spend the winter here in Arizona. Put that into perspective. The city of Winnipeg has just over 600,000 people, and they have a full arena every night to watch their hometown Jets,” he said.

Figures provided by the Arizona Office of Tourism are somewhat more conservative.

The tourism office says 728,000 Canadians visited Arizona in 2012 overall. Of those, 243,600 were from Alberta and 164,500 were from British Columbia, combining for 408,100 from the western provinces.

No matter the specific numbers, Canadian hockey fans make their presence known at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, where the Coyotes play, LeBlanc said.

“When the teams from Calgary and Edmonton and Vancouver are in town, we have a full building. We feel the opportunity is to turn those fans into Coyotes fans,” he said.

Ideally, Canadians would come to Arizona when their local teams play, then stick around to watch the Coyotes play another opponent. Ultimately, Coyotes owners want Canadian tourists to view the Coyotes as their second favorite team, LeBlanc said.

11-05-2013, 04:20 PM	#86
troutman Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Crowsnest Pass Exp:	Glendale, Coyotes court Canadians to bolster NHL franchise http://www.azcentral.com/community/g...nclick_check=1 “One thing you learn when you become a salesperson is the expression ‘Fish where the fish are.’ There is no question that we have a very resilient and devoted fan base here, but there’s also no question that we have to grow that fan base,” he said. “Over 500,000 Canadians from Alberta and British Columbia alone spend the winter here in Arizona. Put that into perspective. The city of Winnipeg has just over 600,000 people, and they have a full arena every night to watch their hometown Jets,” he said. Figures provided by the Arizona Office of Tourism are somewhat more conservative. The tourism office says 728,000 Canadians visited Arizona in 2012 overall. Of those, 243,600 were from Alberta and 164,500 were from British Columbia, combining for 408,100 from the western provinces. No matter the specific numbers, Canadian hockey fans make their presence known at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, where the Coyotes play, LeBlanc said. “When the teams from Calgary and Edmonton and Vancouver are in town, we have a full building. We feel the opportunity is to turn those fans into Coyotes fans,” he said. Ideally, Canadians would come to Arizona when their local teams play, then stick around to watch the Coyotes play another opponent. Ultimately, Coyotes owners want Canadian tourists to view the Coyotes as their second favorite team, LeBlanc said.