Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
I wonder how much they really care about attendance numbers. Obviously it's always better to have more than less. I wouldn't be surprised if the AHL team in Calgary with less attendance is still more profitable (or less of a money pit at least) than the AHL team in another city with more attendance but janky arena deals and more travel costs. I have no idea really, but it wouldn't surprise me if they just came to the conclusion after Omaha, Quad Cities, Adirondack, and Stockton, that it's just better to keep them in Calgary for logistics if you're going to lose money anyway.
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I don't think they're too worried about it. This year the Wranglers average about 3500 people instead of 4000 the previous couple of years. Even if we count it at $50 a pop it comes down to about a $900k loss per season. I think the Flames organization lost more than that in sending Miromanov to the AHL, and replacing him with a prospect on a 2-way contract. The attendance in Stockton/Adirondack was also usually between 4500 and 3500. So having the prospect pipeline in the city is worth more than that IMO.
The attendance will increase again once the Wranglers get good again. I mean who are fans paying to watch when Gridin, Brzustewicz, and Parekh are on the big club? No star goalie, no Coronato, or Zary, no steady D with the likes of Kuzy and Solo. The likes of Hunt, Kerins, Stromgren, and Suniev can only generate so much interest.