IIHF Suggest Montreal(ers) get lower World Junior Prices

[undercoverbrother]

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/worl...real-1.3390461

The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation says lowering ticket prices and boosting the number of French-speaking players on Canada's roster could help improve attendance at the 2017 world junior championship in Montreal.

"It's a big city," Rene Fasel told a news conference Tuesday, the final day of the 2016 tournament in Helsinki, Finland. "I disagree that maybe Montreal people are only there for les Canadiens. They love the game. I think the pricing of the tickets was an issue in Montreal. I think that they have to have a look on the prices and people will come."

Fasel was speaking on a panel with Finnish hockey federation president Kalervo Kummola and tournament chair Frank Gonzalez.

"Maybe there should be more French-speaking players on the Canadian team," Kummola said to Fasel within range of the microphones.

Sure if they are good enough.

[Mass_nerder]

Is there a concern that the Montreal games won't be sold out?
I would be pretty surprised if that were the case.

[northcrunk]

[calgarygeologist]

"Maybe there should be more French-speaking players on the Canadian team," Kummola said to Fasel within range of the microphones.

If they were independent they could possibly have their own team in the tournament.

[nomad]

Thread title does not accurately portray what the IIHF said. Not all Montrealers are francophone - in fact a large percentage do not have French as their mother tongue.

[DJones]

Forcing in french players is gross. If they are good enough to get invited then great. Otherwise no.

[Flame19,289]

I think this has been simmering for a while now.

Here's a Toronto Sun article from last year:
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/01/04...junior-tickets

Finally, after being informed by reporters of the onslaught of bitter fans on twitter complaining about the lofty cost of going to games at the 2015 World Junior Championship, Fasel finally came clean, consistently pointing out that Hockey Canada was responsible for establishing the market value of ducats for the public.

“I was really surprised,” Fasel said. “If you would have done this pricing in Europe, you would have nobody in the arena.”

[polak]

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

Is there a concern that the Montreal games won't be sold out?
I would be pretty surprised if that were the case.

I don't think they're worried about the Canada games

[Mister Yamoto]

Montreal wouldn't get any team Canada games until the medal round. And yeah, WJC tickets are expensive. When it was in Calgary, to get tickets you had to buy every game AND Hitmen seasons tickets.

[Monahan For Mayor]

How about they just lower the cost all around ? The prices are nuts.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

Is there a concern that the Montreal games won't be sold out?
I would be pretty surprised if that were the case.

Attendance in Montreal was abysmal last year. They didn't sell out one game. Didn't even come close even for Canada-USA (18,900), and attendance for Canada games were as low as 12,000 (vs. Germany). Other team USA games were in the 8000 range, and the rest were as low as 3,000.

Hockey Canada's excessive greed was a major contributing factor, so the IIHF suggesting that they cut ticket prices is a good suggestion. The other IIHF suggestion is rather stupid, given team Canada is playing in Toronto next year. The medal round games will be well attended, even in Montreal at idiotic prices, regardless of the number of franophones on the team.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto

Montreal wouldn't get any team Canada games until the medal round. And yeah, WJC tickets are expensive. When it was in Calgary, to get tickets you had to buy every game AND Hitmen seasons tickets.

You didn't have to buy Hitmen seasons, but those that did got first dibs.

[IgiTang]

Nvm.. Read it wrong.