Abbotsford 2nd last in AHL attendance

[shermanator]

Just noticed that the Heat are 29th in the AHL with an attendance of 2893 so far. I know that they have not played the Moose yet, but for a city who was supposedly starved for an AHL team, this number is very disappointing.

Can anyone in Abbotsford elaborate on the situation? Is it the same apathy towards the Flames AHL team as last year?

[D_J]

I've been to several games this season, both weekday and weekend, and the attendance has been dismal. It's a bit baffling because the quality of hockey is fantastic and certainly the population is large enough to get a better draw, but for some reason people aren't going.

I'm sure there are a lot of explanations. There have been complaints about parking and accessibility issues. Many believed that Abbotsford is just not a hockey town which I originally thought was not true but it might just be so...

The Heat are in a pretty big market and the location of the AESC is right beside a freeway exit so it is not an inconvenient place to get to. With a season under the belt it seems to me that the only way for the AHL to be viable is for the Heat to be able to tap into the hockey fans from Langley, Surrey and other points west. (I leave Chilliwack out because with WHL Bruins in town there is no reason for locals to go elsewhere for great hockey)

I think, at the end of the day, that this really is a Canucks only market and any attempt at AHL hockey is doomed to fail here in its current form. The most the hated rival the Canuck's face is Calgary and their farm team in this backyard just doesn't get people fired up... The AHL experiment in this market needs to draw from outside Abbotsford to be successful and has to draw fans from the Greater Vancouver area; despite the great hockey being put on the ice the fan commitment just isn't showing itself to be there.... There just isn't an emotional attachment to this team.

I really like the Heat being here but I don't have a good feeling for this team going forward...

[Beerfest]

If I lived in Red Deer and the Canucks moved the Moose there, I wouldnt start cheering for them and the Flames.

Im not really suprised the team is having attendence issues in Abbotsford.

[D_J]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

If I lived in Red Deer and the Canucks moved the Moose there, I wouldnt start cheering for them and the Flames.

Im not really suprised the team is having attendence issues in Abbotsford.

You hit the nail on the head.... I was rambling and didn't outright say it but if we had the Canucks AHL affiliate in town I think it would be a sell out every night but anything less and I'm not convinced it will ever work..

Go Winnipeg Jets... Maybe that will bring the Canucks prospects home....

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

D_J is dead on. I'd also like to add that the Heat's home record isn't good enough to attract people and keep them coming. Their home record is 5-4-1.

Also, they blew their best chance to appeal to a large amount of people. On opening day against Rockford, they lost 5-0 and 5700 people showed up. That was their chance to win that game and have people say, "wow, that was really great hockey!"

It's a very circular situation in sports where people don't come out games because the team is losing, but the team could be losing because people don't come out to games and cheer them on. I believe that's the biggest issue here in Abby.

[thymebalm]

It's a couple of things.

Attendance takes time. It takes a good marketing strategy. It takes a winning club. Expect attendance to rise significantly if they make the playoffs again. I haven't been to a game yet (because I work on friday and saturday nights), but I am planning on attending.

It's not all because of the affiliation with the Calgary Flames. Although, I wouldn't be surprised to see a boost in attendance for both Manitoba and Abbotsford if they traded teams.

It's really tough to judge attendance so early. wait for things to get cooking. The Heat look like they are a team that could really be worth watching. Besides that, they are stocked with BC boys, and that should really help.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by thymebalm

It's a couple of things.

Attendance takes time. It takes a good marketing strategy. It takes a winning club. Expect attendance to rise significantly if they make the playoffs again.

You may be absolutely right, but last season it was "attendance will rise if they make the playoffs". Now it's "attendance will rise if they make the playoffs again".

[hkstylez]

I`m assuming its because their home town hero David Vander Gulik does not play for the Heat anymore. Just saying.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

D_J is dead on. I'd also like to add that the Heat's home record isn't good enough to attract people and keep them coming. Their home record is 5-4-1.

Also, they blew their best chance to appeal to a large amount of people. On opening day against Rockford, they lost 5-0 and 5700 people showed up. That was their chance to win that game and have people say, "wow, that was really great hockey!"

It's a very circular situation in sports where people don't come out games because the team is losing, but the team could be losing because people don't come out to games and cheer them on. I believe that's the biggest issue here in Abby.

Being a hockey fans and a Flames fan in general it is kinda depressing seeing this happen with a Flames AHL team once again.

When they came to QC I was full of excitement to see the best hockey that our area was ever going to see. But our local fan base has shrunk with the economy, or the fans just weren't that excited for hockey anymore.

But Growing up in Ft. Myers, Florida I got to see ECHL Everblades hockey and I have always had hockey. When our owners decided that they weren't going to be able to make it another season I decided that I wasn't going to watch (IHL or CHL) hockey. I was going to get Season tickets to the USHL Cedar Rapids Roughriders. I have already been to almost half the games even when the Flames were in town and even though the Flames were 20 minuets closer to me.

Bottom line is, That people don't realize what they really have. I know that they are fighting with some Junior teams and in the middle of Nuck territory. But this is a great product, No matter if they are winning or losing. When I saw my first NHL (live) last year I really noticed a small difference between the AHL and NHL.

I don't know what the hell Calgary has to do to keep a AHL team viable. They actually use the farm to groom players unlike some teams in the AHL... I know it's tough seeing loss after loss but it's still great to see future NHLers on the ice in you back yard. Hell when I was at the Atlanta vs Chicago game almost half the players on both teams were in our division when we were in the NHL. I got to see these guys before they won the stanley cup.

The biggest issue I have with the heat is that the local government is paying for travel. I honestly believe that government should stay out of this. But I think that Calgary is looking for another arena to put the team. But I hope this time that King and Sutter do their best to invest and make sure that the area is ready for AHL.

I really wish I had hockey here in Alabama, I played twice in the last 2 years. It sucks, I feel so weird here in winter time watching it on tv and not playing it. But some people will never know what they have until its no longer there.

[Traditional_Ale]

I've been meaning to make the car trip to see the Heat with my brother. Decent enough long weekend on the cheap.

[Johnny Canuck]

Being in the heart of Canucks territory, I'm not at all surprised by the fact the Heat are having such a hard time filling seats.

I remember a lot of people being pretty excited for an AHL franchise (myself included), until it was realized that the team would be affiliated with the Calgary Flames. Unless you are a Flames fan, people in this area have alot of difficulty getting behind the Flames of tomorrow. I can imagine it would be the same if Calgary was awarded an AHL team that was affiliated with the Canucks.

Regarding the teams switching AHL markets, I can't see it happening unless the Winnipeg Jets return and even then, I think its doubtful. Vancouver has built a strong relationship with the Manitoba Moose, and GMMG has commented numerous times that he loves Manitobas central location (in terms of calling up players) as well as how much media attention the Moose receive (which gets players accustomed to the media pressure cooker that is Vancouver)

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I've been meaning to make the car trip to see the Heat with my brother. Decent enough long weekend on the cheap.

Even if you don't wanna drive, you can fly WestJet for less than $100 straight to the Abby airport.

[Meelapo]

When you're looking at the forum list and you look at the last post column next to the "Back Burner" link it says "Abbotsford 2nd last in AHL...". I was going to post something funny like "Just like the big boys" or some sort of jab towards the Flames. I was really disappointed when I saw the full title of the thread and it was about attendance.

[BloodFetish]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I've been meaning to make the car trip to see the Heat with my brother. Decent enough long weekend on the cheap.

Don't forget the Heat are playing a game in the Saddledome some time next year, around the Heritage classic game.

[getbak]

Whether they're going to games or not, the people of Abbotsford are paying for the Heat to be there: http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/...megadrop_story

[QuadCityImages]

If they're going to fail to draw big crowds somewhere, I'd prefer they come back and fail to draw them here. I miss the AHL. There's no way any of our local governments in the QC would have footed the bill for the team though.

Its weird that the same team with different players, different names, different coaches, and different ownership is running into the same results in now 3 locations. I don't have any theories.

[thymebalm]

Well, somebody should be putting some highlight reels together and putting them out in the general media to entice people. I live in Vancouver and haven't heard about them once. Marketing man. It's a big deal. If the team is good and people know about it, they will go watch them. They need to really get at the Abbotsford community though. Make it feel like their team, not just an affiliate of the Flames organization.

I really hope the team gets some traction and stays in Abbotsford, you lose a lot of momentum moving cities. It's hard to play without a fanbase..

Attendance tonight was 5873. (Another home game had 2216) Hopefully they retain some fans from the draw they get from the Moose coming to town.

[The Original FFIV]

If they did more afternoon games on weekends I think it would help attendance. If you're going head to head with HNIC/Vancouver games, of course attendance will suffer.

Nice arena, went there last year to a 4PM game (all 7-7:30 starts this year, with exception of the baby leafs game in January). Good design and less congested compared to the NHL arenas I've been to (and even the Pacific Coliseum), which I'm sure would change if more people attended.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Tonights game vs. the Moose is sold out. Another raise in our average attendance, which I still see as disingenuous to the 'real' figures.

It must be hard for the Heat players to have more cheers when they get scored against in their home arena than when they score.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

[QUOTE=thymebalm;2809189]Well, somebody should be putting some highlight reels together and putting them out in the general media to entice people. I live in Vancouver and haven't heard about them once. Marketing man. It's a big deal. If the team is good and people know about it, they will go watch them./QUOTE]

Yes, it is quite sad that there's no advertising that way. I think the farthest I've seen Heat advertising was at a bus stop in Langley. I'm not even sure they've got out as far as Surrey or Maple Ridge yet.