Heat averaging 3,445 fans, building base says president

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by dobbles

actually, i would argue that taking these top 4 games from most teams would have a much smaller impact as the 4 manitoba games are over 100% increase compared to any of their other games.

all i was trying to illustrate is that the team is walking a very dangerous line; you can't rely on 4 games a year (where most of the fans are there to see the other team) to make all your revenue.

and i wouldn't call going from 28th to 23rd in attendance worlds better. they are still way below average compared to the league and only a few hundred people better than QC's first year.

They are averaging some 1100 more people than they were in QC. Anyway you look at it, it is a substantial increase. The fact that they have 4 games against a rival that boosts average attendance is a good thing - not a bad thing like you are trying to make it out to be.

According to this link: http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance

Abbotsford is 23nd in attendance, but is closer to the league average than the league bottom. Both Manitoba and Chicago at the top are both about 1000 higher than the next teams and are bringing the average up quite a bit.... not to mention Heshey who is almost double the average.

The outliers at the top of the league skew things quite a bit. They are only about 550 off the league median in attendance.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

They are averaging some 1100 more people than they were in QC. Anyway you look at it, it is a substantial increase. The fact that they have 4 games against a rival that boosts average attendance is a good thing - not a bad thing like you are trying to make it out to be.

According to this link: http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance

Abbotsford is 23nd in attendance, but is closer to the league average than the league bottom. Both Manitoba and Chicago at the top are both about 1000 higher than the next teams and are bringing the average up quite a bit.... not to mention Heshey who is almost double the average.

The outliers at the top of the league skew things quite a bit. They are only about 550 off the league median in attendance.

outliers? there have always been some pretty high drawing teams. an outlier would be someone drawing like 13000 or something. hershey has been a little higher than normal this year, but its a pretty regular thing. i would actually argue lowell is more of an outlier as they are usually significantly in last place. p.s. has any major sport ever referred to median attendance? i am pretty sure i have never heard anything other than the average attendance referenced. i think you are trying to pick that just to make things look better.

additionally, where does 1100 come from? if we were to do fair comparables, qc's first year is only like 300 off of what you guys have. even last years abysmal numbers (which certainly were not helped by lane sweeting being a total ###### and saying the team was leaving half way into the season) were only 800 off.

also, the reason i say its a bad thing for the moose fans is because none of them are there to see the heat. judging by the pretty consistent attendance numbers aside from the moose games, i think its pretty safe to say they aren't making many converts and that those people are solely showing up to see canucks prospects. so while its nice for sweeting to make some cash off them while they are there, its not really helping to grow the fan base. i think it can give a false sense of security as it makes the numbers not look that bad. also, i think you phrased it in a misleading way. you say the fans are there to see the heat play a rival. thats not the case at all IMO. they aren't there because there's some rivalry between manitoba and abbottsford. they are there simply to see canucks prospects.

[tkflames]

Can someone explain to me how the playoff ranking system works in the AHL? I though there was 80 games in a season, by NHL rules they would not have clinched yet? Thank you!!

[Eddie Bronze]

Originally Posted by tkflames

Can someone explain to me how the playoff ranking system works in the AHL? I though there was 80 games in a season, by NHL rules they would not have clinched yet? Thank you!!

Top four teams in each division make the playoffs. 1st vs 4th, 2nd vs 3rd.

Clinched a spot last night.

[Jetsfan]

Originally Posted by tkflames

Can someone explain to me how the playoff ranking system works in the AHL? I though there was 80 games in a season, by NHL rules they would not have clinched yet? Thank you!!

HEAT WIN 4-3! Punch their ticket to the Playoffs!

http://www.abbotsfordheat.com/ViewAr...CLID=204921604

[Azure]

I mean, even someone like me who is indirectly a fan simply because they're our farm team would get a lot more into it once they get into the playoffs.

I'd imagine the city would respond the same way as well.

[Tilley]

Originally Posted by dobbles

outliers? there have always been some pretty high drawing teams. an outlier would be someone drawing like 13000 or something. hershey has been a little higher than normal this year, but its a pretty regular thing. i would actually argue lowell is more of an outlier as they are usually significantly in last place. p.s. has any major sport ever referred to median attendance? i am pretty sure i have never heard anything other than the average attendance referenced. i think you are trying to pick that just to make things look better.

Stating that Hershey is an outlier doesn't suggest that they have not consistently drawn well. It merely suggests that the team draws higher numbers than the majority of the league. I would agree that Hershey is an outlier as they are near 1500 more people per game than the next closest team.
Also, as someone who went to games in the QC, every game I went to had a number of fans from the opposing team in the house. That was one of the justifications for moving the team to the QC from Omaha. Rockford, Peoria, Iowa, and to a lesser extent Chicago and Milwaukee were within driving distance. To eliminate the games the Moose play in Abbotsford suggesting artificially inflated attendance numbers, one would also have to eliminate games where a close division rival for the QC was the opponent and drew equally well. In particular for one game vs Rockford that I attended, I would say the crowd was 65/45 QC fans.

If one really wants to get whiney, the 2nd year in Omaha when the team was the regular season conference leader saw attendance numbers dramatically increase in the last quarter of the season and into the playoffs. Unfortunately for Knights fans the move to the QC had already been initated despite the increased attendance. The big club didn't have the patience to stick with the plan. That, and the business operations of the team was a gong show for the first season and a half.

It's unfortunate that the QC fans didn't get to witness playoff games. Attendance may have dramatically increased as the Mallards had an established tradition of winning. For the Heat making the playoffs in the first year is a great accomplishment, particularly when you look at the lineup for the last 10-20 games. If the Heat can win a playoff round or two and as long as the local owners are patient enough to let the fanbase grow, the team and attendance will improve.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by Tilley

Stating that Hershey is an outlier doesn't suggest that they have not consistently drawn well. It merely suggests that the team draws higher numbers than the majority of the league. I would agree that Hershey is an outlier as they are near 1500 more people per game than the next closest team.
Also, as someone who went to games in the QC, every game I went to had a number of fans from the opposing team in the house. That was one of the justifications for moving the team to the QC from Omaha. Rockford, Peoria, Iowa, and to a lesser extent Chicago and Milwaukee were within driving distance. To eliminate the games the Moose play in Abbotsford suggesting artificially inflated attendance numbers, one would also have to eliminate games where a close division rival for the QC was the opponent and drew equally well. In particular for one game vs Rockford that I attended, I would say the crowd was 65/45 QC fans.

as someone that went to around 65 of the 80 home games qc had, i think i can count on my left hand the number of games that the road team had more than 50 fans in attendance. for teams like peoria, chicago, and des moines, it was pretty much booster clubs or a very small group of hard core fans. (though out of that group, chicago has a decent road crowd as they have been around a while and have so die hard fans) only rockford ever really had significant road crowds show up. this was probably due to their past rivalry in the uhl. i recall the very first flames game ever was against rockford and they had a decent amount of fans there. however, i can promise you that the flames never saw a 100% increase in attendance due to the road team that was playing there.

additionally, i understand what an outlier is. my assertion is that if you were to plot all the teams average attendances on a graph, hershey would appear much less as an outlier as there are several other markets that get up in that general vicinity of high attendance. conversely the last few years, lowell had really separated itself from the rest of the teams on the low end. however, hershey really is starting to push into outlier territory this year.

[Muta]

I went to the Marlies / Moose game today, and the fattest dude I've ever seen sat right behind me.

It's possible that he is single-handedly the reason why Toronto sits 21st in attendance numbers and not any lower. He must've made up 30% of the attendance alone.

[flamesrule14]

Decent crowd at tonight's game. Over 4600 in attendance. I think with the playoffs now a guarantee the attendence will be just fine.

Also good first game for Mitch Wahl. Gets his first career assist on the GW and was named 3rd Star.

[Azure]

Yep. With making the playoffs there should be more interest in the team.

Would be awesome if they could on some sort of run. If the Flames miss Backlund should be sent down to help them. Given how he is playing right now in the NHL he will probably tear up the AHL.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Originally Posted by Azure

Yep. With making the playoffs there should be more interest in the team.

Would be awesome if they could on some sort of run. If the Flames miss Backlund should be sent down to help them. Given how he is playing right now in the NHL he will probably tear up the AHL.

Not necessarily, in fact, check out his stats in the AHL. He wasn't as hot as everyone expected him to be. His play wasn't all that great.

There's something about this organization where we have players who don't have all that great of stats, but once they get called up to the Flames they light it up. It's weird.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

Not necessarily, in fact, check out his stats in the AHL. He wasn't as hot as everyone expected him to be. His play wasn't all that great.

There's something about this organization where we have players who don't have all that great of stats, but once they get called up to the Flames they light it up. It's weird.

It also has to do with the talent down there too.

Chucko will make anyone on the Calgary roster look like a HOFer...

[sevenarms]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

Not necessarily, in fact, check out his stats in the AHL. He wasn't as hot as everyone expected him to be. His play wasn't all that great.

There's something about this organization where we have players who don't have all that great of stats, but once they get called up to the Flames they light it up. It's weird.

After Backlund's first call up he was reassigned back to the Heat for the Olympic break. He tore it up when he moved back down. It seems that all he needed was a little confidence or something.

He was player of the week for the week ending Feb 28, 3 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, +6.

http://theahl.com/heat-s-backlund-na...e-week-p141086

I think if Backlund was sent to the Heat he would excel and the Heat could make a nice playoff run.

[Ring of Fire]

Maybe Backlund and Wahl will have some chemistry and provide offensive punch.

[JFK]

It'd be pretty cool if Sportsnet were able to televise some Heat playoff games this season.

Anyone know when playoffs start?

[sevenarms]

Originally Posted by JFK

It'd be pretty cool if Sportsnet were able to televise some Heat playoff games this season.

Anyone know when playoffs start?

The season ends on Sunday. My guess is that the playoffs will start on Wednesday or somewhere thereabouts.

[Muta]

I'll be going to the Heat / Marlies game on Sunday. I'll provide a synopsis afterwards if I can.