Feel The Chill - Official [CHL] St. Charles Chill thread

[mk80]

1107 is pitiful for a Friday night! I say that even with the optimistic attitude I have for them. I realize the River Otters didn't work out in the end, but I expect the Chill to have at least 2-2500 fans on weekend game... the attendance for tonight was similar to what I was expecting to see on Wednesday night's game against the Mavericks.

 

[mfrerkes]

1107 is pitiful for a Friday night! I say that even with the optimistic attitude I have for them. I realize the River Otters didn't work out in the end, but I expect the Chill to have at least 2-2500 fans on weekend game... the attendance for tonight was similar to what I was expecting to see on Wednesday night's game against the Mavericks.

If these numbers continue to hold, I don't see this club making it beyond March. Financial losses of this magnitude are not sustainable for an extended period of time.

 

[mk80]

Well not sustainable for the CHL, but they might be wise to try things out in the SPHL for a year or two, as their attendance levels are better suited to that and St. Charles was named as a possible market for SPHL's future north division.

The other route that possibly (and a strong possibility of failing) is a move to the ECHL and stack that team with Blues prospects. But SPHL or fold will likely bet the path for them

 

[mfrerkes]

It's a Sunday game for the Chill today. Wanna bet they draw less than a thousand this afternoon? Denver couldn't get 900 on a Saturday night.

 

[intangible]

Half off all drinks* and hot dogs today, but I don't see it putting butts in seats. Problem is, when you're charging people $5 for a bottle of Pepsi.. yes.. the bottles you get at vending machine for $1.. even at $2.50 it's finally just hitting "almost acceptable." I didn't get a hot dog on opening night, but I did get pretzels and cheese at $6.50. They were gross, by the way.. ended up giving them to my 6 year old son, who happily ate the tasteless cardboard.

For those comparing Chill and the Blues, I have to LOL. Maybe even LMAO. When I said "For $32 I'll just go to a Blues game," I meant, "$32 is overpriced for this level of hockey, and I'd rather pay a little extra and go see actual stars."

As I've said previously, this team won't last past the year. With such dismal attendance so far, I'm not even sure how they rebound. Can't reduce ticket prices or otherwise season ticket holders will get pissed.

Sad thing was I was probably their prime target market: late 20s/early 30s male, big family, business owner, huge hockey fan. I was considering getting season tickets for a couple seats or even a sponsorship, but the prices of both tickets and concessions will keep me away beyond maybe a few games this season. And now that I've seen them reduce ticket prices the day of the game (for the home opener, for which I bought three tickets at regular price), I won't ever buy tickets in advance again.

*Another chapter in the How Not to Run an Organization and Treat Fans, the Chill just posted on Facebook that only SELECT drinks are half off... while over the course of the past 2-3 days they've been saying it's half off ALL drinks. Hilarious. It's like they think we won't notice when you reduce prices on the day of the game, screwing over those of us who paid full price or for season tickets, or when you change your deals.

 

[mk80]

Unfortunately the Chill have no control over concessions, the prices are set by the Family Arena (City of St. Charles), if the Chill could get the prices lowered a bit that would reduce complaints and therefore would lead to a more positive experience however, as a county employee (I assume the St. Charles city government runs similar) we are slow to change/ respond to complaints.

Also 1,033 at tonights game according to the stats sheet. So we are still above Denver for attendance, but the attendance needs to rise and fast!

 

[mfrerkes]

Also 1,033 at tonights game according to the stats sheet. So we are still above Denver for attendance, but the attendance needs to rise and fast!

That doesn't just suddenly happen in minor league hockey. It especially doesn't happen in a market where AA hockey already failed (River Otters) and NHL hockey (Blues) is present.

The CHL will keep running around with its hair on fire -- smiling the whole time -- denying that any problem exists.

 

[intangible]

Mind you, the Otters never had an average attendance under 2,446, and went under when it was at its highest, at 5,906. That's a long ways to go from 1,033.

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=6901

 

[mfrerkes]

844 on a Wednesday night for the Chill, who were getting slaughtered by the Mavs 6-1 in the third period.

The Cardinals are in the World Series...yada yada yada. Nevertheless, I don't think the Chill would have much more than 844 even if the Cards were sitting idle now. The CHL has two or three franchises that already look DOA next season.

How much longer can the CHL keep this thing off the ground?

 

[mk80]

I was at tonight's game and there was definitely not 844 people there... MAYBE 90 people by my count unless hundreds were wearing invisible Halloween costumes.

The Chill should be drawing at least what the River Otters were getting in their last years which was roughly 2500 give or take a couple hundred. You would think the Chill would manage to have gained that much of a fan base from the remnants the Otters left behind. But so far attendance figures are TERRIBLE!

Maybe it will turn around a little since baseball is over and general sports fans that don't want to go to many Blues games are free will check out the Chill, but we will see.

 

[intangible]

I saw the attendance figure earlier.. ouch.

Doesn't take much to see why they aren't filling the seats: more and more people complaining about ticket prices and concessions prices. Then if you complain about them, you may or may not get a personal message about calling the ticket box for half price tickets or an excuse that they don't set the concession prices.

Look, I get that you don't set the concession prices. I don't care. That still factors into my decision to attend or sit at home. Likewise, the overpriced tickets -- and then you get the homers who said it's dirt cheap compared to the Blues, which it isn't, and, in fact, is more expensive in some ways than the Chicago Wolves -- drive more people away. $32 for mid-level tickets? Seriously? For CHL hockey?

I also wasn't the only one to notice that the promotion for half off drinks was changed from all drinks to select drinks.

I mean, really. Really.

 

[mfrerkes]

$32 for mid-level tickets? Seriously? For CHL hockey?

At the beginning of the season, I thought Brampton was going to be the "One & Done" team after March. I'm now officially switching my prediction to Saint Charles.

I honestly don't see how this train wreck returns for another season. If it does, we'll be seeing FHL/AAHL attendance figures next fall. And not the Danbury kind, either.

 

[intangible]

1,940 tonight, but with the caveat that it was $5 ticket night for ANYONE who mentioned the military, lol. (And they also walked around St. Charles today and handed out free tickets.) I'd be so pissed off if I bad bought tickets or was a season ticket holder. Learned my lesson.

In comparison, btw, the River Otters average attendance was 2,446 in its first year. Even with $5 tickets on a Saturday night they have a while to go.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

At the beginning of the season, I thought Brampton was going to be the "One & Done" team after March. I'm now officially switching my prediction to Saint Charles.

I honestly don't see how this train wreck returns for another season. If it does, we'll be seeing FHL/AAHL attendance figures next fall. And not the Danbury kind, either.

The way these two organizations are going, neither of them will last through the end of the regular season.

 

[mfrerkes]

The way these two organizations are going, neither of them will last through the end of the regular season.

I can't believe the league ever calculated this would work out differently. Saint Charles didn't fare too well with the River Otters. Did they honestly think Saint Louis hockey fans would warm up to a league that's in even worse shape than the UHL was back in 2006?

Then there's Brampton. Junior hockey does quite well in Canada, yet Brampton turned an obvious cold shoulder to it all. So, we're supposed believe that a struggling professional league based primarily in the American Great Plains was going to have wider appeal to local hockey fans?

This is my biggest gripe with the CHL. Their business plan is not based on sane, rational ideas. Instead, it seems like an unflattering combination of fairy tales and utter desperation.

 

[intangible]

Saint Charles didn't fare too well with the River Otters. Did they honestly think Saint Louis hockey fans would warm up to a league that's in even worse shape than the UHL was back in 2006?

At the end, I thought the River Otters did really well, as they averaged just over 5,900 in attendance. Not sure what it takes to break even, but it was fun, entertaining hockey, good ticket prices, and concessions weren't too bad, if memory serves me correctly.

What it looked like they tried to do in St. Charles was hope to hell that all the local player connections would fill the seats. Problem is, barely anyone here even knows those local players. Outside of Janssen, no one really cares.. not even about Brandon Bollig. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he's not an exciting player like Janssen was (even if he was terrible, skill-wise).

People here don't feel a connection to the Chill at all. Which is odd because I used to ask guys all the time if they were going, if they were interested in season tickets.. absolutely no one was. I'm not sure what happened or why people didn't even initially take note of the team, but it seemed dead in the water even before ticket prices were released and overwhelmingly questioned.

I wholly agree that this team might not last til the end of the season.

 

[jabberoski]

At the end, I thought the River Otters did really well, as they averaged just over 5,900 in attendance. Not sure what it takes to break even, but it was fun, entertaining hockey, good ticket prices, and concessions weren't too bad, if memory serves me correctly.

What it looked like they tried to do in St. Charles was hope to hell that all the local player connections would fill the seats. Problem is, barely anyone here even knows those local players. Outside of Janssen, no one really cares.. not even about Brandon Bollig. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he's not an exciting player like Janssen was (even if he was terrible, skill-wise).

People here don't feel a connection to the Chill at all. Which is odd because I used to ask guys all the time if they were going, if they were interested in season tickets.. absolutely no one was. I'm not sure what happened or why people didn't even initially take note of the team, but it seemed dead in the water even before ticket prices were released and overwhelmingly questioned.

I wholly agree that this team might not last til the end of the season.

They averaged 5,906 their first year, and went down considerably (1,800 per game) in year two.

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=6901

They were at 2,446 in their last season.

 

[intangible]

They averaged 5,906 their first year, and went down considerably (1,800 per game) in year two.

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=6901

They were at 2,446 in their last season.

Holy crap, this whole time I've been reading that graph upside down. Whoops! Sorry about that!

 

[mk80]

The Otters seemed to have a better community appeal, whether that was through better marketing, or whether people had more discretionary income, ect. They did a lot a better a bringing fans into the build than the Chill have done so far.

I think the best shot for St. Charles is selling the Family Arena to Lindenwood University who has expressed interest in buying it, in exchange for the Daniel Boone Home (owned by the university).

Lindenwood already holds their gardaution ceremony there, and they have NCAA D1 Women's hockey in the CHA, as well as Men's ACHA D1 and D2. I know they would eventually like to get the Men's team to D1 sometime down the road. The Family Arena is a short drive from campus for students. Not sure how D1 NCAA hockey would work there but Lindenwood has had talks in the past with St. Charles about purchasing it. In fact last year before the Arena football, soccer, and Chill teams were anounced Lindenwood submitted an offer sheet for it.

For those of you unfamiliar with Lindenwood: (and I don't mean to advertise believe me) but here are their sports websites.

NCAA D2 Athletics (Plus D1 Women's Hockey): http://www.lindenwoodlions.com/
Student Life Sports (ACHA Men's Hockey): http://www.lindenwoodlionssls.com/

 

[mfrerkes]

The Otters seemed to have a better community appeal, whether that was through better marketing, or whether people had more discretionary income, ect. They did a lot a better a bringing fans into the build than the Chill have done so far.

The Otters were playing back in a different era (pre-2007) before the housing crash and economic collapse began. Minor league sports isn't nearly as recession-proof as the big leagues are. Economics certainly does factor into this equation, but I'd have to say it isn't the dominant issue.

I think the shaky inception of the franchise, coupled with the fact it is a tied to a losing CHL business model, are the main problems facing Saint Charles. The ownership did not hit the ground running. Instead, they just hit the ground and crawled on their belly. Travel expenses in the CHL are untenable for that level of hockey. If there's any mercy at all left in the world, this will be the league's last season.

That said, I'm still leaning towards the CHL attempting to move forward in 2014-15.

 

[BluesOne31]

The Otters seemed to have a better community appeal, whether that was through better marketing, or whether people had more discretionary income, ect. They did a lot a better a bringing fans into the build than the Chill have done so far.

I think the best shot for St. Charles is selling the Family Arena to Lindenwood University who has expressed interest in buying it, in exchange for the Daniel Boone Home (owned by the university).

Lindenwood already holds their gardaution ceremony there, and they have NCAA D1 Women's hockey in the CHA, as well as Men's ACHA D1 and D2. I know they would eventually like to get the Men's team to D1 sometime down the road. The Family Arena is a short drive from campus for students. Not sure how D1 NCAA hockey would work there but Lindenwood has had talks in the past with St. Charles about purchasing it. In fact last year before the Arena football, soccer, and Chill teams were anounced Lindenwood submitted an offer sheet for it.

For those of you unfamiliar with Lindenwood: (and I don't mean to advertise believe me) but here are their sports websites.

NCAA D2 Athletics (Plus D1 Women's Hockey): http://www.lindenwoodlions.com/
Student Life Sports (ACHA Men's Hockey): http://www.lindenwoodlionssls.com/

This is exactly what the city needs to do. This would be the perfect time for Lindenwood to buy it with the growth they've had the last 5-10 years. And especially with the school currently using the ice rink in Wentzville to host their hockey games.

The new indoor soccer team is going to do nothing but fail as well with the ticket prices they put out (if they still even plan on playing).

For now the Family Arena is just a black hole hosting HS and college graduations.

 

[intangible]

For now the Family Arena is just a black hole hosting HS and college graduations.

Well that's not entirely true. They have a ton of concerts there, including Tool a couple years ago. Incredible concert in there, btw.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

http://hockeymayhem.com/index.php?showtopic=41171&st=0

These photos from a Chill game say it all. There aren't more than 250 in the "crowd". Official attendance figures often times mean nothing. I trust my eyes more than a number which is obviously inaccurate. The concept of a high percentage of paid tickets not showing is a silly one save for the odd snow or ice storm. Fake attendance numbers are easily determinable and the Chill doesn't pass the smell test. Even if their numbers were accurate, they'd be in deep hockey stew.

I attended about half of the ill-fated Columbus Stars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Stars. The Stars real attendance was in the 200-300 per game average. The team folded in early January of its first year.

The first ownership of the Dayton Gems of the CHL (Rich Bruner-a third rate con man) couldn't make it past Thanksgiving 2009. That team may have had a real attendance of 500-700 per game. Another ownership group stepped in (foolishly) and supported that sunk ship for another 3 years.

The Chill looks like it could go into deep freeze at any moment.

 

[intangible]

Whoa.. that's crazy few people in attendance. Didn't realize it was that bad. I only went to the home opener.. seemed to be a good sized crowd, especially on the bench side of the arena.

 

[BluesOne31]

Well that's not entirely true. They have a ton of concerts there, including Tool a couple years ago. Incredible concert in there, btw.

Yeah, what I meant to say was there at least needs to be some type of successful sport entity in there. Not just random events like graduations, concerts, etc.