UNB Bruins Fan
Registered User
Did you expect anything different? Is this even news at this point?
Poor attendance
- Thread starter Coinneach
- Start date
Did you expect anything different? Is this even news at this point?
Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro just talked how poor attendance is at the World Junior games. Ray even said that it is dream for those USA kids to play in front of their home crowd, and yet not too many people show up. Disappointing.
varsaku
Registered User
That would devalue tickets and anger people who actually paid for them. They could have had Raffles or other events that you could win them in. They could have used some of the extra tickets by giving it to sponsors to give away if really needed.
This is just incredible how few people are actually at the games. It seems like a good number of people who may have bought tickets as part of the stupid tournament packages are simply not going to the games and were not capable of selling them. There's just close to zero interest apart from a few Canadian fans coming.
UNB Bruins Fan
Registered User
For our University hockey national tournament a lot of tickets for some of the less desirable/weekday afternoon games are donated to schools, who “adopt” one of the teams. Having a pile of screaming kids in the rink helps the atmosphere, but granted that is in 4-7k rinks and not an NHL rink so the effect might not be quite the same.
My guess is most of those ticket packages went to Toronto and Buffalo corporate groups for their employees. Most of them probably didn’t care enough to go out for these weekday games.
But heck $45 gets you in the gold medal game tonight so really just internet is tepid
It was empty for the night games and weekend games as well though. That's why it's clear there's just close to zero interest.
Yeah I guess my point was I suspecting that with such low interest, that alot of the ticket packages were bought by corporate groups. Or maybe even really dumb scalpers.
donghabs98
Moderator
To use a saying from Easel, "Less is more". While Moncton and Halifax don't have big NHL sized arenas, they will be absolutely packed and the atmosphere will be electric. Just watching highlights from the 03 WIC when it was in Halifax will give you a sense at how the crowds will be.
Like others have said it's simple. Lower prices+ Host in smaller market cities and attendance problems like Buffalo won't happen.
Buffalo also hosted in 2011.
Then last year and 2 years before that the tourney was half hosted in Toronto (just a few hours down the road and closer for some people who'd consider going).
The World Junior championship should be a once in a lifetime or at once in a decade opportunity to see (without travelling a far distance for). Not a 4 times in 8 year opportunity.
Add in that the Bills are doing well and going to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years and no wonder the attendance sucks.
It is the final game and still the arena is EMPTY, at least shut down the two upper bowls, feels like a exhibition game tbh
TSN showed the gate and there are so many people trying to get in I'm surprised nobody's been crushed. Should be 16,000 there tonight.
General Zodd
Registered User
OilerPensfan97
Registered User
Rob
Registered User
This is why the organizers put it in Buffalo. So if Canada was in the gold medal game the building would be full.
Rocko604
Sports will break your heart.
No doubt Halifax/Moncton would be a great host. Problem is, if Vancouver/Victoria sells out (and it's supposedly selling quite well at the moment), and Canada wins gold, they'll probably keep the NHL Arena Train rolling, and look at Winnipeg, Ottawa or Calgary/Edmonton for 2021. I don't think they really learned anything from the Montreal debacle, aside from "Don't go back." Toronto, however is still a safe bet. I wouldn't be surprised if the tournament goes back in Toronto, this time with either London or Hamilton as the secondary venue, at some point in the next 10 years.
Last edited:
zbubble
Registered User
- Jul 29, 2005
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- 178
45,000 people, including me, set a World Juniors attendance record by watching US-Canada outdoors in 5F/-15C degree weather. This entire tournament will still rank top 10 all time in WJC attendance. When Guertin in Hull can top that, then you can call Buffalo a joke.
I like the spirit but it was very empty on all other games except the final which still wasn't a sell out.
Blender
Registered User
- Dec 2, 2009
- 51,399
- 45,289
Without the outdoor game the average attendance was under 5,000 people. Last time it was in Buffalo it was over 10,000. This was hardly a well attended event outside of 2 games.
