Don Cherry

[Avs_19]

Yea it will take some playoff buzz. They'll have to win at least one round and be competitive in the second. Regular season success will likely only provide a small bump in average attendance. Just the way it works in pretty much every city that's gone through a rebuild like the Avs have.

I think if they keep playing well this season, the attendance will slowly go up as the season goes along. Then we should see a good increase next season (if they make the playoffs this season).

The Penguins, Blackhawks, and Canucks are three of the top teams in attendance and they're seen as great hockey markets but they weren't selling out when they weren't making the playoffs. Look at their attendance: Penguins, Blackhawks, and Canucks. They all missed the playoffs for 4+ seasons in a row and didn't see an increase in attendance until they made it back. Once the Avs can show both the hardcore and casual fans that they aren't just a fluke and they're actually back, the attendance will increase.

 

[tigervixxxen]

That's interesting, our attendance has been trending up since 09-10.

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=5307

 

[SB]

Yeah, your right, it was dumb argument. I grew up in Littleton, I should have known better.

Well, I didn't mean that you were dumb, and obviously if you've been here you know. Just that a lot of people not from here don't get it until they are here.

 

[TheStranger]

That's interesting, our attendance has been trending up since 09-10.

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=5307

Duchene, Landeskog

 

[Hasbro]

I'm just saying you *****ing about expensive ticket prices is a joke of an excuse for Denverites not to go to a hockey game. I agree that 10-1-0 record does not make up for many years of awful teams and this is the real reason the Avs aren't getting sell-outs, not the ticket prices. You have it so good compared to some NHL markets.

I am also bitter that I am stuck in this god-forsaken place where we have to plug in our cars due to the -40 C temperatures and I can't even get a hockey ticket. Sue me.

How much were tickets 15 years ago when the Jets couldn't sell out and had to move?

 

[AslanRH]

Have you ever been out here??

Wyoming has a half million inhabitants. Montana is, at the very least, 6.5 hr drive away, and that's just to the state line, much less to a town with anyone there (and there are only a million people in the entire state to choose from). It's, like, negative population density. Until you drive through it, you really have no idea. (I don't mean "you" as in you personally; just anyone at all. Everyone I know from either coast is absolutely shocked when they see what "wide open space" really means.)

Salt Lake City has a few people, but it's an 8-hr drive, at the least, in good weather. You still have fewer than a million in its metro area as well.

Comparisons on any level with Chicago, SoCal, NorCal, etc, are futile.

This,

add in the likely driving conditions during hockey season, especially come Dec-Feb and there is really no sense in counting WY or MT as a good source of live fans.

I'm 5 hours away from Denver, and it takes a pretty good forecast to get me to make that trip in the winter when I can watch the game in front of the fire at home.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Duchene, Landeskog

Yeah that makes sense, which is great. Means the people of Denver do recognize the star power this team has. Just the perception is last season was rock bottom in terms of local interest and is a bit surprising that wasn't the case.

It's tough for outsiders to grasp that Denver is pretty much 8 hours from the next civilization. The isolation is great until you want to try and go somewhere. The other wonky perception is that Denver is a small town, a small market. It is the 18th largest market and bigger than St Louis and Pittsburgh.

 

[Boulder Avalanche]

Yeah that makes sense, which is great. Means the people of Denver do recognize the star power this team has. Just the perception is last season was rock bottom in terms of local interest and is a bit surprising that wasn't the case.

It's tough for outsiders to grasp that Denver is pretty much 8 hours from the next civilization. The isolation is great until you want to try and go somewhere. The other wonky perception is that Denver is a small town, a small market. It is the 18th largest market and bigger than St Louis and Pittsburgh.

Denver is actually quite big. Not the city itself but the front range is. Denver is also the "capital city" for the region.

 

[5280]

Well, I didn't mean that you were dumb, and obviously if you've been here you know. Just that a lot of people not from here don't get it until they are here.

No offense taken.

 

[Brio]

How much were tickets 15 years ago when the Jets couldn't sell out and had to move?

Firstly, 15 years ago I was living in Benin, so I would have no personal knowledge of what ticket prices were.

Secondly, the Jets of old problem was never selling tickets and the reason it moved was never due to lack of support by the average fan. The reason they moved is much the reasons Quebec Nordiques moved and Colorado got it's team in the first place. The building they played in was built in 1955 and had very few if any corporate box seats (the seats that make the most money) and the team was in desperate need of a new building. However, unlike many municipal/state governments in the US, Canadian municipal/provincial governments are very leery of plunking down $200 million or so to help build a new stadium, especially as at the time we had a leftist government in place. Furthering this, the city's economy was hurting (it has since diversified) and it was reflected in terms of corporate sponsorship.

The other major reason was the Canadian dollar was at $0.60 or so compared to the American dollar at the time. So the profits from the ticket gates were being made in Canadian dollars but all the players were being paid in American dollars. There was also no salary cap so trying to compete with big market American teams while they were having to pay such a great deal more for personal (due to the dollar), it just wasn't possible. The owners saw this and sold the team. Not that Winnipegers didn't try and let their team go without a fight mind you (they had a rally that 35, 000 people showed up to and a fundraising effort that ultimately raised $13 million in a short span of time), but sadly it was not enough.

As to the other posters who noted that Denver has 4 major league teams, that is a fair and valid point. As a dumb canuck, I can't fathom why anyone would want to spend their money on a baseball, or basketball game over a hockey game, but that's just me.

 

[Hasbro]

Firstly, 15 years ago I was living in Benin, so I would have no personal knowledge of what ticket prices were.

Secondly, the Jets of old problem was never selling tickets and the reason it moved was never due to lack of support by the average fan.

They were drawing 11K a game. If that isn't a lack of support what is?

 

[Brio]

They were drawing 11K a game. If that isn't a lack of support what is?

Source?

Also the old arena only had 15,565 seats, so if true, it sounds a lot worse than it was in the age of 18,000-21,000 seat arenas.

 

[Huis Clos*]

Source?

Also the old arena only had 15,565 seats, so if true, it sounds a lot worse than it was.

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=NHL1927&sid=1996

Bottom of the league in attendance most of the years prior as well.

 

[Brio]

http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=NHL1927&sid=1996

Bottom of the league in attendance most of the years prior as well.

Those numbers are absolute, not percentage of seats filled. Having one of the oldest and smallest arenas in the NHL at the time (Maple Leaf Gardens and the Montreal Forum were in the process of being closed down and those are big-markets) has nothing to do with that now would it....

As you can see by the graphs of the home attendance for the Jets, it was averaging near sell out levels through most of its history. This was not like many Phoenix Coyote games where they were often only half filling (or less) the building.

 

[tigervixxxen]

The Broncos have sold out in Denver since the 70s, that's akin to hockey in Winnipeg. The Avs could win ten cups in a row and it would never compare. The Avs have a shot to be a solid number two if they can achieve some success. I was impressed Winnipeg fans drove the 16 hours to see the game on Sunday. A lot better than bandwagoners of hot teams.

 

[Huis Clos*]

Those numbers are absolute, not percentage of seats filled. Having one of the oldest and smallest arenas in the NHL at the time (Maple Leaf Gardens and the Montreal Forum were being closed down) has nothing to do with that now would it....

As you can see by the graphs of the home attendance for the Jets, it was averaging near sell out levels through most of its history. This was not like many Phoenix Coyote games where they were often only half filling (or less) the building.

I always thought it was hilarious when, in defense of their fandom, Jets fans always bring up how the old barn the original Jets played in was one of the smallest in the league and the numbers aren't nearly as bad as they look. Not being able to fill one of the smallest arena's in the league is a good thing?

 

[Cousin Eddie]

My hometown St. John's IceCaps AHL team have sold out every game in it's history. This is it's 3rd year in the league. The stadium only holds 7000 people though But it's still pretty good for an AHL team who hasn't played great in a city that only has 100,000 people.

 

[S E P H]

The Broncos have sold out in Denver since the 70s, that's akin to hockey in Winnipeg. The Avs could win ten cups in a row and it would never compare. The Avs have a shot to be a solid number two if they can achieve some success. I was impressed Winnipeg fans drove the 16 hours to see the game on Sunday. A lot better than bandwagoners of hot teams.

If Avs won ten cups in a row, I am VERYYYYYYYYYYYYYY sure that Avs and Broncos would be 1A/1B (Broncos would of course be 1A) like the situation in Pittsburgh.

 

[tigervixxxen]

A good problem to have, let's hope it happens

 

[MvpKinnon]

Stanley Cup ring for each finger. Our coach has a good headstart already!

 

[Hasbro]

I always thought it was hilarious when, in defense of their fandom, Jets fans always bring up how the old barn the original Jets played in was one of the smallest in the league and the numbers aren't nearly as bad as they look. Not being able to fill one of the smallest arena's in the league is a good thing?

But they're on the metric system.