News Article: Hockey Canada encouraging Montreal attendance at 2017 WJC

[SB164]

MONTREAL — The empty seats at the Bell Centre for the 2015 world junior hockey championship were not forgotten when Hockey Canada put tickets on sale for the 2017 event this week.

There is a wider variety of options and some lower prices on ticket packages for the Dec. 26-Jan. 5 tournament in Montreal and Toronto.

Hockey Canada expected a bonanza by staging the popular holiday-period event in Canada’s two biggest cities and in two famous NHL rinks — the Bell Centre and the Air Canada Centre — in both 2015 and 2017.

But while there were healthy crowds in Toronto, where the most of the medal round games were played, ticket sales fell short of expectations in Montreal, even for Canada’s games.

"Overall, we can't say there was a lack of success," tournament executive director Denis Hainault said Wednesday. "It was a successful event, but we can adjust and do better."

One step was to release the full schedule well ahead of the tournament so fans can check which games they want to attend. Another was to make games more affordable. The cheapest two-game package costs $69.

Plus, they will also use only the roughly 12,000-seat lower bowl at the Bell Centre for group stage games, opening up the full 21,287 seats for the knockout stages, which, barring catastrophe, Canada will be in.

In 2015, Canada played its round-robin games in Montreal, then moved to Toronto starting with the quarter-finals. Canada eventually beat Russia in the final before 19,014 at the ACC.

Fans in Montreal balked at paying top dollar for 13-game packages ranging in price from $431 to $1,191. The package included Canada's preliminary round group games plus two non-Canada quarter-finals. In Toronto, 19-game packages were $626 to $1,746 for the non-Canada group games plus two quarter-finals, two semifinals and the gold and bronze medal games.

The 2017 event has somewhat lower prices and a greater variety of options.

A full 19-game pack including non-Canada group games, two quarters, two semis and the medal games ranges from $750 to $1,625, but there are also two 10-game "half-packs" -- one from $518 to $1,112, including the gold medal game and another from $483 to $1,054 including the bronze medal game, a semifinal if Canada is in it and a pre-tournament exhibition game between Canada and Finland.

There are also four- and two-game packages.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/hockey-canada-encouraging-montreal-attendance-2017-wjc/

Click to read more...

 

[Habs]

Sorry hockey Canada, the days of expecting fans to pay 800$ a game via scalpers, isn't going to fly any more, especially with the teams you insist on icing. It is as if Bergevin and his foxhole buddies are running team Canada as well.

 

[Richiebottles]

Going to see Germany vs Latvia for 5 bucks again. I do not even care.

 

[Deadly Dogma]

MONTREAL — The empty seats at the Bell Centre for the 2015 world junior hockey championship were not forgotten when Hockey Canada put tickets on sale for the 2017 event this week.

There is a wider variety of options and some lower prices on ticket packages for the Dec. 26-Jan. 5 tournament in Montreal and Toronto.

Hockey Canada expected a bonanza by staging the popular holiday-period event in Canada’s two biggest cities and in two famous NHL rinks — the Bell Centre and the Air Canada Centre — in both 2015 and 2017.

But while there were healthy crowds in Toronto, where the most of the medal round games were played, ticket sales fell short of expectations in Montreal, even for Canada’s games.

"Overall, we can't say there was a lack of success," tournament executive director Denis Hainault said Wednesday. "It was a successful event, but we can adjust and do better."

One step was to release the full schedule well ahead of the tournament so fans can check which games they want to attend. Another was to make games more affordable. The cheapest two-game package costs $69.

Plus, they will also use only the roughly 12,000-seat lower bowl at the Bell Centre for group stage games, opening up the full 21,287 seats for the knockout stages, which, barring catastrophe, Canada will be in.

In 2015, Canada played its round-robin games in Montreal, then moved to Toronto starting with the quarter-finals. Canada eventually beat Russia in the final before 19,014 at the ACC.

Fans in Montreal balked at paying top dollar for 13-game packages ranging in price from $431 to $1,191. The package included Canada's preliminary round group games plus two non-Canada quarter-finals. In Toronto, 19-game packages were $626 to $1,746 for the non-Canada group games plus two quarter-finals, two semifinals and the gold and bronze medal games.

The 2017 event has somewhat lower prices and a greater variety of options.

A full 19-game pack including non-Canada group games, two quarters, two semis and the medal games ranges from $750 to $1,625, but there are also two 10-game "half-packs" -- one from $518 to $1,112, including the gold medal game and another from $483 to $1,054 including the bronze medal game, a semifinal if Canada is in it and a pre-tournament exhibition game between Canada and Finland.

There are also four- and two-game packages.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/hockey-canada-encouraging-montreal-attendance-2017-wjc/

I wonder if Quebec seeing itself as not in sync with Canada has an effect. Essentially they will pay$$ to see the Habs but not a National team. Maybe if they had a Quebec team it may go better?

 

[Joe Lamb]

I wonder if Quebec seeing itself as not in sync with Canada has an effect. Essentially they will pay$$ to see the Habs but not a National team. Maybe if they had a Quebec team it may go better?

Don't understand this logic. Basically you are saying that Quebecers are homers and not really hockey fans - I can't agree. Maybe some are , but not the majority.

 

[hototogisu]

I bought one of the 13-game packages last year. Gotta say, I felt pretty suckered when I saw how cheap the games ended up selling for on Stubhub and the likes, even for some of the more marquee games like CAN/FIN. CAN/USA was the only game in my package that sold for substantially more than what it cost me to buy it as a package.

I still enjoyed going to the games, but it was a clear overpayment. I moved out of Quebec recently so I don't have the option but I certainly wouldn't buy a package again for the 2017 tourney. Fool me once and all that.

I wonder if Quebec seeing itself as not in sync with Canada has an effect. Essentially they will pay$$ to see the Habs but not a National team. Maybe if they had a Quebec team it may go better?

I think it's more to do with how Montreal is a Habs town, not a hockey town. Toronto is way more of a hockey town than us in that sense.

The other thing is, in Montreal it's easier to get tickets to a Habs game than it is to get tickets to a Leafs game in Toronto. Montrealers balked at paying $60 for 2 tickets to see Germany vs. Slovakia because they could just put that money towards next week's Habs game at the Bell Centre. Torontonians don't have the ease of picking up Leafs tickets at a reasonable price, so they were a lot more willing to spend that money on WJC tickets.

At least that's my theory as far as why it worked in Toronto and not in Montreal.

 

[TT1]

Don't understand this logic. Basically you are saying that Quebecers are homers and not really hockey fans - I can't agree. Maybe some are , but not the majority.

yea, thats like 1980-1990s mentality, the current generation doesnt really care about that.

MTL fans are dieheart Habs fans because of their history w/ the city, theyre not really big "hockey" fans. Dont expect a huge turnout if theres not a big name player or prospect from our organization in any international tournament.

edit: yup, hototogisu pretty much summed it up

 

[SB164]

I bought one of the 13-game packages last year. Gotta say, I felt pretty suckered when I saw how cheap the games ended up selling for on Stubhub and the likes, even for some of the more marquee games like CAN/FIN. CAN/USA was the only game in my package that sold for substantially more than what it cost me to buy it as a package.

I still enjoyed going to the games, but it was a clear overpayment. I moved out of Quebec recently so I don't have the option but I certainly wouldn't buy a package again for the 2017 tourney. Fool me once and all that.



I think it's more to do with how Montreal is a Habs town, not a hockey town. Toronto is way more of a hockey town than us in that sense.

The other thing is, in Montreal it's easier to get tickets to a Habs game than it is to get tickets to a Leafs game in Toronto. Montrealers balked at paying $60 for 2 tickets to see Germany vs. Slovakia because they could just put that money towards next week's Habs game at the Bell Centre. Torontonians don't have the ease of picking up Leafs tickets at a reasonable price, so they were a lot more willing to spend that money on WJC tickets.

At least that's my theory as far as why it worked in Toronto and not in Montreal.

Toronto also got all of the medal-round games whereas Montreal got the round-robin games.

 

[hototogisu]

Toronto also got all of the medal-round games whereas Montreal got the round-robin games.

Toronto and Montreal both had preliminary and quarterfinal games before the medal round went to Toronto. So the meaningfulness of the games was equal in the early rounds, and those that were in Toronto were unquestionably better attended than ours.

 

[SB164]

Toronto and Montreal both had preliminary and quarterfinal games before the medal round went to Toronto. So the meaningfulness of the games was equal in the early rounds, and those that were in Toronto were unquestionably better attended than ours.

Ah okay, thanks for pointing that out.

Here are ticket prices for the 2017 World Juniors in Montreal:

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Men/Junior/2016-17/Tickets/Tickets-MTL

 

[Bloumeister]

Going to see Germany vs Latvia for 5 bucks again. I do not even care.

Don't sit next to this guy, he's pretty intense

 

[Habaneros]

Just force all Montreal Canadiens season ticket holders to buy these games....or lose your season tickets....problem solved

 

[vokiel]

2 words: Free Beer.

 

[Scintillating10]

Sports don't sell well in Quebec if it doesn't have the CH in there

 

[IceHockeyfan]

Sports don't sell well in Quebec if it doesn't have the CH in there

It is that, the high prices, and the fact that Quebecers would like to follow local boys. They think of themselves as Quebecers first, Canadians second. Nothing wrong with that.

So, reduce prices and have Team Canada add more Quebecers on its team to better represent the 24% of the Canadian population. Or even better, allow Quebec and other provinces to have their teams in competition instead of an umbrella Canadian team.

 

[pepperMonkey]

<snip> have Team Canada add more Quebecers on its team to better represent the 24% of the Canadian population. Or even better, allow Quebec and other provinces to have their teams in competition instead of an umbrella Canadian team.

Lol, umm, yeah, okay...

 

[hototogisu]

It is that, the high prices, and the fact that Quebecers would like to follow local boys. They think of themselves as Quebecers first, Canadians second. Nothing wrong with that.

So, reduce prices and have Team Canada add more Quebecers on its team to better represent the 24% of the Canadian population. Or even better, allow Quebec and other provinces to have their teams in competition instead of an umbrella Canadian team.

FYI that lineup had Anthony Duclair, Samuel Morin, Frederik Gauthier and Zach Fucale and was coached by Benoit Groulx. Plenty of local talent to cheer for. And the players from Quebec made up 18% of the team, not worlds away from the 24% that would constitute equal representation.

But then you're suggesting that Canada shouldn't dress its best possible lineup and should cater to its local crowds, which is problematic enough on its own.

 

[MXD]

The main reason why there was attendance issues (actually, it wasn't even THAT bad) was because it was marketed by Hockey Canada, who somehow thought that marketing works the same in Montreal than it does in Toronto (or other canadian cities).

(Marketing includes pricing)

 

[vokiel]

The main reason why there was attendance issues (actually, it wasn't even THAT bad) was because it was marketed by Hockey Canada, who somehow thought that marketing works the same in Montreal than it does in Toronto (or other canadian cities).

(Marketing includes pricing)

I agree with that. Marketing to me repeatedly with the word "Canada" and "I'm sorry" is guaranteed to make me turn away from whatever is advertised. I'm so good at it I auto-mute all Tim Hortons commercial now. Wish I had a PVR eh.