Sens hire Jim Little as CEO and now he's fired...

[InTkachukWeTrust]

Being drunk and stuck at the CTC parking lot after the game isn't fun

I’ve been to many playoff games and those bus rides home hammered with the fans is amazing

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

I’ve been to many playoff games and those bus rides home hammered with the fans is amazing

The problem is the majority of people drive to the rink.

 

[DaveMatthew]

Last NHL survey on beer prices (2016) had Ottawa with the lowest beer prices across the league. 2014/15 season as well.

Sounds like another Ottawa fan issue that is part of the problem.

If you are going to a professional sports game these are the associated costs.

I mean, you need something to encourage fans to go, right?

Expecting people to spend on tickets and concessions because “we have lots of draft picks and some good kids in Belleville” isn’t going to do it.

Either win games or give people something else to make it worthwhile. Nobody wants to spend 15 bucks a beer to watch Artem Anisimov and Connor Brown plod up and down the ice. I might do it for 7 bucks a beer though...

To your point, if you go to a professional sports game you should expect a professional level of play. If you don’t get that, you shouldn’t be paying professional league prices.

Make the cost like Belleville and people will go. The level of play is about the same.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Why are you always labelling it an Ottawa fan issue? You ask any fan of any team and they will almost certainly agree that concession prices are ridiculous across the board.

Where is the NHL survey you speak of? Curious to read it

Apologies. I read it as stating Ottawa prices are too high.

I am just saying we have it good for the beer prices.

 

[InTkachukWeTrust]

Apologies. I read it as stating Ottawa prices are too high.

I am just saying we have it good for the beer prices.

We have it good, but it can be better.

I will always fight for cheaper beer.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I mean, you need something to encourage fans to go, right?

Expecting people to spend on tickets and concessions because “we have lots of draft picks and some good kids in Belleville” isn’t going to do it.

Either win games or give people something else to make it worthwhile. Nobody wants to spend 15 bucks a beer to watch Artem Anisimov and Connor Brown plod up and down the ice. I might do it for 7 bucks a beer though...

To your point, if you go to a professional sports game you should expect a professional level of play. If you don’t get that, you shouldn’t be paying professional league prices.

Make the cost like Belleville and people will go. The level of play is about the same.

True. If the team is rebuilding they should be amazing.

So it was better when the team spent almost to the cap and sucked?

This team is exciting at times. Enjoy watching the rookies grow.

I really can’t understand why people think this doesn’t happen in the league elsewhere.

This team will be amazing. Be patient

Does anyone expect cheaper tickets and cheaper beer? Do some research. Other fans would be jealous of the deals laid out before this city.

 

[DaveMatthew]

True. If the team is rebuilding they should be amazing.

So it was better when the team spent almost to the cap and sucked?

This team is exciting at times. Enjoy watching the rookies grow.

I really can’t understand why people think this doesn’t happen in the league elsewhere.

This team will be amazing.

Does anyone expect cheaper tickets and cheaper beer? Do some research. Other fans would be jealous of the deals laid out before this city.

The majority of people don’t care that the team is rebuilding. When people spend a couple hundred bucks on a night out, they expect a good time. If you don’t give it to them, they won’t go back.

The Senators aren’t your kids or family that you support in good times and bad.

They’re a for profit business.

When they give people a reason to go, attendance will improve. Until then, nobody cares about Dorion’s “plan”. Most people don’t care to watch rookies struggle and “grow”. Talk to them when the team has a chance to win and is exciting to watch.

And yes, it does also happen around the league. And when it does, people stop going. Look at Detroit.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

The majority of people don’t care that the team is rebuilding. When people spend a couple hundred bucks on a night out, they expect a good time. If you don’t give it to them, they won’t go back.

The Senators aren’t your kids or family that you support in good times and bad.

They’re a for profit business.

When they give people a reason to go, attendance will improve. Until then, nobody cares about Dorion’s “plan”. Talk to them when it’s finished and on the ice.

That is the problem. We see things differently. You see a business. It enrages some folks here. I sometimes think 50% of the folks here talk money more than hockey itself sometimes.

I see this as a sports team. I understand the cycles and ups and downs associated with it. I can handle it because I do not focus on the business.

Sure, I understand we have an owner that is coo coo for cocoa puffs some times, but why get my panties in a bunch day in and day out when there are some f***ing awesome kids coming out of the farm.

 

[DaveMatthew]

That is the problem. We see things differently. You see a business. It enrages some folks here. I sometimes think 50% of the folks here talk money more than hockey itself sometimes.

I see this as a sports team. I understand the cycles and ups and downs associated with it. I can handle it because I do not focus on the business.

Sure, I understand we have an owner that is coo coo for cocoa puffs some times, but why get my panties in a bunch day in and day out when there are some ****ing awesome kids coming out of the farm.

It is a business. If it wasn’t, and they were in it for the love of the game, parking wouldn’t be $20.

I love hockey, the sport. Guess what I’d rather do right now instead of going to a Sens game? Hit the outdoor rink with my kid.

We’ve gone to more 67s games than Sens games in the past two years, and have had a much better time.

The Senators are not the only way to enjoy hockey. And in the current environment, going to a game isn’t worth it.

I’ll still watch the highlights and talk about the games, but I’m not spending money on the team until they give me a reason to.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

It is a business. If it wasn’t, and they were in it for the love of the game, parking wouldn’t be $20.

I love hockey, the sport. Guess what I’d rather do right now instead of going to a Sens game? Hit the outdoor rink with my kid.

We’ve gone to more 67s games than Sens games in the past two years, and have had a much better time.

The Senators are not the only way to enjoy hockey. And in the current environment, going to a game isn’t worth it.

I’ll still watch the highlights and talk about the games, but I’m not spending money on the team until they give me a reason to.

That is 100% right. You can do what you want. If you think the team sucks so bad on the ice, you can spend your money where you want. Just don’t preach that the team is being unreasonable with it’s fans.

 

[DaveMatthew]

That is 100% right. You can do what you want. If you think the team sucks so bad on the ice, you can spend your money where you want. Just don’t preach that the team is being unreasonable with it’s fans.

I think that Jim Little, in his interview, essentially said that the team has been unreasonable with fans, which is why attendance has cratered, and his goal is to change that and win them back.

Even he admits that after the last 3 years, it won’t be easy.

The price has to be commensurate to the product. Right now, it’s out of whack. I expect you’ll see an increase in product quality, and a decrease in price, until they match.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Will cheaper beer before games win back Ottawa Senators fans? One part of a larger, new charm offensive

Little says one of the first steps is to increase the sense of fun at Canadian Tire Centre.

“For the balance of the year we are going to make it fun to be in the building,” he said. “We’re going to have cheaper beer before the game, we’re going to have party nights on Thursdays, have more fan deck experiences”.

After a few weeks in the job Little clearly sees the obvious challenges: embarrassingly low attendance, a weak season ticket base (among the lowest in the NHL), and an owner who has been absent from the city, and a lightning rod when he is here

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I think that Jim Little, in his interview, essentially said that the team has been unreasonable with fans, which is why attendance has cratered, and his goal is to change that and win them back.

Even he admits that after the last 3 years, it won’t be easy.

The price has to be commensurate to the product. Right now, it’s out of whack. I expect you’ll see an increase in product quality, and a decrease in price, until they match.

I would love to see where you got your info.

“You need to understand the fan base, the customer base and where we’re falling short,” said Little. “Frankly, over the last few years there have been some areas where – as every company goes through – you lose sight of the customer. My first and foremost job is to get the customer back.

Little believes the young, fast hockey team is ahead of schedule on the rebuild. His job is to get the Senator’s business operation to catch up.

Despite all the challenges, Little says he believes this organization can win a Stanley Cup in five years.

Now he has to make fans believe it too.

“We’ve got to reconnect with the city. I’m a brand a business guy. We have to reconnect with the customer. We got to have a product people want to come and see so we’ve got to make the in game stuff more fun. “


Little – who has officially been on the job since Jan. 10 – is well aware of the stigma surrounding the franchise.

“As I’ve said to the owner, it’s a small business that has a big brand problem. It’s not that complicated. The fix is right in front of us and it’s going to be a lot of hard work to fix,” Little told TSN 1200. “The one big fix we have to make, is our season ticket base is very low. We’re amongst the lowest in the league.

Number one, over time, we have to get the fan base back. And that’s not a quick fix.”

 

[JungleBeat]

Great points in this thread that are putting an end to Variable26’ “fan issue” narrative.

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

I thought Little gave a really good interview there.

At the end of the day, a Senators game is an entertainment product. And let's face it, the entertainment sucks right now. The team is in the basement for the second year in a row, and there's severe disconnection between the management/ownership and the fanbase.

Let's face the facts, there's movies out right now such as Birds of Prey or 1917 which are getting great reviews and are highly entertaining. They're $13 a ticket, plus you can sneak your own food and drinks in. A nosebleed seat for the Sens is more than that, plus that doesn't include food or parking, plus they're likely to lose the game or not play an entertaining game. I realize most of us on here are diehard fans, so we see the value in going to a game and find more enjoyment out of it than the average person, but lots of families and individuals have similar thought processes.

The concession pricing taking a cut will certainly help change the environment of a Sens home game. I read an article about certain NFL/MLB teams providing reasonable concession pricing and their profit margins actually increased. Add on the fact that families would probably be way more likely to purchase Sens tickets, and I wish the Sens would be proactive rather than reactive with this.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Great points in this thread that are putting an end to Variable26’ “fan issue” narrative.

Interesting that you see to that way. I came into this thread yesterday expecting discussion on how things are going to get better with Jim Little. I noticed the “they took our...” gang getting their licks in at every chance. It sometimes sets me off in the wrong direction, and my words may seem pointed.

If the same people want to preach their boycott and their disdain for a team like a broken record, so be it. I just don’t think a few of those people really care about anything more than spreading malaise about each an every aspect of the team. Honestly, it makes me LOL sometimes, when a few of these nice people login daily to not talk anything but the same regurgitated thing over and and over and over.

Some people see the light at the end of the tunnel. This new CEO is a pretty big beam of light. (Jim Beam)

I apologize if you think that I am that is driving on the wrong side of the road.

Everyone has an opinion.

 

[Micklebot]

Last NHL survey on beer prices (2016) had Ottawa with the lowest beer prices across the league. 2014/15 season as well.

Sounds like another Ottawa fan issue that is part of the problem.

If you are going to a professional sports game these are the associated costs.

Team Marketing Report does the FCI every year which includes beer prices, and while it's hard to tell exactly where we stand because it's not labeled on the graph, just eyeballing it we definitely don't have the lowest beer prices despite being well priced.

Calgary, Winnipeg, Tbay and the Pens are all clearly cheaper, while there are a lot that are too close to tell using my old eyeball...

Overall, our price point seems pretty low. I was able to find a copy of the 2015-16 FCI and we were the 19th most expensive, this year we're much closer to the bottom in the 28th to (not sure what's with the order here, the 2016 one was a table with raw numbers). We might not appear to be getting cheaper to the average fan, but we are getting cheaper relative to the rest of the league.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

I mean, you need something to encourage fans to go, right?

Expecting people to spend on tickets and concessions because “we have lots of draft picks and some good kids in Belleville” isn’t going to do it.

Either win games or give people something else to make it worthwhile. Nobody wants to spend 15 bucks a beer to watch Artem Anisimov and Connor Brown plod up and down the ice. I might do it for 7 bucks a beer though...

To your point, if you go to a professional sports game you should expect a professional level of play. If you don’t get that, you shouldn’t be paying professional league prices.

Make the cost like Belleville and people will go. The level of play is about the same.

you know we spend millions upon millions upon millions on salary right

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Team Marketing Report does the FCI every year which includes beer prices, and while it's hard to tell exactly where we stand because it's not labeled on the graph, just eyeballing it we definitely don't have the lowest beer prices despite being well priced.

Calgary, Winnipeg, Tbay and the Pens are all clearly cheaper, while there are a lot that are too close to tell using my old eyeball...

Overall, our price point seems pretty low. I was able to find a copy of the 2015-16 FCI and we were the 19th most expensive, this year we're much closer to the bottom in the 28th to (not sure what's with the order here, the 2016 one was a table with raw numbers). We might not appear to be getting cheaper to the average fan, but we are getting cheaper relative to the rest of the league.

yea the myth that the sens charge the most will always been around in Ottawa. when I went to pitsburgh and new England for football I was expecting dirt cheap prices... yea.. outside the stadium sure, inside? nope still expensive.

also.. of the place ive been too, Sens traffic is the absolute lightest.

 

[Micklebot]

you know we spend millions upon millions upon millions on salary right

The counter point would be to look at the difference in non-gates revenues

Sens are getting ~42 Mil USD from TV deals alone, I'd be shocked if Belleville gets a 10th of that. Rough estimate of actual salary spent this year when accounting for bonuses paid by other teams and insurance is 55-60 mil.

Still, it's unreasonable to expect AHL pricing, but wanting gates to reflect the quality of the product is somewhat reasonable. I don't think we're that far off relative to the rest of the league though. Prices in general are too high for sports, not really an Ottawa thing, but so long as there are people who will pay it, nothing will change (speaking about sports prices in general here, not the sens).

 

[Burrowsaurus]

The counter point would be to look at the difference in non-gates revenues

Sens are getting ~42 Mil USD from TV deals alone, I'd be shocked if Belleville gets a 10th of that. Rough estimate of actual salary spent this year when accounting for bonuses paid by other teams and insurance is 55-60 mil.

Still, it's unreasonable to expect AHL pricing, but wanting gates to reflect the quality of the product is somewhat reasonable. I don't think we're that far off relative to the rest of the league though. Prices in general are too high for sports, not really an Ottawa thing, but so long as there are people who will pay it, nothing will change (speaking about sports prices in general here, not the sens).

I think constantly changing pricing based on how good the team in playing is unrealistic as im sure you do as well... we play in the best league in the world by a mile.. there needs to be some sort of standard.

 

[BatherSeason]

Sounds like another Ottawa fan issue that is part of the problem.

Interesting that you see to that way. I came into this thread yesterday expecting discussion on how things are going to get better with Jim Little.

In the post above, you immediately blamed the fans, not much to discuss, if the CEO coming out and admitting it is not a "fan problem" won't convince you otherwise, not sure there is much of a discussion to be had.

Just don’t preach that the team is being unreasonable with it’s fans.

Little spoke on behalf of ownership and basically admitted that the team has been unreasonable with fans. Not sure what else you need to disprove your theory.

 

[JD1]

In the interview he talked about making the fan experience "fun". The word "fun" came up a lot. He mentioned "music" a lot. I don't go to the game for the music. If anything, I go there despite the music and all the cheesy family-oriented stuff. I just want to see a good quality hockey game. If the hockey is good, that's all the excitement I need.

He's a marketing guy, he surely knows which customer base he needs to bring back, and what that base wants. I guess I'm not part of that base.

But this can't go both ways.

Personally i am with you. I go to watch hockey. But there have been guys on here commenting on in game experience forever and it needing to be improved.

 

[Micklebot]

I think constantly changing pricing based on how good the team in playing is unrealistic as im sure you do as well... we play in the best league in the world by a mile.. there needs to be some sort of standard.

It happens all the time; when the team is struggling to attract fans, they put out sales and package tickets together. I guess it's technically tied to demand and not performance, but "toe-may-toe"," toe-mah-toe"

Obviously there are limits to what you can do, but there is no doubt that pricing is adjusted all the time

 

[JD1]

My thoughts as well.

No words will bring me back to spending my money on this team until Euge opens his wallet. There's no negotiating around that.

What money is it that you spend? Or rather that you used to spend that you no longer do?

I'm quite curious. As an out of towner it's not like you were attending games anyway.