Windsor Spitfires 2018-19 Thread (Part 8)

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RayzorIsDull

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STH is declining annually. Walk up sales are also declining but this is for all OHL teams exceptions are London and Niagara.

TL will remain a head coach for next season. In truth, I think its WR/FE who is guiding TL on player lineups and who to play etc. WR/FE re influencing TL because of their player selections/draft picks and to hide their incompetence of selecting players.

I agree that BB should be more active but WR/FE won't allow it. At the end of the day it's the STH fans and players who become victims to the politics. So what do you recommend as a fix? Why should I give up my STH tickets now? I don't want to renew because of the politics yet I think this team will be good in 2 yrs and I enjoy watching these players grow yet I don't like it when they get traded at their peak (or close to peak).

If Letowski is returning that will really hit the attendance hard again. They're going to probably end up with around 60 points which is quite poor. The team could be much improved next year and have around 75 points but that may not even move the needle for more fans to go. The fans were getting restless from 13-17, the Memorial Cup victory bought the organization some time and a bit of a reprieve. Now we are at the point it's going to be a 7th-9th seed this year no playoff run. There has to be some type of pay off to the fans next year and that's in the form of a division title, winning a round in the playoffs etc... You just can't rationalize a year by saying the team is young, it's a rebuild etc... This team has pretty much gone in the tank but Letowski has had that happen to him in Sarnia as well.
 

Teflon

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I do agree to some extent others are influencing things. Kinda y I said coaching by committee lol. But it’s an experiment that’s failing badly and must be changed.
 
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OHL 17

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I would really question the validity of the statement BB and WR are having management problems. They have worked too hard to build this franchise, to argue and ruin their 3X Memorial Cup Champion status. As well, BB is far too busy with The Panthers to be caught up in this year's Spitfire mess.
 

OHL 17

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Bill Bowler cannot do WR's job, as he has tons to learn!!! I think he would feel he is being stymied, but I think JS is being very generous, providing him with the Assistant Gm tag. He had his chance with The Vipers, and did an mediocre job. Pinwheel can attest.
 

TheGremlin

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Neat jerseys for a good cause. Being worn March 3rd
 

OHLTG

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Looking at schedules:

Erie has - Niagara, plus Ldn/Gue/OS multiple times.

Wsr has - SSM and OS, but Flint 2x, Sarnia 3x, and lots of home games.

If Wsr can capitalize on this home stand, they should be fine.
 

NOA

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Apr 17, 2015
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Looking at schedules:

Erie has - Niagara, plus Ldn/Gue/OS multiple times.

Wsr has - SSM and OS, but Flint 2x, Sarnia 3x, and lots of home games.

If Wsr can capitalize on this home stand, they should be fine.

Both teams each have 8 home games remaining..
 

Uncle

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Looking for hockey fans thoughts on Windsor as a city (ive scoured other sites), mid 20s healthcare and teacher couple looking to move; Windsor attractive for weather, price, distance to large city etc.
Any thoughts and/or tips appreciated, Private message open to prevent clogging! thanks!
 

OHLTG

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I don't mind this topic in here, really. It's different.

Going though your post...

Weather - completely depends on the season/week/day. For instance, this week we had snow, freezing rain, rain, and now we're looking at more snow tomorrow. It's a complete toss-up. In general, most winters are colder with snow, while summers tend to be hot and humid. Without knowing where you're coming from (I don't get the impression that it's close), Windsor's surrouned by the Great Lakes so we tend to be more humid and the lakes play a part in weather.

Price - mid-range city. Lots of inexpensive options for almost anything but definitely some high-priced stuff if you like that sort of thing. Gas is fairly inexpensive right now but I don't expect that to last. It kind of depends on what you're looking for, overall.

Distance - well, we're right next to Detroit, which, as a Metropolis, has around 5-6M people. In Ontario, we're the biggest city outside of London (2hrs ENE). We're at 250,000ish and they're closer to 400,000. Most places within a quick drive (in Ontario) are under 30,000 people.

Brief thoughts - Windsor is undergoing a bit of a rejuvination. The southern end and eastern ends of town have REALLY built up over the last 10-years. Most of that has been commercial and residential but we've certainly seen a flow of people from the city out into the edges of the county. Frankly, the suburbs have grown so much that some could be considered their own little communities. Some of those even stretch out into neighbouring towns and lots of people seem to communte between those areas and the "big city", if you will.

Downtown is trying really hard to shake the "club/bar" feel, which it had for a while. There are politics involved but, over the last handful of years, you can tell that the city wants to develop downtown into a family destination. It's not going to be done overnight but when you add two post-secondary campuses, plus new businesses, and plenty of safety measures, they're certainly trying. I'd be remiss if I didn't say that downtown has a weird rep right now for addiction and some violence (to the point where people are laughing), but I'm down there multiple times per week and it's just fine. I think a lot of it is overblown in terms of "it'll happen to me."

For two people in their 20s in those professions, this city is definitely on the upswing. Teachers are valued here and very appreciated. Health care is a HUGE thing right now and I don't think we could get enough people in that field. Windsor is like any other city over 100,000; it has its issues but it's absolutely looking up. If you can stay sane with the traffic, too, you'll be just fine. I like where we're going and am eager to see what happens over the next 5-10 years.
 

windsor7

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Nov 29, 2015
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Looking at schedules:

Erie has - Niagara, plus Ldn/Gue/OS multiple times.

Wsr has - SSM and OS, but Flint 2x, Sarnia 3x, and lots of home games.

If Wsr can capitalize on this home stand, they should be fine.

And probably play london or soo/saginaw in 1sr round. Fun times
 

Cherrydon

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Jan 4, 2019
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Comments requested-What is really going on with the attendence numbers not only in Windsor but overall OHL attendence? All but 2 markets have been trending downwards since 2014-2015. Is it cost of tix/concessions? The reduction of fighting/bone crunching checks? Lacking the next great one like a Mcdavid? Even Ottawa's numbers are down this season even though the team is first place. Here are the attendence charts from hockey db for Windsor and the entire OHL.
 

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randomhero4life

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Comments requested-What is really going on with the attendence numbers not only in Windsor but overall OHL attendence? All but 2 markets have been trending downwards since 2014-2015. Is it cost of tix/concessions? The reduction of fighting/bone crunching checks? Lacking the next great one like a Mcdavid? Even Ottawa's numbers are down this season even though the team is first place. Here are the attendence charts from hockey db for Windsor and the entire OHL.

I think it is a lot of factors, some you already mentioned in your post. I think the #1 reason for the decline is the cost of living is very high!! Factor in the price of tickets etc. It is very hard for people to come up with the money to go to these games. I am sure there are some hockey fans that do not appreciate the lack of physical play, but I think that number of fans might be lower than we think. Really I honestly believe the biggest factor is cost, and that is league wide.
 

GBFP

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Looking for hockey fans thoughts on Windsor as a city (ive scoured other sites), mid 20s healthcare and teacher couple looking to move; Windsor attractive for weather, price, distance to large city etc.
Any thoughts and/or tips appreciated, Private message open to prevent clogging! thanks!

Teaching job in the city will be hard to get. Elementary for sure there is a pretty big back log with substitute teachers getting 2-3 days a month, secondary *might* be a bit easier depend on the subject area ie Maths.
 
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Teflon

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Sure cost is an issue, the big arenas aren’t as homey.... But I still say it’s the game itself, it’s changed dramatically in a number of areas. They are taking the emotion out of the game and it’s becoming vanilla!! I go because I enjoy seeing the age group play at a high level and it’s fun to do my own scouting. It’s been easily 3 years since I’ve set foot in an nhl arena and I don’t miss it. Imho what they call hockey today is not my vision of hockey.
 

RayzorIsDull

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Teaching job in the city will be hard to get. Elementary for sure there is a pretty big back log with substitute teachers getting 2-3 days a month, secondary *might* be a bit easier depend on the subject area ie Maths.

Depends on the board as well if you're part of the french board you would easily get in on the elementary side. They constantly advertise their board on television for a reason.
 
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RayzorIsDull

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Nov 16, 2007
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bp on hfboards
Comments requested-What is really going on with the attendence numbers not only in Windsor but overall OHL attendence? All but 2 markets have been trending downwards since 2014-2015. Is it cost of tix/concessions? The reduction of fighting/bone crunching checks? Lacking the next great one like a Mcdavid? Even Ottawa's numbers are down this season even though the team is first place. Here are the attendence charts from hockey db for Windsor and the entire OHL.

Cost is a big one imo. The problem also is there isn't a secondary market so you pretty much have to pay face for any adult ticket. I have been to 2 games this year and the Spits stunk which doesn't help things and I actually paid face. I have been to 6 Wings games this year and probably paid 55 american which is probably right around 75-80 canadian. So if you're into looking for value and want to see hockey for instance it wouldn't be here right now. Not sure what it's like in the CHL overall but the OHL has out kicked their coverage. Need to provide more value to the fan than just the current product.
 

OHLTG

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Sure cost is an issue, the big arenas aren’t as homey.... But I still say it’s the game itself, it’s changed dramatically in a number of areas. They are taking the emotion out of the game and it’s becoming vanilla!! I go because I enjoy seeing the age group play at a high level and it’s fun to do my own scouting. It’s been easily 3 years since I’ve set foot in an nhl arena and I don’t miss it. Imho what they call hockey today is not my vision of hockey.

I haven't been to a Wings game in several seasons because I'm not a fan of that style of hockey. Been to a few Leafs games in Toronto, though.
 

OHLTG

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I have been to 2 games this year and the Spits stunk which doesn't help things and I actually paid face.

Speaking of small sample sizes ;) (yes, I'm making a joke lol)

The OHL is really branding itself well but it comes at a cost. When you're charging $25 for tickets (whether it's regular price or with fees added on), plus $10-15 a person in food, and more for anything else, it really adds up. It kind of feels like they've hit their saturation point but I doubt they'll reduce anytime soon.
 

Lycanthrope

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Dec 3, 2011
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Speaking of small sample sizes ;) (yes, I'm making a joke lol)

The OHL is really branding itself well but it comes at a cost. When you're charging $25 for tickets (whether it's regular price or with fees added on), plus $10-15 a person in food, and more for anything else, it really adds up. It kind of feels like they've hit their saturation point but I doubt they'll reduce anytime soon.
$10.00 only buys me one beer :( Spend a lot more than that but that’s coming to an end. Don’t need to be sloshed to be able to watch the games this year. Mary Jane well that’s different. Never leave home without it.
 
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OHLTG

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I was more thinking about concession prices but yeah, this proves my point more. If a parent brings a couple of kids to a game - 70 for tickets, 40 for food, 5 for programs, etc. It's pricing itself out.

There are multiple reasons that people don't go to games - style of play (ie league rules), prices, parking, schedules, winning, etc. They all add up. There isn't one that's really taking over the others, though.
 

ohloutsider

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Jan 13, 2016
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I was more thinking about concession prices but yeah, this proves my point more. If a parent brings a couple of kids to a game - 70 for tickets, 40 for food, 5 for programs, etc. It's pricing itself out.

There are multiple reasons that people don't go to games - style of play (ie league rules), prices, parking, schedules, winning, etc. They all add up. There isn't one that's really taking over the others, though.
Spits just put out an offer - $50 for 4 tickets ( family) and you get a surprise pack when you buy - I'm assuming it is souvenir type stuff that they can't sell in the "surprise packs". Still not a bad price for 4 tickets.
 
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OHLTG

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Perhaps this is nitpicking but I'd like to see ticket offers extend to the entire arena. The ones I see normally are for the one end of the rink; why not allow tickets to be purchased anywhere?
 
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