Quote:
Originally Posted by JHikka
Rob Williams
@RobTheHockeyGuy
Attendance numbers from the first day of the #WorldJuniors in Edmonton.
The three games combined for just 1,635 fans:
Czechia-Slovakia: 430
Latvia-Finland: 376
USA-Germany: 829
Chalk this up to whatever you like - matchups, timing, summer, Hockey Canada scandals, but the numbers are the numbers.
Combine this with the lack of on-ice and board sponsors at the venue and you get what can only be described as a disappointing event for Hockey Canada, TSN, and the IIHF in what is otherwise the biggest annual money-maker for HC.
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I don't get what's going on. I get that it's summer and people aren't thinking about hockey, plus the terrible Hockey Canada headlines have left a bad taste in peoples' mouths. And did all the package buyers from Christmas demand refunds?
But that said, the organizers could easily improve the optics by ratcheting down the ticket prices somewhat. Sure they might not take in more gate receipts if they charge $20 a pop, but at least they might have a shot drawing a few thousand people and not dealing with the optics of playing in front of a totally empty arena. This has to be more than disappointing for the organizing stakeholders... it's a disaster.
I'll be curious to see how Team Canada's games do.