Hockey spirit in Moncton, dead?

[mbastarache]

This is just a general comment I have from watching hockey games in Moncton for 20 years. I've attended thousands of games from the Moncton Hawks to the Wildcats.

I must say I'm a little embarassed on how quiet it is in the arenas. Its like no one cares or is even interested in watching the game. You can hear your clap echo. Everytime I bring someone new to a game, its embarassing.

I've notticed anytime someone used to make noise, a group of regulars yell at them to shutup. They were disturbing the peace.

This is hockey, not a chess match.

I can hand pick any Bantam or Midget game and the noise levels are way higher than the Wildcats crowd.

Its not just the arena either, Even in the 4-Plex. Dead.

The recent NHL games. Same crowd. Dead.

So its not the arean. Its not the team (talent).

The problem is the fans. We all lost the hockey spirit.

We might as well all stay home and watch it on the computer. That was once half the fun of going out. Just make crazy noise, chant, swear and don't care what the people yell at you.

My observation is that Robert Irving is the only fan that hasn't lost the spirit.

Anyways, something we should all be thinking about.

[Captain Obvious]

I think at the Coliseum it's the building. The way it's engineered it doesn't hold the sound well unless you have 5,500-6,000 people in there. Your average Q crowd is 3,000 to 4,500 depending if it's weekend or week day.

[Dugger]

I think the main cause (for the Wildcats anyway) is that they've marketed the product more to families and smaller children on a whole. You just will not get ravenous fans when you have your children sitting with you, you're more concerned that they don't spill their drink on themselves or drop ketchup on their pants. That doesn't mean the parents don't appreciate and enjoy the game it's just there are several contributing factors to mellow the crowd.

As for NHL pre-season games, you have two teams that are probably not the crowds favorite teams and throw in a smattering of rookies and it's not a recipe for excitement.

We haven't lost the hockey spirit, we still come out and support our teams it's just that on a whole we're relatively content as a community, hockey is not our sole avenue for entertainment or escapism.

Robert has the spirit because he has a vested interest in the team.

I agree that having louder fans would be great but it's probably not going to happen short of a do or die playoff series which is probably a year or more off.

[jimmy]

When the games really matter, we can still come alive ... the atmosphere in the Coliseum during the 2006 President's Cup run and Memorial Cup was as electric as anywhere ... and that was only two short years ago ... expecting people to go nuts for NHL exhibition games or even regular season games on a consistent basis is not realistic IMO.

[Dirty Afanasenkov]

The Wildcats off-ice people have something to do with "lack" of atmosphere. In previous years some fans would start cheering on the team only to be drowned out by a canned "Go Cats Go!" on the loudspeaker. Cheering for a goal is no better, any fan noise is drowned out by a bull horn - which note to horn blower, in a blowout game, their is no need for the horn when the score is 7 to 2.... So some people may have stopped trying to make noise knowing they'll just be replaced by fake excitement.

Moncton fans do support and have shown excitement for meaningful games... just look at the 05-06 year.

[goon]

That NHL game on Tuesday seemed to be quiet embarassing for the City of Moncton in my eyes. 3200 spectators my ass. I was there, and I would put it at 1500 at most. The entire lower bowl was empty aside from 3 sections on both sides of center ice. I know for a fact that as of 2pm of game they had only sold 1400 and were expecting 600 walkups (from a friend who works there).

I couldn't believe there was that few people in Moncton that would want to watch that. My friend who I was with told me that there are many events going on in Moncton over the next month, and that this wasn't Alberta and there is only so much money to go around (his little shot at Alberta), but I still would have thought there would have been a few more people than that.

[damina]

Average attendance in the top level of the league, even when our team sucks on the ice. I agree with earlier posters here, that the fan is alive and well in Moncton. Just because we do not paint our faces and scream like "fanatics" does not mean the hockey rink experience should suffer.
-durring the game have the Coliseum music lowered so you can actually hear a fan yell out. The music has always been an issue with me. Back in the NB Hawks days when John Betts would play the organ, yes a real live organ player. He would hear the fans and would play "hockey music" that would accentuate the crowd and bring the crowd to life if t became dead. Charge, go Hawks Go, great bass lines durring a fight and so on, now it is replaced with ACDC and other modern supposed hockey songs. Well guess what the game is the focus and when the crowd has ever started cheering "Go Cat's Go" 100 % of the time the STUPID coliseum PA system would start to blast some rock song or a totally irrelevent "hockey song" Thankfully they have lessened the playing of Stompin' Tom's "Good old Hockey Game"

-Less music, less PA system = more interaction of fans and the visiting Loosers bench, and more cheering of the Cat's.

A well paced video of moron coaches or players is excellent as per the Patricia Roy coaching that we saw durring the Mem cup.

-As i have been to a few other rinks in the Q, this over PA use and ruining of the hockey atmosphere is not unique to Moncton.

[damina]

goon, $70 per ticket for a preseason game of 2 teams that I do not like. I am sure to not take near $300 and go with my wife, son and my dad. we do go to cat's games and it is a reasonable cost and the Hockey means something.
-Hey if the cost was realistic then I would have at least gone, and probably had 4 or 5 others with me.
-as for money in the area, we do have funds available, BUT we are not going to pay a stupid price for "entertainment" when there are many other places and things to do. That is one of the reasons why Moncton Rocks, there is lots to do here.

Go cat's Go

[jimmy]

The attendance at the NHL game was a bit embarrassing - I bet we go a few years now without hosting a pre-season game - or at least we should. The novelty has worn off ... I think it is three years in a row we hosted a game ... I went the first year, haven't gone since ... too much money for an exhibition game filled with guys you never heard of, especially when the teams are not ones which overly interest most fans in the Moncton area. It is a cool thing to do once in a while, but not something I feel like dropping $200 on a pair of tickets every year.

[SteveUL]

Sept 25, 2008 10:06:47 GMT -4 goon said:

That NHL game on Tuesday seemed to be quiet embarassing for the City of Moncton in my eyes. 3200 spectators my ass. I was there, and I would put it at 1500 at most. The entire lower bowl was empty aside from 3 sections on both sides of center ice. I know for a fact that as of 2pm of game they had only sold 1400 and were expecting 600 walkups (from a friend who works there).

I couldn't believe there was that few people in Moncton that would want to watch that. My friend who I was with told me that there are many events going on in Moncton over the next month, and that this wasn't Alberta and there is only so much money to go around (his little shot at Alberta), but I still would have thought there would have been a few more people than that.

$70 for AHL hockey is way over-priced.

[AceKikr]

This topic comes up every year, if not twice a year...

[hockey1981]

The only way you'll fill the Coliseum filled for an NHL EX Game is have either Montreal or Toronto play.

[catnut]

Sept 25, 2008 10:32:27 GMT -4 hockey1981 said:

The only way you'll fill the Coliseum filled for an NHL EX Game is have either Montreal or Toronto play.

Or Pittsburgh and Washington with a guarantee that Crosby/Ovechkin play.

[Score]

Sept 25, 2008 10:22:54 GMT -4 SteveUL said:

Sept 25, 2008 10:06:47 GMT -4 goon said:

That NHL game on Tuesday seemed to be quiet embarassing for the City of Moncton in my eyes. 3200 spectators my ass. I was there, and I would put it at 1500 at most. The entire lower bowl was empty aside from 3 sections on both sides of center ice. I know for a fact that as of 2pm of game they had only sold 1400 and were expecting 600 walkups (from a friend who works there).

I couldn't believe there was that few people in Moncton that would want to watch that. My friend who I was with told me that there are many events going on in Moncton over the next month, and that this wasn't Alberta and there is only so much money to go around (his little shot at Alberta), but I still would have thought there would have been a few more people than that.

$70 for AHL hockey is way over-priced.

little off topic but currently a ticket package available on PEI is this:

$139.95 plus applicable taxes.
The package includes:
- A ticket to the New York Islanders Blue and White game on September 25th
- A ticket to the NHL exhibition game between the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers on September 27th
- Tickets to eleven games of the Maritime Junior A Hockey Showcase on October 10th to 12th
- A ticket to the American Hockey League’s regular season game between the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Binghamton Senators on November 11th
- A ticket to the Canadian Junior A Hockey League’s Prospects game on December 17th.

Good deal........or no?

Just curious.

[goon]

Sept 25, 2008 10:22:54 GMT -4 SteveUL said:

Sept 25, 2008 10:06:47 GMT -4 goon said:

That NHL game on Tuesday seemed to be quiet embarassing for the City of Moncton in my eyes. 3200 spectators my ass. I was there, and I would put it at 1500 at most. The entire lower bowl was empty aside from 3 sections on both sides of center ice. I know for a fact that as of 2pm of game they had only sold 1400 and were expecting 600 walkups (from a friend who works there).

I couldn't believe there was that few people in Moncton that would want to watch that. My friend who I was with told me that there are many events going on in Moncton over the next month, and that this wasn't Alberta and there is only so much money to go around (his little shot at Alberta), but I still would have thought there would have been a few more people than that.

$70 for AHL hockey is way over-priced.

I don't know if i'd call it AHL hockey. Islanders had Okposo, Park, Witt, Weight, Campoli, Streit, Sim, Bergenheim, Martinek, and Hilbert in the lineup. Boston had Nokelainen, Lehtonen, Savard, Wideman, Lucic, Yelle, Stuart, and Lashoff.

I was quite disappointed in Boston's lineup, but it was still good hockey.

In regards to it being over-priced, I guess it's all relative. I was quite happy paying 70 bucks. That same seat for me in Calgary would be $300. I only get to sit that close when I get tickets from work.

One thing that was ridiculous though was the service charge on the tickets. I bought two tickets a couple of weeks ago on the City of Moncton website. I paid $9 per ticket for a service charge. Ticketmaster only charges $4/ticket for christs sakes. What a rip off.