Get the people in Harbour Station!

[Jason]

Seems like you guys have a bunch of grumpy fans ;D

[dogcatcher]

Ok...then what's the solution Darren? You have to balance it somewhat. If a sponsor was giving a car away but you had to sit in that section 6 to win it, would you? And if you won it would you call it discriminatory that you had to sit there to win it? It's the same thing...Irving would have a section, and to win that prize you have to sit up there...it's up to the sponsors discretion where to have the contest. Kids won't think it's discrimintory if they win something...they are just there to have fun. Most of them won't even remember what the score was...as long as they are having fun.

I'm not trying to be discriminitory Darren, but you have to play a balance here. Like I said almost 100% of your seniors are season ticket holders, do you actually want to have less people at the games?? Also I don't think sections 6 through 10 are that bad....maybe the corners are a bit..but not 7, 8 & 9...although there is a screen there. The suites have the screen too, and they pay way more there.

[bjindaho]

but why not take ONE lower bowl section for screaming fans. Section K. Why not?

[Jason]

This is the picture of the super fan and the fan of the game.

[Judas In My Mind]

boogalooboy said:

It's not bad seats either as the section is almost on the goal line.

I like your entire rink, and atmosphere and everything up for watching a Q game in Bathurst. It is incredible (although I do prefer the smaller rinks). I can't believe your fans have so much resoect for other people watching the game that no ushers are even needed. I wish our fans were like that here.

I still hate the Titan though! Just think you guys have great fans and a great atmosphere to watch a game. Kudos.

[Jason]

There is sometimes people who walk up the stairs during play but thats mostly woman who go to the game to be seen or are there with there kids/boyfriends. I havn't been to other rinks so I have no idea what it's like in other rinks.

We don't really have any rules as far as noise making goes and nobody complains.

Usually when people try to walk down the stairs during play some fans will tell them to wait.(politly of course)

[Judas In My Mind]

I never said YOU were being discriminatory DC. The horn policy is though. What other special sections do we have right now, other than the horns? Oh yeah. Non drinking. There are 5 of those. They made sure one horn section had to be non-drinking too. Thus why can't the horn wanting people have one section that is not upper bowl tucked away behind a screen? It's not like all 5 non drinking ones are upper bowl non-selling sections behind the screen. Fuck they have at least one section dead centre ice, best view in the house.

The discriminatory part DC is saying "You noise making people can only sit in these shit sections we can't sell to anyone else." and refusing to even consider designating one section along a side somewhere (be it upper or lower bowl). Not even dead centre ice or anything. Near a blue line would do the trick, and looking along the upper bowl this year??? There are a few sections up there that are relatively empty. That or the people who purchased the seats just aren't coming to the game, or are sitting somewhere else instead of their assigned seat.

[Judas In My Mind]

As for fixing the problem? I don't know. I'm relatively new to Saint John compared to most of you guys, but I'm starting to think the city doesn't have a true hockey fan population. The on-ice product should be pulling more hockey fans into the building all on it's own really. My recommendation would be for the team to make sure they always have a competitive team and the crowds will remain at a decent level. I already fear how it will be like next time we have to rebuild and start from scratch.

I also recommend focusing on growing revenue streams beyond just selling tickets to individuals and families. Get the business community involved more, be it through sponsorship money, season tickets, etc etc. Start throwing it out there hardcore that come 2012 we're making an all-out bid for the Memorial Cup and if you want your company name tossed around as sponsor of this team for that event, jump on board now.

Like others have said make the tickets more easily available around the city and surrounding communities. Find a way to process ticket sales on site more quickly because people do walk in, see the line, walk out. Justified in that behaviour or not, it happens, and the team just lost some sales.

Our merchandise store is way too small. Maybe keep it open and convert an old empty canteen or two around HS into secondary little stores to purchase product. Get more variety of merchandise. Get it out in more local stores too.

The main thing to get asses in the rink? Win at least a round or two in the playoffs. Hope for whatever round we do lose in, it's a great long series of amazing hockey that leads to everyone walking out of the rink pissed off and hating the team that knocked us out. (hopefully a team in our division too) Why? Because I expect we'll see a sharp spike in attendance for those playoffs and can win over some currently casual fans that way. Oh and during those playoffs make it well known that the Q hosts the Memorial Cup next year and that our team next year will be even better and will be gunning to make it there next year too. Then you'll have those casual fans excited by the hockey they just saw, and wanting to see what promises to be an even better product the following year.

Then use that momentum to build up LONG TERM corporate sponsors, so that when we have to rebuild and the fairweather fans stop showing up, you have the sponsorship dollars to fall back on.

[Dogs 08-09]

NO ATMOSPHERE = NO FANS

When fans can sit at home and watch the game via their PC or TV for free they need a reason to get them out the the rink. The differentiating factor IMO is game night experience. Yes, some promotions are great and others need some work but keep in mind they have to appeal to all age groups and fans.

To me game night experience is more about the atmosphere in the building rather then the promotions. We have a top tier junior team in the QMJHL or CHL for that matter and a fan base / organization which seems to care more about people not standing in someone else's way, not offending the old folks, hunting down horn blowers.

We need to encourage atmosphere and excitement in the building rather then worrying about dear old Mr & Mrs Smith getting a little inconvenienced. A loud atmosphere isn't for everyone but maybe the 50 season ticket holders lost will be replaced with 200 new ones who prefer to watch a hockey game in a "live" rink rather then the library atmosphere we seem to be striving for.

- No more ushers taking horns, asking people to stop cheering or telling them to sit down.
- A mascot or employee who gets the fans cheering or gets the wave going.
- A mascot or employee that leads the fans in cheers like "Go Dogs Go" during stoppages in play
- Horns, cow bells and other noise makers

Win or lose if the product on the ice is good, and it is, and people have fun at the games they will come back.

[J4M13]

Every marketing class in the world will tell you there's more money to be made catering to the silent majority than the vocal minority. Most fans go to a game, and leave wondering why it was okay, and not awesome. In some cases, the answer is, the crowd was lifeless.

To make a policy based on the few at the expense of the many is ludicrous. To not kick someone out who's causing a potential safety issue by ignoring the usher and moving during play, but then kick someone out for using a noisemaker tells me the priorities are backwards.

I highly doubt the majority of fans care if there's a horn section or not. Most ticket buyers want the best seats, and the best game experience possible. Like I said before, one horn is annoying, but many horns is atmosphere. You want butts in seats? Make people feel invested in the game. Make the building loud. I'm pretty sure I've kinda repeated myself, but I'm in mid-rant, so I'm not editing this...

I guess my point is, if they make rules to protect the status quo, they may very well be shooting themselves in the foot, since according to the CBC, the status quo isn't good enough.

[tostitos]

Biggest problem?

The mis-mangement of Harbour Station.

It's pretty bad when I was told last year that if I use a horn outside of the horn sections I would be ejected and not allowed back in for the next game, but someone who attacks one of our season ticket holders (I don't care if he's annoying or not, he's still a season ticket holder) and is NOT punished and is allowed back into Harbour Station is something to laugh about.

Caddell and co. need to go. He isn't helping hockey in Saint John. His ludicrous "no horn policy" is something to laugh at.

I bet you allow horns over the entire arena for the next say, 5 games, I bet it won't be that big of a deal. The blowers will be, for the most part, spread out. And if they blow right, they won't get it in someones ears, and it really shouldn't be a big problem.

As for putting the loud kids in sections 6-10. I laugh at that. It's just DC growing old. Put them smack dab in the middle of the lower bowl somewhere, or even on the end of the lowerbowl in Section G. That section is hardly filled. Why put them way the hell up in the upperbowl where NO ONE PLAYER can hear them!

[Maddog]

Hey Frank its not mis management, its no management. It goes beyond hockey. What happened to the boat show? Oh yeah its in Moncton now. What about concerts? If there is only one show for N.B. it should be Harbour Station. There was a recent email regarding the Ozzy concert from HS. It said the promoters choose another venue over HS. Why? What did they do to entice them to choose another venue over HS. That's what I've been saying. This goes along with all the other complaints. This manager needs to go!

[major]

One thing they need to do to get people in the seats for week day games is change the time to 7:30 because 7:00 is to early. Time you get off work, eat supper you just don't have time to get there.

[mrlittlewolf]

GEE havent i been churping that for years!!!!

[Maddog]

Oh yeah might I add, the rhetoric about the lower deficit of HS compared to other venues. The Harbour Station commission or whatever its called now eats this shit up. They haven't a clue. The place is dark 90% of the time. What the hell do the management do during this time? Maintenence can only take up so much time. Why is the place being bypassed time and time again?