Tired of empty seats, Senators remove at least 1,500 chairs

[kickingfrog]

Or just ice a team people want to watch.

 

 

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/tired-of-empty-seats-ottawa-senators-remove-at-least-1-500-chairs-from-arena-1.3579675#_gus&_gucid=&_gup=twitter&_gsc=qh0axpV

 

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk believes less could mean more.

Tired of seeing too many empty seats, the NHL club has made the decision to reduce capacity at Canadian Tire Centre by 1,500 to about 17,000. Rows in the upper bowl have been covered with tarps.

"The attendance shifts have been dramatic over a period of two decades," Melnyk told reporters Thursday. "The whole trend now is less seats and more clubs and frankly smaller stadiums.

"When you look at things like a new stadium downtown, we're not going to build a 20,000-seat stadium. It will probably be closer to 15,000-17,000 in there."

Melnyk and team president Tom Anselmi wouldn't reveal season ticket numbers but the two are hopeful that by removing seats fans will feel the need to purchase season tickets with the potential of there being fewer tickets available on a walk-up basis.

[DRIFTER_016]

Saw that on FB and all I could do was

[grimsbylander]

I think it was a typo...they're taking out 17,000 and leaving 1500!!

[misfish]

I think it was a typo...they're taking out 17,000 and leaving 1500!!

 

1 for Matt and ALL his LEAFS friends.

[Headhunter]

I wonder if they'll take the tarps off for the Leaf games... gonna need the seats!

HH

[smitty55]

I don't believe all that spin at all. When they were playing more consistent and not changing coaches every year they had great attendance and a much higher season ticket base. Anselmi said it had nothing to do with the team being ridiculed last playoff for not selling out a game. I call total Bull on that one. It's all about being able to say we had more sellouts this year. Now he says the building is too big for the market, but I guess it wasn't for the previous 20 years when the population was even less.

 

Cheers

[kickingfrog]

I get the scarcity and what that does to someone's perception, but tarping 1500 (or more) of the cheapest seats is a miss.

 

If this scheme "works" they still don't sell as many seats as before (All those Leafs and other Canadian team sell-outs) and sell 0 beers, hotdogs and Leafs souvenirs to those 1500 seats every game.

 

There is a cost to the team per patron (things like cleaning and staffing). They are not closing off a level or washrooms so there will be no savings. There is also a revenue value tied to each person in the building. All they've done is restricted themselves. The price was too high versus the product value and they chose to hide behind a curtain tarp.

[BillM]

Ottawa, lol

[leaf4]

What a joke!

[John Bacon]

Or just ice a team people want to watch.

 

 

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/tired-of-empty-seats-ottawa-senators-remove-at-least-1-500-chairs-from-arena-1.3579675#_gus&_gucid=&_gup=twitter&_gsc=qh0axpV

 

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk believes less could mean more.

Tired of seeing too many empty seats, the NHL club has made the decision to reduce capacity at Canadian Tire Centre by 1,500 to about 17,000. Rows in the upper bowl have been covered with tarps.

"The attendance shifts have been dramatic over a period of two decades," Melnyk told reporters Thursday. "The whole trend now is less seats and more clubs and frankly smaller stadiums.

"When you look at things like a new stadium downtown, we're not going to build a 20,000-seat stadium. It will probably be closer to 15,000-17,000 in there."

Melnyk and team president Tom Anselmi wouldn't reveal season ticket numbers but the two are hopeful that by removing seats fans will feel the need to purchase season tickets with the potential of there being fewer tickets available on a walk-up basis.

 

Ironically, one of the my FaceBook friends just posted today about her plans to see a game in Ottawa. She will be going in January when they play the Leafs...

[chris.brock]

 

Marketing ploy.

 

"Hey, lets reduce supply to drive up demand. If demand does go up, we can just remove some tarps."

 

The whole franchise is a bit of an embarrassment to Canada and hockey.

[grimsbylander]

This could easily backfire on them too. It sends a terrible message that if the Senators can't sell seats = they must be lousy. Any potential ticket buyers on the fence will certainly be swayed from purchasing....and the situation just gets worse.

[Old Ironmaker]

And we couldn't get a franchise in Hamilton when they built Copp's. Arguably the best arena in Canada at the time. Now absolutely everything in Ottawa is a joke.

[BillM]

Give Quebec City a team.

[misfish]

Give Quebec City a team.

 

 

I would "LIKE" to see a team in NFLD.

 

Times are a changing to support a team in the east. Much further east then Ottawa. LOL

[leaf4]

 

 

I would "LIKE" to see a team in NFLD.

 

Times are a changing to support a team in the east. Much further east then Ottawa. LOL

Nice idea but not enough population density and disposable income out there

[DRIFTER_016]

Nice idea but not enough population density and disposable income out there

 

That's cause all de Newfs are working out West bye!!!!

[AKRISONER]

do us all a favour and move the team to an actual town that enjoys hockey.

 

What a disgrace to canadian hockey.

[kickingfrog]

I will cede a single point. The location of the arena is terrible and always was. That's what you get when you're a private enterprise looking for public handouts.

[Old Ironmaker]

Give Quebec City a team.

Hamilton deserves a team. Every time the Baby Laffs played there it was a 18,000 seat sell out. But now the arena is outdated. The city can't even afford to repair the escalator. If not Hamilton Quebec City would be good. Anyone remember the Sabres Quebec City playoff rivalry? I can't even remember Quebec's team name, oh man this sucks, 62 and 11/12's going on 103. Nordiques!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[John Bacon]

I will cede a single point. The location of the arena is terrible and always was. That's what you get when you're a private enterprise looking for public handouts.

 

Agreed, Hamilton, Kitchener, or Quebec City would be much better locations

[AKRISONER]

I will cede a single point. The location of the arena is terrible and always was. That's what you get when you're a private enterprise looking for public handouts.

 

"terrible location"

 

did the poor babies have to drive 20 minutes down the 417 to get to the game? GTF outta here with that Bull

 

 

Try drive to the ACC from etobicoke on a weekday night at 5pm..or better yet, burlington, oakville, vaughan or scarborough.

 

no one cares about the senaturds...move em to somewhere that people actually watch hockey and not CPAC

Edited September 12, 2017 by AKRISONER

[leaf4]

Yup. If I'm leaving from Hamilton, its about an hour and a half if I take the GO train from Aldershot, hour on the train, just under 30 mins to get to the station... It's all about dedication and their fanbase sorely lacks it.

 

As evidenced by their lack of selling out a second round series...

[AKRISONER]

Yup. If I'm leaving from Hamilton, its about an hour and a half if I take the GO train from Aldershot, hour on the train, just under 30 mins to get to the station... It's all about dedication and their fanbase sorely lacks it.

 

As evidenced by their lack of selling out a second round series...

 

let the leafs or any other canadian team play them in the playoffs and we will need those seats back so that we can travel and watch

[leaf4]

 

let the leafs or any other canadian team play them in the playoffs and we will need those seats back so that we can travel and watch

Yup, gotta wonder what would happen if they tanked and rebuilt like the leafs and ended up with a group like Matthews, marner and nylander... Would they then garner enough interest?