Despite stringing together a handful of wins in recent games, the Vancouver Canucks are winding up another disappointing season that will once again see them finish near the bottom of the National Hockey League standings – but the team hopes marketing a new crop of young players will keep fans interested.
Season ticket holders gathered for a meet and greet with players on the plaza at Rogers Arena before Saturday’s afternoon matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“It’s pretty cool. You don’t get it like this down in Boston,” said rookie forward Adam Gaudette as he signed autographs before suiting up for just the second game of his professional career.
“I think the future’s bright,” said season ticket holder Sara Camron. “We’ve got a good couple of years ahead of us.”
“They’re going to do good, yeah,” chipped in Christina Ritchey, who makes the trip in from Pitt Meadows several times a season to take her six-year-old son Max to games.
For more than a decade, Daniel and Henrik Sedin have been the faces of the franchise, and during that time there were several seasons when the team managed to sell-out every home game.
But the Sedins’ best years are behind them and so are the days when the Canucks were the hottest ticket in town.
According to ESPN.com, the Canucks average attendance this season dipped nearly 500 fans per game since last season. Despite the drop off, the team still managed to draw an average of 18,016 people to each home game.
"Winning does make it easier. We've had some great results here recently and hopefully we can carry that momentum into next season,” said Jeff Stipec, the team’s chief operating officer.
The Sedin twins are on expiring contracts, and with their futures with the team still uncertain, the Canucks have turned to marketing the next generation of players as they try to fill the seats at Rogers Arena.
Ticket broker Kingsley Bailey has noticed the drop off in demand for tickets but even he sees a benefit to re-sale prices falling slightly with the teams current woes.
"The prices are reasonable. Parents are realizing they can take their kids to a game and enjoy and not take a lot of money out of their wallet,” said Bailey as he hawked tickets outside the arena.
It was all smiles as players and fans mingled before Saturday’s game, but optimism will only sell so many tickets before even the most die-hard supporters begin to demand better results.
