What's with all the empty seats in Vancouver?

[Godin]

Vancouver recently passed an ordinance prohibiting plastic grocery bags. The resulting spike in demand for brown paper bags has made it tough for Canucks fans to find the mandatory head attire so some are staying home.

That makes sense. There seems to be an abundance of them in Toronto at the moment. Maybe we can arrange a shipment out to Vancouver before Montreal takes them all.

[Taco97]

Where are all those annoying, douchey Canucks fans now?

[ericdaoust]

Where are all those annoying, douchey Canucks fans now?

Those exist among all fanbases

[Taco97]

Those exist among all fanbases

The Canucks had WAY more than most when they were a competitive team......thank god they are going to suck for the foreseeable future, losing has a way of keeping even the most obnoxious pie-holes shut.

[Doug Glatt]

The Canucks had WAY more than most when they were a competitive team......thank god they are going to suck for the foreseeable future, losing has a way of keeping even the most obnoxious pie-holes shut.

Didnt really work for the Leafs fans




Haha I kid, dont tar and feather me

[Taco97]

Didnt really work for the Leafs fans




Haha I kid, dont tar and feather me

So true......they're a whole other breed though.

[hawkdog]

I wouldn't pay ten bucks for a beer to watch Gagne, Vanek and Burmistrov. They blew it by not playing Boeser to from the start. Fans want to see the kids not the bandaids.

[MZac]

Vancouver is a finnicky sports city. If they are winning you can't get tickets and if they are losing you can't give them away. A few other reasons:

1. The at home TV product (especially in Canada) has improved which helps keep people at home.

2. Alot of the fan base lives in the suburbs and there are tons of weekday games. Who wants to drive for 30-60 minutes after work to spend your money on a ton of overpriced things (tickets, beer, parking, good). Then spend 30-60 more minutes driving home.

3. Price of the tickets has been mentioned but it's important. When I know I can go to a game in a southern state for $20-30 I'm not paying three to five times that to see a Canucks game. It's the idea of being ripped off that I don't personally like.

4. Boeser and horvat aren't exactly McDavid and Crosby.

[Axeman33]

Vancouver is a finnicky sports city. If they are winning you can't get tickets and if they are losing you can't give them away. A few other reasons:

1. The at home TV product (especially in Canada) has improved which helps keep people at home.

2. Alot of the fan base lives in the suburbs and there are tons of weekday games. Who wants to drive for 30-60 minutes after work to spend your money on a ton of overpriced things (tickets, beer, parking, good). Then spend 30-60 more minutes driving home.

3. Price of the tickets has been mentioned but it's important. When I know I can go to a game in a southern state for $20-30 I'm not paying three to five times that to see a Canucks game. It's the idea of being ripped off that I don't personally like.

4. Boeser and horvat aren't exactly McDavid and Crosby.

I dont live in a major city that houses an NHL team but isn't this an issue in EVERY NHL city? Why is Vancouver different than any other city that doesn't have an attendance issue? Not trying to be a d!ck here, just curious.

[Tobias Funke]

Toronto. Doesn’t matter what kind of a product they put on the ice. Building full every night. Tickets impossible to get and massively overpriced even when they’ve had an AHL calibre team for the better part of 40 years.

[2014olympicgold]

Toronto. Doesn’t matter what kind of a product they put on the ice. Building full every night. Tickets impossible to get and massively overpriced even when they’ve had an AHL calibre team for the better part of 40 years.

like 2yrs ago they didn't sell out for the first time in 13 years back in March 2015. Tickets were "Toronto Cheap" then too. http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/maple-leafs-13-year-sellout-streak-ends-loss-wild/

Just to point out, ACC’s capacity is 18,819, at least 20,270 with standing room for hockey, they had that night 18,366 which was the lowest attendance for a Leaf game at the ACC ever.

[StuntMan12]

Pretty crazy to think they are having a hard time to sell tickets these days. The last time I watched a game live in Vancouver was 2007 when they got trampled on my the Philadelphia Flyers. The score was something like 7-1. Same night Jesse Boulerice was suspended. Tickets in the lower bowl (about 8 rows up) were going for $225 and our seats that we ended up buying were on the 2nd deck for $90 each (originally $30 ticket).

Wasn't really a fun game to watch, it was nice seeing Vancouver get beat though. I remember Daniel Briere looking incredibly fast.

[Axeman33]

Isn't it possible that Nucks fans are just finally tapped out?
Enormous debt isn't a problem... of course. Until it is.
I've wondered for years how anyone in that city can afford to do anything with their absolutely insane house prices.
All their free cash flow is going into their money pit. Who can afford hockey tickets?

If they were winning, I bet they wouldn't be tapped out. Winning solves everything.

[donions]

This is nothing new, and it has very little to do with ticket prices, Vancouver has always been like this, fair-weather fans. If the team is struggling the fans disappear.

Sorry Van fans, its just the truth, my pool is full of Vancouver people and they are the ones telling me this.

[Hoopo]

I got to go last Tuesday to watch the Sens and it was probably 80-85% full. I was in the lower bowl and got the impression a lot of season ticket holders just didn't show. Lots of Sens fans though, wow! I have never seen this many in town before.

2. Alot of the fan base lives in the suburbs and there are tons of weekday games. Who wants to drive for 30-60 minutes after work to spend your money on a ton of overpriced things (tickets, beer, parking, good). Then spend 30-60 more minutes driving home.

There is a Skytrain station literally right next to the stadium and a Canada Line stop within a 10 minute walk. It is super accessible and in the middle of downtown. I can't see this being the issue, it's probably more that they can't be bothered to watch a team in rebuild. Which is fair I guess, but this is how you get a reputation of being fairweather fans