Sput
10-02-2006, 10:08 AM
Courtesy of: http://www.pgfreepress.com/
NHL exhibition possible
By hartleymiller
Sep 29 2006
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Prince George CN Centre for tonight’s exhibition game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers. Now, for the starting lineups!”
It’s that time of year again where NHL teams are evaluating prospects in pre-season games. At times, these exhibition games take place in a non-NHL city. So, can Prince George land a game, or two?
Perhaps, the best person to ask this question to is CN Centre General Manager Phil Beaulieu. “At this point in the four years I have been here we haven’t made a concerted effort to draw an NHL pre-season game yet, but we have considered it conceptually.”
So, does that mean Beaulieu will pursue the matter? The answer is affirmative.
“Will we look at it in the future? Yes, I think it is our mandate to fill the building with big events. Obviously NHL hockey is an event that would sell in Prince George.”
This concept could become reality, if the dollars and cents add up. Here’s a hypothetical case: Let’s say 6,000 seats are sold at an average of a $100 a ticket.
That’s $600,000, excluding revenue from sponsorship, merchandise, concession and other areas. Expand this to a double-header (keep in mind most NHL clubs have a pre-season roster big enough for two teams) in the city which results in a total of $1.2 million. Beaulieu says: “I don’t know what the NHL teams financial realties are for an exhibition game. Is it worth me making a call saying we can put 600-grand on the table? Absolutely!”
The City of Prince George is developing a credible name by hosting major events and this might tweak the NHL’s interest.
“Through the Royal Bank Cup and the relationships we are building with Hockey Canada in that event, we are starting to get some of the network out there where we can make those calls over the course of the winter and feel comfortable that they will be taken seriously,” said Beaulieu.
If an entrepreneur or sporting group would like to organize a major event like this, City of Prince George representatives would offer their full support.
“We are way more than all ears. We would do whatever we could to help facilitate it because I think it would be great for the community and for the building. I’m a hockey fan so it would excite me. I know the excitement the community would have” stated Beaulieu.
This year the Canucks held its training camp outside of Vancouver (in Vernon), so the next logical step is a pre-season game in a different part of the province and that’s where Prince George comes in.
If the organizational structure was in place, then the next step is to determine whether a hockey fan will shell upwards of $100 a ticket? I’m convinced the answer is an overwhelming YES, especially if it meant a game featuring NHL calibre players.
So, Prince George, would you pay upwards of 100 dollars a pop? Beaulieu and others want to know!!
NHL exhibition possible
By hartleymiller
Sep 29 2006
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Prince George CN Centre for tonight’s exhibition game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers. Now, for the starting lineups!”
It’s that time of year again where NHL teams are evaluating prospects in pre-season games. At times, these exhibition games take place in a non-NHL city. So, can Prince George land a game, or two?
Perhaps, the best person to ask this question to is CN Centre General Manager Phil Beaulieu. “At this point in the four years I have been here we haven’t made a concerted effort to draw an NHL pre-season game yet, but we have considered it conceptually.”
So, does that mean Beaulieu will pursue the matter? The answer is affirmative.
“Will we look at it in the future? Yes, I think it is our mandate to fill the building with big events. Obviously NHL hockey is an event that would sell in Prince George.”
This concept could become reality, if the dollars and cents add up. Here’s a hypothetical case: Let’s say 6,000 seats are sold at an average of a $100 a ticket.
That’s $600,000, excluding revenue from sponsorship, merchandise, concession and other areas. Expand this to a double-header (keep in mind most NHL clubs have a pre-season roster big enough for two teams) in the city which results in a total of $1.2 million. Beaulieu says: “I don’t know what the NHL teams financial realties are for an exhibition game. Is it worth me making a call saying we can put 600-grand on the table? Absolutely!”
The City of Prince George is developing a credible name by hosting major events and this might tweak the NHL’s interest.
“Through the Royal Bank Cup and the relationships we are building with Hockey Canada in that event, we are starting to get some of the network out there where we can make those calls over the course of the winter and feel comfortable that they will be taken seriously,” said Beaulieu.
If an entrepreneur or sporting group would like to organize a major event like this, City of Prince George representatives would offer their full support.
“We are way more than all ears. We would do whatever we could to help facilitate it because I think it would be great for the community and for the building. I’m a hockey fan so it would excite me. I know the excitement the community would have” stated Beaulieu.
This year the Canucks held its training camp outside of Vancouver (in Vernon), so the next logical step is a pre-season game in a different part of the province and that’s where Prince George comes in.
If the organizational structure was in place, then the next step is to determine whether a hockey fan will shell upwards of $100 a ticket? I’m convinced the answer is an overwhelming YES, especially if it meant a game featuring NHL calibre players.
So, Prince George, would you pay upwards of 100 dollars a pop? Beaulieu and others want to know!!