Makes me wonder....

What has kept the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook for so long??

U guys have a team in the league final had 2 series against 2 top teams (saskatoon & MH) & no 1 shows up to watch?

Would anyone blame the ownership if they decided to move the team to Chilliwack where the attendence may be alot better?? The ownership has a huge chance to really cash in with this exceptional team u guys have & no 1 is coming to the games.

Here in Patland we have been dieing for a team like u guys have for years now & our building would be full each & every nite for playoff hockey. Hell in 08 when we won the conference we avg over 5,000+ fans/game during the regular season only to see them bow out early in the playoffs (the Parkers way) to be fair u guys only have a 4200 seat arean but wow with that low amount of seats every playoff game SHOULD be sold out (no questions asked)

so if kootenay gets 2300 to 3500 from 30,00 people in area . way does portland not get over 58,000 people for there games as there population is 583,776 as of 2010.

regina pats should be getting over 20,000 fans per game to compare with kootenay right your pop. 204,061 in 2010

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Originally Posted by popcorn

regina pats should be getting over 20,000 fans per game to compare with kootenay right your pop. 204,061 in 2010

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In addition to that, the Ice haven't had the luxury of playing their games on the weekend which hurts attendance in comparison to the Friday and Saturday dates that each team that they have faced in the second and third rounds.

However, with a City population of 20K it is certainly a concern for ownership each season on the ST base. Take into consideration that the Ice haven't had a really poor season since their move over from Edmonton (who btw didn't support the Ice back in the day), if that season ever arrives, I doubt the population base is large enough to continue with enough support.

That said, if that is all you have at this stage of the playoffs to knock the Ice on, happy trails.

most everyone I have talked to about the games have said the ticket prices are too high and they cant afford to be a regular or even go some weeks or months at all. This goes for regular season as well as playoffs. That building would be full right now if tickets were $20 even. $15 even in the regular season for lower bowol seating and $18 for upper.

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Originally Posted by popcorn

so if kootenay gets 2300 to 3500 from 30,00 people in area . way does portland not get over 58,000 people for there games as there population is 583,776 as of 2010.

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U make no sense at all

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Originally Posted by popcorn

regina pats should be getting over 20,000 fans per game to compare with kootenay right your pop. 204,061 in 2010

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Again u make no sense at all

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Originally Posted by Rammer

In addition to that, the Ice haven't had the luxury of playing their games on the weekend which hurts attendance in comparison to the Friday and Saturday dates that each team that they have faced in the second and third rounds.

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This does have some merit to it forsure as friday & saturday nites r the big draws no matter what city u r in

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Originally Posted by Rammer

That said, if that is all you have at this stage of the playoffs to knock the Ice on, happy trails

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This was not a knock on the Ice at all, take it easy i have been cheering for the Ice all playoff long. The Ice in my eyes are the most complete team in the Eastern Conference & they proved it by getting to the league final.

Im just saying attendence has sucked all playoff long which does make it an eye sore when the last 2 rounds have been on TV, im sure there isnt much more to do in Cranbrook compared to many other cities in the league. $20 to $25 for a night of entertainment is very cheap, i get that playoff hockey prices make it more costly for a family of 4 but even ur casual WHL fan who is a hockey fan must want to take in this playoff run.

Unfortunately money talks & missing out on alot of money this year in the playoffs as most of the playoff games could of had up to 1000 more ppl in the games as the tickets were unsold. Are the Ice poorly marketed in Cranbrook?? Which then would fall directly onto the owner anyways. Gotta spend money to make money.

I am not sure that any other entertainments available for you in Cranbrook, but please explain to me what else you can do for cheaper entertainment for that price of your tickets. Maybe your movie tickets might be a little cheaper but how often are the selections what you want ? A curling membership has to be more expensive than that, if you ski factor in your lift tickets as gas to Kimberley or Fernie , how is that cheaper . I believe the minimum wage in BC is about $9.00 per hour is 2 hours work not fair for good entertainment with a winning team, The management are professionals, the city needs to at least cover expenses for the lease, travel costs and the education budget are about $3000.00 per year for the players on the roster. The prices are not highway robbery, you simply have to plan for it , Fans support this team or else maybe down the road this is the replacement team for the Bruins ? Hope not enjoy their competition with the Central divison.

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Originally Posted by patsdude114

Unfortunately money talks & missing out on alot of money this year in the playoffs as most of the playoff games could of had up to 1000 more ppl in the games as the tickets were unsold. Are the Ice poorly marketed in Cranbrook?? Which then would fall directly onto the owner anyways. Gotta spend money to make money.

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you hit the nail on the head with that one!

old arguement around these here parts.

Very proud of the boys though! Fantastic job guys!

The bottom line is Yes! we are a struggling franchise, its hard to fill the seats with a small population and the highest unemployment in B.C. The City of Cranbrook subsidizes the team and guaranties them bottom line income. Of course that will never last for ever and if we don't rebuild our fan support we will be in jeopardy of loosing the team. I think they should sell the bottom four rows of the recplex cheaper than the others as no one ever wants to sit there. I also think that the team does a extremely poor job marketing the team, there is no excitement in the arena. Maybe its time it go out on a limb and get a jumbotron to boost fan participation.