count them up thats 2 players since the xmas break who have asked for a trade now... time for Brodsky to sell that team & get them moved, PG has been a mess for as long as i can remember
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count them up thats 2 players since the xmas break who have asked for a trade now... time for Brodsky to sell that team & get them moved, PG has been a mess for as long as i can remember
it a shame that the Cougars didnt trade Siwak and Forsberg.Does anyone know where Siwak is playing ?
A better question might be - what did PG expect to receive for these players?
Most teams would have contacted PG concerning Forsberg. Did PG expect to receive a Lazar, Klimchuk, Morissey, Lees, Heatherington or Comrie - all high picks in 2010 - or Virtanen, Martin, Pilon, Tomson or Duke - all high picks in 2011 - as compensation for Forsberg? Perhaps the perception of his value had dropped with a -18 plus/minus and 19 points in 31 games and all.
Is PG going to receive more value later on? I do not think so. The best time to make a trade if you are a seller in when the WHL hosts a Memorial Cup.
I would hope that he wasn't looking for anything like that, and it was just the short time-span that prevented them from getting what they were looking for (week before the deadline).
I have heard that the Father of the two Forsberg boys is a real pain in the ass to deal with, from more than a few people. This could also have played into the equation. I would imagine that a few of the teams already have a difficult parent to deal with, and a few of the lucky ones are enjoying some peace on this front and are not willing to change that.
Aside from that, there seems to be a great deal of animosity between ownership and the fans in PG. Like most people, I am not really aware of what the exact problems are--though the overall mood that is set by some of the fans and former players always makes me feel sorry for players when they got traded there.
Perhaps this is the same boat that the GMs of the other teams are in. Something is obviously wrong in PG, and I am sure they are as aware of that as we are. They have formed interpersonal relationships with a lot of these kids and their families during the course of scouting, drafting and developing them. Do they send one of these young men to a team that they are aware is having these issues?
So in the end, I don't think it has as much to do with what PG expected to get back, as the short period of time involved, the involvement of the Father, and what is probably a very limited selection of players that they would be willing to send to PG.
The Cougars had slightly over 2 weeks to move Forsberg, as he did not return after xmas... they had more then enough time to work out a deal, im sure teams put offers on the table before the final day. Chad Lang said he pursued Forsberg hard & thought he had a deal worked out where PG backed out of it in the last second, chances are the offer that the Pats had on the table will be the most PG will get as losing 1/2 a yr on him will bring down his value abit more come the offseason.
PG is a lost cause of a franchise, the WHL needs to step in soon (rather sooner then later) this franchise has always been 1 that is looked down on. Out of there 19 seasons there (this year included) only 2 seasons have had any sort of dominance & that was back in 97-98 (43-24-5) & in 99-00 (43-20-4-5) since the 99-00 season they have only had 2 winning seasons 05-06 & 06-07.
I for 1 would love to see Brodsky sell to a group in Chilliwack & get them moved there. That city deserves another franchise after the Bruins were ripped away from them due to being sold to a group who didnt want the team to stay there since Victoria had a brand new building.
It won't matter ,i bet the team relocates to Nanaimo at end of season.There has to be an escape clause from lease and with minimum attendance numbers its easy to do.
Prince George has horrible atendance figures.Does Nanaimo have a WHL building?
Please do not assume that its the city that causing the team to fail. PG is a great hockey town but the ownership has alienated the team. If a quality ownership group came in and took over the team I can almost guarantee a sell out every night. You ask anyone why they don't come to games and they will all say the same thing, they don't like the ownership group.
The same ownership group in another city will have the same issues no matter what city they are in.
I can accept they don't show up because of them disliking ownership, but could you take a minute to explain it - how have they alienated the city?
They have had some pretty good players go through there and still haven't really managed to gel anything together on the ice. I realize it takes more than a couple players at a time but with most players isn't there a common thread that they do want to do something in hockey beyond the dub? It does seem like there are problems from the top down and it certainly couldn't be solely the coach's fault could it?
I know how critical I can get watching the Giants organization at times with their hiccups with non-hockey stuff but atleast I know they are not only there to make some money but to also support the team with the resources they need to be in a good atmosphere to learn and excel in, even when they seem to be accelerating to the bottom of the tank as a team in the standings this season.
In what ways has the ownership/organization driven the fans away to not support the sport as represented in PG by the WHL?
From my personal view its because it doesn't feel like they are willing to do what it takes to put a winning team on the ice. The Cougars have been in PG for 14-15 years now and how many times recently have they gone anywhere? They have switched coaches and players are changing year after year yet the result on the ice is always the same. I feel that if the current GM wasn't related to the owner, he wouldn't have lasted as long as he has. Sure the Cougars get some decent players but it seems we get rid of more good than we receive. While we don't know the real reasons the fact that a number of players have walked away from the team or request to be traded says something.
The arena is nearly empty on game day. PG has some of the highest ticket and concession prices. A family of 4 is not going to drop close to $100 or more after taxes to watch a team lose.
A family of 6 can get tickets to go see the PG Spruce Kings for $20 and food is much cheaper. The hockey is just as good IMO.
So would you say that is likely the similar feeling of the rest of the in-town fans that don't support the team?
Makes sense and from a far had assumed that it was there is no real commitment from the organization to make it a competitive organization besides a player here or there but not enough on the roster.
At this point do you think a change from the head coach up the ladder and into the admin side of the organization would turn the team around enough that any new ownership group could stay?
I've wondered why they have been left in place considering it is a long haul for most every team to get to. You'd think the other owners would be putting pressure on for a change because it is just as likely the change would include a move so that it wouldn't be an outpost destination but a part of a route.
Yes, I feel that is the consensus feeling about fans in town.
We have had coaches here that have had success elsewhere. Bring them here and soon they are gone. Every aspect of the organization has been changed except management and ownership yet no matter the players on the ice or the coach behind the bench, the result is still the same.
I have no idea. Every season there is a rumor that the team will be gone. There was a very popular rumor going around that the ownership was approached to purchase the team by a group of ex players (much like the Blazers) and the current ownership declined. There are complaints of attendance issues and loss of money every year but as a fan there is no decernable effort being shown to change any of that. If players themselves would rather quit the team than play hockey for the Cougars then how is a fan supposed to go out and pay their hard earned money?
i have been to Prince George several times and have attended Cougar games .Prince George has an excellent rink with comfortable seats - free parking and excellent food and the drinking lobby in the end zone is great with lots of tv,s to watch nhl highlights between periods.The attendance averages 1000 fans.The team cannot be making money .Hockey is a business.Prince George has a hockey culture but the junior A team is a main competitor for the entertainment dollar.The whole Cougars business is in shambles.Marketing is an issue .The WHL is an excellent entertainment product and Prince George had better support it before it becomes a memory and leaves town
With the way the league treated Chilliwack I think this will be the same. I think the competition from the Jr A team has always been a problem.The real reason is teams are finding out the trip to a dead end and back is costly. This lack of promotion may be tied to the Naniamo team. The board has probably got a deal in place to move brodsky there once the city commits to the new arena. Money they lose now will be recovered in the new rink/city.So until then minimal promotion and let it die .
Seems to me it is a slow painful death they are inflicting. It would seem to at least east as far a way as Vancouver, with no vested PG intersted that 'the board' is not doing them selves any favours. I know other WHL fans have scratched their collective heads wondering how competant the board is for quietly (to the fans and general public) ignoring the apparent problem. If that is what the league is waiting for and Naniamo is more than a week away from a decision they might do all parties a better end result service by just moth balling the team until then is that is the only place they would consider. I know the league has publicly stated a year or so before the Victoria move that they wanted a Naniamo team but still no building. Maybe the league wants something Naniamo doesn't.
The citizens of Prince George must also accept responsibilty for the demise of the team. Perhaps it speaks of the dying hockey culture in Canada,Outdoor ice rinks in Canada sit idle as families find alternative entertainment .Meanwhile in the USA - new buildings are filled to capacity as hockey night bring entire towns or cities together.
Hockey is big in PG. Outdoor rinks are packed. There is a waiting list for teams to join the local adult rec hockey league. PG Spruce Kings games are usually standing room only.
I remember earlier this season I was given 4 tickets for the Cougars. I couldn't go so I tried to GIVE them away and couldn't. Two of my friends actually said they were going to pay to go watch the Spruce Kings play instead of going to the Cougars for free.