Dwindling playoff attendance at Canalta Centre raises eyebrows

The Medicine Hat Tigers have struggled to maintain their attendance figures since moving from The Arena to the Canalta Centre in 2015, and those numbers hit a 21-year playoff low when just 2,943 fans filled the stands for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final against the Brandon Wheat Kings last Sunday.

The Tigers have sustained a good deal of success on the ice over the past two decades, missing the playoffs just six times while consistently selling out the 4,006-seat Arena through the regular season before changing buildings. While those numbers have not increased on average since the move, media services manager Adam Jones says the team only wanted a modernized building, not a bigger one.

“When you look around the league, our attendance is definitely consistent with the other teams that are in similar markets of 60,000 people or less. This is one of the reasons that we stated continuously to the new arena committee that a 6,100-seat arena was way too many seats for a city of 60,000 people,” said Jones. “The extra capacity of the Canalta Centre was never intended for hockey and the Tigers made it very clear to members of council and the arena committee that we only needed 4,000 seats for WHL hockey.

“We warned the experts that built the Canalta Centre that they were seriously overjudging the marketplace for both concerts as well as Tigers hockey.”

Jones also pointed out the team has seen a consistent drop-off in attendance through the opening round of the playoffs for the past 11 seasons, and this year has been no exception. After averaging 3,295 fans through 72 games, the Tigers pulled in 3,050 for Game 1 against Brandon, 2,943 in Game 2 and 3,509 for Friday’s Game 5.

“Since the 2007 season we have not sold out consistently in the first round of the playoffs,” said Jones. “We’re pleased that we can draw 3,200 fans in a market of 60,000 people, there are markets of double to triple that size that struggle to get 3,000 people on a consistent basis.”

This trend could be a result of the team’s first-round track record. Medicine Hat reached the second round in 13 of the past 14 playoff runs, and as a result the Tigers have brought in considerably more fans in later rounds. The team averaged 3,687 through the opening round last year against Brandon — the first two playoff games inside the Canalta Centre — before a busier second-round series with Lethbridge. The Tuesday night Game 7 against the Hurricanes drew 5,556 fans.

“Last year it really only seemed like we got the fans once we played Lethbridge,” said Tigers captain Mark Rassell. “There’s a rivalry there and the second round is a big round, but the Canalta was packed because Lethbridge started bringing a bunch of fan buses and Tigers fans started showing up after that — then it got really loud. Game 7 was almost sold out.”

Jones added, “the trend in sports today is to shrink the venue capacity to provide the fans with a more personal and intimate viewing experience.” While any building would be hard-pressed to increase the intimacy provided by the smaller-scale Arena, the Canalta Centre still brings many modern additions to the viewing experience — including LED lighting, a video board with live replays, an expanded broadcast centre and improved washrooms and concessions.

As far as the regular season is concerned, there are a number of factors that could be playing a hand in preventing more fans from attending games, including the economy, transit, location, weather and incentives.

Kayla Vetter has been a Tigers season ticket holder for 14 seasons and says she only misses three-to-four games per season, but remembers a time when buying seats to all 36 home games came with additional rewards.

“We used to get tickets for a free jersey draw and a loyalty-type card for discounts at Taco Time and other restaurants across the city,” she said. “I look around at other season ticket packages from other teams and they get a lot more incentives, free jerseys, discounts at the team store, pre-sale for other events inside the buildings, et cetera.”

Jones says the team is always looking for new ways to improve the experience for season ticket holders and casual fans alike, and have catered to season ticket holders with an annual fan appreciation night.

“We’re always trying to come up with new things and new events to try and keep the entertainment fresh as best as we can,” said Jones. “This year we gave away 100 prizes to season ticket holders (on fan appreciation night) and we had a few prizes for every fan in attendance as well.”

Jones said the team has not raised base ticket prices for the past 15 seasons — as any increase in overall ticket price is the result of standard fees that come with a state-of-the-art entertainment facility — and season ticket holders get a discount of $239.05 compared to buying for individual games.

“We’re very excited that we can offer a state-of-the-art presentation that frankly, we think rivals any of the teams in the WHL that are in a bigger market,” said Jones.

Despite Sunday’s numbers, the fans filling the seats at the Canalta Centre still brought an impressive level of energy to the building. While Vetter says mid-week games during the regular season can be on the quieter side, the city always seems to bring out its best for the playoffs.

“The past couple of games have been electric in the building,” said Vetter. “I firmly believe we get a different type of crowd during the playoffs, like the Brits we had during Game 1 and 2, always cheering, even with one shoe off.”

Rassell says the early playoff figures don’t come as a big surprise given the average attendance through the regular season, but added the atmosphere always impresses in the post-season regardless of how many seats are full — especially when considering the British fans in the southwest corner.

“It was 2,900 but it was still bumping for Game 2. The fans that were here, especially the Brits in from Ralston, there was about eight of them and they were louder than everyone else and got the people around them going, which is exciting,” said Rassell of the British fans, who at one point were wearing their shoes on their hands. “We should probably start sending fan buses from Ralston to get those guys in. All those empty seats up top would be absolutely rocking.”

Rassell is one of just two remaining Tigers to have played in a post-season game at The Arena, alongside defenceman David Quenneville. The Hat captain says it’s hard to compare the atmospheres, but one thing that made The Arena such a special part of the city’s history was the legacy contained within its walls — something he and his teammates are still striving to forge in their new home.

“I think it’s just the legacy The Arena had,” he said. “They knew playoff hockey was something special there and I just don’t know if we’ve built that legacy yet at the Canalta.”