Oilers ponder empty seats
Is weather or losses putting a chill on fans?
On a night when a ticket could be had for less than the price of a parking spot, empty seats for the Edmonton Oilers’ tilt with the Arizona Coyotes spoke louder than the fans in attendance.
By Pat LaForge’s estimation, there have been chilly nights in winters past when there were 2,000 to 3,000 seats sitting empty at Rexall Place. Fair enough. But whi le LaForge, president and chief operating officer of the Oilers Entertainment Group, wouldn’t disclose how many no-shows there were on Monday, a significant number of ticketholders weren’t on hand to see the Coyotes extend the Oilers’ winless streak to 10 games. By our estimation, somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 seats were empty in the 16,839-seat venue. Was it Mother Nature’s doing, or a statement from the team’s supporters?
“There are a lot of factors that affect the business negatively, including losing,” said LaForge. “But weather is the most (significant) of all of them.”
The tickets are sold, so that revenue isn’t lost, but empty seats lead to other shortages, said LaForge.
“It’s the vibe, it is food and beverage sales, the 50/50, everything that it takes to put on a game … it affects the Oilers, it affects Northlands and it affects the psyche — but that’s one of the challenges of living in a winter city.”
Under the current lease, which was in place when Daryl Katz bought the team in 2008, the Oilers receive 25 per cent of the food and beverage sales, plus the revenue from 1,000 parking stalls.
Here are a few facts and figures for consideration:
TICKET BARGAINS
There was an abundance of empty seats at Rexall Place on Monday, but not for lack of affordable tickets.
Glen Erickson paid $10 U.S. for a ticket that he purchased on StubHub and he saw others for as low as $7.
“It cost me more to park,” he said. “You can’t get a spot for under $18.”
Erickson, who gets to two or three games a season, said the cost of the ticket afforded him a chance to take his son and hang with some friends, but admitted that it was subjective as to whether it was worth $10 to watch what unfolded against the Coyotes.
50/ 50 PAYDAY DOWN
The Oilers may not be willing to disclose how a drop in game goers affects their bottom line, but the 50/50 payout is rather telling.
Monday’s winner claimed a prize of $43,168, with the other half of the $86,330 jackpot going to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation.
It was the first time the jackpot has dipped below $100,000 in a regular-season game this year.
BUSINESS AS USUAL?
Jack Cookson, owner of Pro Am Sports, chuckled when asked how the Oilers’ slide affected his sports memorabilia business.
“I will say this,” he said, after an initial one-word reply, “the resiliency of the Oil Country fan is impressive. Given the performance of the CFL team last year and the NHL team these last few years, we should be out of business. We really should.”
Instead, the business is in its 25th year and while sales are nothing like they were back in the team’s 2006 playoff year, Oilers items still sell.
THE SOUND’S OFF
Over at The Bourbon Room, Paul Ballach doesn’t even turn up the sound on any of his 18 television screens. It has been that way for a few years now.
He’ll still show the Oilers games, but long gone are the days when he would put together game-day packages with tickets and transportation.
“It’s just not worth it when you get four people on a bus that holds 50 people,” he said.
“But I’m still a supporter, I still put the games on. It just doesn’t make sense to do any food and drink specials. It hasn’t been for a long, long time … If nobody is in a good mood because we’re always losing, what’s the point of going out and spending extra money on alcohol and food?” jireland@edmontonjournal.com Twitter.com/jirelandEJ