This should cause a mild ripple in the hockey pool, but while I was listening to Toronto 640 am today (since I have yet to update my XM account for another $3 a month so I can web stream Home Ice), I heard Bill Waters complain about the attendance at a recent Toronto Marlies Playoff game.
Wait... Back up the bus. This is Toronto we're talking about right? The center of the Hockey Universe? The place I am told that Hockey is not a sport, it's a religious cult. So what was Mr. Waters, who has worked for the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, complaining about? Could it be just because it wasn't a sell out? Because you KNOW, we're told that EVERY hockey game in TO is a sell out.
It seems Mr. Waters was complaining and trying to figure out how to fix a report of attendance at an AHL playoff game of.... (wait for it....) Under 1,000 people.
I'm sorry. What was that number? Yes, under 1,000 people for a hockey game in the hockey Mecca.
So I went to the AHL site to try to find the stats for the game, and they have the official (yeah, we know what that means) attendance at 2,258. Hell... that's a lot more than 1,000.
However, I was complaining about our paltry attendance at our Sound Tigers game at less than 6,000 here on Long Island. (Okay, maybe I need to apologize, but I still think we could have done better!!!)
Put that in perspective in your mind now. Toronto -- Hockey Playoff game --- 2,258 in attendance. Uniondale -- Hockey Playoff game for a CT team -- 5,903 in attendance.
Excuse me, Toronto... Are we still going to have the John Tavares will languish in obscurity in Long Island argument? Is it that ONLY the Laughs, sorry LEAFS, are important in Toronto and not Hockey itself?
How do you justify an AHL game attendance in Toronto at only 2,258? (when it's really under 1,000)
I heard on the radio the concession prices, the parking, the getting out of the parking lot arguments. Yet, when the Islanders try to use such arguments as Arena conditions we are shushed. "It's not your arena it's the fact that you have no fanbase!" Uh.... not so.
Hmmm.... Dear Toronto: Long Island is a strong hockey market whether you want to believe it or not.
Dear Dan: There's one less bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the wine rack because you left me here alone to watch the Rangers win. But at least... so did the Bruins!
Next up (as if you possible care) My Lighthouse LI wish list! Yes, I've given it great thought. What could possibly serve and improve my experience at the Coliseum.
For now... It's crash time.
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1 comment:
It's not exactly a fair comparison between an AHL game in Bridgeport and one in Toronto.
In the former you have...well, I have no idea what else there is to do in Bridgeport but it's not exactly an internationally known city.
In the latter you have a plethora of top of their industry things to do and an NHL team. There is a lot of pull for entertainment dollars in a CMA of over 6 million people compared to Bridgeport.
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