Memorial Cup in Mississauga....spring 2011

[TOareaFan]

Ya I know why the team left Toronto. It just would have been nice if my moving to Toronto didn't coincide with them leaving. As well, it hasn't been 35 years since Niagara has had a team. The Thunder were in Niagara Falls as recently as 1996. They had arena issues as well. There isn't an appetite in Niagara for building a big new arena. St Catharines is a very conservative city and it along with the region has been hit hard economically over the last 5 years. The only place that could afford an arena would be Niagara Falls and it would basically have to be funded with tourism money.

It is my thought that the team is called "Niagara" and not "St. Catherines" because there is still hope that a new rink will be built in the tourist area of NF and used for hockey and to attract concerts....shifting the team without changing the name.

 

[jn_12]

I wouldn't be surprised. On the other hand though, Niagara is a fairly unique region. I often say I'm from Niagara rather than Welland (sometimes because some people have never heard of Welland, despite its size, but often because I feel like that's where I'm from) and whenever I come across someone from the region here in Toronto, even if they're from St Catharines or Pelham or Thorold, we tend to have an instant kind of bond. It's something I've discussed before with other folk from Niagara, and everyone seems to agree that there's this weird bond there. Part of it might be because of the isolation of the region, part of it might be just how linked the communities are there, part of it might be the economy and the weirdness of living near Niagara Falls. None of us really know. So to call it a regional team might be a way of tapping in to that mentality (it'd be neat if that was the case, although i doubt it).

There were talks years ago (10 years ago maybe?) of building a huge arena complex at the intersection of highway 20 and the 406 that would be shared by St Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls. Not sure what happened to it (probably political infighting, which seems to always be the case), but St Catharines went ahead and built a 4 pad on its own, and Welland started trying to make plans for a new 2-pad attached to the mall. If Niagara Falls ever builds another arena, I'd imagine the facility you describe will be what's built.

 

[doady]

I never heard of the Memorial Cup. It is fitting that it would come to Mississauga.

 

[savevp]

As well, it hasn't been 35 years since Niagara has had a team. The Thunder were in Niagara Falls as recently as 1996.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. It has been around 35 years ( to my reckoning) since St. Catherines had a junior team. Many a St. Catherines fan would have disdained the Thunder for Niagara Falls and St. Catherines had always been rivals. Finally, the IceDogs end this anonimity and bring the two cities together in the OHL.

 

[TOareaFan]

I never heard of the Memorial Cup.

For real or are you makin' a funny?

 

[TOareaFan]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. It has been around 35 years ( to my reckoning) since St. Catherines had a junior team. Many a St. Catherines fan would have disdained the Thunder for Niagara Falls and St. Catherines had always been rivals. Finally, the IceDogs end this anonimity and bring the two cities together in the OHL.

trying to understand your post....do you mean animosity?

 

[wyliepoon]

I never heard of the Memorial Cup. It is fitting that it would come to Mississauga.

[video=youtube;g2cT5J0gxeU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2cT5J0gxeU[/video]
The Memorial Cup does make a sound. Check out 0:25.

 

[GenerationW]

I hope Mississauga doesn't get eliminated early in the OHL playoffs. I think it cheapens the Memorial Cup when the host team has a crappy playoff in its league.

 

[TOareaFan]

I hope Mississauga doesn't get eliminated early in the OHL playoffs. I think it cheapens the Memorial Cup when the host team has a crappy playoff in its league.

They are likey to have a very good team next year and we all know that good teams are never eliminated early in the playoffs....just ask Washington....no forget that, ask the question of Pittsburgh....no, oh wait.

Kidding aside, even if they are eliminated early by a lower ranked team, it will be a surprise and they will still have a team competitive with the other teams in the Mem cup finals....but I do get what you are saying.

 

[Basshats]

arena rental (I think the teams that own their own arenas are in the vast minority...if any - too tired to think of it but none come immediately to mind)

Only Plymouth. Karmanos owns both the team and the Compuware Sports Arena.

A few years ago (again, can't remember exactly when) the O was having more trouble than historically so attracting the best players......it was hard to get the kids to forgoe college scollarship offers to take a shot at the pros through the Major Junior ranks......once you step on the ice in major junior you lose any elligibility to play NCAA hockey (so they couldn't even say "try us for a year then go college").....so major junior developed a program where a player earns a year of canadian university paid for for each year of junior they play.....so the cost gets pretty big.....of course the quality of canadian university hockey has dramatically improved as a lot of the men playing there are doing so after 3 or 4 years in major junior.

The CHL has dominated the NCAA when it comes to signing top Canadian prospects for over a decade. If you've ever been to the OHL Cup, you'll see that they market themselves differently to top prospects (Best route to prepare for the NHL) and later round picks (education package).

the 2,700 (+/-) break even point was given to me by an executive with a club that is not quite getting there....so I did not just make it up. But you are somewhat right.....if you look at the list above and use Ottawa....if their break even is 2,700 and their average ticket price is $10....their average attendance (over just a 34 game home regular season) would produce 34 X $10 X (7500 - 2700) of profit.....that works out to about $1.6 million per year (plus any playoff action).

The break even point depends on the team. In the case of Ottawa, renting the Civic Centre is more expensive than most other OHL rinks. Also, Jeff Hunt, the 67's owner, spends more on marketing than almost any other team. His break even point is closer to 4,000 but, on the flip side, the team's average ticket price is around $15. Most OHL games are now in the $15-20 range.

 

[Basshats]

^to be clear, it was not the high end guys that they had trouble attracting...those high end guys tend to know they are headed for the NHL draft and don't spend a lot of time considering their educational futures.

The mid guys (who really are the guts of any OHL team were the ones)....the ones that are questionable NHL prospects but taking a shot.

Besides, the high end guys rarely use the package since it's void if the player signs an NHL contract.

 

[Basshats]

I think one of the reasons Mississauga got the Mem Cup was because out of Barrie, Windsor and Kingston and them, they will be the best next year. Barrie and Windsor are going downhill now that they will have guys drafted into the NHL and Kingston has a pretty lousy team. Mississauga is going to be pretty good next year.

My concern is attendance. Sure the Hershey Centre is a beautiful rink but on average, Mississauga sells less than 3000 seats a game (I believe). Sure, it may be the Memorial Cup but once the majors are in, they had better start attracting more fans. I do believe they can.

With Mississauga's location near so many other OHL markets, the tournament will sell out. Kitchener might be the favourite to win the league next year and, if they do, there will be a massive invasion of Rangers' fans. They have the league's most supportive road warriors as fans.

 

[Basshats]

It is my thought that the team is called "Niagara" and not "St. Catherines" because there is still hope that a new rink will be built in the tourist area of NF and used for hockey and to attract concerts....shifting the team without changing the name.

When he bought the team, Burke said that he was calling it Niagara because he wanted to market the team to the entire region. His hope was that St. Catharine's would approve the expanded main rink for the four rink complex they planned to build.

 

[Basshats]

I hope Mississauga doesn't get eliminated early in the OHL playoffs. I think it cheapens the Memorial Cup when the host team has a crappy playoff in its league.

Mississauga and Ottawa are the two favourites to win the Eastern Conference next year.

 

[TOareaFan]

Only Plymouth. Karmanos owns both the team and the Compuware Sports Arena.



The CHL has dominated the NCAA when it comes to signing top Canadian prospects for over a decade. If you've ever been to the OHL Cup, you'll see that they market themselves differently to top prospects (Best route to prepare for the NHL) and later round picks (education package).



The break even point depends on the team. In the case of Ottawa, renting the Civic Centre is more expensive than most other OHL rinks. Also, Jeff Hunt, the 67's owner, spends more on marketing than almost any other team. His break even point is closer to 4,000 but, on the flip side, the team's average ticket price is around $15. Most OHL games are now in the $15-20 range.

Yes it varies by team (if I did not say that, I meant to/should have)....on ticket prices....Brampton, as an example I know well, has priced their tickets for the coming season at $14 - $19.50 (that is "all in" as they have no tickemaster, or similar, charges) on a single game basis...that said, renewing season ticket holders get a massive discount (my "$19.50 tickets" cost me $12.16 per game) and new season ticketholders get a very good discount (those same $19.50 tickets are around $14.85 per game done on a season ticket basis). Pretty sure most (all?) teams in the "O" offer similar discounting to STHs so it is hard, really, to determine what "average" price is anywhere.

That said, the best sports entertainment deal anywhere in the GTA is Thursday night games at the Bunker.....$10 for any available ticket in the house!

EDIT: That season ticket price of $14.85 is no longer available for the $19.50 seats...that had to be paid in full prior to April 30 (to avoid HST)....the price now is $16.05...still a $3.50 per game saving but less than before as now you have to pay the tax man his share!!!

If you are interested in information or tickets (and, no, I don't work for them)....http://www.battalionhockey.com/2010-11-season-tickets-s11450