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Post by montreal on Apr 20, 2004 20:48:31 GMT -5
4-0 Damphousse with the SO. Plekanec with 3 assists. Perezhogin, Thinel, Milroy, Hossa the goal scorers.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Apr 20, 2004 21:12:45 GMT -5
Dogs outshoot the Baron 46-17 in front of 1,981 fans in Hamilton, guess they were all at home watching the Leafs.  |
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Post by roke on Apr 20, 2004 21:36:10 GMT -5
I say move the Bulldogs to Winnipeg if agreements permit, the Moose were getting 4,000 fans or more (I'm estimating on the low side) showing up to their games, and in my oppinion the Moose aren't an exciting team to cheer for or watch. Then again, the agreement between Vancouver and Manitoba expired in 2 years I think, I can't remember the exact date so it would be complicated to move them.
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Post by DeathdrivesaVW on Apr 21, 2004 14:50:21 GMT -5
Man I'm just happy for Duncan Milroy he's going to make everyone who forgot him make sure they hadn't the guys a playoff performer he's going to prove it again.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Apr 21, 2004 16:09:31 GMT -5
Man I'm just happy for Duncan Milroy he's going to make everyone who forgot him make sure they hadn't the guys a playoff performer he's going to prove it again. He sure proved himself two seasons ago as a playoff performer with Kootenay in their Memorial Cup run. If he can regain that confidence and get the increased ice time, he would be a bonus addition to the Dogs in this year's playoffs. He has been a victim of the numbers game and has been relatively below the radar screen to date in Hamilton, but that seems to be fairly consistent of their rookies, with exceptions being players like Perezhogin and Higgins. |
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Apr 21, 2004 17:55:59 GMT -5
I say move the Bulldogs to Winnipeg if agreements permit, the Moose were getting 4,000 fans or more (I'm estimating on the low side) showing up to their games, and in my oppinion the Moose aren't an exciting team to cheer for or watch. Then again, the agreement between Vancouver and Manitoba expired in 2 years I think, I can't remember the exact date so it would be complicated to move them. I remember the Montreal Royals and the Montreal Jr. Canadiens playing to packed houses in the Forum. There should be lots of fans who either can't afford the NHL prices or can't get good tickets but would like to see good hockey. Is it out of the question to have a minor league team in Montreal. Wouldn't a lot of Montrealers like to see Pleks, Hossa, Milroy, Thinnel, Urquhart and Lambert playing in minor league uniforms? |
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Post by JFM on Apr 21, 2004 21:20:37 GMT -5
It wouldn't work L.A. The biggest myth circulating is that Montreal is a hockey "Mecca". This is 100% false. Montreal is a Habs hockey Mecca. The sad truth is that only the Habs draw interest. Any and all attempts at establishing Major Junior franchises in and around Montreal have failed miserably. As much as I hate to say it you'd have to go down the 401 to Toronto to find a true hockey city. Apart from the Leafs, you have the Roadrunners who are surviving in the AHL. And no less than 3 OHL franchises are doing well, ( Battalion, Ice Dogs and the Majors)I was amongst the few who regularly went to the Rocket games while they were in Montreal. I for 1 would love it if the Habs ever have the courage to bring the farm team to Montreal, because I'd be a regular patron. Unfortunately it would probably be doomed to failure.
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Post by PTH on Apr 21, 2004 21:57:41 GMT -5
Quebec as a province just doesn't seem to be a good fit for the AHL - Quebec City didn't have a love-fest for the Citadelles, either. I think the problem is that once people aren't going to the NHL games, they want to see the province-wide love-fest for the QMJHL. As to Montreal, I think they're just snobs down there  |
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Post by montreal on Apr 21, 2004 23:02:11 GMT -5
I say move the Bulldogs to Winnipeg if agreements permit, the Moose were getting 4,000 fans or more (I'm estimating on the low side) showing up to their games, and in my oppinion the Moose aren't an exciting team to cheer for or watch. Then again, the agreement between Vancouver and Manitoba expired in 2 years I think, I can't remember the exact date so it would be complicated to move them. That won't happen. The Dogs are in their first year of a five year deal, with another five year option. |
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Post by seventeen on Apr 22, 2004 0:39:46 GMT -5
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Apr 22, 2004 15:19:55 GMT -5
It wouldn't work L.A. The biggest myth circulating is that Montreal is a hockey "Mecca". This is 100% false. Montreal is a Habs hockey Mecca. The sad truth is that only the Habs draw interest. Any and all attempts at establishing Major Junior franchises in and around Montreal have failed miserably. As much as I hate to say it you'd have to go down the 401 to Toronto to find a true hockey city. Apart from the Leafs, you have the Roadrunners who are surviving in the AHL. And no less than 3 OHL franchises are doing well, ( Battalion, Ice Dogs and the Majors)I was amongst the few who regularly went to the Rocket games while they were in Montreal. I for 1 would love it if the Habs ever have the courage to bring the farm team to Montreal, because I'd be a regular patron. Unfortunately it would probably be doomed to failure. It's a real shame. The Royals and Jr's had a different crowd. In those days the Hab's played to suit and tie corporate execs who expected excellence. The Royals played to blue collar cab drivers who vocally let the players know how they felt. The Jr's were a much younger crowd with lots of young girls cheering for Tardif and Perrault and lots of guys cheering for Globensky and the young girls. If it was marketed correctly I can't believe the Cegeps wouldn't fill the Keg to see Lambert, Urquhart and Bonneau. Low ticket prices and cheaper hot dogs. A sold out stadium becomes it's own drawing card. Crosby alone would guarantee a couple of packed houses. Of course I also think that the Expo's properly marketed would work and that's why I'm in LA not in Montreal. Would it really cost that much to rent the Bell Center or does it have other competing events. |
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Apr 22, 2004 15:25:08 GMT -5
If everyone relies on the existing group of fans to go to the games, when they get older or move to Toronto, who will replace them? A fan base has to be built. It's important to get the minor league hockey teams involved too.
Right now the Rocket have players in Montreals system. This is the opportunity to build a following.
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Apr 22, 2004 15:42:50 GMT -5
If everyone relies on the existing group of fans to go to the games, when they get older or move to Toronto, who will replace them? A fan base has to be built. It's important to get the minor league hockey teams involved too. Right now the Rocket have players in Montreals system. This is the opportunity to build a following. The Rocket moved to Charlottetown last summer. |
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Apr 22, 2004 19:05:05 GMT -5
The Rocket moved to Charlottetown last summer. I realized that. I meant to say that moving them back is an opportunity to build a following. I know I'm dreaming when I say having Montreals OHL or AHL team playing locally and developing a fan base would bring crowds to the rink, but it should. We are all fans and would love to see Plekanec and Hossa up close and personal. Who wouldn't pay to see Kastitsyn when he finally comes here. I guess the marketing guru's did the sample and came up with a blank. |
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Post by JFM on Apr 22, 2004 20:32:21 GMT -5
The Rocket were in Montreal for 3 or 4 years I believe and were met with abject apathy. They starter out at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal's east end (right beside the Big O) and were drawing poorly. They spent their last 2 seasons at the Bell Centre, hoping that the centrally located arena would attract larger crowds. It was a total failure. The sad truth is that Montreal is a crappy sports town (apart from the Habs of course). The Expos are on life support (with MLB holding the plug and anxiously wanting to pull.) The Als are the hottest ticket in town, but believe you me that the second they falter, they won't draw flies. Soccer draws well, but they play in a 5-7000 seat stadium. Montreal is a great "event" city. The Formula 1 & CART races are great successes. The Men's & Women's Canadian Open Tennis tourneys break attendance records every year. The Jazz Fest and others during the summer make Montreal probably the place to be between June-September. Now that PTH has mentioned it, maybe Montrealers have become snooty.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2004 20:34:17 GMT -5
The building was sold out in game 7 of the finals last year. Once the Leafs are eliminated, perhaps more fans will attend the games.
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Post by MadRookie on Apr 22, 2004 21:08:32 GMT -5
Quebec as a province just doesn't seem to be a good fit for the AHL - Quebec City didn't have a love-fest for the Citadelles, either. I think the problem is that once people aren't going to the NHL games, they want to see the province-wide love-fest for the QMJHL. As to Montreal, I think they're just snobs down there I think the problem with the Citadelles in Quebec City may have been that they were the Hab's farm team playing in Nordique-territory. Many potential fans may have felt affronted by this. |
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Post by blny on Apr 23, 2004 8:22:34 GMT -5
Glad to see the Dogs off to a fine start. Living in the Halifax area all my life (28 years), I've seen the worst the AHL has to offer. After Montreal pulled their affiliation out of the Voyageurs, and the team became the Nova Scotia Oilers, things went down hill. As fans we were subject to some awful hockey. The Oilers had no real success until they moved to Sydney and became the Cape Breton Oilers (winning one Calder Cup). When the Oilers left Halifax it only got worse. The Nords moved their farm team from Fredericton (the Express) and the Halifax Citadels were born. God, the nightmares. This was the dark ages of the Pierre Page era in Quebec (side anecdote - Page lived in a house two doors down from where I grew up when he was coaching the Dalhousie University Tigers). Never was there assembled bigger collection of sad sacks. The on ice product chased people away. With no good prospects to chear for, it became a difficult product to root for. There was also no connection to the community made by the team.
To some degree, I think this may be the problem the AHL has selling it's brand of hockey. I think public perception is that it's an inferior product as far as pro hockey goes. God knows we were subject to it in Halifax. It's not always the case though, as the Bulldogs are proof. However, as I can attest, more people are interested in seeing up-and-comers with perceived promise and potential than a perceived collection of stiffs with no shot of making it. One need look no further than Atlantic Canada for proof. We had a slew of AHL teams out here for over 20 years. The V's, the Moncton Hawks, the Oilers, the Express, the Fredericton Canadiens, the PEI Senators, and the St John Flames were all chased from the area by the QMJHL.
When the Mooseheads came to Halifax it was a revelation to fans. Here was a team that made a concerted effort to put a decent product on the ice, and made an even greater effort to become part of the community. With players billeted around the city, people felt even more apart of it all. There was, and is, a vested interest in this club. While AHL teams could barelt muster 3,000 fans per game, the "Herd" play to no less than 7,000 a night. More often than not, the place is packed. The success of the team IS the reason there are clubs in Sydney, Moncton, Charlottetown, Bathurst, and even Lewiston. Teams out here draw more fans per game than many of the teams still based in Quebec. Instead of the teams that moved folding, they came east and have flourished. In many ways I think it could be easily argued that the Maritimes have saved the Q. To that end, I think the "M" in QMJHL should be changed to Maritime instead of Major. On the flipside, it's giving more and more opportunity to talented ahtletes from my region that never would have got the chance otherwise. The AHL can't compete with that - or at least they haven't tried to. Maybe they should.
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Post by jkr on Apr 23, 2004 21:54:35 GMT -5
It wouldn't work L.A. The biggest myth circulating is that Montreal is a hockey "Mecca". This is 100% false. Montreal is a Habs hockey Mecca. The sad truth is that only the Habs draw interest. Any and all attempts at establishing Major Junior franchises in and around Montreal have failed miserably. As much as I hate to say it you'd have to go down the 401 to Toronto to find a true hockey city. Apart from the Leafs, you have the Roadrunners who are surviving in the AHL. And no less than 3 OHL franchises are doing well, ( Battalion, Ice Dogs and the Majors)I was amongst the few who regularly went to the Rocket games while they were in Montreal. I for 1 would love it if the Habs ever have the courage to bring the farm team to Montreal, because I'd be a regular patron. Unfortunately it would probably be doomed to failure. I can't agree totally with you on the junior hockey points. The Majors are right downtown but I don't know what kind of numbers they get in an older arena. There were rumors in the Toronto media over a year ago that the team was going to be sold and moved to Cornwall. Maybe that's when Eugene Melnyk stepped in. I'm not sure exactly when he acquired the franchise. I have been to a number of Brampton games and they are not thriving. Two to three years ago they had a competitive team with names like Klesla & Torres and they sold out playoffs games. Now just two weeks ago I attended a playoff game & the crowd was less than 1700. That's about the usual attendance when I go to their games. ( only 4- 5 times a season but the numbers discourage me). Brampton & Mississauga are suburbs of Toronto and part of a very populous region. Together they have a population of about one million. Their arenas are very close together and probably a good 30-40 minutes from downtown so they are not being supported by Torontonians but by their own cities. |
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