Quote:
Originally Posted by thurmas
Saskatoon isn't the greatest hockey town, they struggled to sell tickets during the last world juniors there compared to the ones in Ottawa, Vancouver, Halifax and Winnipeg back in 99. Also the Blades seem to always suffer from poor attendance.
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That's a big misconception. The 1991 World Junior tourney was also held in Saskatoon, and it broke attendance records, at the time. The problem is that in 2010, they event organizers priced the tickets so that they were out of reach for the majority of local residents. Even when Alberta (Edmonton and Calgary) hosted the tourney in 2012, many people complained about the high pricing. Luckily, there is enough money and population in the two cities to fill the arenas.
Saskatoon does not have the best attendance for Blades games, probably because the arena is way too big for a WHL team, and the non-intimate/inviting atmosphere have hurt attendance. Another factor is location. The city dropped the ball in the 80s when they built the arena in the far north area of the city, without decent transit options. Most residents wanted it downtown.
People in Saskatchewan are wild about hockey, and I believe there is no doubt they have the ability to make the AHL work.