An NHL Team in Halifax?

SensFan71 wrote:

wprager wrote:I never meant to imply that Halifax could not support an NHL team, only that driving 2+ hours to a game is not something you would expect on a twice weekly basis. And if they can't get 10-12K season ticket holders they have to rely on walk-up sales. So what happens when there's a snow storm on game-night? I'm not actually familiar with the weather patterns in Halifax, but if they are anything like Newfoundland, that's a lot of lost revenue from walk ups. Very risky.

I don't believe you will have an issue there, Halifax's weather patterns aren't as severe as Newfoundland's, to put it in some perspective, I live about 2 hours up the TCH from Halifax (meaning they are south of me), more often than not, if Moncton is getting hit with a snow storm, Halifax is getting rain or very mild snow in comparison. of course, we get those big noreasters and they rip up the whole coast, but on a night like that, and I am not sure what the NHL's policy is on this, but cancelling the game in favour of another night might be their only alternative.

As long as the team's can get to the rink, the game goes on. I believe there was a game in Buffalo last year on the night of a really bad snowstorm. The game went on but there were barely any fans there. Games only seem to get cancelled when players have heart attacks.

Mojo wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:

wprager wrote:I never meant to imply that Halifax could not support an NHL team, only that driving 2+ hours to a game is not something you would expect on a twice weekly basis. And if they can't get 10-12K season ticket holders they have to rely on walk-up sales. So what happens when there's a snow storm on game-night? I'm not actually familiar with the weather patterns in Halifax, but if they are anything like Newfoundland, that's a lot of lost revenue from walk ups. Very risky.

I don't believe you will have an issue there, Halifax's weather patterns aren't as severe as Newfoundland's, to put it in some perspective, I live about 2 hours up the TCH from Halifax (meaning they are south of me), more often than not, if Moncton is getting hit with a snow storm, Halifax is getting rain or very mild snow in comparison. of course, we get those big noreasters and they rip up the whole coast, but on a night like that, and I am not sure what the NHL's policy is on this, but cancelling the game in favour of another night might be their only alternative.

As long as the team's can get to the rink, the game goes on. I believe there was a game in Buffalo last year on the night of a really bad snowstorm. The game went on but there were barely any fans there. Games only seem to get cancelled when players have heart attacks.

ouch, judging by the winter we just had here, then there would have been a couple of games with near empty stands then, we had a brutal winter.

dennycrane wrote:

davetherave wrote:

dennycrane wrote:I agree that Eastern Canada has a rich history of hockey, but frankly, none of it is at the professional level.

The American Hockey League is not 'professional level'?

Maybe I should say a 'level that people actually care about'.

Denny, you are going to get a LOT of stick from fans of the B-Sens and other AHL teams.

wprager wrote:I never meant to imply that Halifax could not support an NHL team, only that driving 2+ hours to a game is not something you would expect on a twice weekly basis. And if they can't get 10-12K season ticket holders they have to rely on walk-up sales. So what happens when there's a snow storm on game-night? I'm not actually familiar with the weather patterns in Halifax, but if they are anything like Newfoundland, that's a lot of lost revenue from walk ups. Very risky.

If people are ready to commute to work by car 2 hours each way every day...why wouldn't they do it twice a week to see an NHL game?

davetherave wrote:

wprager wrote:I never meant to imply that Halifax could not support an NHL team, only that driving 2+ hours to a game is not something you would expect on a twice weekly basis. And if they can't get 10-12K season ticket holders they have to rely on walk-up sales. So what happens when there's a snow storm on game-night? I'm not actually familiar with the weather patterns in Halifax, but if they are anything like Newfoundland, that's a lot of lost revenue from walk ups. Very risky.

If people are ready to commute to work by car 2 hours each way every day...why wouldn't they do it twice a week to see an NHL game?

Think of the hours of the game-time commute. If the game is at 7pm then they need to leave by 5pm. Then the game ends at 10pm which means they don't get home until midnight. Most people with family commitments can't make this happen. Not to mention there is no way kids could go to the games if they don't live in town.

davetherave wrote:

wprager wrote:I never meant to imply that Halifax could not support an NHL team, only that driving 2+ hours to a game is not something you would expect on a twice weekly basis. And if they can't get 10-12K season ticket holders they have to rely on walk-up sales. So what happens when there's a snow storm on game-night? I'm not actually familiar with the weather patterns in Halifax, but if they are anything like Newfoundland, that's a lot of lost revenue from walk ups. Very risky.

If people are ready to commute to work by car 2 hours each way every day...why wouldn't they do it twice a week to see an NHL game?

Cuz... work brings in money to feed your family and an NHL game costs money. If times are tight... guess which one loses out?

Yup.

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:

wprager wrote:I never meant to imply that Halifax could not support an NHL team, only that driving 2+ hours to a game is not something you would expect on a twice weekly basis. And if they can't get 10-12K season ticket holders they have to rely on walk-up sales. So what happens when there's a snow storm on game-night? I'm not actually familiar with the weather patterns in Halifax, but if they are anything like Newfoundland, that's a lot of lost revenue from walk ups. Very risky.

If people are ready to commute to work by car 2 hours each way every day...why wouldn't they do it twice a week to see an NHL game?

Cuz... work brings in money to feed your family and an NHL game costs money. If times are tight... guess which one loses out?

Yup.

Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

davetherave wrote:Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

What do you base that on? I grew up in Ottawa and attended many games there and did that lovely commute when the 417 was clogged with west-bound traffic, but luckily I knew a few shortcuts to cut the time down. Please check your facts first, you are off base on this one.

As for spending time commuting... I now live in Toronto and travel the 401 for work. 'Nuff said.

davetherave wrote:As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

But will there be enough of them in NS? The Ottawa-Hull area has over 1 million people to pull from.

davetherave wrote:
Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

I've never taken that long to drive there and back however, If you factor in how early I get there compared to puck drop and when I actually get home it's about 2 to 2 and a half hours total. I get out of the parking lot in about 10 minutes and avoid the Highway until Moodie at which point it's smooth sailing.

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

What do you base that on? I grew up in Ottawa and attended many games there and did that lovely commute when the 417 was clogged with west-bound traffic, but luckily I knew a few shortcuts to cut the time down. Please check your facts first, you are off base on this one.

As for spending time commuting... I now live in Toronto and travel the 401 for work. 'Nuff said.

davetherave wrote:As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

But will there be enough of them in NS? The Ottawa-Hull area has over 1 million people to pull from.

My dear friend, I have--as you know is my habit--checked my facts...every one of the weekday games I attended at Scotiabank Place this year took an average of four hours total commuting time from my home in the East of Ottawa to Kanata and back, including parking.

As for the good folks of Nova Scotia, how do you know what they would or wouldn't do? Check your facts...

davetherave wrote:

wprager wrote:I never meant to imply that Halifax could not support an NHL team, only that driving 2+ hours to a game is not something you would expect on a twice weekly basis. And if they can't get 10-12K season ticket holders they have to rely on walk-up sales. So what happens when there's a snow storm on game-night? I'm not actually familiar with the weather patterns in Halifax, but if they are anything like Newfoundland, that's a lot of lost revenue from walk ups. Very risky.

If people are ready to commute to work by car 2 hours each way every day...why wouldn't they do it twice a week to see an NHL game?

Because when I come to work I get paid. When go to the arena, I get fleeced.

davetherave wrote:My dear friend, I have--as you know is my habit--checked my facts...every one of the weekday games I attended at Scotiabank Place this year took an average of four hours total commuting time from my home in the East of Ottawa to Kanata and back, including parking.

Heh. I wasn't talking about that fact, but rather, your statement that neither myself nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive. I can't speak for Prager, but I certainly have.

I was trying to do my best DTR impression, with the off-base statement and fact checking warning... how did I do?

davetherave wrote:As for the good folks of Nova Scotia, how do you know what they would or wouldn't do? Check your facts...

I don't, and never said I have... was only posing the question and indicating my doubts... check THOSE facts...

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

What do you base that on? I grew up in Ottawa and attended many games there and did that lovely commute when the 417 was clogged with west-bound traffic, but luckily I knew a few shortcuts to cut the time down. Please check your facts first, you are off base on this one.

As for spending time commuting... I now live in Toronto and travel the 401 for work. 'Nuff said.

davetherave wrote:As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

But will there be enough of them in NS? The Ottawa-Hull area has over 1 million people to pull from.

My dear friend, I have--as you know is my habit--checked my facts...every one of the weekday games I attended at Scotiabank Place this year took an average of four hours total commuting time from my home in the East of Ottawa to Kanata and back, including parking.

As for the good folks of Nova Scotia, how do you know what they would or wouldn't do? Check your facts...

If Canadian cities like Quebec City and Winnipeg are considered unlikely to support a modern NHL team (with population being the biggest factor) why do you feel so confident that Halifax can?

davetherave wrote:

Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

Using the backroads it takes me 15-20 minutes, and that's including
spending 10 minutes at the light on Palladium/Huntmar. If I park in
the right place, it could be as little as 15 minutes to get out of the
parking lot. Or I can wait around a bit, listen to the band, have a
hot dog or donut.

wprager wrote:

davetherave wrote:

Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

Using the backroads it takes me 15-20 minutes, and that's including
spending 10 minutes at the light on Palladium/Huntmar. If I park in
the right place, it could be as little as 15 minutes to get out of the
parking lot. Or I can wait around a bit, listen to the band, have a
hot dog or donut.

I think DTR needs to be shown a better way to get to the game.

Which way are you going DTR? Via Montreal?

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

What do you base that on? I grew up in Ottawa and attended many games there and did that lovely commute when the 417 was clogged with west-bound traffic, but luckily I knew a few shortcuts to cut the time down. Please check your facts first, you are off base on this one.

As for spending time commuting... I now live in Toronto and travel the 401 for work. 'Nuff said.

davetherave wrote:As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

But will there be enough of them in NS? The Ottawa-Hull area has over 1 million people to pull from.

My dear friend, I have--as you know is my habit--checked my facts...every one of the weekday games I attended at Scotiabank Place this year took an average of four hours total commuting time from my home in the East of Ottawa to Kanata and back, including parking.

As for the good folks of Nova Scotia, how do you know what they would or wouldn't do? Check your facts...

BY the way, do you need to be so patronizing just because someone has a different opinion than you?

davetherave wrote:

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Well Shabbs, clearly neither you nor Prager has spent the sometimes as much as four hours it takes to get to and from a Senators game, parking inclusive.

What do you base that on? I grew up in Ottawa and attended many games there and did that lovely commute when the 417 was clogged with west-bound traffic, but luckily I knew a few shortcuts to cut the time down. Please check your facts first, you are off base on this one.

As for spending time commuting... I now live in Toronto and travel the 401 for work. 'Nuff said.

davetherave wrote:As for spending the money on a hockey game, doesn't seem to be a factor for Ottawa hockey fans...why would it be for fans in Nova Scotia?

But will there be enough of them in NS? The Ottawa-Hull area has over 1 million people to pull from.

My dear friend, I have--as you know is my habit--checked my facts...every one of the weekday games I attended at Scotiabank Place this year took an average of four hours total commuting time from my home in the East of Ottawa to Kanata and back, including parking.

As for the good folks of Nova Scotia, how do you know what they would or wouldn't do? Check your facts...

I think he was referring to your comment regarding Praguer and Shabbs having never made that kind of commut without knowing that Shabbs has attended several games.

If it's taking you an average of 4 hours then you're making poor choices in one or more of the following: your route, your arrival time, choice of parking space.

Your route - If you take the Queensway the whole way there and back on a week night and are leaving from somewhere like Orleans then I personally would completely lose my mind doing that even a couple times. I leave from work near Westboro and I live in Orleans. I also don't go on the Queensway AT ALL on my way to the game and only get on the Queensway on the way home and even then it's not until Moodie that I get on.

Your arrival time - If you plan your trip so that you arrive shortly before puck drop then you're just like the vast majority of fans and get stuck in all that traffic coupled with regular rush hour. Would you rather arrive there an hour early or sit in traffic for 2 hours?

Choice of parking space - This may sound odd but it makes a huge difference if you park close to the parking lot exit vs. parking near the building.

I don't think DTO was necessarily patronizing. He's the elder statesman on this site (unless someone else here has seen the Original Six when that's all there was) and that's just the way they spoke back then.

Zing!