Canada Journal – News of the World Articles and videos to bring you the biggest Canadian news stories from across the country every day
The IIHF said Hockey Canada was responsible for the ticket prices that may have led to empty seats at Montreal’s Bell Centre for preliminary games at the world junior championship.
Face-worth tickets for games in Montreal began at $71 and ranged to $336 for the New Year’s Eve game in between Canada and the United States, which drew 18,295 fans.
The capacity of Bell Centre is 21,273.
Just 14,142 fans had been in attendance for Canada’s opening game against Slovakia on Boxing Day.
Tickets for Canada’s very first 3 round-robin games (against Slovakia, Germany and Finland) ranged from $66 to $261.
IIHF president Rene Fasel on Sunday that if those costs were in spot for a world junior tournament in Europe, there would be no one in the arena.
In saying that, Fasel added that this would finish as the third-most-attended planet junior championship in history behind Ottawa (2009) and Edmonton and Calgary (2012). Fasel mentioned he expects the 2015 tournament post a total attendance in between 365,000 and 385,000.
Hockey Canada has mentioned it will not comment on this matter till immediately after the tournament, which wraps up Monday with the bronze- and gold-medal games at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
The 2015 globe junior championship featured Canada playing its round-robin games in Montreal and knockout rounds in Toronto.
There had been 18,448 individuals in Air Canada Centre Friday night when Canada faced Denmark in the quarter-finals.
Packages for all 19 games in Toronto ranged from $626 to $1,746, and even though attendance was not higher for non-Canada preliminary games, the expectation was for Canada’s games to draw effectively.
The packages for 13 games in Montreal ranged from $431 to $1,191.
Fasel stated the IIHF and Hockey Canada might have to alter how it sets ticket rates for the 2017 tournament, which will have Canada’s round-robin games in Toronto and the knockout rounds in Montreal.
Before acknowledging ticket prices were a element in low attendance at Bell Centre, Fasel stated in French that probably the tournament was marketed differently in Toronto than in Montreal.
Agencies/Canadajournal/The Canadian Press
