A question about the Anaheim Ducks...

I'm not trying to stir up any bad blood here, just to have a levelheaded discussion.

With that said, I've watched the Ducks become a powerhouse in the new NHL. They have two starting goalies, an excellent scouting system that has produced amazing high-end prospects, and great depth. Throw in a rejuvenated Selanne, the acquisition of Pronger to secure a strong 1-2 defense, and this team seriuosly looks like a top end Stanley Cup contender (At this point I don't think the Sabres could present much of a problem, but thats a topic for another thread)

The question I have is this:
With all the success that the Ducks have enjoyed this year and last, Why are they struggling to fill their arena? I watched the Edmonton-Anaheim playoff series last year, and it was one of the quietest playoff arenas I had ever heard. Even in home games this year, there just seems to be a lot less volume generated by the crowd. I know the majority of you guys reading this are very passionate about your Ducks. Could some of you explain why this team has been struggling to land a larger and more vocal fanbase? Is this a spot where teams must succeed and win a championship before drawing crowds? (Obviously this happens in every town, but I hope you know the difference I'm trying to make there) Is it the fact that the Kings are nearby, and you also have college football, NFL, and basketball (?) to contend with in your area? (Having said that, I'm sure the Ducks must be having a great season for any sports team in that area anyway..)

Please help a hockey fan figure this out!

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and once again, I am NOT trying to stir up a big fight, just a calm discussion.

attendance is up actually. Season ticket sales are up and overall paid attendance is up. In the Disney era attendance was actually inflated because they would give away tons of tickets in order to try to fill the arena...which the new owners do not do.

Merchandise is up over 100% from last season (with the old logo).

Is it the fact that the Kings are nearby, and you also have college football, NFL, and basketball (?) to contend with in your area? (Having said that, I'm sure the Ducks must be having a great season for any sports team in that area anyway..)

Hit the nail on the head here. The Lakers and college football are king here. Dodgers and Angels get great attendance as well. Then, comes the King and the Ducks.

But as the above poster said, attendance has been up and merchandise sales are way up. Also, the Honda Center is quite loud during the playoffs in my opinion... :dunno:

attendance is up actually. Season ticket sales are up and overall paid attendance is up. In the Disney era attendance was actually inflated because they would give away tons of tickets in order to try to fill the arena...which the new owners do not do.

Merchandise is up over 100% from last season (with the old logo).
Well I'm glad to hear more people from the area are tuning in...Where would the Ducks rank among all the sports teams in that area?

P.S. Imagine a "retro" night with them going back to the goalie mask......*shudder* :P

Very simple:

- Relatively new hockey city
- Little overall team success
- Fantastic weather that makes it that hockey isn't the best winter entertainment option
- Lots and lots of transplants from elsewhere

Seriously, I think that last one is one people forget about a lot when talking about Southern California sports. Go to a Angels-Red Sox or Angels-Yankees game...it seems like half the stadium isn't cheering for the Angels. There is only a small percentage of Southern Californians these days that are native to the area compared to a lot of places. I'm guessing Buffalo has a ton of people who were born and raised in the area. Nobody dreams growing up about one day moving to Buffalo.

Overall, it's getting better here, but SoCal needs consistant success and a good history to get behind a team. Look at the Dodgers. They have one of the best attendances in baseball every year, no matter how bad they are.

Well I'm glad to hear more people from the area are tuning in...Where would the Ducks rank among all the sports teams in that area?

P.S. Imagine a "retro" night with them going back to the goalie mask......*shudder* :P

- Lakers
- Dodgers
- Angels
- Kings
- Ducks
- Clippers

That's my best guess of the rankings of popularity, although Clippers have gained some in recent years that Ducks may be last.

Hit the nail on the head here. The Lakers and college football are king here. Dodgers and Angels get great attendance as well. Then, comes the King and the Ducks.

But as the above poster said, attendance has been up and merchandise sales are way up. Also, the Honda Center is quite loud during the playoffs in my opinion... :dunno:

Why are the Kings above the Ducks? Is it because of the whole Gretzky thing still affecting it so many years later? The Kings have been a terrible team this year, so I don't know why there aren't more people tuning in to watch the Ducks instead of the Kings.

Well, you're going to have loud times when a goal is scored, etc, etc, but it just doesn't seem to have the buzz, the electric feel of other arenas during the playoffs. San Jose had a pretty loud arena during the playoffs last year, obviously the Canadian teams are always vocal...it just seemed that the Ducks fans weren't as loud.

Another question to ask: Are the majority of Ducks fans new (since the new NHL or 1-2 years before that), or the ones that have been there since the expansion team first broke in?

If i were to rank our sports its the following
1) USC
2) Lakers
3) Angels
4) Clippers
5) Dodgers
6) UCLA
7) Kings
8) Ducks

Season ticket holders here are not your typical season holders.. they buy them with the hope the Ducks make it into the SC so tehy can turn it around and sell those good tickets on ebay. If you notice, you will find a good amount of tickets on ebay as we speak.. those are your season ticket holders.. they don't even bother going to the games.

I for one would love to go to the majority of their games, but I live in Los Angeles, and the drive in traffic during the week to anaheim is horrific. I would need to leave my work at around 3-4 pm just to make it to the Honda Center.

Why are the Kings above the Ducks? Is it because of the whole Gretzky thing still affecting it so many years later? The Kings have been a terrible team this year, so I don't know why there aren't more people tuning in to watch the Ducks instead of the Kings.

Well, you're going to have loud times when a goal is scored, etc, etc, but it just doesn't seem to have the buzz, the electric feel of other arenas during the playoffs. San Jose had a pretty loud arena during the playoffs last year, obviously the Canadian teams are always vocal...it just seemed that the Ducks fans weren't as loud.

Another question to ask: Are the majority of Ducks fans new (since the new NHL or 1-2 years before that), or the ones that have been there since the expansion team first broke in?
there are a good amount of Ducks fans posting here for about 4 years now. When i joined there were a few.. not many, but as the years progressed we saw more fans on the Ducks boards..

Very simple:

- Relatively new hockey city
- Little overall team success
- Fantastic weather that makes it that hockey isn't the best winter entertainment option Very good point here, I hadn't really thought of that
- Lots and lots of transplants from elsewhere

Seriously, I think that last one is one people forget about a lot when talking about Southern California sports. Go to a Angels-Red Sox or Angels-Yankees game...it seems like half the stadium isn't cheering for the Angels. There is only a small percentage of Southern Californians these days that are native to the area compared to a lot of places. I'm guessing Buffalo has a ton of people who were born and raised in the area. Nobody dreams growing up about one day moving to Buffalo.

Overall, it's getting better here, but SoCal needs consistant success and a good history to get behind a team. Look at the Dodgers. They have one of the best attendances in baseball every year, no matter how bad they are.

Very good points raised there Davey Duck. Hopefully for everyone here connected to the NHL and hockey, this years Ducks can convince more people to watch their team. it's already a scary team and will only get better!

Why are the Kings above the Ducks? Is it because of the whole Gretzky thing still affecting it so many years later? The Kings have been a terrible team this year, so I don't know why there aren't more people tuning in to watch the Ducks instead of the Kings.

Well, you're going to have loud times when a goal is scored, etc, etc, but it just doesn't seem to have the buzz, the electric feel of other arenas during the playoffs. San Jose had a pretty loud arena during the playoffs last year, obviously the Canadian teams are always vocal...it just seemed that the Ducks fans weren't as loud.

Another question to ask: Are the majority of Ducks fans new (since the new NHL or 1-2 years before that), or the ones that have been there since the expansion team first broke in?

Kings are older and have a larger area to draw from than the Ducks (technically they have the same exact TV markets to draw from, but the Ducks aren't going to draw a lot from the Los Angeles area and the Kings aren't going to draw a lot from the Orange County area other than long time hockey fans).

If i were to rank our sports its the following
1) USC
2) Lakers
3) Angels
4) Clippers
5) Dodgers
6) UCLA
7) Kings
8) Ducks

You may be right about Clippers being higher. I really have a hard time figuring out the Clippers poularity these days. Although, UCLA and Dodgers have to be higher than the Clippers. And the Dodgers are still #1 over the Angels, although they are catching up. Dodgers have a huge loyal fanbase. As said, one of the highest attendances in baseball every single year.

If i were to rank our sports its the following
1) USC
2) Lakers
3) Angels
4) Clippers
5) Dodgers
6) UCLA
7) Kings
8) Ducks




I'd rank those same teams:
1. Lakers
2. USC
3. Dodgers
4. Angels
5. UCLA
6. Clippers
7. Kings
8. Ducks

Although I'm not totally sold on my rankings, I'm just basing it on how much people talk about, root for those teams that I can see. I live in the San Gabriel Valley though. (LA for you non Angelenos.).

Basically any team that wins on a consistent basis makes a huge rise in the rankings.

EDIT: I'd even put the Chargers pretty high on that list nowadays.

With all this being said, was this a smart place to expand then? I'm not talking about taking away your team or anything, but for most of you, if there was never a hockey team in the first place in Anaheim, would you have gotten into hockey? Would you have been attracted to it and wished that your city had its own hockey team? Would you all be Kings fans?

Hit the nail on the head here. The Lakers and college football are king here. Dodgers and Angels get great attendance as well. Then, comes the King and the Ducks.

But as the above poster said, attendance has been up and merchandise sales are way up. Also, the Honda Center is quite loud during the playoffs in my opinion... :dunno:

Not loud compared to the "real" hockey cities like Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa, Buffalo, etc. San Jose has very loud fans as well. I honestly don't understand why hockey is so unpopular in the southern states. Hockey is a fast paced, exciting game where some places have loud, passionate fans that make the games even more exciting. I think the NHL needs to start showcasing games from the 2004 finals in Calgary, 2006 finals in Edmonton, and maybe some Sharks and Sabres series as well to show how exciting the game and the fans can be. If they get a chance to watch that, they'll see why hockey is the greatest sport on Earth.

I'd rank those same teams:
1. Lakers
2. USC
3. Dodgers
4. Angels
5. UCLA
6. Clippers
7. Kings
8. Ducks

Although I'm not totally sold on my rankings, I'm just basing it on how much people talk about, root for those teams that I can see. I live in the San Gabriel Valley though. (LA for you non Angelenos.).

Basically any team that wins on a consistent basis makes a huge rise in the rankings.


I think you nailed it.

With all this being said, was this a smart place to expand then? I'm not talking about taking away your team or anything, but for most of you, if there was never a hockey team in the first place in Anaheim, would you have gotten into hockey? Would you have been attracted to it and wished that your city had its own hockey team? Would you all be Kings fans?

I think Seattle might be a great place, both to fix the geography disparity of the conferences and a decent population and climate.

I'd rank those same teams:
1. Lakers
2. USC
3. Dodgers
4. Angels
5. UCLA
6. Clippers
7. Kings
8. Ducks

Although I'm not totally sold on my rankings, I'm just basing it on how much people talk about, root for those teams that I can see. I live in the San Gabriel Valley though. (LA for you non Angelenos.).

Basically any team that wins on a consistent basis makes a huge rise in the rankings.

EDIT: I'd even put the Chargers pretty high on that list nowadays.
nonsense.. ;)
I'm SC alumni and because of the past 5-6 years of success we have sold out every game.. that's 85K plus
so SC is #1 right now in terms of attendance..

Not loud compared to the "real" hockey cities like Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa, Buffalo, etc. San Jose has very loud fans as well. I honestly don't understand why hockey is so unpopular in the southern states. Hockey is a fast paced, exciting game where some places have loud, passionate fans that make the games even more exciting. I think the NHL needs to start showcasing games from the 2004 finals in Calgary, 2006 finals in Edmonton, and maybe some Sharks and Sabres series as well to show how exciting the game and the fans can be. If they get a chance to watch that, they'll see why hockey is the greatest sport on Earth.

Why it's not more popular in the southern states? Because these are the teams in the southern states...

Kings
Ducks
Coyotes
Sharks
Stars
Panthers
Lightning
Thrashers


The Kings are by far the oldest, with the Sharks at 15 years old being the second oldest. You have to give more than 15 years for a sport to catch on when there are major sports teams that have been in those cities for much, much longer than the NHL franchises.

Give it time. The NHL will slowly catch on.

If i were to rank our sports its the following
1) USC
2) Lakers
3) Angels
4) Clippers
5) Dodgers
6) UCLA
7) Kings
8) Ducks



I assume you mean USC football and not USC Basketball, baseball, etc.

Lakers are number 1 by a big margin then the Dodgers are 2 and Angels 3. How can you compare pro teams who have 41 or 81 home games to a college sport who plays 6 or 7 home games a year?

With all this being said, was this a smart place to expand then? I'm not talking about taking away your team or anything, but for most of you, if there was never a hockey team in the first place in Anaheim, would you have gotten into hockey? Would you have been attracted to it and wished that your city had its own hockey team? Would you all be Kings fans?

It's all about corporate money.

There is a lot more $$$ in Orange County, California than there is in Winnipeg or Quebec.

Could some of you explain why this team has been struggling to land a larger and more vocal fanbase? Is this a spot where teams must succeed and win a championship before drawing crowds? (Obviously this happens in every town, but I hope you know the difference I'm trying to make there) Is it the fact that the Kings are nearby, and you also have college football, NFL, and basketball (?) to contend with in your area? (Having said that, I'm sure the Ducks must be having a great season for any sports team in that area anyway..)


First off, the closest NFL teams to LA are Oakland/San Fran to the north and San Diego to the South.

One of the main problems in the area is the media. The ducks are facing an uphill battle with the media on many fronts. Sure they have the OC Register and other local papers. But the LA Times stopped covering the Kings and the Ducks on road trips.

Secondly, even though the Ducks games can be seen on Cable, not everyone in the Area can watch the games, especially if they're on Versus (blackouts excluded).

Third, there isn't any internet presence for the Ducks fans to listen to games. It's not like in Edmonton where you can bring up CHED's website and listen to the games archived or live. Ducks fans are stuck with the NHL.com feed....when it's working.

Fourth, they keep ignoring Key marketing areas to draw fans. San Diego is one of the largest cities in the state yet, I have yet to see any effort to draw fans up from San Diego to games. With no traffic, the Pond is a 45 minute drive from San Diego. In addition, Amtrak also has daily trains that drop off in the outfield parking lot of Angels stadium. The reason why I mention this is that San Diego has bases of every branch of the Armed forces and in HUGE numbers and they could easily draw servicemen to games. The Chargers and Padres focus effort on the Military every season. The Chargers held practice for a few days at Camp Pendelton and the Padres have tickets available for games at bases. The Padres also focus attention on drawing fans from Mexico with Spanish broadcasts, team promotions and they even have a Padres merchandise store in Tijuana.

The Ducks can fill the seats with a winning team but people in California are the biggest band wagon fans in the US (those who aren't hockey fans) The Ducks can also get people to pay more attention to the team but it's going to take more than a deep playoff run or even a cup to fulfill the goal of a great fan base comparable to Canadian teams. Burke and company have a long way to go before that happens.

Fourth, they keep ignoring Key marketing areas to draw fans. San Diego is one of the largest cities in the state yet, I have yet to see any effort to draw fans up from San Diego to games. With no traffic, the Pond is a 45 minute drive from San Diego. In addition, Amtrak also has daily trains that drop off in the outfield parking lot of Angels stadium. The reason why I mention this is that San Diego has bases of every branch of the Armed forces and in HUGE numbers and they could easily draw servicemen to games. The Chargers and Padres focus effort on the Military every season. The Chargers held practice for a few days at Camp Pendelton and the Padres have tickets available for games at bases. The Padres also focus attention on drawing fans from Mexico with Spanish broadcasts, team promotions and they even have a Padres merchandise store in Tijuana.

Great points about San Diego here. The Metrolink goes from Oceanside to the Anaheim Stadium lot. I just don't know if they have the hours to cover the night games though. Also, weeknight drives from San Diego would be insane.

Great points here. The Metrolink goes from Oceanside to the Anaheim Stadium lot. I just don't know if they have the hours to cover the night games though.

The Amtrak ones do. The Last train pulls out pretty late.

The Amtrak ones do. The Last train pulls out pretty late.

Metrolink leaves Anaheim at 10:51PM. Nice. They've really expanded their hours the last couple years.

Hmmm, I'm only 2 stops away in Irvine, but I could probably save money and time taking Metrolink. I should think about that.

EDIT: Ooops, I was looking at the Amtrak, not the Metrolink. I could take Metrolink there though.

well tonights game was a sellout and I expect wednesday's game which I'm going to to be full as well. don't worry, the fans are coming back. like burke said tonight it takes more than one good season or playoff run to make tickets hard to find, especially in a tough market like this. the only good thing about the bandwagoners that come is that they are loud as hell when they bring their beer revenue to the games.

when it comes to the atmosphere it really pisses me and a lot of other ducks fans off because there are hockey fans in anaheim. I consider myself to be a quiet person already but my section is annoyingly quiet as hell. a lot of them are fans though that wear the jersey's but I think that they don't wanna be abnoxious to the one's that go just to talk on the cellphone. the crowd can get pretty loud at short times like when the hitting and fighting picks up or when the refs are being jerks but you have to feel for the fans that try to start the chants and fail because the rest of the arena look at them like they're from another planet. all I have to say is that we'll be looking back at this time of how everyone was able to pick tickets up from the ground and see how the tides have changed.

well tonights game was a sellout and I expect wednesday's game which I'm going to to be full as well. don't worry, the fans are coming back. like burke said tonight it takes more than one good season or playoff run to make tickets hard to find, especially in a tough market like this. the only good thing about the bandwagoners that come is that they are loud as hell when they bring their beer revenue to the games.

But how many of the fans were Fames fans? I went to game five of the Western Confernce finals and was able to get tickets from the box office after the game started. When I got to my seat the there were a large number of fans that were Oilers fans and I've heard stories that when games sell out they're usually because of Kings fans.

But how many of the fans were Fames fans? I went to game five of the Western Confernce finals and was able to get tickets from the box office after the game started. When I got to my seat the there were a large number of fans that were Oilers fans and I've heard stories that when games sell out they're usually because of Kings fans.

I still think your a closet Duck fan...

;) :D

Ill take a different approach for this, back when the team was just starting out it was packed which is the case for any new team, couple years in they started to be decent and also played a tough style which alot of fans really liked myself included and it was very loud i should know because i worked at the Pond, then Disney hired Pierre Gauthier who in turn signed every soft small Euro he could find drafted every little Euro he could and basically turned the Ducks into a generic wannabe Detroit of course fans started to get bored as most people in Orange County have ADD and stopped going meanwhile Disney continued the wimpy strategy and kept incorporating every Wild Wing/Disney character they could. Adults felt embarrassed just to be there. So now they are trying to shed the Disney image getting tough players and signing superstars and in turn the team is playing great and slowly the fans are coming back. I knew the moment Burke was hired things would change.

I still think your a closet Duck fan...

;) :D

Psst. I went to the game as an Oilers fan.

Also, there's not much to the city of Anaheim other than the Ducks and Angels and Disneyland. It's not much of a city. There's no [I]real[I] downtown area with lots of crap in it and such. It's a much smaller city than most that have sports teams...

I am always curious as to certain points which come up in discussions like this.

1. Why are these questions directed to fans of a hockey team, rather than the non-fans? It is the latter who can explain why they are not attracted to the sport of hockey. Probably you won't find non-fans on a hockey board.

2. Why is it important what a team's attendance is, or how loud their arena is, or what their uniform colors or logo look like? The better team is the one who wins the important games, period. If there is an owner who will finance a team for his own purposes, I don't care whether he makes money on it or not, other than the fact that I hope he continues to do it. Why is a louder arena better than one less loud? It is not a measure of who has the better team or the better fans, merely who has the loudest fans.

Most of these concerns arise because someone wants to suggest that they are better persons because they are fans of a better team (a dubious proposition) and that their team is better than some other team because their team has a better attendance or their arena is louder or their logo is better.

3. Why can some not understand that the appeal of a particular sport to a particular region is strongly related to its culture, climate, and population density? There is no pond hockey in Southern California. Chris Pronger can go to dinner and not be recognized. People here do not have the identification with hockey as they have in the northern cities.

The cities are low and spread out because Southern California didn't develop until the water was piped to the desert, and the automobile had been perfected by that time. We have the most extensive freeway system anywhere to accommodate the least efficient way to travel. That's why the population is spread out, commutes are long, traffic is terrible, and few want to drive to a game in the middle of rush hour.

4. The Southern California area has many attractions to compete for the dollar. Why else is tourism so rampant here? Hockey's competition is not only professional sports, but personal sports without weather constraints as well, and many things which are not sports at all.

We must question whether the popularity rate of hockey in one region can match the popularity it has in other regions. This does not mean the population is somehow deficient. It does not mean that a fringe sport to most in that area cannot be a meaningful interest to some.

Well I tried to bring it up on the main board but was rudely denied by the moderators. The fact remains that "Ducks" is a really girly name.

The problem is mainly weekday attendance, weekends are usually near sellout. It also doesn't help that the local media gives little exposure, with that said theres a shot of turning a profit this year, something many teams wish they had a shot at, and next year there will be a profit turned.

First off, the closest NFL teams to LA are Oakland/San Fran to the north and San Diego to the South.

One of the main problems in the area is the media. The ducks are facing an uphill battle with the media on many fronts. Sure they have the OC Register and other local papers. But the LA Times stopped covering the Kings and the Ducks on road trips.

Secondly, even though the Ducks games can be seen on Cable, not everyone in the Area can watch the games, especially if they're on Versus (blackouts excluded).

Third, there isn't any internet presence for the Ducks fans to listen to games. It's not like in Edmonton where you can bring up CHED's website and listen to the games archived or live. Ducks fans are stuck with the NHL.com feed....when it's working.

Fourth, they keep ignoring Key marketing areas to draw fans. San Diego is one of the largest cities in the state yet, I have yet to see any effort to draw fans up from San Diego to games. With no traffic, the Pond is a 45 minute drive from San Diego. In addition, Amtrak also has daily trains that drop off in the outfield parking lot of Angels stadium. The reason why I mention this is that San Diego has bases of every branch of the Armed forces and in HUGE numbers and they could easily draw servicemen to games. The Chargers and Padres focus effort on the Military every season. The Chargers held practice for a few days at Camp Pendelton and the Padres have tickets available for games at bases. The Padres also focus attention on drawing fans from Mexico with Spanish broadcasts, team promotions and they even have a Padres merchandise store in Tijuana.

The Ducks can fill the seats with a winning team but people in California are the biggest band wagon fans in the US (those who aren't hockey fans) The Ducks can also get people to pay more attention to the team but it's going to take more than a deep playoff run or even a cup to fulfill the goal of a great fan base comparable to Canadian teams. Burke and company have a long way to go before that happens.
The ducks lose out big time on the San Diego area, CI is blacked out there(ducks games) and FSN prime ticket is only showed in a small amount of homes.

Also, there's not much to the city of Anaheim other than the Ducks and Angels and Disneyland. It's not much of a city. There's no [I]real[I] downtown area with lots of crap in it and such. It's a much smaller city than most that have sports teams...

When was the last time you drove around the Anaheim area?

The ducks lose out big time on the San Diego area, CI is blacked out there(ducks games) and FSN prime ticket is only showed in a small amount of homes.

Totally. Come to think of it I don't think we can hear Ducks games on the radio this season in San Diego. We had the games last season but not this season for some reason or another.

when it comes to the atmosphere it really pisses me and a lot of other ducks fans off because there are hockey fans in anaheim. I consider myself to be a quiet person already but my section is annoyingly quiet as hell. a lot of them are fans though that wear the jersey's but I think that they don't wanna be abnoxious to the one's that go just to talk on the cellphone. the crowd can get pretty loud at short times like when the hitting and fighting picks up or when the refs are being jerks but you have to feel for the fans that try to start the chants and fail because the rest of the arena look at them like they're from another planet.

Hi, first post here. Im a Duck-sympathiser(almost fan) from Finland, and was wondering about a few things. Never been to an NHL game, so i might be completely off here, just basing this on what i've understood and seen on TV.

....There aren't any "separate" compartments of the arena that is explicitly reserved to the "hardcore" season-ticket holders, no? Everyone is pretty much spread around the arena, right? What this does, is that if someone wants to get a chant going, and noone near you is remotely interested, you look like an idiot, and will refrain from doing so in the future as well. This then leads to a bad atmosphere.

In Finland(and Europe in general) we usually have a part of the arena that has pretty much only "hardcore" season-ticket holders sitting/standing there. They are often located behind the goals. This leads to the fact that the fan-part of the arena sing/chant pretty much throughout the game, and on occasion gets the other people from other parts of the arena(families, corporate guys) to sing along, making the atmosphere great. Im not saying that you have to start mimicking european style supporting with flares and huge flags, but it would be a lot easier to put the fans in the same place if you want good atmospheres in places where supporting your team isn't in your blood(like Canada etc.).

Here is a picture compilation from Finland to see what i mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjjQOR0JEdg

This thread happens all the time.

The 7pm start time didn't do anybody any favors, on top of all the other reasons people have cited. Just stupid to move the start of the game closer to rush hour.

Anaheim Bruins, those big arena singalongs are really a European thing. I don't think anybody here goes to a game to sing to each other. On top of that, I'm pretty sure things as large as flags are not permitted outside of the concourse in the arena.

This thread happens all the time.

The 7pm start time didn't do anybody any favors, on top of all the other reasons people have cited. Just stupid to move the start of the game closer to rush hour.

Anaheim Bruins, those big arena singalongs are really a European thing. I don't think anybody here goes to a game to sing to each other. On top of that, I'm pretty sure things as large as flags are not permitted outside of the concourse in the arena.

As i said "Im not saying that you have to start mimicking european style supporting with flares and huge flags, but it would be a lot easier to put the fans in the same place if you want good atmospheres in places where supporting your team isn't in your blood(like Canada etc.).
"

You do some simple chants dont you like "lets go ducks!" or some simple player chants "teemu teemu teemu!", dont you. Dont have to start singing or waving flags. If all the people who are willing to do these simple chants would be at the same place in the arena, the atmosphere would be better. And noone would stop chanting, clapping hands etc. because the suits and families are looking at them in a "oh sit down and shut up" way.

I myself am not a singing/flag waving kind of guy, and i support my team quite quietly. Clapping/standing up during the goals, saves and huge hits, otherwise sitting down on my seat enjoying the game. Had a season ticket in the Jokerit "fan-area" for a couple of years, but noticed that i didnt see the game enough when there was the constant flag wavings and singing.....

Fourth, they keep ignoring Key marketing areas to draw fans. San Diego is one of the largest cities in the state yet, I have yet to see any effort to draw fans up from San Diego to games. With no traffic, the Pond is a 45 minute drive from San Diego.

A resident of San Diego chiming in on this. First, 45 minutes is about right from the northern side of SD county but the south and east parts are another 30 minutes on top of that. The county is BIG. I live near the border and can drive north for an hour and still be in it.

Second, there is NEVER no traffic to LA. To make a 7 pm start time durning the week I'd leave my office at 4 pm. The boss isn't too crazy about me going to games on a regular basis.

Third, the cable TV coverage in SD forces you to follow the Kings. Only way to see the Ducks regularly on TV is on a satellite dish.

The ducks lose out big time on the San Diego area, CI is blacked out there(ducks games) and FSN prime ticket is only showed in a small amount of homes.

Don't know about anything other than DirecTV, but this has NOT been the case the this season (for the first time). I have not run into any game being blacked out thus far. Miracles do happen.

As far as radio goes, 1090 has a game occassionally. In parts of the county you can almost get the 830 broadcast but its usually too much static to listen to.

Hi, first post here. Im a Duck-sympathiser(almost fan) from Finland, and was wondering about a few things. Never been to an NHL game, so i might be completely off here, just basing this on what i've understood and seen on TV.

....There aren't any "separate" compartments of the arena that is explicitly reserved to the "hardcore" season-ticket holders, no? Everyone is pretty much spread around the arena, right? What this does, is that if someone wants to get a chant going, and noone near you is remotely interested, you look like an idiot, and will refrain from doing so in the future as well. This then leads to a bad atmosphere.

In Finland(and Europe in general) we usually have a part of the arena that has pretty much only "hardcore" season-ticket holders sitting/standing there. They are often located behind the goals. This leads to the fact that the fan-part of the arena sing/chant pretty much throughout the game, and on occasion gets the other people from other parts of the arena(families, corporate guys) to sing along, making the atmosphere great. Im not saying that you have to start mimicking european style supporting with flares and huge flags, but it would be a lot easier to put the fans in the same place if you want good atmospheres in places where supporting your team isn't in your blood(like Canada etc.).

Here is a picture compilation from Finland to see what i mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjjQOR0JEdg

There really isn't a designated section for hardcore season ticket holders. There is however the 420s, the Ducks shoot twice end... it has a very high concentration of hardcore season ticket holders. We get pretty roudy up in there and I'd guess about 90% or so of the chants start in that area.

So if you're coming in from out of town for a game, try and get in that area, as long as your in a Ducks jersey you'll be fine!

let's put it this way..
Kings games are being shown on FSN, while Ducks games are on KDOC...

When was the last time you drove around the Anaheim area?

I live there. Anaheim is no more a city to me than Costa Mesa

It's as if Helene Elliott wrote this story just to answer your question...


http://www.latimes.com/sports/hockey/nhl/ducks/la-sp-hockey18dec18,1,7953110.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nhl-ducks

You'll need to be registered to read it.. or have an account and password..

Go Ducks!!

A resident of San Diego chiming in on this. First, 45 minutes is about right from the northern side of SD county but the south and east parts are another 30 minutes on top of that. The county is BIG. I live near the border and can drive north for an hour and still be in it.


I never said I followed the speed limit. :D

It's as if Helene Elliott wrote this story just to answer your question...


http://www.latimes.com/sports/hockey/nhl/ducks/la-sp-hockey18dec18,1,7953110.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nhl-ducks

You'll need to be registered to read it.. or have an account and password..

Go Ducks!!
States in that article that the Ducks expect to lose $12M this season. I thought that's what Burke said.

No way they break even this year.

I wonder if they are figuring Playoffs into that 12 million.. just seems hard to believe with the price of merchandise at the team store... and concessions and parking.. and a salary cap.. and that facility fee...

Go Ducks!!

States in that article that the Ducks expect to lose $12M this season. I thought that's what Burke said.

No way they break even this year.

Burke said in an interview I posted here earlier that Ducks might actually make profit already this year, close to break-even anyway.

I think the problem w/ the duck's attendants is that almost no one plays or ever played hockey in SC and that plays a big part of being a fan of a sport. Playing hockey helps understand and appreciate what u see from the pros so much more. The reasons no one plays is because 1 sports like b-ball, baseball, soccer & football were rooted into the population before the ducks came around. 2 Hockey is also a more skill sport than the others.:dunno: so people can not jump in and be good like soccer. Play hockey and u know this is true. 3 Hockey is a little expansive compared to the others so it's even harder to gain followers. 4 it's hard to play a sport when no one else plays. I have a hard time seeing an increase in true fans w/out an increase of people in the area playing the sport. Even if we win the cup, the bandwagoner will dissapear when we lose again.:)

Here's a question again about your hockey team....

Whats the advertising campaign like for the Ducks there? With two Norris Trophy defensemen and such a talented young core, are they being marketed properly in Anaheim?

The Ducks, however, are bucking that trend. In their first 19 home games, they averaged 15,377 fans, up 13.5% over a year ago. That includes three announced sellouts in the 17,174-seat Honda Center, and advance sales indicate the next 10 games might sell out, starting tonight against Calgary.

More attendance numbers from the OC Register:

TURNSTILE COUNT

A sellout crowd of 17,174, the fourth in the past five Ducks home games, brought the club's season attendance to 326,517 through 21 home games. The average per game of 15,548 is a 12.2percent increase over the first 21 home games last season (13,856).

The Ducks have averaged 16,389, or 95.4percent capacity, over the past 11 home games.

Win games and people will come back. My tickets on Ticket exchange have been selling like crazy lately. With so many sports going on, its hard to get excited about hockey in Oct-Nov. College football is almost over, as is the NFL. Baseball is over. so that only leaves college/pro basketball and hockey after Jan. And then there is the Christmas factor. Who wants to spend money on going to a game when they need to save money on xmas presents. The Ducks are going to be fine after Christmas.

new marketing slogan:

if alan thicke can make the games, you can too!

new marketing slogan:

if alan thicke can make the games, you can too!

No, I just figured out the slogan:

Alan Thicke & The Ducks: Both have left their Growing Pains in the past

Here's a question again about your hockey team....

Whats the advertising campaign like for the Ducks there? With two Norris Trophy defensemen and such a talented young core, are they being marketed properly in Anaheim?

Define "marketed properly". The advertising that appeals to the hardcore fan may not appeal to the casual fan that the Ducks, and other teams in need of an attendance boost, are looking to attract. I've noticed in threads on the main and business board, this point is often ignored.

Hi All,

I'm new here (first post) but I hope that doesn't effect how you view what I have to say.

The Ducks do not buy their empty seats to claim a *sell out* as other teams do. If they have a sell out it is a true sell out. But there will always be empty seats because of the season ticket holders, and those who have tickets and cannot make the game.

Great board!

Hi All,

I'm new here (first post) but I hope that doesn't effect how you view what I have to say.

The Ducks do not buy their empty seats to claim a *sell out* as other teams do. If they have a sell out it is a true sell out. But there will always be empty seats because of the season ticket holders, and those who have tickets and cannot make the game.

Great board!

Good call! Welcome to the board!!! Hope there's a lot more of this to come!:clap:

Welcome aboard TheRedHead.

Hi All,

I'm new here (first post) but I hope that doesn't effect how you view what I have to say.

The Ducks do not buy their empty seats to claim a *sell out* as other teams do. If they have a sell out it is a true sell out. But there will always be empty seats because of the season ticket holders, and those who have tickets and cannot make the game.

Great board!

Welcome to the forums TheRedHead!!! :) :) Hope you have FUN HERE!!! :) :yo: :yo:

You make a very good point. We used to do that with Disney, but not with the new ownership! :) :clap:

Good call! Welcome to the board!!! Hope there's a lot more of this to come!:clap:

Welcome aboard TheRedHead.

Welcome to the forums TheRedHead!!! :) :) Hope you have FUN HERE!!! :) :yo: :yo:

You make a very good point. We used to do that with Disney, but not with the new ownership! :) :clap:

Thank you for the warm welcome! I think I'll like it here.