The Prince George Spruce Kings are accustomed to playing home games before a half empty building, but this wasn’t supposed to take place at the Royal Bank Cup.

The Spruce Kings had trouble attracting spectators to the Coliseum this season averaging less than 800. Even though the team had been idle for 7 ½ weeks, there was great anticipation that fans would flock to their games (as well as the others) at the RBC, which concludes this weekend at the CN Centre.

However, attendance has not met pre-tournament expectations. In the Kings opening game, a 5-2 win over Pembroke, there was an announced crowd of 3,183, with approximately 1,000 no shows. This trend continued in the remainder of their (and other teams) round robin games with the actual attendance much less than the reported figure.

So, why are so many fans staying away? After all, the organizing committee did a superb job with promotion and the tournament has been splashed with major headlines in the media.

The tournament VP of Marketing, Phil Beaulieu admits, “For some reason the tickets (purchased by sponsors) go unused.  I think the big part is the National Junior A national championship is not as well known across the nation and it plays in smaller markets and it’s an education process in how great the hockey is for this tournament."

Perhaps, PG hockey fans feel they get major junior 36 times a season and they could do without Junior “A” in May.  "I don’t know if that is it”, explains Beaulieu. “I think in this day and age people are busy. They have all kinds of choices of where to spend their entertainment dollar.”

Beaulieu also rejected a suggestion that some fans may have avoided the tournament because they are dissatisfied with the Spruce Kings organization. 

After bringing this topic up on radio, I received a call from Colin McIntosh, a retired city resident on a fixed income. He purchased the early bird package for him and his wife (at a reduced rate). He would like to buy additional tickets but can’t afford it.  McIntosh says, “I’m saying the ticket prices are too high but I’m not saying it’s the Spruce Kings fault. I’m not even sure if it’s the local committee or Hockey Canada. If a family of five, two adults and three kids want to take in a game, it’s 15 bucks a seat. That’s 75 dollars to get into the door and you are going to end up spending another 20 or 25 on popcorn and hot chocolate or something, that’s $100. That’s too much for the average family. What I intended to do was take my grandkids with me and that’s too expensive. Even the (PG) Cougars are cheaper than that".

McIntosh raises a good point here. Ticket prices for single games should have been reduced for kids and seniors.

The lack of spectators doesn’t appear to be a huge concern to Spruce Kings coach & GM Ed Dempsey, “Well, we don’t worry about the crowds. We just try to do the best we can. Obviously we would like to have a full house. That would definitely help us.”                                 

The players, on the other hand, were looking forward to having a similar atmosphere to a Cougar playoff game but this hasn’t transpired. “The fans that are here are doing a very good job. We’re still trying to ride off their momentum” said Spruce Kings forward Alain Joanette.

Whether Prince George breaks the RBC attendance record or not, it’s a shame many tickets were tossed in the trash and others went unsold. Theories aside, the real reason(s) for having the building just half full remains a mystery, one that may not get solved.

“So, Queen Elizabeth attended the Kentucky Derby. Considering the Royal Family in recent years, it would’ve been more appropriate for her to attend the Breeder’s Cup."
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

“Scoring in Major League Baseball was down almost a run a game in April from long-term averages. There is so little scoring Bud Selig reportedly wants to call the game The New NHL."
Cam Hutchinson in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix  

“Here’s my problem with Ultimate Fighting. If nobody dies, how ultimate is it?" 
Syndicated columnist Norman Chad

“In other words, the off-season will be just like playing with Kobe."                                                                                      Janice Hough, in the Seattle Times, after some players on the LA Lakers suggested following the first round loss to Phoenix that it might be months before they touch a basketball.

And in case you missed it:

From Ted Wyman in the Winnipeg Sun: “Tojohanitra Andriamanjatoarimanana is apparently an Olympic swimming medal hopeful out of Madagascar. You need swimmers lungs just to say the whole thing in one breath.”

And how was your week?

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com.