20 in 20: Dress Like A Seat Night #MyColumn

Hey, Dorothy, we aren’t in 2011 anymore. Remember the good old days? When tickets in the top row would go for an arm and a leg, but it was worth every penny because you would be able to watch your team prolong the disappointment you would eventually feel.

But you’ll also remember the ancient saying of the “real” fans of the team: “Once they start losing again, the tickets will drop in price, and we can support the team” After the jump, we’ll dive into this.

Where are the fans now? The Canucks are far from that sell-out streak they once boasted. They would fill the arena that is 11th in the league in capacity, and it wasn’t even close. Hell, the other night people only paid to see the team because the players they used to pay to see were going. It was like buying tickets to see Late Night with Seth Meyers and only because David Letterman was showing up. 

And these fans think they are “real” fans? Even though the Canucks were on their way to their 10th win of the season, they felt the need to take off part of their attire and throw in on the ice, after one of their players (Radim Vrbata) scored. Talk about a delay of game and disrespect to the players on the ice. This wouldn’t have happened if Henrik Sedin scored. I heard the last time someone tried to throw a hat on the ice after he scored, he was tossed out and was told to never return. He’s now teaching Sports Law at the University of Victoria. 

Two years ago, the Canucks were able to nearly sell out a much bigger stadium at BC Place, so where did it all go wrong? Why did it come to this? Ottawa doesn’t have that many fans here.

There’s only one solution to this problem: Close the upper deck off to attendees, much like BC Place does across the street for the BC Lions, and the incredibly more popular Vancouver Whitecaps. 

Yeah, you heard me. The Canucks have to go the way of the trend and close off the upper bowl so fans aren’t left scattered, alone, and scared. This way the real fans get near the glass and the upper deck can be used as a shrine when the rafters eventually get full and they need space to honour the players that won them no championships.