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Bigger crowds would make them habby in Abby

By Kent Gilchrist, The Province May 4, 2010

Due to American Hockey League governors' meetings in Chicago, Abbotsford Heat president and CEO Tom Mauthe will miss tonight's second-round playoff game against the Hamilton Bulldogs, but he'll be forgiven if he checks the last line of the summary in the Wednesday newspaper where they list attendance.

Not to put any undue pressure on uncommitted Heat fans, but the higher the number the better the chances for the Heat to get a rival or two in the Pacific time zone sooner rather than later. Besides, the grit their team has shown by winning the last two games of the first round in Rochester to advance against Hamilton where they earned a weekend split with the Bulldogs suggest they warrant at least a gander. And the front office staff is offering two tickets and two souvenir pucks for $40 which is about what a small pizza and two beers would cost at GM Place, and the hockey entertainment isn't a big step down.

"I think the league and the western-based NHL teams are likely interested to see how we're doing," said Mauthe from his Chicago hotel on Monday. The bigger the crowds the better everyone will like it.

The next-closest AHL franchise to Abbotsford is in Winnipeg, where the Manitoba Moose (who lost to Hamilton) are made up of prospects for the Vancouver Canucks. Winnipeg's two time zones east.

Right now they are in uncharted waters on crowd expectations. Abbotsford didn't get up and running until nearly the end of June and so had only 90 days to try and get the word out before they dropped the first AHL puck at the 7,000-seat Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre last fall. Then they were hamstrung in the first playoff round by playing all three of their home games the same nights the Canucks were playing the L.A. Kings.

What the interest level in the Heat is, exactly, is still being measured and defined. Everyone is curious.

They had a couple of sellouts and two more decent crowds when the Moose played. Their average attendance was 3,800 and they sold 2,000 season tickets, which to Mauthe was a successful beginning.

"We look at our average attendance and we're pleased," said Mauthe. "Not satisfied, but pleased. Having introduced a new brand and, June 28 launch date I think we've done great. We have to cultivate our fan base."

There's no complaint about the product, especially in the playoffs where the Calgary Flames farm hands have shown more tenacity than their NHL counterparts for extending their season.

"Absolutely," said Mauthe, who came to the Heat from International Management Group and former Canuck owners Orca Bay Sports before that, "the team is exciting to watch. Nobody takes a shift off on our team. Certainly, it makes our job easier when they play like that."

While transferring more teams to the West Coast wasn't on the governors' agenda, AHL commissioner David Andrews, who introduced nine cities in 2001 alone, would have been interested in the goings on out this way. Andrews coached the WHL Victoria Cougars from 1982-84. It's likely he has a soft spot for the west.

Of an attendance that would make him happy for this week's games, Mauthe said: "Every day is uncharted waters. What I'd really like is capacity."

eximus (Latin root): extraordinary, uncommon, exceptional, excellent, superb.