After two seasons of less than enthusiastic support from their community, the Abbotsford Heat are determined to grow their fan-base in the Fraser Valley.
The American Hockey League club is fighting the stigma of being the farm club of the hated Calgary Flames in Canucks' territory and that the team's highly controversial financial shortcomings are being funded by the city's taxpayers.
But new Heat president Ryan Walter feels those and other challenges facing the club can be overcome, with a little patience and a lot of hard work.
"There's a feeing that the pure hockey fan has already bought a ticket and are here," said Walter, the former Canucks player and assistant coach. "But the next echelon - the ones that will come or not - have to have some reasons to come."
According to the AHL, the Heat averaged 3,807 at the 7,000-seat Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre last season and 3,899 in its inaugural season the year before. That ranked the Heat 26th in attendance in the 30-team AHL last season.
As part of the agreement that brought the AHL franchise to Abbotsford and the new arena, the local ownership group was guaranteed $5.7 million in annual revenue and any shortfalls were to be made up by taxpayers. In a September report, the City of Abbotsford said the Heat fell $1.3 million short of that figure. The previous season, the shortfall was $450,637.
Walter said the goal is to get to where the city doesn't have to write any more cheques.
"We're not to get there overnight, it's going to take time," he said.
"We probably need about another 1,500 people to buy a couple of season tickets each and we'd be in a real good position."
That would have rocketed the
Heat into sixth overall in league attendance last season. That's a lofty goal, but one Walter believes is attainable.
It starts with icing a competitive team that will play a much more uptempo and entertaining style under new head coach Troy Ward. The Flames signing Walter's son - AHL veteran and Langley BCHL alumnus Ben Walter (before Ryan was hired) - also can't hurt.
But Walter said the key to long-term success is getting the team more ingrained into the fabric of the community. That's not an easy task within the confines of Canucks Nation - whereas, other longtime AHL markets think nothing of such an apparent conflict.
To accomplish that, Walter wants to take a page from the handbook of the late Bobby Ackles, who returned to Vancouver in 2002 and rejuvenated a B.C. Lions franchise that was on life support.
"Bobby Ackles got out into the community and he made the Lions part of everybody's life," said Walter. "He gave and he built things. It didn't happen overnight, but it grew. That's our model. We want to be part of the community and then we know they'll want to come into our community."
Walter and his wife Jennifer have attended 67 events in the last 50 days to that end. He also has the team's coaches and players booked to make appearances in the community.
"Our whole initiatives are around giving in the community, getting our players into the community," said Walter. "We're the best hockey in Western Canada outside of the NHL.
"There's no brain science, there's no miracle. We're not going to turn it around overnight but over time we're going to build a really good base here."
ATTENDANCE BOX
AHL AVERAGE ATTENDANCE 2010-11
Team Attendance
1. Hershey 9,800
2. Manitoba 8,404
3. Chicago 7,453
4. Providence 7,324
5. Grand Rapids 7,241
26. Abbotsford 3,707
2009-10
1. Hershey 9,520
2. Manitoba 8,086
3. Chicago 7,963
4. Grand Rapids 7,016
5. Providence 6,770
24. Abbotsford 3,897
jjamieson@theprovince.com
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