Charlotte Checkers AAA Hockey

[kermit]

I was at the game last night and it was very busy for a Tuesday night (more than 5,000 were there). I checked this years' AHL attendance data and it shows the Checkers are averaging almost 6,000 fans per game. This puts them eigthth best in the 30 team league (but very close to the top three). Dare I say that Charlotte is becoming a decent (minor league) hockey town. While its great to see the community support the team I am getting tired of the constant 'what is icing' kind of confusion of many fans.

http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance

[HopHead]

^There's actually a lot more hockey fans in the Charlotte area than a lot of people realize, especially with the large number of northern transplants. I have several Canadian friends that live here and absolutely love the Checkers and the AHL. Admittedly I'm not much of a hockey fan but I'll go to a game here and there.

[ah59396]

As a die-hard hockey fan and a Canadian, I love having the Checkers in town. There are plenty of hockey people here, though I find the outlets for the NHL are quite limited. I typically end up at places like Hooligans or Tavern on the Tracks to watch games if they aren't on Vs. Either way, Go Hawks.

[kermit]

^ I just checked, the Checkers actually average about 2,000 more fans per game than the Knights (and they have just about the same per game average as the Durham Bulls).

Its not just the NBA strike driving it either -- Checkers attendance is actually down slightly from last year.

[ah59396]

Just a little noteworthy info, the Checkers have recently been posting some MONSTER attendance numbers, including over 13k last Saturday (a record for the team) and nearly 10k last Friday night. According to the AHL website, Checkers attendance is currently 8th in the league as they average close to 7k a game, 1k+ over the league average.

http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance

It's great to see the Checkers getting the support they deserve, and looking at that list shows how well the team is doing compared to a lot of large "conventional" hockey cities. Great news for Charlotte, great news for the Checkers, and HOPEFULLY the success of the team continues and influences minor hockey in the area to continue to grow!

[kermit]

^Yup, the Checkers have done _really_ well with Friday and Saturday night games this year. I think part of it was the absence of the bobcats for the first half of the season and part is a pretty good promotions department. The attendance numbers make it look like some of the folks who show up on the weekends are coming back for other games.

Its nice to see a solid fan base for Hockey here. The growing enthusiasm means that I have way more fun at the checkers than at the bobcats.

[HopHead]

Its nice to see a solid fan base for Hockey here. The growing enthusiasm means that I have way more fun at the checkers than at the bobcats.

I'm glad to see the Checkers do well too. I will say they've exceeded my expectations. But lets be honest here, Bobcats aren't much fun to watch right now because they are rebuilding and easily the worst team in the league. Hopefully in a few years both teams will be equally as exciting to watch.

[kermit]

I just returned from a hockey filled trip 'up north' and I discovered two things about the Checkers:

1) The quality of the glass surrounding the ice at the arena is much worse than I had thought. The glass is not particularly clear and the paralax created by the bench and penalty box area is much more pronounced than the other two arena's I saw last week (one NHL and one AHL arena)

2) Beer prices are obscene here. In Detroit (an NHL arena) you can get 24 oz of Molsen (and the standard domestics) for 7.50 (including tax) -- 16 oz of non-bud is 9.20 + tax here

Venting over, none of this is the end of the world. But the only thing between me and genuine happiness is cheaper beer at checkers games.

[tozmervo]

I think the beer pricing can be blamed on the arena. it is pretty laughable how much they charge - I usually end up just going without. if I do get anything its because I've gone into the "premium" area and gotten a Copper. I'm sure as hell not paying that much for a cup of BS like miller light.

[nonillogical]

Huh, I don't remember ever seeing them that high. In the premium area you can get a Copper, Sierra Nevada, Blue Moon etc for $7 something, which is still a lot but not as bad as say, verizon amphitheater. But since a maker's & coke is only $2 more I'm usually happy to just get those, and they always make them strong!

[HopHead]

I think higher beer prices are to blame on the arena, but also look at the age of the facilities too. Detroit plays in Joe Louis Arena which if I'm not mistaken was built back in the late 1970s. Not to mention, it's well... Detroit. If you go to any newer facility in the US, they are going to gouge you especially with alcohol. An unfortunate reality. I went to see the Minnesota Twins play at their new ballpark, Target Field, last year. They charged me over $10 for a fricking bud light draft (or was it miller light -- all the same to me). Insane.

[kermit]

Huh, I don't remember ever seeing them that high. In the premium area you can get a Copper, Sierra Nevada, Blue Moon etc for $7 something, which is still a lot but not as bad as say, verizon amphitheater. But since a maker's & coke is only $2 more I'm usually happy to just get those, and they always make them strong!

Nah, Copper and all the other premiums (the only non-Budweiser products sold at the Checkers games) are $9.20 each (for roughly 16 oz). Plus, given the bar setting, the servers expect a tip (unlike the normal concessionaires). Believe me, I have plenty of experience with this.

OK, I'll concede that Joe Louis arena is 30 years old and the economic situation up there is sub-optimal. However how much of a discount should that create? It is the NHL after all. Here is a per ounce breakdown (they have bigger beers in Detroit):

Detroit .31 cents per ounce for Molson

Charlotte .57 cents per ounce (tip not included) for Copper

That is close to a 50% discount in Detroit (or a 100% gouge in Charlotte. Thanks Mike.)

AND they even keep selling beer through the 3rd period in Detroit!

Its a scandal (sarcasm).

[ah59396]

Occupy Time Warner.

[nonillogical]

Oh no don't compare Molson and Copper!

Not trying to argue but I have definitely bought a decent beer there for less than $8 at a game this season. Maybe prices change for higher or lower profile games?

[kermit]

So the Checkers just finished up their home season -- the late season slide was brutal, so they are unlikely to make the playoffs. They managed an average attendance of 6,768 per game (8th best in their 30 team league). They started the year around the 5,000 mark and steadily increased average attendance as the year progressed.

For comparison the Knights averaged 4,105 per game last year.

[kermit]

As the Checkers move towards the end of the season Charlotte remains a solid hockey town. With two home games left this year the Checkers averaged 6,709 fans per game (down insignificantly from last year). This is 7th best in their 30 team league.

 

For comparison the Knights drew 4.030 per game last year. (13th out of 14th)

 

Interestingly they have a marginally higher per game average than the Toronto team (yes, I know they also have an NHL team, but they were on strike for more than half the year). The Checkers have had a decent year, they played very well at the beginning of the year, but have had an offensive slide since the Hurricanes called up a large number of players post-strike. They should make the playoffs, but they need a strong finish for the last two weeks of the season.

 

I do wonder about how many uptown entertainment $ the new and improved downtown Knights might draw away from the Checkers. While I love hockey, I love affordable beer more. If  local beer is reasonably priced at the new ballpark I may have to shift some of my discretionary dollars away from the $10 beers at the Cable box.

[ah59396]

The season's don't really overlap.  As long as the Checkers are entertaining and the tickets fairly inexpensive, they should do fine.  Being in uptown in a nice arena gives them a huge advantage over competitors stuck in small time rinks out in the suburbs.  They play in an NHL qualify facility minus the seating angles.

[kermit]

The season's don't really overlap. 

 

They don't, but I only have a fix amount of $ available for entertainment. I probably won't be able to hang onto my Checkers season tickets if I am going to more than 5-10 baseball games a season. Given the drive, the Knights don't attract any of my entertainment dollars at the moment.

 

You are right about the seating angles. The majority of the sight lines in TWC are atrocious due to the very poor optical quality of the glass surrounding the arena. The NHL facilities I have seen don't suffer from that problem. 

[kermit]

1) The quality of the glass surrounding the ice at the arena is much worse than I had thought. The glass is not particularly clear and the paralax created by the bench and penalty box area is much more pronounced than in other areans

 

 

The Checkers have gotten new glass and new boards. Hopefully the view from close to the ice will significantly improve this year.

 

https://twitter.com/checkerslynch/status/387997791387021312/photo/1