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Sunday, December 19, 1999
Financial squeeze grips Flames
CALGARY -- Everywhere the Senators have stopped during this road swing through Western Canada, the talk has been about a fight for survival.
The situation surrounding the Calgary Flames is no different than the troubles suffered by the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and Senators as Ottawa plays its final game of this trip tonight at the Skyreach Centre.
As the Senators landed in Calgary, the talk surrounded comments by Flames owner Harley Hotchkiss that if the club doesn't get better attendance at the Saddledome, then the franchise won't be able to survive.
"I don't know if the players realize that the fans are the ones that pay their salaries," said Calgary coach Brian Sutter prior to last night's game against the Senators. "You ask a player who pays their salaries and they think it's the owners. I've always realized it's the fans.
"That's why whenever I stepped on the ice as a player I always thought that I owed the fans something because they were paying to watch me. I know they can't afford to keep paying these prices to watch us play and I know that something has to be done."
The Flames have only 9,000 season-ticket holders and are averaging about 13,000 fans per game. That's not enough to survive and they won't qualify for the Canadian Assistance Program.
If the Flames don't have enough support to get subsidies from the league's CAP, then it could cost them more than $3 million in funding and the club will be forced to cut its low payroll even further.
"We need the support of the fans," said Sutter.
PROUD CANADIAN
"I'm from Alberta and I've always been proud of the fact that I'm Canadian. I want this team to survive because hockey is part of our heritage."
Of course, all the Canadian teams would like the government to step forward to offer tax assistance soon.
Otherwise, the mass exodus to the south will start in Ottawa and Calgary won't be far behind.
"These politicians have to realize that sports means a lot of money to this country," said Sutter. "You know they should take some of that money they're getting from the lotteries and give it back to sports.
"In the United States, money from lotteries goes right into the sports teams. Here, it's all taken in by the government. The sports teams here don't see any of it. I hope they do something soon. Otherwise, we're going to lose this sport."
The pleas are coming from everywhere.
Don't forget to click on www.hockeyiscanada.com to register your support for tax breaks for Canadian NHL teams.
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