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Tuesday, October 12, 1999
'Dome has that empty feeling
The announced gathering of 12,328 -- that's tickets sold, not people in the seats -- was another indication of what a long road the Flames have to win back public support and survive in today's NHL. Yes, it was Thanksgiving. Uh huh, it wasn't snowing outside.
But still ...
"I don't know if it was the lowest, but I can't remember one (smaller)," said Flames owner and NHL Chairman of the Board Harley Hotchkiss. "But I didn't really focus in on that. I haven't been to a game in a while, I've been doing a lot of travelling, and I was too caught up in the game, particularly the third period.
"Obviously, ticket sales are a concern. We're lagging behind every other Canadian team in that department. It's difficult, especially being so far behind Edmonton. That translates into significant dollars.
"We have to earn the support of our fans. We understand that. But we also have to look at the value of having an NHL franchise in this city. It means significant dollars here.
"We're trying to make this work but it has to make sense, too.
"That was a big comeback for us. I'm not trying to make too much out of a tie game but hopefully it's a start."
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