Having the Vancouver Canucks make the playoffs has put a spring in the step of not only the city’s NHL fans but also local businesses.
“To get back to the playoffs is exciting,” Vancouver Canucks president Trevor Linden says.
“It’s a great time of year because I know as a player it’s the best time of year and certainly on this side of it is as well. We’re looking forward to next week and the atmosphere in Rogers Arena is always electric… it’ll be a lot of fun in the playoffs.”
But bars and pubs are also celebrating the Canucks playoff berth. The general manager of the Back Forty Saloon, a bar close to Rogers Arena, says playoffs mean big revenue. From servers getting more shifts, to making more tips, to generating more sales, it all snowballs.
“On a typical non-hockey game day, we’ll probably do $8,000 to $10,000 with good weather,” says Kim Gibson.
“If it’s a playoff game, we’ll do easily $16,000 or $17,000. People just want to be out and about and in with the crowd.”
According to Charles Gauthier, president and CEO of the Downtown Business Improvement Association, the revenue could amount to roughly $1 million per game for downtown bars and restaurants.
Gauthier’s calculation does not include hotels or pubs outside the downtown Vancouver core. Each post-season game could be worth several million to our economy but if oddsmakers are any indicator, it may not last long.
Oddsmakers in Las Vegas put Vancouver’s chances of winning the Stanley Cup at 20 to 1 while the BC Lotteries Corporation is more optimistic at 14 to 1.
To keep the momentum going, the Canucks will be releasing their post-season tickets Friday at a slightly higher than regular season prices but at a substantially lower cost than past playoffs.
Many fans counted the Canucks out before the season even started but Linden hopes to prove them wrong.
“Like I said its reality TV at its best and we like our chances, we feel good about this group and they believe in themselves.”
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