Thousands of fans, eight games, four teams, and one grand prize.
While the Regina Pats weren’t able to come away with the Memorial Cup, organizers are calling the event a success.
49,091 people attended the round-robin games from May 18-27. Since the Brandt Centre holds 6,484 spectators, that works out to 94 per cent of tickets sold, including three sellouts.
While the 100th edition of the Memorial Cup opened to a lackluster crowd of 5,678 people, a strong performance by the hometown Pats and rival Swift Current Broncos boosted numbers as the week went on. Host Committee Chair Shaun Semple said numbers were on par with expectations and they predicted lower attendance for games happening over the long weekend.
Attendance does not include those who watched Sunday’s sold-out final between the Pats and champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan on screens outside the Brandt Centre, and thousands who took in concerts and other Memorial Cup-related events throughout the week.
Hundreds visited an on-site celebration zone that hosted a Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit, family-friendly activities, and even the Stanley Cup.
Another 27,000 people braved a rainstorm to take in the opening ceremonies and Eagles concert which Semple said is a record for tournament kickoff.
Despite strong numbers, the host committee said it will lose $2 million between the two main events, besides paying $3.65 million to host.
All-in-all, it was an average performance considering past numbers at the tournament. The 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon still claims the best game attendance over the last ten years, with 82,503 people packing the SaskTel Centre.
With an average of 6,136 fans per game, Regina ranked 5th in attendance, and 4th in percentage of tickets sold compared to other hosts going back to 2008.
Some hosts, like Red Deer and Brandon, were able to add additional seating to their rinks and boost sales. Semple said the Pats looked into adding more space, but it wasn’t feasible in the Brandt Centre.
Tourism Regina estimated the province will make $15 million in economic spin-off as a result of the tournament.
Comments