If you owned the Argos!

[1argoholic]

If I owned the team we'd have one big stadium donut fight.

[Gill The Thrill]

BCers are notorious fair-weather fans who have jumped on and off many bandwagons including their soccer, baseball, lacrosse, football and even hockey teams (there was a time when the Canucks were only getting 8,000 to 10,000 fans at their games). Could it happen again? Yes. However, the Lions are doing a good enough job to be moderately successful economically and Braley deserves complements for this.

It's true about BC fans being fairweather, but Vancouver has basically become the Western Toronto or Montreal when it comes to sports watching. The Football, soccer and whatever other teams they have may have the bandwagon up and down attendance but that has, nor will it ever apply to their NHL team and their Canucks and has not for 20 years.....The Canucks in Vancouver, like the Leafs in TO or the Habs in Montreal will always sell now that the team has been established for over 40 years in their marketplace.

It's true the Canucks did have crowds of 10-11k sometimes for the first 15-20 years of thier existence because they were a new franchise marketing to a generation of older fans with money that were still Leaf fans (like many westerners) from the original 6 days. Today, the majority of Vancouver and BC hockey fans grew up with Canucks and with some franchise players that have given that team an identity like Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure, and even Roberto Loungo, Markus Naslund over the years....The team was mostly awful and had no identity from 1970-1990. The days of 10k crowds, or crowds under a sellout are extremely rare. The NHL has become just as hard a ticket in Van City as it has in Toronto and Montreal, and the league generally is a tough ticket and sells really well in all its Canadian Market. It's why 40% of league revenues are generated by the 7 teams in Canada.

[1argoholic]

I remember coming to Vancouver for Grey Cup 86 and staying with my cousin and his girlfriend at the time who's his wife now. Anyhow we went to two Canucks games and walked up like you'd be walking into a Provincial Jr A game and buying great seats. We got seats right against the glass an hour before the game.

[argonaut11xx]

The Canucks...YUK....my Fav Canuck of all time was "Dunc Wilson"

[Will]

It's true about BC fans being fairweather, but Vancouver has basically become the Western Toronto or Montreal when it comes to sports watching. The Football, soccer and whatever other teams they have may have the bandwagon up and down attendance but that has, nor will it ever apply to their NHL team and their Canucks and has not for 20 years.....The Canucks in Vancouver, like the Leafs in TO or the Habs in Montreal will always sell now that the team has been established for over 40 years in their marketplace.

It's true the Canucks did have crowds of 10-11k sometimes for the first 15-20 years of thier existence because they were a new franchise marketing to a generation of older fans with money that were still Leaf fans (like many westerners) from the original 6 days. Today, the majority of Vancouver and BC hockey fans grew up with Canucks and with some franchise players that have given that team an identity like Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure, and even Roberto Loungo, Markus Naslund over the years....The team was mostly awful and had no identity from 1970-1990. The days of 10k crowds, or crowds under a sellout are extremely rare. The NHL has become just as hard a ticket in Van City as it has in Toronto and Montreal, and the league generally is a tough ticket and sells really well in all its Canadian Market. It's why 40% of league revenues are generated by the 7 teams in Canada.

Canuck fans also have some sort of obsessive hard-on hatred for the Leafs, too.

[Gill The Thrill]

The Canucks...YUK....my Fav Canuck of all time was "Dunc Wilson"

My favourite Canucks are John Gould, Dennis Kearns, Rick Blight, Ron Sedlbauer and of course Harold Snepsts...lol. Can't forget Cesare Maniago. I remember those old Canuck players from the 70's because I kept getting their trading cards. It was tough to always get the star players or multiple traders of Lafleur, Dionne and Trottier, but boy did I have a collection of Don Lever, Chris Oddliefson, and Curt Ridley cards....my trade proposal of "I'll take your Bossy rookie card for Dennis Vervegaert", never went too well.

I know I've partaked in taking this thread a little off-topic...but those 70's Canuck teams were always in great brawls

Check this gem from 1977, Harold Snepsts taking on Dave "The Hammer" Schultz...gotta love the banana look LA Kings...LOL

[1argoholic]

Younger folks who cant't remember hockey from the 70's wouldn't believe how crazy it was. Ledgendary brawls. I remember a few doozies with the Leafs and both the Flyers and NYR.

I say a huge Canuck YUK as well. My fave Canuck of all time would have to be Oh I'd have to dig out my old Esso Power Play Album to refresh my memory. The only stamp I'm missing is a Canuck, Rosaire Paimount I believe was the spelling.

[argolio]

Rosaire Paimount I believe was the spelling.

Paiement. I had his 71-72 card as part of my O-Pee-Chee set, which I stupidly gave away to a cousin (and that set is one of the most valuable from that era).

I think your 70-71 Esso set is pretty valuable as well. I may have a few of those stamps in a box somewhere.

[Will]

Brother of #99 Wilf Paiement

[ArgoRavi]

Brother of #99 Wilf Paiement

Yes, the Paiements were legends in their tiny hometown of Earlton, Ontario which was only nine miles from where I grew up. The patriarch of that clan (Wilf Sr.) was a champion wrist-wrestler.

[1argoholic]

I once took a sign and hung it along the wall near Harold Ballards lair at Maple Leaf Gardens. It was an Oilers/Leafs game. My sign Read The Great Number 99, Paiement that is.
The Leafs one 7-1 Gretz was stopped on a penalty shot and my buddy tossed an M and M's down Waynes tucked in shirt while he was on the bench. No glass between players and fans back then. The next day my sign was written about in The Star. Great memories I'll never forget.

[AngeloV]

Younger folks who cant't remember hockey from the 70's wouldn't believe how crazy it was. Ledgendary brawls. I remember a few doozies with the Leafs and both the Flyers and NYR.

I say a huge Canuck YUK as well. My fave Canuck of all time would have to be Oh I'd have to dig out my old Esso Power Play Album to refresh my memory. The only stamp I'm missing is a Canuck, Rosaire Paimount I believe was the spelling.

I had a blast hanging out with Rosaire Paiment and a bunch of retired Montreal Canadians at the hotel bar he owns (I think he still owns it) in Fort Lauderdale in '95, the Penalty Box lounge. I was there in March and needed my Hockey fix, and he had all the games on. Really nice guy.

[1argoholic]

If I owened the Argos I'd allow Ping to toss Mr. Freezies again. Who remembers those days when Ping would buy a whole bunch of them and get up and get everyone pumped and start tossing them around. All fun and games until someone gets a Ping tossed freezie in the eye. haha.

[Mulder]

If I owened the Argos I'd allow Ping to toss Mr. Freezies again. Who remembers those days when Ping would buy a whole bunch of them and get up and get everyone pumped and start tossing them around. All fun and games until someone gets a Ping tossed freezie in the eye. haha.

Attendance has never recovered since he stopped doing that.

[argomANIA]

If I owened the Argos I'd allow Ping to toss Mr. Freezies again. Who remembers those days when Ping would buy a whole bunch of them and get up and get everyone pumped and start tossing them around. All fun and games until someone gets a Ping tossed freezie in the eye. haha.

Here you go
216182_5459557169_1591_n.jpg

[1argoholic]

Ania that is too funny. No way you wanted to get a Ping fast freezie to the head. hahaha. Perfect shot, thanks.

[ArgoRavi]

If I owned the Argos, I would lower ticket prices.

Owners are always scared that lowering prices will "devalue the brand."

Well, guess what fat cats? An empty stadium devalues the brand, and the image.

Argos should lower the ticket prices until they can consistently get 30,000 fans a game in the Skydome.

I realize, it doesn't help that they don't own the stadium and get nothing from stadium revenue.

But getting more paying fans will pay off in many ways. More interest, more merchandise sales, sponsorship, and perhaps your own stadium once you build a decent fanbase.

You know what else I would do? Sell to MLSE (Bell and Rogers).

Bell and Rogers control the hearts and minds of millions of sheeple like myself, through the media which they own 90% of. They are monopolistic companies who can control the minds of Simpleton Consumers like myself, who we need to buy tickets and get drunk before the game, make noise and make the Argos cool again.

Again, I'm remember just a simpleton who is nowhere near sophisticated enough to discover my own Sports Team to root for based on its merits. I need CTV News to tell me what's cool. Therefore, I need the money behind Bell/Rogers, with all their tentacles, to make me like a sports team before I will cheer for them and spend my money on them.

Chris Rudge's plan is to get the Argos to a profitable position within the next five years where an entity such as Bell or Rogers would have an interest in purchasing them from Braley.

[1argoholic]

Rogers has had their chance before. The marketing could have been great with both the Jays and Argos under their ownership.
I don't see Rogers having any interest.
Maybe Justin Bieber is an Argo fan and at this point could afford them with all his coin. He'd bring in a younger crowd.

[Gill The Thrill]

Why do we need a corporate faceless entity to own a CFL team. The expenses are nowhere near those of MLB, NHL, NBA or NFL. Do you really think Bell/Rogers would pony up a dime for a stadium which is what is needed for self-survival.

I could see Bell/ Rogers buying the Argos, but in much the same manner that Harry Ornest did. To have the football rights to the dome, and to make sure that those football dates will be filled at the dome...I don't think this would necessarily be better than having a group that really wanted to own a CFL team. If the team can get help building a stadium or having other sources of revenue making them have a chance at being profitable, then other people or companies would be interested.

Rogers has had their chance before. The marketing could have been great with both the Jays and Argos under their ownership.
I don't see Rogers having any interest.
Maybe Justin Bieber is an Argo fan and at this point could afford them with all his coin. He'd bring in a younger crowd.

In 5 to 10 years, Justin Bieber may be as popular as Debbie Gibson, or Tiffany.....you may ask who are they?...my point exactly. The boy bands of 10-15 years ago are just as dated....New Kids...what was that other crap...that came after....see I already forgot their name....Bieber is next...lol.

[Hollaway]

Now there's an idea Gill The Thrill lol, can't stand Bieber's music and his alter ego, but he has the coin .