Re: Are we the next Cranbrook? editorial, Feb. 6.
As I read this article, I had mixed feelings. Yes, the attendance (to Cougars' games) was very good when the new ownership took over. Yes, they have poured all sorts of money into the team. Yes, we had an excellent season and a banner year. Then they started messing with the formula. We lost a lot of good players to aging out. We went into a rebuilding year. Nobody really expected a repeat of the season but hopes were high for a good year.
Then we got the "exciting new pricing system" dropped on us with no warning whatsoever. My three tickets went up 60 per cent in cost. A lot of people were extremely angry, which was reflected in the drop in season ticket seats sold. Yes, they got some new ticket holders but they lost a lot of long-time supporters. We were going to drop our tickets but ended up keeping our seats and by the end of the season were paying premium prices to watch major midget hockey.
We did renew again, as we love coming to the games and have done so since the team arrived. Yes, the price dropped, but so did the number of games. The arena is nearly empty. We pay for red zone seats and quite often sit near people who have bought cheap seats and sit up in the premium areas. Mildly annoying to say the least.
We did not go to the Giants games this week for health reasons, but we haven't missed any other games. There is still support for the team from a loyal few and are looking forward to seeing the rebuilt team unfold. But the writing was on the wall when they jacked around with the pricing system. That, not the team or the cold, is what kept people out of the rink.
Jayne Lukinchuk
Prince George
