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notahomer wrote:Lots of people (including me) redeemed for the Argos game. My regular neighboors were sitting elsewhere.

If I had a friend who'd offered me a ticket and I wasn't a season ticket holder, I'd have gone for either the Ottawa game or the Calgary game. Ottawa just because they are BACK and its great to have helmets with a BIG WHITE R on them again. Calgary because these games are often good. The kind of game I go home, even after a loss, and think, man that was an enjoyable evening.

I think it'll be nice to have a few extra in the crowds for the rest of the years games.....

Fine, if you want to see Ottawa just because they are 'BACK' (albeit with a 1-11 record to date) but it's not so great to have helmets with a now 'MEDIUM WHITE R' on them, especially when they're applied to a white helmet for road games instead of the traditional Rough Riders black helmet, LARGE white R and the red stripe. When they play at Calgary's McMahon stadium, it appears that the host team is the REDBLACKS and their opponent is the Ottawa WHITEblacks. Ugly, ugly, ugly! They come up with the name REDblacks and there's more white visible than both RED & BLACK combined... maybe that's part of the reason for their crappy road record.

seamack3 wrote:Fine, if you want to see Ottawa just because they are 'BACK' (albeit with a 1-11 record to date) but it's not so great to have helmets with a now 'MEDIUM WHITE R' on them, especially when they're applied to a white helmet for road games instead of the traditional Rough Riders black helmet, LARGE white R and the red stripe. When they play at Calgary's McMahon stadium, it appears that the host team is the REDBLACKS and their opponent is the Ottawa WHITEblacks. Ugly, ugly, ugly! They come up with the name REDblacks and there's more white visible than both RED & BLACK combined... maybe that's part of the reason for their crappy road record.

I am just glad Ottawa has a CFL franchise again. Not THRILLED with the name but I'm a Lions fan, thats something for the Ottawa owners & fans to figure out, IMO.

Your comments on the colours when at McMahon, sound bang on. I missed that game, if its been played already.

I think the Redblacks are better than their record indicates. I know, I know, football people will always say you are your record. I just think they need to stop playing safe (on offence) at times as it seems dramatic mistakes keep being made late. Really though, considering its their first year, the Redblacks defence has been solid, its been more on their offence as to their record, IMO.....

Update on Saturday's game from earlier today via NEWS1130:

News1130 Sports @News1130Sports

Buono also says the team expecting the biggest crowd of the season when they play Ottawa. Not bad with #Canucks at home on the same night.

House will likely be heavily papered with "Guaranteed Win" night tickets, and it's Amateur Football Night (I think there's also the annual Boy Scout sleepover w/ movie on the big screen). Regardless, it would be nice to see at least a 30K crowd, even if it's not as big as the Sask. game.


DH

I doubt they will reach 28,000

TheLionKing wrote:I doubt they will reach 28,000

I'll take that bet! Have you seen the seating chart at Ticketmaster??

Not a lot of blue dots in places you normally find them.


DH

Yes, last time I looked they appeared to have opened 12 extra sections in the upper deck, and few tickets were available in them. That's about 6,000 extra seats. Lower bowl is a virtual sellout. With heavy redemptions of the guaranteed-win tickets and the annual boost provided by community football night and the Scout sleepover, it should be a noisy crowd.

David wrote:Update on Saturday's game from earlier today via NEWS1130:

News1130 Sports @News1130Sports

Buono also says the team expecting the biggest crowd of the season when they play Ottawa. Not bad with #Canucks at home on the same night.

House will likely be heavily papered with "Guaranteed Win" night tickets, and it's Amateur Football Night (I think there's also the annual Boy Scout sleepover w/ movie on the big screen). Regardless, it would be nice to see at least a 30K crowd, even if it's not as big as the Sask. game.


DH

"Amateur football night". David, are you referring to the actual RedBlacks / Lions game?

David wrote:Update on Saturday's game from earlier today via NEWS1130:

News1130 Sports @News1130Sports

Buono also says the team expecting the biggest crowd of the season when they play Ottawa. Not bad with #Canucks at home on the same night.

House will likely be heavily papered with "Guaranteed Win" night tickets, and it's Amateur Football Night (I think there's also the annual Boy Scout sleepover w/ movie on the big screen). Regardless, it would be nice to see at least a 30K crowd, even if it's not as big as the Sask. game.


DH

In addition, the Junior Felions will be performing as well and I'm sure these girls will be bringing their parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends along to see them perform on the field.

Over 31k tonight at B.C. Place which is the second largest crowd of the season. Who would have thought that this would come against Ottawa on the night of the Canucks' home opener?

Ravi wrote:Over 31k tonight at B.C. Place which is the second largest crowd of the season. Who would have thought that this would come against Ottawa on the night of the Canucks' home opener?

I guess quite of few came from Skulky's guaranteed win night for the Lions opponents!

Bosco wrote:"Amateur football night". David, are you referring to the actual RedBlacks / Lions game?

OUCH.....

Toppy Vann wrote:I guess quite of few came from Skulky's guaranteed win night for the Lions opponents!

Makes one wonder how papered the last game will be. That would have been the game many probably would have chosen but I'd even be interested in how many were "FREEBIES" were not redeemed but Rider fans will probably claim to be most of those....

This was a fun crowd, and a lot of them seemed to be from the lost generation who grew up in the '90s when the franchise was in the doldrums. And I didn't sense that many of them cared at all about the game across the street. It was a highly entertaining evening, and a marketing victory for the club, thanks largely to the guaranteed win promotion.

B.C.FAN wrote:This was a fun crowd, and a lot of them seemed to be from the lost generation who grew up in the '90s when the franchise was in the doldrums. And I didn't sense that many of them cared at all about the game across the street. It was a highly entertaining evening, and a marketing victory for the club, thanks largely to the guaranteed win promotion.

The Guarantee Win promo was a very creative way to paper BC Place. Give the casual fan a free sample in hopes of a return paid visit can work but the Lions needed an entertaining blow out kind of win. The players and the coaches delivered.

The term "purrfect storm" usually has a negative connotation. Whatever the term is for things going "right," it happened last night. A young, boisterous crowd - lots of families, a big win, and an entertaining game with lots of big, exciting plays to boot.

I didn't get any doom and gloom "0-and-3-and-can't-move-the-football" vibes prior to kick-off (unlike Lionbackers, lol!). The crowd came with an open mind and determined to have fun and, for once in what seems like a decade, the players fed off the energy in the building and executed to near perfection. Yes, some tickets were freebies from the "Guaranteed Win" game, but others were discounted group sales to young minor football players, some boy scouts and likely others. But the most encouraging thing was the lack of empty seats on the night of the Canucks' home opener. It's one thing to see a line item in the box score as 31,217, but that can often mean tickets sold, not "butts in the seats." But if there weren't 31,217 in the building, it was very close to it.

We may never be the "football town" we were in the 60s, and even the mid-80s, but it certainly gives me cause for optimism that we're not just left picking up the crumbs left over by the Canucks; we have our own unique fan base.


DH

B.C.FAN wrote:This was a fun crowd, and a lot of them seemed to be from the lost generation who grew up in the '90s when the franchise was in the doldrums. And I didn't sense that many of them cared at all about the game across the street. It was a highly entertaining evening, and a marketing victory for the club, thanks largely to the guaranteed win promotion.

Not a mention of the nukleheads during the game as in the past fans from a Canuck game could come and catch the end. You wouldnt really want to miss game 2 of an 82 sked would you. Thnx BB