The Vancouver Giants will keep their name but not the city.
For the 2016-17 season, the hockey club that has called Pacific Coliseum home since 2001 will move to the Langley Events Centre.
In a press conference Tuesday morning in Langley, Giants owner Ron Toigo cited several factors he thought would create a better atmosphere and home ice advantage.
“This is a decision that allows us to relocate to an area where a very high percentage of our core demographic live,” he said. “It also allows us to have a home venue whose size will enable us to sell out games, create a fun game night atmosphere and give the team some real home ice advantage.”
The LEC has a capacity of 5,276. The Pacific Coliseum, which is operated by the PNE, can seat over 17,000.
Attendance has steadily declined for the Giants for the past four seasons. Even when Vancouver hit its peak — in results and attendance — the year the club won a Memorial Cup at home in 2007, the Giants were not able to fill out all games. The average attendance that year was 8,760 according to the Hockey Database.
It dropped the next two years by marginal increments but fell by more than an average yearly attendance of 2,500 over the next decade.
(Reporting from Bob Mackin reveals hockey clubs like the Giants inflate their attendance numbers. They are, in fact, much lower than the official club count.)
In 2013-14, the last year the Giants reached the playoffs, average attendance was 6,266 and this recent season, the Giants went won 23 games and lost 40, drawing an average attendance of 5,169, not far off the club’s nadir. That came in 2003-04, their third year since expansion, when an average 4,956 fans attended games.
The team has made five coaching changes in the past two seasons. Lorne Molleken was fired two games before the end of the most recent season.
Toigo added that the move is pure economics.
“This decision is not a reflection on the PNE or its staff. This is a business decision based on creating the best environment for success for the Giants. We've enjoyed our time at the Pacific Coliseum — it's the original home of the Vancouver Giants and a big part of our history.”
