As previously mentioned in this space, the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants had a tough time at the box office last year, their first since moving to the Langley Events Centre from the comforts of the Pacific Coliseum. There was optimism this year from some corners of the team's fanbase that maybe the absence of bridge tolls and the emergence of a better team would be enough. The latter was championed by owner Ron Toigo, who insisted on the radio that the Giants simply have to be competitive on the ice to start filling the arena. And while the team has indeed been bad once again to start the year, the results at the box office are even uglier. 

The Giants home opener saw the lowest crowd since the team starting tracking such numbers in 2001. The paltry 3,317 fans the team drew in the first contest at the Langley Events Centre this year against the Victoria Royals on September 23 was a far cry from the previous lowest mark of 4,741 set in the team's last year in the Coliseum.

Things weren't any better on the ice either, as the Royals pummeled the Giants 6-1 that night, after beating them 7-1 on home ice the night before. I guess that's improvement? 

The reality is that Toigo never should have moved the team out to Langley in a failed attempt to get the team closer to its "base". The team's lease in Langley has eight years to go after this season, and if things keep trending this way, there's no chance the Giants don't look to get out of the deal. 

So far, in two home games, the Giants have the fourth-lowest average attendance in the league. This is despite the population of nearby Surrey ranking as the 12th biggest city in Canada in terms of population. The cities below "Vancouver" in WHL attendance? Noted metropoles Prince George, Cranbrook (Kootenay Ice) and Prince Albert. 

While the Giants showed some actual improvement in the team's second home game, a 6-3 home win against the Kamloops Blazers, attendance declined, coming in at 3,240. On a Friday night, at the start of the year. Those are ugly facts for Toigo to digest.

Look for the team to bump up the special promotions during the year, and to trumpet the eventual return of captain Tyler Benson, who was drafted with the first pick of the second round in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. 

Time will tell if those tactics make any difference, or if the draft picks that the team has stockpiled the last couple of years can be used to turn the team into a contender. The WHL is cyclical, so that's probably just a matter of time. But when that time comes and the team is still lagging at the box office, Toigo will have to answer to the fans he left behind when he abandoned the Coliseum.