Vancouver businesses hopeful sales will pick up as NHL re-starts

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The owner of a Vancouver sports shop hopes the return of the Canucks will boost sales, even if the only way to watch Wednesday’s game is sitting at a local pub.

John Czvelka says pre-season business at Vancity Sports, near Seymour and Dunsmuir, remains slow, so he’s nervous about how well the team does early on.

“It has to be a good start. Fast start. This town is not patient,” he said laughing.

“If they come back with a decent record, when they do come back, that might get some hype. And if the stadium gets full capacity, they’ll definitely drive up a little bit more foot traffic downtown,” he adds.

.@Canucks fans aren’t the only ones grateful for the return of @NHL hockey.#Vancouver business owners are also hoping sales pick up –especially when the team’s back on home ice October 26th after 6 games on the road –kicking off tonight in #Edmonton.@CityNewsVAN

— Marcella Bernardo (@MBernardoNews) October 13, 2021

But foot traffic near Rogers Arena will only boost once B.C.’s top doctor lift capacity indoor retail limits in time for the Canucks first home game which falls on Oct. 26.

“Absolutely, that’ll put more people downtown. Not just the season ticket holders. Fans of the other teams. It’s been a long, long, long stretch for sure,” he said.

Czvelka says his business during the pandemic dropped about 90 per cent, but online sales have been strong enough to keep him from raising prices.

Related article: Vancouver Canucks capacity limits at Rogers Arena under review, says Henry

Meanwhile, Brianna Rossi, the General Manager at St. Augustine’s, is proudly wearing her Canucks jersey as she welcomes hockey lovers back to the Commercial Drive brewhouse.

“We’re a pretty prime location spot. Staff are quite excited to have lots of people back in. We have quite a few fans here as well. We’re excited to have lots of people back in and buzzin,” she told NEWS 1130.

And she adds, she think it really matters if the team wins.

Rossi tells @CityNewsVAN she’s born and raised in #Vancouver.

“I’m kind of always wearing Canucks merch, so you can always find me here wearing it on game day.”

She adds she’s been waiting for @nhl hockey to return as a distraction from the pandemic.@StAugustinesVan

— Marcella Bernardo (@MBernardoNews) October 13, 2021

She adds, having been born and raised in Vancouver, she’s a diehard fan, so she’s been looking forward to the season to start.

“I’ve been waiting for hockey to come back just as like, a little bit of a distraction even. And that’s something to look forward to and things that we can do. Here we have our own hockey pools happening in our kitchen with our staff and stuff we do here. So it’s just an exciting time overall — especially these last couple of years with the team, seeing how the team has improved. And just the superstars that we do have it’s pretty great to watch and fun to watch.”

Wednesday’s season opener is in Edmonton.