The Maple Leafs home opener was this past Monday and MLSE said "This game is on us". They gave away 1,000 free tickets to those die hard fans that really wanted them. They told their season ticket holders that the first game would be free. Now, I was expecting the place to be BOOMING all game. Loud on rushes, chants of Go Leafs Go, noise, anything. But I got the opposite, it was quiet, dead, and the atmosphere seemed to be missing. Granted, I watched it from home on TV, so maybe it was worse than it was. But when you watched the Habs home opener this past weekend, that place was CRAZY.
Now, a couple of reasons why the place wasn't crazy are the following:
1) Season ticket holders are all corporate.
2) Leafs had not put a team on the ice worth cheering for.
3) Leafs did not give them a reason to cheer until the last couple of minutes.
So what realistic ideas do you have that can change this around? And I say realistic because, taking away the season ticket holders tickets and giving them to fans that care is not realistic from a business point of view.
Should they do more shirt tosses? Better in between game segments? Better Music? Cheaper Beer on weeknight games? Better Promotional Days?
Another idea is to take over one section of the arena at a time. You have to figure this isn't going to happen overnight. Lets say make section 120, the "loud" section, much like the TFC Supporter section. Always standing, always cheering on rushes, chanting "Defence", heckling the opposing goaltender, etc. Hopefully that will translate into sections 121 and 119 getting loud throughout the game too.
I am sick and tired of hearing how excited players like John Tavares, Tyler Seguin, Steven Stamkos all have family visiting them and watching. Lets turn this arena back into our building. Where the noise is deafening and where the Leafs want to score to hear their fans go CRAZY. Lets be the 7th man on the ice for them. Lets be a city where free agents or top talent will want to come to because we SUPPORT our team instead of analyzing every little mistake that they do.
I really want to get this place on the same noise level as Winnipeg, Montreal, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Vancouver.
Thoughts/Suggestions?
Put an organ in the rink for some old time hockey sounds, watching our game in Buffalo made me miss it. Any rink without an organ is barely a rink at all. Also yes I would LOVE to hear chants like when Luongo makes a save and they go LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU or any chant, heckling goalies, something, even if MLSE has to PAY a guy to go out there and start them. The loudest our rinks have been were when we yelled fire wilson/Lets go Blue Jays and that was all the cheap seats because like you said all the lower bowl seats are corporate douches for the most part.
Would be so nice to have one game a season where the tickets are not part of the season-ticket package. Could be a combination of a lottery, giveaways to Big Brothers/Big Sisters and other groups who help kids who would otherwise likely never get to a Leaf game. Also some element of a throwback to the '50s and '60s when there was a "Young Canada Night" at the Gardens and there were tons of kids in attendance. With a combination of the above, the place could be rocking...
Would be so nice to have one game a season where the tickets are not part of the season-ticket package. Could be a combination of a lottery, giveaways to Big Brothers/Big Sisters and other groups who help kids who would otherwise likely never get to a Leaf game. Also some element of a throwback to the '50s and '60s when there was a "Young Canada Night" at the Gardens and there were tons of kids in attendance. With a combination of the above, the place could be rocking...
Apparently The Great Unwashed is not allowed into the pearly gates.
It's pretty simple really... win and start playing meaningful games. The ACC has been extremely loud in the past. There is also this illusion that other rinks are louder (Bell Centre for example) when in reality it again comes down to being successful and playing meaningful games.
Yeah, I give the simple answer "make the playoffs." The team gets into a run for the playoffs and feel like there is something to care about then they'll get fired up. But frankly the past years of utter failure doesn't inspire people.
And everything good and bad about the Leafs atmosphere was on display.
We were in row 21, and there were a group of season ticket holders behind us (about 7 or 8 of them), who strolled in at various different times during the first period. Some guy was late "because he couldn't decide what to eat at Bier Markt", and the other guy was late because he was "trying the new CoD DLC before he left the door".
For the entire game, they talked about anything and everything irrevant to hockey. Marriage plans, dinner plans, co-workers, Raptors, Gay trade, etc etc. It was as if they had absolutely no concern about the game. The kind of thing you do when watching the game in passing.
Then, once the game blew up in the third period, they were the loudest guys in our section. Countless Go Leafs Go chants were started by them, they were heckling the **** out of Neuvirth and Ovechkin, and the refs, and Kostka (who had an awful night). It was great.
The entire building was literally buzzing after Kulemin scored.
Goes to show you - give Leafs fans a reason to cheer, and they will. But it's going to take some time to weed out the general level of lethargy amongst fans especially in those seats.
Went to my first home game this season and as usual, had blast. As someone who has been to the ACC several times in the last few years, I think the pattern is quite obvious - Leafs fans are quiet until you give them something to cheer about, whether it's a goal, hit, fight, etc. The fans react no matter if you're wearing a suit and tie or a retro Leafs jersey with the Leafs logo proudly painted on your cheek. The atmosphere was pretty awesome after Kulemin scored the tying goal. The chants, the cheers and soon after Frattin scored the go ahead goal and the place was buzzing! At that point everyone is into because now we're looking at the game and the clock and every thing deserves some kind of reaction because you're hoping to see them protect the one goal lead with 10 minutes left to play. In the dying seconds everyone was on their feet cheering.
I understand if the a game has a lot of action going on where you're seeing great chances go both ways on a regular basis and therefore you're reacting (good or bad) to what you're seeing. But in a more tempered pace game, I wouldn't expect people to be making noise every other minute. I'm the last thing from being a reserved fan when I'm at the games but even I sit and watch the game intently until something happens that generates an automatic response from me. If I find myself intently focusing on the games in between the slower periods of the game, how can I criticize someone else because they aren't yelling at the top of their lungs every other second even when nothing eventful is going on on the ice?
Go across the border and watch the leafs play in Buffalo...
in years past its been close to 40/60 leafs fans to sabres
Other then the losing record in Buffalo, its a great atmosphere
Actual fans going to the game and spending their own money on the tickets.Half the suits at the ACC are there with complimentory tickets from corps.No doubt alot of them aren't even fans.
Actual fans going to the game and spending their own money on the tickets.Half the suits at the ACC are there with complimentory tickets from corps.No doubt alot of them aren't even fans.
Lots of seats to be had if you want to pony up some of your own money.
Suits annoy me but it makes it slightly better if you just try and talk hockey with them after the break, they get dumbfounded. Or before the game starts ask them if the seats are going to be free after the first period, or do they plan to try and make it to the second period
It's pretty simple really... win and start playing meaningful games. The ACC has been extremely loud in the past. There is also this illusion that other rinks are louder (Bell Centre for example) when in reality it again comes down to being successful and playing meaningful games.
The team that plays in the Bell Centre strikes you as "successful"?
The team that plays in the Bell Centre strikes you as "successful"?
Well they have won many more games than the Leafs in the past 8 years. Including a Conference Final playoff run and only missing the playoffs twice since the last lockout.
Personally I think they have more real fans at the rink.
Well they have won many more games than the Leafs in the past 8 years. Including a Conference Final playoff run and only missing the playoffs twice since the last lockout.
Personally I think they have more real fans at the rink.
It's been 19 years since they last won the Cup. In that time the Leafs have only made the playoffs 9 times yet have 50% more playoff rounds won.
Well they have won many more games than the Leafs in the past 8 years. Including a Conference Final playoff run and only missing the playoffs twice since the last lockout.
Personally I think they have more real fans at the rink.
Seriously, is there anything blue and white you cheer for or do you just go into everything thread and **** in it?
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