I'm not sure if i'm beating a dead horse here...but whenever the NHL will be back, will you support it?
Hockey has very few loyal fans, at least in the US...and i, being one of them, cant help but feel betrayed by the league...i'm always having to be a hockey apologist here in a town ruled by the Dodgers and Lakers...and yet for all our support, we simply get brushed aside as they argue over how many millions they would get....
I dont know if those involved in the labor dispute realize, but no one seems to care about their sport...all the while they're arguing over their millions, they are spitting in the faces of the few loyal fans they still have....
i would be very hesistant to fork out my hard earned money to support this league when it comes back...
When the season officially begins, I am locking myself and my family outta the arena until I recieve a 24% rollback in the cost of Tickets! :mad:
We all know it aint gonna happen, but untill a major adjustment is made to the ticket prices for my team, I will be staying away and encouraging my family and friends to dump their season tix! I love hockey, but the fact that they dont seem to love their limited fanbase in return is a joke!
I will continue going to at least one game a year, and watching as many games as I can on TV. People can say how they will never forgive the NHL as much as they want, I can't see how anyone who is a fan of the game could go without watching top level hockey when it is right in front of them
I am trying to make a decision on this myself. I'm just not sure which direction I will go in, but if they cancel the season today I won't have to cross that bridge for another 7 months or so.
I'm not sure if i'm beating a dead horse here...but whenever the NHL will be back, will you support it?
Hockey has very few loyal fans, at least in the US...and i, being one of them, cant help but feel betrayed by the league...i'm always having to be a hockey apologist here in a town ruled by the Dodgers and Lakers...and yet for all our support, we simply get brushed aside as they argue over how many millions they would get....
I dont know if those involved in the labor dispute realize, but no one seems to care about their sport...all the while they're arguing over their millions, they are spitting in the faces of the few loyal fans they still have....
i would be very hesistant to fork out my hard earned money to support this league when it comes back...
your thoughts.....
I'm still holding out hope that there will be a player revolt and the season will be uncancelled, even though I've tended to support the players over the last 2 months.
But if no Stanley Cup is rewarded this year, the NHL has lost this fan of 30 years, for life. I will never watch another NHL game in my life.
I am a Penguins fan.. so I sure as hell am going to support them. There are no greedy superstars on my team. Hopefully ticket prices will be reduced as well though.
The league is not required to provide fans with entertainment.
The players are not required to provide fans with entertainment.
If the players don't want to play for the money/deal they are offered, that is their perogative. If the owners don't want to hold regular and post season games and pay the players for the deal the players are asking for, that is their perogative. This is a free country!
The owners/players don't 'owe' the fans anything.
I will continue supporting hockey as long as it gives me value for my entertainment dollar. I will not stop supporting it just because the league and players are having a contract squabble.
Of course I'll support the NHL. I have been for the last 30+ years. As long as I can remember I have been a Rangers fan. Its in my family. Its in the blood.
Win, Lose, or Tie a diehard fan through and through.
Its what we hockey fans want. To see pro-level competition. It is just sad to see this happen to the greatest sport is all.
Great - here comes ESPN with another drama series, another Paintball tournament, spelling bee, or more Poker World Series re-runs!
** Oh, Post Script, As for the comment of the NHL and its players don't owe the fans nothing..... Your in a dream world. Are you oblivious to the fact that if there is no fans, there is no NHL?? Obviously you are. Your statement is an ignorant opinion. Thank god for the intranet.... Ignorance seems to teem on it.
The league is not required to provide fans with entertainment.
The players are not required to provide fans with entertainment.
If the players don't want to play for the money/deal they are offered, that is their perogative. If the owners don't want to hold regular and post season games and pay the players for the deal the players are asking for, that is their perogative. This is a free country!
The owners/players don't 'owe' the fans anything.
I will continue supporting hockey as long as it gives me value for my entertainment dollar. I will not stop supporting it just because the league and players are having a contract squabble.
The fact is that the 2.2 billions this industrie has in revenue, they get it from the fans willing to buy tickets, beer, hotdog, merchandise, watch them on tv. To say that they dont owe us anything is technically correct but is fundamentally damn wrong. I was a die hard hockey fans for years and I feel betrayed.
Year after year, we support them. We forked our hard earned money to them, without asking anything but our fix of passionnate hockey every winter and spring. This year we won't get it. I'll certainly come back and watch my Habs again because they have a really special place in the bottom of my heart but it'll never be the same with the NHL in general.
For the love of the game, for the survival of the league, thats just something you don't do!
You can't do that to people that have been your bread and butter for ~ 100 years.
You can't do that to people that have their feet in a ****load of snow all winter long.
I have to agree with coupe and t-bone.
We are fans. Its what we want.
When I'm not watching hockey, I'm playing Hockey.
When I'm not playing, I'm ref-ing.
When I'm not ref-ing, I coach.
I love this game.
Always have and always will. Its played a huge part in my entire life.
Not going to let two bozo lawyers (Bettman & Goodenow) stand in the way because their ego's are too huge to give a little more to get the deal inked.
Their positions need to be filled by two people who are in it for the love of the game. Period.
I'll watch my Bruins with regularity, but the days of watching any NHL game are over. I love my B's and will always support them, but CenterIce will no longer be on my dish.
Realistically, I'll be back when the players are back. As much as I think both sides have behaved like idiots and without regards to the fans, I don't take it all that personally. They can figure it out for themselves. I'm not going to watch some half-assed league full of replacement players, however.
Yes, I will watch the NHL again without hesitation as I believe the problem is with Goodenhow and the NHLPA leadership, not the owners nor a good portion of the players.
I will support the NHL for sure. I love the game too much to simply quit watching the best league in the world because two guys can't get a ego dispute settled and bring the game back to the fans.
If you can just quit watching I am seriously doubting if you are a fan of the game or not. There is a difference from not going to the arena and not watching NHL on TV.
I'll support this league and its' mis-guided union members when they return...
but I can't see any support for "scab" hockey if that's the next reality. don't even want to think about that horrible scenario.....
AND, when the real NHL comes back, wouldn't it be a sweet irony for every single first game to be played in front of absolutely empty buildings? I say a complete boycott by the fans everywhere is necessary when those greedy little buggers do return to work.
To all the "other" employees of NHL teams, and the local businesses and arena employees and other nearby industries (hotels, restaurants, etc) that have been affected by this labor dispute, I say that we are the true victims here, and we also deserve to be heard. The NHL is not at the top of the list for most American sports fans, and this league has just dropped even further in that poll. This league is screwed, now and forever.
oh, and to the poster who said here earlier that the "NHL and players" don't owe the fans a thing.....you are sadly mistaken. These idiots rely on the fans almost exclusively for their livelihood. Plain and simple. The paying fans who attend the games, park their cars in arena lots, buy concessions (food and beverages and souvenirs) support the NHL. And for those of you at home who pay for the satellite packages like CenterIce....you're paying NHL players' and owners' salaries as well.
There is no national TV contract, and there are no major sponsors for this league.
This product is supported by the fans, and the players had better entertain us, or they will be without jobs. Period.
