Any way of preventing opposing team fans from taking over the Honda Center?

[BearFlag]

It was so frustrating to see the Blackhawks fans making up what seemed to be a majority of the fans at the Honda Center at last Friday’s game. I can almost understand when we get a lot of Kings fans because they are within driving distance of us and have a larger presence in Southern California, but I don’t understand why we can’t get enough fans to prevent sizable majorities of Hawks, Red Wings or other popular fans from taking over.

What’s even more sad is that we have one of the best teams with one of the lowest ticket prices in NHL. With a population of 3M in Orange County, there must be a way to attract more fans. Is there anything the Ducks organization can do to attract more fans and to prevent this from happening or is this just inevitable?

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[The Duck Knight]

Win the cup. Problem solved. At least for a few years.

 

[duckaroosky]

1. Don't be a transplant state.
2. Penalize people who constantly sell their season tickets for high profile games on secondary websites.
3. Systematic cleansing of undesirables at the Honda Center.

 

[DarthYenik]

It only happens really with a couple teams. For some reason the Blackhawks, and of course the Kings. We live in a desirable distination for people to move to. The problem is they take their bad taste in sports teams with them.

 

[snowave]

sorry, but we get overrun with ALOT of teams fans.. not just a couple. Yes, it's inevitable to some degree, but I've watched enough Kings games to know they don't have nearly the amount of opposing fans in their barn that we do in ANA. It's really embarrassing as a fan, and probably just as much for the players.

 

[DaDucks*]

I personally love it.

 

[TheJoeMan]

The problem is there simply aren't very many Ducks fans. We used to fill the building when we were good but that changed once the Kings won the Cup. My theory is there is the bandwagon fans we had in the years just after the Cup jumped ship to the Kings. This is why we still can't fill the building despite being among the best teams for three straight seasons. That and we have the most passive fans in all of pro hockey. There just isn't enough people who give a **** and the people who do root for the Kings now. We're one of the worst fanbases and it shows. My hope is the continued effort the Samueli's are making in growing hockey will breed more Ducks fans but we have to stay good in order to cultivate that. Make no mistake, if we were a basement team that building would be empty and road fans filling the building will be the norm. Maybe winning the Cup this year or the next can steal back from bandwagoners but I doubt it, the Kings are just so god damn trendy now.

 

[SirQuacksALot]

Go to games, bring a friend. I've turned several people into fans just by bringing them to a single game, hockey is that great live. They'll eventually bring a friend, and so on. Dynamic pricing really hurts this though, as going to a game against, say, the Blackhawks, means that tickets skyrocket in price.


I ain't no dollar factory.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Take people to games with you, ice hockey is amazing live.

Go to games, bring a friend. I've turned several people into fans just by bringing them to a single game, hockey is that great live. They'll eventually bring a friend, and so on. Dynamic pricing really hurts this though, as going to a game against, say, the Blackhawks, means that tickets skyrocket in price.


I ain't no dollar factory.

Why did I read that in fake gangsta rap voice?

 

[Ducks DVM]

The issue is that we don't have many real fans. Those tickets are sold mainly by the season ticket holders who are looking to make a few bucks on the secondary market . Unless the Honda center institutes a no resale policy, California changes the laws to prohibit scalping like Massachusetts does, or the Ducks win a Cup and bring the bandwagon back, get used to it. Chicago and LA sucking for 2-3 years would also fix the issue with those two teams, but I'm not holding my breath on that either.

 

[SirQuacksALot]

Take people to games with you, ice hockey is amazing live.


Why did I read that in fake gangsta rap voice?

I ain't say dolla.

 

[evomacky]

if only there was a way that would force the bandwagoners back, like say, if you wear an opposing jersey you sit in a smelly part of the area or you pay 3x the ticket price vs wearing the jersey of the home team. that would make a dent.

keep in mind a lot of the Chicago fans are likely bandwagoner kings fans. they're here just to piss off the Ducks fans in attendance. in my personal experience, ive been a STH long enough I know people I see at the Ponda by remembering their faces from having seen them so many times. and in the same vein, ive seen some bandwagoners that have come in either sharks, kings or other team jerseys other than the Ducks. so yes, I can say with certainty they are bandwagoners, nothing more.

if the management wants to raise more money and keep these bandwagoners at bay, they should have a card swiping system at the door to charge the person for wearing an opposing team's jersey. and give like 20 or more Ducks dollars for home fans wearing the home team's jersey.

I think that would be the ideal win-win situation. serious visitor fans would either pony up the dough to support their team and weed out the poseurs, and the home team gets more incentives to go to more home games.

 

[alcolol]

Having our AHL team in San Diego should attract more fans as well. SD is a very big market with no other hockey teams to compete with.

 

[T Low]

It only happens really with a couple teams. For some reason the Blackhawks, and of course the Kings. We live in a desirable distination for people to move to. The problem is they take their bad taste in sports teams with them.

Exactly what Bettman was banking on when he brought hockey south.

 

[Ando]

It's sad when even the Kings get a huge number of Hawks fans at Staples Center. Last game they had there was lots of cheering for the Hawks.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Ducks dont have a lot of hardcore fans, oc fans generally like winners so unless we are cup champions dont expect to much attention from the casual fan.

Same thing at angel staduim, when teams like boston/yankees come to town.


I dont mind it really tho, i like the team no matter how bad the fan base can be... and i enjoy talking with other team fans when im at the games anyway. Only time it ever frustrated me was a few playoff series vs detroits fan base being tough to be around.

 

[Emerald Duck]

One solution would be to break up the Anaheim/LA games so out of town fans can't make a weekend dash or short road trip to the sunshine.

As a long time SD Charger fan, we had the same issue. I don't believe the problem is out of town fans, but Green Bay Packer fans, for example, support the Chargers as their adopted home team except when the Packers come to town.

I suspect a similar problem occurs in a transplant market like Anaheim. Many fans, even STH, support the Ducks but bring their old sweaters out of the closet when their favorite team (past favorite or current I don't know) comes to town. I'm not sure that even a tradition of winning will fix this problem.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

One solution would be to break up the Anaheim/LA games so out of town fans can't make a weekend dash or short road trip to the sunshine.

As a long time SD Charger fan, we had the same issue. I don't believe the problem is out of town fans, but Green Bay Packer fans, for example, support the Chargers as their adopted home team except when the Packers come to town.

I suspect a similar problem occurs in a transplant market like Anaheim. Many fans, even STH, support the Ducks but bring their old sweaters out of the closet when their favorite team (past favorite or current I don't know) comes to town. I'm not sure that even a tradition of winning will fix this problem.

damn caught me,

i wear my ranger jersey when the rangers play the ducks.

 

[George Binks]

you guys realize almost every arena gets taken over all the time. The Kings by everyone that also comes to anaheim, leaf and hab fans invade vancouver. Detroit was about 75% leaf fans during the last leaf wing game in Detroit. we are at 97% capacity so that's not bad at all and every fan base is bandwagon. The year the ducks won the cup chicago was at 60% capacity and just a few years before that Pittsburgh was in the verge of moving while being near dead last in fan attendance.0

 

[snarktacular]

1) Unless you prevent resale it won't happen. Or raise ticket prices rise so resale prices rise.
2) I'm pretty sure you can't charge people more for wearing something (like another jersey). That will surely bring up some kind of anti-trust thing
3) Who cares? If they actually buy primary tickets or go when the STH wouldn't have, that's extra revenue to support your team and your team's payroll.

I'm sure a lot of this started with the 2 or 1 or 4 or 2 season ticket thing. Then you get people selling the free seats on resale, often for below face value.

 

[gratefulyours]

my wife's dad sells his tickets to hawk and redwing games, sometimes kings so he doesn't have to deal with their fans.

he is super easy going, says something about those fan bases. at least the transplants / band wagoners.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

my wife's dad sells his tickets to hawk and redwing games, sometimes kings so he doesn't have to deal with their fans.

he is super easy going, says something about those fan bases. at least the transplants / band wagoners.

Ya im pretty easy going fan, i like going to opposing fan staduims and watch but im not trying to make a scene... just taking in the atmosphere. You always get obnoxious other team fans looking for attention when their team is the away team, usually drunk morons.

San jose or MSG have been my favorite places to watch the ducks, i think san jose might be on of the most fun/awesome atmospheres ive been too for any sport(not including college).

 

[salsa man]

It only happens really with a couple teams. For some reason the Blackhawks, and of course the Kings. We live in a desirable distination for people to move to. The problem is they take their bad taste in sports teams with them.

Off the top of my head, it happens when the Hawks, Wings, Canucks, Kings, Sharks, Leafs, Canadiens, Rangers, Bruins, Penguins, and Flyers come to town. That's more than a few teams.

 

[George Binks]

Off the top of my head, it happens when the Hawks, Wings, Canucks, Kings, Sharks, Leafs, Canadiens, Rangers, Bruins, Penguins, and Flyers come to town. That's more than a few teams.

Well most of those teams just bring a good amount of fans not like a chicago bandwagon invasion

 

[salsa man]

Well most of those teams just bring a good amount of fans not like a chicago bandwagon invasion

What's the difference?