The game should honestly speak for itself. Watching the top 1% athletes play one of the best sports on the planet should be enough to put butts in seats/eyes on screens. Not an orchestrated celebration routine.
Brent Sopel hates the Hurricanes' home win celebrations
- Thread starter idontusethisanymore
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The game should honestly speak for itself. Watching the top 1% athletes play one of the best sports on the planet should be enough to put butts in seats/eyes on screens. Not an orchestrated celebration routine.
Jerkob Slavin
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LOL.... the celebration isn't what's responsible for our current surge in attendance (2nd in the NHL at +8%). People are starting to show up because we are finally playing "watchable" hockey for the first time in 10 years.
Folks fail to realize how demoralizing a TEN YEAR PLAYOFF DROUGHT can be for a growing fan base. More than half the teams make it. No one wants to flush away a hard earned paycheck watching AHL players chase NHL players.
I agree with you, and the game does speak for itself in places like original 6 markets where your fan base is a this point what, 4 or more generations deep? You're not talking about that market. You're talking about one that is not quite as entrenched and are trying to bring fans in. I am the parent of two 7 year olds who have attention spans you could measure in minutes at mist times. If they come up with a gimmick that makes seeing the end of the game the reward, that's good. I think they're trying to make the game fun for young fans who will grow up into older fans who buy tickets. It's tough competition for entertainment dollars and if they find something that works that isn't hurting anyone, do it. It's not affecting the game play. If the other team is so offended, win the game. They don't do a losing celebration, do they? Because I am not ok with that.
Have you paid attention to the product on the ice the last 10 years? It's been abysmal.
It's too bad Canes fans can't be like those in "real" hockey markets like Chicago and Pittsburgh, whose attendance definitely didn't drop off a cliff after years of brutal hockey before being saved by 1st overalls. Oh no. And it's for sure not like one of those first overalls had to buy part of the team to keep it afloat. And unquestionably it's not like the NHL stepped in to stop Jim Balsillie from actually moving the team. No way, those are real, legitimate hockey markets we're talking about here. Those clowns further south aren't nearly smart enough to get sick of losing and vote with their wallets.
i don't see the problem in doing a celebration (as long as fans dont get butt hurt when opposing players do something similar, ie: E. Lindholm). But i have seen people say it gets fans/younger fans watching more. To me that cheapens the game a bit, but then again, I guess i can't relate since hockey is the #1 sport in my hometown.
Why? What about kids watching hockey makes hockey worse?
using a choreographed routine to get people watching hockey vs the actual game itself and the multitude of talent the NHL presents.
you don't see the difference?
robertmac43
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Yeah i know... But the sentiment coming from people within the league and many older fans is that it is bad for the league and takes away from the game... Which is just a terrible backwards concept to me..
BrendanGallagher11
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Jerkob Slavin
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Please be 100% honest with yourself here. This is critical.
Do you REALLY believe that a dad is shelling out $200 for tickets, concessions, parking, and souvenirs for a family of four on the off chance that they might get to see a victory celebration? When we lose at home, do you really think that the fans are more upset by the fact that they do not get to see the storm surge as opposed to the loss of playoff positioning? The "winning" is what is drawing the growing crowds, The celebration is literally just icing on the cake.
We (Carolina fans) have been saying it for YEARS.... "win and they will come." There has been precious little winning in Carolina for TEN YEARS. It takes a toll. I am going to go ahead and call it... if we finish strong (make the playoffs), we'll pull over 15,000/game next year. If we can string together a few good years, I'd be willing to wager that we'll crack the top 20 and stay there for as long as we can remain relevant.
Jerkob Slavin
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Not our guys. Justin Williams is the brainchild of the storm surge. The players take turns coming up with the ideas. This isn't being mandated from the top down.
Ahoy there
Always in control of my stick
I don't remember reading/seeing a single account that stated this was started to increase attendance. I don't remember reading/seeing a single account that stated this was started as a substitute to the game.
I don't remember reading/seeing a single account that stated this was anything other than the players trying to connect with the fans after a home victory by engaging in some nonsense.
Obviously not, but follow the post trail... i was commenting on someone saying it helps market the game
way to frame my post there.... the post was in response to someone saying it used to help market the game
IMO i think the game+talent should speak for itself, not a choreographed routine
Roboturner913
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- Jul 3, 2012
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It's the sentiment lurking under all these threads....like how you're not surprised when your neighbor loses it and starts screaming the n-word. You always knew he was a racist and it was just a matter of time until it came out full-bore.
Jerkob Slavin
Likable Jerk
We're the best team in the NHL since New Year's Eve and the fans are started to show up in droves.... I'd say the product is SCREAMING for itself. Wouldn't you?
ottawa
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How is the bolded really a positive...Hurricanes desperately need fans and if most of the talk about them is making fun of them, I don't think it'll help them attract fans. It's already considered a non-hockey market, I think them needing gimmicks like these to keep fans interested doesn't help.
Jerkob Slavin
Likable Jerk
There's a site that says we're up 8% over last year, but that includes a craptacular December where we couldn't seem to win a game and saw us sink to the bottom 5 in the NHL standings.
NHL Attendance Mid-Season Report - NHL to SEATTLE
I like to look at last year's average at 13,320. In January and February, they've been announcing paid attendance at just shy of 15,000. That's a nice bump. In 2010, we pulled over 17,000/game, so the base is there.
Ahoy there
Always in control of my stick
It isn't a gimmick being done to keep fans interested. It isn't a gimmick being done to attract fans. Carolina is still a young hockey market. Historically speaking you can see attendance is not in question when the team is decent-good. No sport can go into a developing market, stink for 10 years, miss that sport's postseason for 10 years, and not expect it a challenge to fill their arena/stadium. ala the Expos, ala early Blue Jays, ala Raptors until recently, when guess, what? They're good now.
We are not the 7th largest metro in North America (Toronto) - we're not even top 50. And hockey isn't organic to the area. Yet, when we missed the playoffs, but had serviceable teams coming off playoff runs, we had higher attendance than Chicago and Boston, who were not very good, but are still O6ers. We didn't gimmick then to fill the arena, and we're not gimmicking now to fill the arena. When we are good, the people in the area come to support. The hockey fans (much smaller number and most are transplants) support even when we're bad.
ottawa
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Sounds like you're describing a fairweather market with a very small but loyal base, would that be accurate to say?
it's still one of the lowest % of capacity league-wide. 8% increase (is that an increase of 8% or 8% growth)? i wonder if 2/3s of teams had an 8% to gain.
Tasty Biscuits
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I was ambivalent, but, like many others up hearing Don Cherry hate for it, was suddenly strongly all for it.
Ahoy there
Always in control of my stick
Kind of. If forced, I'd say yes, but the sports market here is much more complicated in that it is driven by college athletics. I would say the Canes have to fight through the noise of UNC, Duke, NCST BB season running concurrently to be remembered here. The general pop is not hockey savvy as a whole and as of yet does not understand the game which adds to complacency.
Rodgerwilco
Entertainment boards w/ some Hockey mixed in.
- Feb 6, 2014
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I do agree with you mostly, the talent/game SHOULD speak for itself, but smaller market teams need a little boost with that. The way I think about it is that this is no different from "Free T-shirt day" or "80's theme" or whatever. It's just another little marketing technique. Every sports team in every league wants to market their team. Some teams (Original 6 and big-market teams) don't NEED it as much, but Carolina does.
gtforepro
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