Does anyone even care anymore?

[leaflover]

You know what I do miss it. As canadians hockey is in our blood and I know right now a lot of us are angry by the lack of respect Bettman & Goodenow are showing us. The NHL is part of the fabric of this country we all can remember when we kids watching HNIC we were glue to the tv screen like bee to honey. And what is so hard for us to understand is the two side are acting like they don't even care. It's sad to see. But you know what Bettman and Goodenow will not destroy our love of the game and the NHL. The NHL has gone thru two World Wars and I am sure it will survive this Cold War. One day the NHL will come back but let me say this it better be a better NHL with lower ticket price and an improve product on the ice and only then will the fans come back. Mr. Bettman and Mr. Goodenow one of these days you're gone have to listen to us the NHL fans because we are the blood line of the NHL. Without us you have nothing you can have your little war but when you decide to come back and play then you'll have to answer to us. It is us who has the power to go are not to go see an NHL game.

I just hope the phony pro-fan propaganda campaigns that fire up after this lockout ends are met with the ridicule they will deserve.
They'll show us they love us when they need our cash again.

 

[Hawker14]

i care.

i'm in the ninth year of my "lockout", and i still want the nhl to return.

i'll be presumptious enough to state i know pretty much how every one is feeling, but when the nhl returns, most fans will have their teams to root for. i'm envious about that, as i don't.

 

[Isles72]

diehard fan here since the 70's .

I live , breathe hocky 24/7

I was mentally prepared for no hockey til Jan-Feb , but an entire season scrapped is going to really blow me away

I'll be back though because I love the game so dearly , but I'm not too sure about countless others who may be turned off for good .

 

[NYIsles1*]

Die-hard Islander fans since the 70's also. I will be back when hockey returns no matter how long it takes. I think it's more important to fix this sport financially than play a two month season under a bad deal. I have had no expectation of a season since last season ended.

This game badly needs some kind of ecomomic parity among all teams, anything less will not be acceptable to reopen this league under any circumstances because it's in too much trouble on too many fronts for anything less.

 

[jratelle19]

I love the game of hockey immensely. The NHL is not the only source for hockey, although it is the most elite league in the world and God knows, I have spent a lot of money and time on following the NHL since 1973 and the Rangers in particular. However, if the players and owners cancel the season, they will never see another dime of my money going towards anything NHL related anymore. There is no bargaining going on, just a lot of posturing in the media. That does not portray two sides that want to end this anytime soon and to give the fans a break from this fiasco. I am sick and tired of hearing the BS spew from both Bettman and Goodenow's mouths about feeling sorry for the fans. That's a crock of sh*t. And if anyone believes that the owners will lower ticket prices if they get their beloved "cost certainty" (aka salary cap), then you really are as stupid as the owners believe you to be and you deserve this kind of treatment from the league.

 

[Tuggy]

I've been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember but I am sick and tired of hearing about the damn lockout. It's obvious to everyone that neither side is going to budge so why don't they just cancel the damn season. Personally I am worried as to whether the NHL will ever return because I don't see any end in sight for this lockout.

As soon as the season is cancelled they aren't going to start negoiating, god knows when that would begin. I don't see any light at the end of tunnel and I seriously doubt there will even be a season starting in the fall of 2005.

Saskin, Daly, Bettman and Goodnow can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned. They, along with their collective groups, have run what we love into the ground.

 

[RorschachWJK]

It used to great to follow NHL hockey. However, it's the international tourneys that excite me the most (other than Spengler Cup etc.). To me they are the crown jewell of hockey. I wouldn't lose my sleep if the lockout continued for two NHL seasons. They need to get the salary cap, and if that's what it takes then so be it.

 

[Jasper]

I care now still.. if/when the season is wiped out, I will learn to live without the NHL.. I take sides with the owners, like most people, but overall the inability to somehow put together a season shows a totally disrespect for the fans of the game by both sides.

 

[syc]

Nope.

Piss on the NHL and the NHLPA. They don't give a crap so neither do I.

 

[struckmatch]

I'll tell you something right now, when the season is cancelled, you'll hear from a lot of angry players. Goodenow will feel the heat of his union members because a lot of them wanted a settlement.

This is the difference between the players and the owners, the owners have no motivation whatsoever to open the league again, they are losing money, generally speaking. Whereas the players have an incentive to get back playing, as in most cases, it is their main and only means for an income, as well as the fact that as this lockout drags on, they are losing a lot of income that they will never, ever recover.

 

[Tiki]

I used to really care, but have been Watching more OHL and Playing more this year.

My former season tix money? Now taking my family to Disney world in tampa this year.

Will the Sabers get me back as a customer by the end of this? No. looks like my family will be taking more big vacations or saving more instead of buying tix. I don't miss driving an hour one way to get to the games. Life is alot more simple for me now.

Will I buy the NHL package on direct TV again? Maybe, but only because I like to scout for my fantasy leagues. If they do not last through this, my money for that package will not as well.

At this point I have gone from a life long fan to someone who's learned that there is alot to do outside living and breathing NHL hockey 12 months a year.

 

[RorschachWJK]

I used to really care, but have been Watching more OHL and Playing more this year.

My former season tix money? Now taking my family to Disney world in tampa this year.

Will the Sabers get me back as a customer by the end of this? No. looks like my family will be taking more big vacations or saving more instead of buying tix. I don't miss driving an hour one way to get to the games. Life is alot more simple for me now.

Will I buy the NHL package on direct TV again? Maybe, but only because I like to scout for my fantasy leagues. If they do not last through this, my money for that package will not as well.

At this point I have gone from a life long fan to someone who's learned that there is alot to do outside living and breathing NHL hockey 12 months a year.

Understandable. I moved to Toronto from Finland in September 2003, and of course wanted to see NHL hockey when I finally had the chance. Well, the two games I went to, were, if not disappointments, at least much less exciting than I had expected.
These were regular season games, but the tickets were outrageously expensive and instead of interesting hockey fans, I got to listen mostly to lame executives etc. discussing stock market instead of the game. There is more feeling in a game in the Finnish SM-Liiga. In summary, that was money not particularly well spent.

I wouldn't by season tickets, unless they became significantly cheaper (like 50% cheaper). The experience simply is not worth it. It will suffice to watch the games on TV.

 

[DisplacedIslander]

I knew this was coming. I even expected it to last this long, maybe even longer. It's a shame that they can't put the love of the game past their petty business differences. But, in the long run, the NHL is a business, not just something for the fans to watch every day.

Our ticket purchases effectively pay the salaries of everything having to do with hockey, from the first line center's contract, to the coach behind the bench, to the GM in the front office, to the guy who takes your ticket at the gate. For this reason they need to come up with an equitalbe solution. I'd rather see no hockey be played at all than a system that just doesn't work.

There are moments that I miss it, but I have learned to live without it. I've occupied my time with different things. The money I didn't spend on a ticket package I'm using for a vacation with my wife to CA in June.

When they do drop the puck again, I know I'll be back. For now, I play the waiting game.

 

[Tiki]

Understandable. I moved to Toronto from Finland in September 2003, and of course wanted to see NHL hockey when I finally had the chance. Well, the two games I went to, were, if not disappointments, at least much less exciting than I had expected.
These were regular season games, but the tickets were outrageously expensive and instead of interesting hockey fans, I got to listen mostly to lame executives etc. discussing stock market instead of the game. There is more feeling in a game in the Finnish SM-Liiga. In summary, that was money not particularly well spent.

I wouldn't by season tickets, unless they became significantly cheaper (like 50% cheaper). The experience simply is not worth it. It will suffice to watch the games on TV.

If you want hockey with as much passion in the stands as on the Ice, check out some OHL games in your area. The kids come to play every night and the fans are usually right behind them. some of the most fun you'll have at a rink when your not actually playing.