Not gonna happen. North American sports (especially hockey) lack atmosphere and fan engagement entirely. The arenas are silent while fans are focused on eating entire meals and watching the giant HD screen.
They should just tear down these fancy stadiums and build outdoor rinks with standing room grandstands for a nickel a person so we can concentrate on the game. Oh right, the players sign multi year multi million dollar contracts that need to be paid for somehow, meaning the team has to generate millions in revenue per game, those money grubbing ******** catering to the filthy rich. How dare they.
We need to turn the clock back to 1946 when players had second jobs and fans cheered like lunatics at all times because of the goings on on the ice. Or did they.
Watch some old tape. They didn't.
Rexall was always a mausoleum, back into the 70's except at playoff time and that is well documented not to mention I've been going to the games with season tix since 1977 and know how quiet it is there except at certain times and playoffs which haven't happened in a decade. But it's not because of "rich fans".
Rexall was bedlam in the playoffs in any of 97, 98, and 2006 as anybody would agree.
In the 80's its my take that fans were spoiled with success. Became quickly sated with it. There were tons of energy in 84 win, 85, 87. I was there for two of those, and the place was rocking.
Its a product of mass produced 82 game schedules that doesn't exactly lend drama to the product. The only thing possibly worse being MLB's regular season.
Regular season is just product. Nothing much at stake in any particular game. Its not like your going to get bedlam nor can it be expected. But my comments focused more on all the distractions that prevent people from actually engaging in what is going on on the ice.
Go to the Citadel sometime. Leaving during performance is not an option. Leave and you can't come back in. Its essential to enjoying and following a production to be attending to it all the time. Adds to the enjoyment and atmosphere. Its a breath of fresh air to see audiences actually respecting the performance.
Unlike pro games where the thing is getting up and down for beer all the time between stuffing your face with whatever fits.
pro fans are increasingly disengaged. you shouldn't need 5 star restaurants at a hockey game. Seems silly really, and this taken from perspective of someone old enough to have attended the Edmonton Gardens countless times. Now THAT place was a hovel. Although Led Zep played there twice which is better than ANYTHING Rogers Place will ever see.
I said as much (playoff games = crowd energy). Not sure why you'd respond as if I hadn't. I've been going to games since 1977 and seen many a game and playoff game and the odd Stanley Cup win. Playoff games have always been nuts. It's sad that there haven't been any in a decade.
Regular season is what it is, as far as distractions go there are sections that double as a bar and lounge. Don't like it don't buy a ticket for that section. I have Loge seats. It's awesome to get table service so I can watch a game and not waste my time going to a restaurant pre-game. Dont like it. Don't buy a ticket for that section. There are concession stands and a lot of tvs on concourses so people do not miss what's going on the ice if they are buying a beer or hot dog or taking a leak. Don't like the 5 star restaurant. Don't go. By the way that 5 star restaurant is deserted at game time. It's busy pre-game. But to trash the entire experience is wrong and for posters to trash the arena as built for the rich only is ********.
If you like the Citadel go to the Citadel. Don't try to turn the Citadel experience into a hockey experience. They are far from remotely the same. My daughter is a stage performer, I've seen many a stage performance over the years, it ain't sports nor should it be, it's a far more personal experience.
Are crowds disengaged more than before at Oiler games? During regular season I'd say no. The place was always quiet during regular season games. I remember many stories about this being written by various sports reporters. Do a lot of the fans go to the various alcohol concessions and bars between periods. Yup. Before it was smokers coming in late. Before that it was people coming back late from getting garlic fries. People do what people do when the game isn't on and are often late returning.
Sports used to be non distracted before alcohol, massive concessions sales were introduced. I'm old enough to remember that. Anybody that got up out of their seats during play instead of paying attention to the play was the exception, not the rule. people used to get up between periods to smoke, eat, talk, but during play nobody was leaving seats. It was very rare.
The constant hairbrained distraction is a relatively new thing over past couple decades.
Its as if people can't just attend to the game.
yeah, I'm not going, I get a better view of the games in my rec room and theres not a dozen *******s getting out of their seats every minute blocking the view.
Between the people constantly needing to get past, the people leaning far over, people wearing hats etc or taking selfies while play is going on its not even worth attending hockey games anymore. To me its kind of distracting.
That's another reason I bought the Loge. Nothing ever in front of me. Never have to stand up to let anyone pass. I can stay in my seat, get served my beers and dinner and thouroughly enjoy the game. I agree, I don't like the constant up and down and distractions. I come to enjoy the live game.
That said my dad is a heavy smoker. Always people coming in late from smoking on the concourse and when they banned smoking the smokers were really late, it was constant. I don't think that parts changed much and the crowd is pretty much the same in fact I'd say the in game crowd is louder today than the days of yore because the service of alcohol.
Laughed out in a really inappropriate place while reading this comment.Messier invented the, "here we go (team name here), here we go?"
Wat.
Dumping their butts in flower pots too. Surprised nobody burnt the place down. Ahhh the good old days.Smoking? heh, back in the day people used to smoke right in the concourse. Gardens and Coliseum as well afairc. Man, 2nd hand smoke like crazy. As a kid I was hacking trying to breath in all that. Thick smoke. The gardens used to be drenched in nicotine.
Messier invented the, "here we go (team name here), here we go?"
Wat.
Yeah, Loge would be decent, but pretty pricey. Its unfortunate one needs to buy tickets of that pricing to avoid distraction. Would be nice if consideration was still more in play and people noting that others are watching.
Smoking? heh, back in the day people used to smoke right in the concourse. Gardens and Coliseum as well afairc. Man, 2nd hand smoke like crazy. As a kid I was hacking trying to breath in all that. Thick smoke. The gardens used to be drenched in nicotine..
Anyway, thanks for the exchange.
Messier invented the, "here we go (team name here), here we go?"
Wat.
Laughed out in a really inappropriate place while reading this comment.
Dumping their butts in flower pots too. Surprised nobody burnt the place down. Ahhh the good old days.
Oof. You must be really bored and grumpy. This is all I was referring to:
http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Edmonton/2007/02/26/3668378-sun.html
I'm watching this episode as we speak.
Weird.
Icelandic chant? Nah...
All we need to do is get back into the playoffs and get the classic "LET'S go OI-lers!" *clap, clap, clap-clap-clap* going at full blast while Kassian destroys Keith Tkachuk and McDavid waltzes around Giordano for the game-winning goal in the Battle of Alberta.
Psst Keith Tkachuk retired years ago.
Psst Keith Tkachuk retired years ago.