Hockey in Canada is an obsession similar to Dallas Cowboys fans. Doesn't matter if the team sucks, hasn't won in decades or the GM is a buffoon. Fans will spend good money to go watch games. There's the 70's, 90's teams that fans, fathers or grandfathers watched and swore was the best team they ever seen. HoF players etc.
There is no history down here. A good amount of hockey fans down here either root for their parents team or their former home team(Rangers, Islanders, Maple Leafs, Montreal etc) and there is no reason to convert to the local team. They only show up to watch their #1 team for dirt cheap.
We don't demand a stanley cup team to go out and watch. But in order to actually win more fans/keep fans the team needs to establish some type of legacy other than being a joke. Make the playoffs 2 out of 3 years, or back to back years.
Win a series, create some excitement. Something. Tired of reading about potential and prospects that play 1 or two levels below what they were supposed to be.
And that's all the team does. We draft somewhat high, overrate the prospect, said prospect doesn't live up to hype and then the cycle is repeated.
I get owners don't want to be deep in the red, but if they want fans to spend money they can't put out a mediocre product. We've seen that product for years now. Hell, this year I can't blame the owners in that they have actually spent a lot of cap this year.
If Tallon is going to sit on his hands hoping this turns around soon or next year is the year certain players make the jump and "they are the answer", then I'll continue to do something else other than watch the games.