OT: The overwhelming negativity of this board

[BankStreetParade]

I've been reading and posting here for years now. I know times have been tough over the last few years - this team has found a place at the bottom of the standings, our collective respect for the organization has taken a dive, the owner is a moron who doesn't understand PR in any way, shape, or form and our favourite players are gone.

I have to say though, relative to the situation, the negativity is overwhelming. There is no sensible discussion to be had anywhere. Every thread is transformed into a house of snipes and jabs. Not a single topic stays on point, inevitably steering into one of a few neverending circular arguments about money, Melnyk or fans.

The quality of posting here is at an all-time low. We're 22 pages in, and counting, talking about Gudbranson. We wasted another 22 pages on Josh Brown. Meanwhile, Matt Murray, a #1 goaltender who has won 2 Cups, has barely mustered a quarter of the overall volume of posts that has been wasted on two bottom pairing defensemen. It's not hard to see how this board is channeling the majority of its energy into negativity and complaining.

I really wonder why some of you participate here. Genuinely. I don't know what you're getting out of this as this place seems to be making you miserable.

What do you want to see change here so that the atmosphere can start improving? How can we move forward in a positive way? It feels like this community is at a critical juncture of its existence. Let's figure this out together. We're all passionate fans and we all want this team to win and make us proud. How can we all get on the same page?

Click to read more...

 

[MrInvidious]

When the entirety of what brings all of us to this forum is the Ottawa Senators of the last three years, I don't think it should be any surprise that people are negative. With that being said, I thought the draft was a mostly positive (more so than any other day in the last three years) moment for the majority of the forum.

Criticism and debate is what this forum is about. Personal jabs/insults are not. As someone who can get caught up in it from time to time, I think that can be improved. But it's also hard to say that everyone should be completely optimistic and positive about things given that not many fanbases in professional sports, let alone the NHL, have had to go through what we have lately.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

It is just a new generation of posters that is taking over.

There are a few of us from back in the day still around but yeah, we aren't relevant anymore. Most of the high quality posters have fled this place, I came back for the draft but I'm returning to exile.

It is time for the perpetually outraged and bitter to shine.

 

[swiftwin]

I'm convinced some people use this place as an emotional release valve for whatever shit they have going on in their lives.

It's sad, because it's chased away most of the high quality posters.

It got so bad, the site admins had to intervene last summer.

 

[IranCondraAffair]

I've been here a long time, but this place picks up when the team is, you know, actually good.

30, 31, 30. Those are our last three finishes

We lost the draft lottery three times with great odds ( arguably 4)

We're selling players and cap space

We're the lowest payroll in the NHL year after year.

No one is showing up to games

Let the people vent.

If there is personal jabs, call it out, but we're fans and when our team is being run into the ground by ownership and management, you can't complain when people are upset if they support that team.

 

[BoardsofCanada]

I suspect a lot of the posters on this board are young (below 25) and with youth comes a lack of life experiences (in other words.. immaturity). Young people tend to think that things are black or white. As you get older you learn that there is always two sides to every story and the situation is usually somewhere in the middle.

That said, nothing will change. You either ignore the negativity or don't. I find it extremely annoying but I still enjoy coming here to get information and find out what's going on in the world of hockey.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

It's a losing battle to try and tell people what they can and can't discuss on a message board.

 

[InTkachukWeTrust]

I have to say I enjoy reading the discussions being had on this board.

I try and keep it as positive as possible

 

[Karl Prime]

There really aren't many franchises run worse than ours is - we're the Knicks of the NHL. The vibe amongst fans is only going to change once Melnyk shows he can ice a competitive team and right now a lot of fans think he can't do that. We're at the stage of the rebuild where's there's probably another year of bottoming out and getting another top 5 pick, but then there have to be steps taken towards being competitive. If there are I'll applaud it - I'm just very pessimistic it will happen. People can hope all they want that things will change - if I was a younger fan I would, probably - but I won't be optimistic about this team being a perennial playoff contender again until they prove it.

As for the thread lengths you mentioned, on two of them there are differing opinions on the trades so that's going to lead to back and forth. Almost everyone loved the Murray trade as a low-risk high reward deal so the back and forth should be less than a divisive trade where people are debating for hours. Once Murray gets signed there will be plenty of talk about it.

TLDR it would be nice to see the strictly positive and strictly negative camps soften and mix together more but at the same time everyone's entitled to their opinions and seeing how these are the darkest days of summer, metaphorically, it's not surprising there's more anger, frustration, and irritation surrounding the team.

 

[Shruggs Peterson]

It's funny...I read this board for almost a year before I decided to sign up for an account.

A lot of the posters I enjoyed reading I see very seldom or not at all anymore.

I'm not going to blame the website, but I wonder if the transition to this current site and the addition of the like button see people spewing negativity because it's popular opinion. I've certainly done it in the times I've sat down to go through the threads.

Maybe it's like others are saying, when the team turns a corner, and they will, the quality of the posts will go back up.

 

[IranCondraAffair]

Could always be worse. At least there is people here to argue with.

We could be like Vegas or Dallas.

Those boards are f***ing D-E-A-D

 

[Stylizer1]

I've been reading and posting here for years now. I know times have been tough over the last few years - this team has found a place at the bottom of the standings, our collective respect for the organization has taken a dive, the owner is a moron who doesn't understand PR in any way, shape, or form and our favourite players are gone.

I have to say though, relative to the situation, the negativity is overwhelming. There is no sensible discussion to be had anywhere. Every thread is transformed into a house of snipes and jabs. Not a single topic stays on point, inevitably steering into one of a few neverending circular arguments about money, Melnyk or fans.

The quality of posting here is at an all-time low. We're 22 pages in, and counting, talking about Gudbranson. We wasted another 22 pages on Josh Brown. Meanwhile, Matt Murray, a #1 goaltender who has won 2 Cups, has barely mustered a quarter of the overall volume of posts that has been wasted on two bottom pairing defensemen. It's not hard to see how this board is channeling the majority of its energy into negativity and complaining.

I really wonder why some of you participate here. Genuinely. I don't know what you're getting out of this as this place seems to be making you miserable.

What do you want to see change here so that the atmosphere can start improving? How can we move forward in a positive way? It feels like this community is at a critical juncture of its existence. Let's figure this out together. We're all passionate fans and we all want this team to win and make us proud. How can we all get on the same page?

If people would accept the fact people have different opinions that would be great.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

It's a losing battle to try and tell people what they can and can't discuss on a message board.

Exactly this. If you are not happy with what someone is posting, you can simply click to ignore them thanks to a function provided by the website.

I think most posters on the Sens board are level-headed though. You should see how it is over at Soccer.

 

[Masked]

The negativity will continue until there's a change in ownership.

 

[thammias]

I suspect a lot of the posters on this board are young (below 25) and with youth comes a lack of life experiences (in other words.. immaturity). Young people tend to think that things are black or white. As you get older you learn that there is always two sides to every story and the situation is usually somewhere in the middle.

That said, nothing will change. You either ignore the negativity or don't. I find it extremely annoying but I still enjoy coming here to get information and find out what's going on in the world of hockey.

Agreed. You can sometimes find good hockey discussion and analysis in between the forest of negativity and fighting. But alas every discussion devolves into " Terrible fans, Don't support the team , didn't sell out a playoff game " vs " I can't believe you're defending this. You Melnyk shill/apologist"

 

[swiftwin]

I suspect a lot of the posters on this board are young (below 25) and with youth comes a lack of life experiences (in other words.. immaturity). Young people tend to think that things are black or white. As you get older you learn that there is always two sides to every story and the situation is usually somewhere in the middle.

That said, nothing will change. You either ignore the negativity or don't. I find it extremely annoying but I still enjoy coming here to get information and find out what's going on in the world of hockey.

This.

Also the Dunning-Kruger effect.

 

[swiftwin]

It's a losing battle to try and tell people what they can and can't discuss on a message board.

So start banning the usual suspects. The mods were doing it earlier this year when the site admins intervened, but people whined and they've since backed off.

 

[IranCondraAffair]

The quality of posts is low and all the old users are gone?

Have we tried banning more people?

This is like that joke poster "The beatings will continue till morale improves"

 

[Dionysus]

The polarization of HFsens has been going on for a while. I suppose it has followed overall society in that regard. There is still thoughtful and informative posting, just more rhetoric and hot takes with little substance to wade through unfortunately.

Melnyk's ownership is certainly a burden, and has negatively impacted the teams competitiveness, and relationship with the fans. Personally, I am still excited to watch this young team grow over the next few years. This draft feels to me like the turning point from tearing down to building up. Ownership is an underlying issue, but I can't wait to see some of the young prospects break into the lineup this season, and hopefully some competitive hockey with flashes of a real good team.

 

[Samsquanch]

I've always been one of the louder people here in favour of making this place more positive. But to be honest I feel like it's an impossible battle that's not even worth fighting anymore.

And beyond that, it feels like it's been way easier to avoid the negativity than it has been in the past. Like it was easy for me to not get bogged down in both the Brown and Gudbranson "shit show" threads that we saw. They were compelling for the same reasons why the Trump vs Biden debate was compelling (ie all the wrong reasons).

The reality is the consistent complainers have only a few straws left to grab for at this point in time. And the debates they latch on to are weak, and about inconsequential moves that are barely worth the hot air they spend on moaning about them. Because that's all that's left for them anymore...

The hard truth is that the future looks freaking great and despite what any of them say. And that Dorion has actually done a pretty swell job at ripping the team down (much of it inherited) and rebuild it according to his own vision. It's not easy to come around to this reality when you've spent years of time and energy arguing that the sky is falling.

It's clear how the team is being built here and how he wants his team to play. And it's like the opposite philosophy from how Dubas has built his team in Toronto, and I'm in complete support of Dorions vision at this point.

The Sens could literally be a nightmare inducing team for the eastern conference soon, especially in the playoffs where the speed and physicality picks up. Provided we get a legit #2C out of one of Brown, Norris, White, Pinto, or Greig - which I'll be shocked if we dont, then there isnt a lack of anything in the organization at the moment. Dorion has acquired everything that we need to get back to being a respectable team.

It's up to DJ and the development staff now to figure out a way to work all them into the lineup over the next few seasons. And with a little bit of ime marinating in NHL, I think this group turns into a legit playoff team within 2-3yrs, and possibly playing for a chance at the cup in years 4 and 5. It might sound like a long time, but keep in mind Brady will only be 26yrs and Chabot 28yrs - which sounds like a perfect age for them to be leading a young team into the promised land.

 

[Sun God Nika]

So start banning the usual suspects. The mods were doing it earlier this year when the site admins intervened, but people whined and they've since backed off.

I disagree banning posters for posting in a way you disagree with does not warrant a ban. Theres a ignore function if you have any questions about it send me a message.

 

[Neil Patrick Harris]

I suspect a lot of the posters on this board are young (below 25) and with youth comes a lack of life experiences (in other words.. immaturity). Young people tend to think that things are black or white. As you get older you learn that there is always two sides to every story and the situation is usually somewhere in the middle.

That said, nothing will change. You either ignore the negativity or don't. I find it extremely annoying but I still enjoy coming here to get information and find out what's going on in the world of hockey.

You really think the majority of people here are under 25? On a message board in 2020?

I'd be surprised if that were the case. I'd imagine most young fans would be drawn to more conventional/modern social media (Twitter, Reddit, etc.)

As for the negativity - it is what it is. The team isn't good, management has been poor, and ownership hasn't just been bad, but an active embarrassment at times. The majority of attention this team has drawn over the past several seasons, both within and without, has been negative in tone. I don't think it's something we can actively police, rather something that will change with time as the team improves.

If anything, I thought the past few days felt like we had turned a page and people were starting to feel a bit more excitement for the future.

 

[DueDiligence]

, but we're fans and when our team is being run into the ground by ownership and management, you can't complain when people are upset if they support that team.

Reasonable and objective debate should be welcomed and negative viewpoints are certainly valid. But some posters seem to revel in dumping on the team, the management etc. regardless of the situation. And its not just one or two posts in many threads, it is continual. Why be a fan of a team that makes you so unhappy?

 

[IranCondraAffair]

Reasonable and objective debate should be welcomed and negative viewpoints are certainly valid. But some posters seem to revel in dumping on the team, the management etc. regardless of the situation. And its not just one or two posts in many threads, it is continual. Why be a fan of a team that makes you so unhappy?

Venting/venting is a way for people to deal with decisions they disagree with. Stopping it is the exact opposite of healthy.

If anything we should be encouraging people to vent so they aren't angry

 

[swiftwin]

I disagree banning posters for posting in a way you disagree with does not warrant a ban. Theres a ignore function if you have any questions about it send me a message.

I disagree. Posters who violate site rules need to get banned.