GDT: What happened to good GDT conversation??

Lobster57

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Nov 22, 2006
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I don't get to see a whole lot of games, being on the west coast and usually working until 6:30-7pm so when i do get to watch one its a little treat. I try to keep my comments in GDTs first to a minimum, i'm watching a stream so i'm usually a good 15-30 seconds behind, there isn't much i can add to the discussion about the immediate ins and outs of the game. I will post after a goal or a big hit or ridiculous save, because it makes me happy to post "SOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I will post questions/observations such as "why didn't Gionta get called for a hook?" or "Boychuk is great at clearing the puck on the PK" other than that i try really hard not to editorialize. I have a temper, and when watching hockey it gets unleashed on my team, or the refs, and usually it's not entirely rational. But i understand that about myself and realize that 99.99928% of people really don't care to hear me rage/pout/whine

edit: one other factor towards the deterioration of GDTs is that win or lose the B's haven't been particularly entertaining this season, even a lot of the wins this season haven't been a ton of fun to watch, and that can make things frustrating in GDTs.
 
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Concessionaire

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One specific thing that has been bothering me this season, and this actually goes beyond just the GDTs, has been the "Pandawful" nickname. I get it, he's not the best player on the Bruins roster, but the nickname was barely amusing the first time someone posted it. By the 100th time it was completely tiresome and needlessly cruel.
 

Artemis

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Dec 8, 2010
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Many of us have been through truly bad times with all our teams here. We go back what, almost 15 years?

But although we vented , we still had decent discussion without outlandish claims, statements, etc...

I don't get it. Maybe it's a new thing and I'm just a dinosaur.

This team deserves criticism for its performance of late. But it begins and ends there.

To equate it to recent events, to claim if someone cares or not, to state things like embarrassment or suggest entitlement because of what recently occurred is too far out there for me.

Maybe board talk has passed me by. I don't know.

But I will apologize on behalf of HF to the players and their families that read this site.

This. Some of the statements are beyond belief. It goes beyond criticism or even complaining and into ranting and invective.

It's supposed to be fun. If sports makes somebody go into such a frothing fury on a message board, perhaps they should take a break from it for a while.
 

EverettMike

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Not sure why you always seem to single me out of the bunch when there were a bunch of other people complaining too.

I know I can get pretty edgy quickly with the games, and it's been frustrating to watch the games lately. Honestly, I have no regrets about what I said earlier today. I said "there it is folks" right after they got that GAG. With the team and how they have been playing lately, it wasn't such a bad thing to presume at the time. Turned out I was right, no?

Not getting into specifics, but you don't think the people that bring nothing but snide and rude "one liner" comments to one another aren't as bad as the people who complain in the GDT's? If you don't like what I have to say, feel free to put me on ignore.

One of us singled you out.

Wasn't me.

You also didn't deny what I said. You are proud of it.
 

ProdigalFan

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Speaking of negative, where's DancesWithBeavers been? I'm surprised he hasn't been around to vent his spleen on this team full of "gawyucks". :laugh:
 

CamFan81

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Mar 22, 2009
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I haven't read this entire thread, so pardon me if this has been expressed already...

I think there's a big difference between criticism and negativity - and I think things might improve somewhat if people could learn the difference and try to temper their posts accordingly.

We all can get frustrated and disappointed with a loss or if the team or certain players are playing poorly. But sometimes we "shoot from the hip" and it comes across as negativity, which in turn sets off other people who are trying to be more positive or balanced.

Example - the same feeling/thought expressed different ways:

Criticism - "If this team keeps playing with this lack of passion/finish/discipline we're one and done!"

Negativism: "This team is done!!"

Now the first statement isn't as inflammatory as the 2nd. Even if you're generally optimistic about the team, you may very well agree. Sure, IF they continue to play poorly, they'll fare poorly. But the absolutist negativism of the 2nd statement gets some people's hackles up.

I may feel the team can turn it around, but at least I'd be prone to agree with the criticism of the 1st statement, which at least doesn't get everyone's hackles up, and may even open up a reasonable conversation: "So, hey, why are they playing badly right now?" etc., which is more likely to result in a discussion of hockey and not a clash of temperaments (pessimism vs optimism).

It might not solve everything, but maybe it's somewhere to start.

This is Dr. Phil saying good night and god bless.
Great post by someone who I wish posted more
 

Bone for your jar

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Feb 2, 2011
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I haven't read this entire thread, so pardon me if this has been expressed already...

I think there's a big difference between criticism and negativity - and I think things might improve somewhat if people could learn the difference and try to temper their posts accordingly.

We all can get frustrated and disappointed with a loss or if the team or certain players are playing poorly. But sometimes we "shoot from the hip" and it comes across as negativity, which in turn sets off other people who are trying to be more positive or balanced.

Example - the same feeling/thought expressed different ways:

Criticism - "If this team keeps playing with this lack of passion/finish/discipline we're one and done!"

Negativism: "This team is done!!"

Now the first statement isn't as inflammatory as the 2nd. Even if you're generally optimistic about the team, you may very well agree. Sure, IF they continue to play poorly, they'll fare poorly. But the absolutist negativism of the 2nd statement gets some people's hackles up.

I may feel the team can turn it around, but at least I'd be prone to agree with the criticism of the 1st statement, which at least doesn't get everyone's hackles up, and may even open up a reasonable conversation: "So, hey, why are they playing badly right now?" etc., which is more likely to result in a discussion of hockey and not a clash of temperaments (pessimism vs optimism).

It might not solve everything, but maybe it's somewhere to start.

This is Dr. Phil saying good night and god bless.

That's a great post in a great thread (thanks WBC).

I don't post frequently on GDTs because the nature of my life has me watching all but a few games on DVR (and posting on the PGTs), so I may not be fully qualified to comment, but here goes:

I think many of the suggestions for improvement (such as the post above) on this thread are good, and I'm hopeful that they'll contribute to improving the GDT experience. Having said that.... I also feel that we should cut ourselves some slack on GDTs. After all, fan-hood is an emotional state of being, and those emotions can oscillate wildly from moment to moment. While I tend not to make as absolutely negative characterizations of our team's play as some others here, I would be lying if I didn't acknowledge that I don't sometimes have those moments of despair and doom when things aren't going well. And I guess what I'd suggest is that maybe the GDT should be that place where it's ok to let it all hang out; the place where you vent whatever feeling is overwhelming you at that moment, as a fan. The GDT should be no different than watching a game with a few friends: you just blurt out things in the heat of the moment, and don't necessarily try to shape it into a balanced, fully coherent, and nutritionally wholesome whole. You slap your forehead, you throw things at the TV set, you jump up in joy and accidentally punch a hole in the ceiling (as I did once in a friend's basement), you knock over the beer bottle and kick the cat (accidentally, I hope).

In most aspects of our daily life, we are called upon to exercise considerable restraint on our emotions. We practice that self-control in our professional lives, in our social lives, in our parenting lives. Could it be that one of the good things about sports fanhood, and hockey most especially, is that it provides a space to just let the emotions happen -- to express a whole range of visceral emotions, across the spectrum from deep gloom to unbridled joy-- without much in the way of adverse impacts on our fellow human beings (perhaps that should be "fellow creatures", given my feline example above)? I realize that players like to heed the motto, "don't get too high, don't get too low", but do we as fans have to seek that same stoic equanimity? At the end of a long and trying day, is it not ok to regress a little into a more spontaneous, primitive state, and to express whatever the despair, loathing, adrenaline, or joy of the moment is, in operatically intense posts of questionable grammar, faulty logic, and dubious civic merit? How about we save our better, more thoughtful posts for other places, but permit ourselves to be as dumb and reactionary in our GDT posts as we truly are while we watch the games?

Just a thought.
 
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JRull86

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Jan 28, 2009
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GDT's describe what this board has become in a nutshell. Used to be great for discussion. Then they won the Cup and people use it as a crutch when they play bad. They fight with people who call the team out for not playing well. Same thing every game.

Bingo, we've got bingo here.

GDT's are always going to be emotional and reactive, but they have been pretty poor this season, tons of negativity going on constantly. Have I been guilty of this? Absolutely. But I try to at least look at the game and team as a whole objectively instead of flying off the hook with the "OMG CLODE SUCKS, LUCIC SUCKS, THIS TEAM SUCKS...BLAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" tirade like some people do.

GDT's used to be something I enjoyed posting in. I'd have the game up on my TV and post in the GDT on my phone or computer. Now? Maybe if I feel like it. Pat of that is because the culture that is in them now.
 

JRull86

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Jan 28, 2009
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The more I think about it, bruins fans, we're better than this. I've only been on this board for 4 years, which is chump change compared to some others here who go back to the pre-HF days, but honestly everyone, just calm down.

This team is inconsistent and frustrating to watch, but I'd much rather just talk hockey then have to scroll through 50 posts of "F THIS!", "THIS TEAM SUCKS", "GAME OVER", etc., before I read someone trying to make a rational point that gets lost in the spam of complaining.

Seriously everyone, I IMPLORE YOU, to think before you post, and tryto make this board great like it used to be. It was so much more fun that way.
 

DominicT

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Sep 6, 2009
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I've always wondered:

With so many people posting in the GDT and so many posts in a GDT, how many people are actually watching the game?

30,000+ views in the GDT yesterday and it makes me wonder. (200 views per minute)

Case in point: I've never seen so many contradicting opinions in Carl Soderberg's game yesterday. I question if some actually watched the game.
 

MaritimeHockeyNut

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Nov 26, 2010
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Well cause of work i don't always catch the game so i follow the GDT . i for one love the passion in the post. Kinda gets me involved and gives me a slight view on how the game is going. Rather read 500 comments i disagree with like "FIRE CLAUDE" Then to read some well meaning articulated comment that's devoid of passion for the game to spark some meaningful conversation during the game. guess im more of a beer drinking face painting Pejorative Slur then a wine sipping ***** . Personally my opinion is the same comment id make to the bruins right about now... Just wish they'd grow a backbone.

Complaining is not the same as discussing ... Figure that out and everything gets better
 

TheBigBadB

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Its a hockey board that you have to take the time to sign up for. Everyone that posts here is a diehard fan. Of course there is a going to be half full/half empty cup views. You couldnt go to one thread on any of the teams boards here and not find that.

If you have issues because you cant let stupid posts go then just start white listing who you want to hear from and blacklist everyone else. Creating a thread about it is just going to cause bickering and incite stupid responses from both happy/negative posters.
 

Ladyfan

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One specific thing that has been bothering me this season, and this actually goes beyond just the GDTs, has been the "Pandawful" nickname. I get it, he's not the best player on the Bruins roster, but the nickname was barely amusing the first time someone posted it. By the 100th time it was completely tiresome and needlessly cruel.

I agree with this.

I get that a player is having a tough time but some see all bad and don't notice the good. If you watch only one player for a game you can find bad plays ...well except Bergy :D...he is ALL good.
 

Ladyfan

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Oh nooo.. I hope I am not one of them. :(

Not at all. Actually it is really only one and I no longer pay attention to any of that person's posts. I find that works best for me.

I am here for hockey news/ talk and fun.

I almost quit this place recently but it's like anything else...When I looked at the whole group I really like this place and many of the folks who post here. In fact I consider a few as friends (a couple that I have never met in person).

There are annoying and bad people everywhere but there are many more good than bad.
 

ReggieMoto

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Nov 24, 2003
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I've always wondered:

With so many people posting in the GDT and so many posts in a GDT, how many people are actually watching the game?

I've often wondered this myself. When the game is on, I'm watching the game, not sitting at my PC chatting up fans in a GDT.

Are folks actually watching?
 

Ladyfan

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I've often wondered this myself. When the game is on, I'm watching the game, not sitting at my PC chatting up fans in a GDT.

Are folks actually watching?

What is even stranger is to be at the game and there are people texting all throughout the game and not even watching. Seems silly to pay the $$ for tickets (plus transportation to the game) and then not even watch.

I sometimes will check in here between periods but can't take my eyes off the game while they are playing.

Oh well. It is much different these days then when I first started following hockey.

Right Wally ?
 

ODAAT

Registered User
Oct 17, 2006
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Victoria BC
After the past week, I don't really give too much of a flying **** about hockey, but I was pretty disturbed by the GDT thread today, and lately they have been garbage....

These threads used to be a place where the game was talked about technically as it was going on... Used to be great...Now you have a bunch of 100% negative all the time no matter what people who do nothing but biatch, then you have the lollipop and gumdrop crew who do nothing but whine about the whiners and shoot down every attempt it seems to talk about how to correct a negative...

It's just become impossible to talk about the game....it's just becomes a bickering between the masses...last time it got this bad years ago, many of us started an AOL IM thing to talk rationally about what was going on....Thing is, many of the posters who used to talk during the game, good talk, have left the GDT's all together.... That stinks...

Maybe we can as a group come up with a way to make the GDT's more tolerable?


Your title for this thread is completely misleading. Initially I thought "here we go", things so bad here fans complaining about all those great fans who take the time to put together a great GDT. Thankfully that`s not what this is about because being a fan who struggles to turn on his computer in the morning with my lack of technological skill, I`m grateful for those who do such a wonderful job.

Now, no argument on any other front. More and more this fan has had to

A- Use ignore more than ever
B- Take way more time away from these boards

A disturbing and unfortunately increasing trend here, and that`s absolutely horrifically weak posts, offering absolutely nothing close to rational and concrete ideas/suggestions and respectful opinions. What I see/read more of is brilliance like "this team is s***" or "**** this team"

Congrats fans, lovely and productive conversation, almost Mensa worthy. I have made more of my share of suggestions/opinions where I look back and say "not my finest work" however, what I TRY to make sure I do is look at the other side of things from other fans. Just because I don`t or won`t agree with someone, doesn`t mean I can`t try and respect their opinions but this place and the quality of posts is deteriorating at a truly disappointing rate.

Some absolutely fantastic posters, and one`s who have forgotten more than what half here know about this game don`t post as often, and when they do, you can read the frustrations on the screen.

Same BS every season, nearing the end, there`s a bunch of posters, not always new to the boards (which means nothing, I`ve read new board members with great thoughts), they pop their head out of their parents basement to offer us their two cents and it`s, well, about as entertaining as watching Torts scream at his troops or doing his mouth-breather routine in front of a TV camera post game.

I love this team, always will, but I had to step away from watching my beloved Boston Bruins on TV for a few games this year as it`s been a frustrating one and suddenly I was asking myself "isn`t there a more productive way that I can spend 2-3 hours of my time rather than watch mediocrity" BUT, doesn`t mean I don`t love my team and I`ll always support them.

Been an incredibly tough year, very inconsistent, average at best play from far too many and it`s tough to stomach, now this team`s lost 4 in a row, heading into the playoffs, doesn`t leave me oozing with confidence but......playoffs are a as predictable as draft picks, no rhyme or reason as to why teams stacked on paper lose to inferior one`s, good/bad bounce here, great save there, timely goal, ya never know.

I do know one thing, for those upset with this team, there are words in the english dictionary that are out there in which you could use to string together far more intelligent opinions than "**** this team", then exclaim to those on the board that your a "fan".

And for all this inconsistent play, I look at the standings on April 21st, and where do I see this team??? In 5th bloody place in the NHL. Why, in a year when they have played nowhere near their expectations are they in this spot??? Well, maybe, just maybe, in a shortened season, things like this happen, and this Boston Bruin team is about the furthest from the only team who has, all season struggled to put a consistent game together.

How entitled have I become I need to ask myself??? The answer, look at the standings, 5th place team, yes playing below expectations and I sit here and complain about them?? Maybe I need to rethink my attitude at times.

I don`t question this teams heart, I don`t question their desire to win, and for me, I need to ask myself, regardless that I get paid Minimum Wage, " do I bring the A game each and every day" Easy answer, nope

Sit back, hands off the keyboards fans if you have nothing productive to say. That doesn`t mean don`t criticize when warranted, just think about it before posting. Advice from a fan who`s done it himself

Go Bruins:yo:
 

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