Frustrated fans vent about lockout
Hiatus takes a toll on hockey diehards
The National Hockey League announced on Thursday that the first two weeks of the regular season have been officially cancelled as a result of the lockout, meaning the first 82 games through Oct. 24 have been wiped out.
This marks the NHL’s fourth work stoppage in the last two decades and the cancellation of the first two weeks of the season brings the total number of NHL games lost to lockouts to 1,780 … and counting. That’s more than Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Football League combined.
Commissioner Gary Bettman has already stated that the NHL recovered well from the last lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season “because we have the world’s greatest fans.” But those fans are angry now and time will tell how they respond when the lockout eventually ends.
Fans have been venting on The Gazette’s hockeyinsideout.com website and you’ll notice that we’ve taken the “Inside” out of Hockey Inside/ Out on the site.
Here’s what some of the fans are saying: piper says: I’m not a Bettman fan by any means but why don’t these players that are ripping him a new one vent on their owners instead. Bettman just works for the owners and is doing what they want. Habit ob a says: Is there a way to impeach Bettman? Who keep son agreeing tore new his contract? Seriously! Enough is enough. joey barrie says: I am hoping when the two sides come to an agreement we all DO NOT run out and celebrate by buying a new Habs jersey, hat, scarf or anything … I hope we all do NOT run out and buy out all the tickets. And I hope we all do NOT add to the revenue that both sides are fighting over … I hope that THIS lockout will affect the league enough to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Cause it just seems to me, they fight until they get a bunch of the money, the fans come running back and revenue grows even more. … Why would anyone fire the commissioner when hockey and revenue grows at a high rate. We need to get a message thru. They should be working HARDER to bring the game to the fans. Cause we are where the money is, and it seems to me like NO ONE is thinking of us. Like sheep we are. Habs Fan MTL says: If the whole year is cancelled and we the fans come back again after 2 wiped out seasons, then I guarantee you Bettman will do it again 8 years from now … this has to stop. jon514 says: I normally spend about $500/year on hockey tickets. This year I took that money and bought season tickets to the 2013 Impact season. I’m really pleased with my decision to support a league that needs and appreciates my money and my passion. If the fans want the league to take us seriously when we express our discontent, we need to organize ourselves into a voice they can hear and will respect. If we could convince discontent fans all across the league to skip one game in protest of the way we’ve been taken for granted, the valley in the ratings would raise some eyebrows. Cal says: Bettman just needs enough owners on his side to keep his job. We, the fans, never enter into that equation. Blondie says: To those advocating that fans stay away in droves when the league resumes playing to show our displeasure with the lockout: Isn’t that kinda counter-productive? If it were to happen, and be effective, wouldn’t the owners just lose more money thus precipitating another lockout down the road as this seems to be their only solution to the problem? There’s got to be a better way. ABHabs fan says: Owners and players are basically at an impasse as to how to spend our (the fans) money in the future. They take our hardearned money for granted, so in order for them to have a little respect and consideration, the money they can’t decide how to divie up, should be taken away. Kinda like my 4 and 6 year old with their toys; if they don’t keep them picked up and share them with each other, they get put in a closet until they can. (The toys go in the closet, not the kids. Don’t go calling people.) Mustang says: Commissioner Gary Bettman has already stated that the NHL recovered well from the last lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season “because we have the world’s greatest fans.” Not this fan, any more. That little weasel, his team owners, and the players have lost me. Quite honestly, I was just beginning to soften up after the last lockout. I really doubt that I will ever come back this time. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. commandant says: The more we get angry, the more Bettman and the owners know we can’t live without the game and will come back as soon as the lockout is over. The most powerful statement is indifference … and that’s why I’ll be watching the MLB playoffs, and NFL season, along with junior hockey very closely in the next few weeks. I can live without the NHL … screw ’em. Smart Dog says: WHICH STATEMENT IS MORE TRUE? A: Fehr has the players believing in an unrealistic outcome – that they can keep most of what they have – it’s just not going to happen, and they will eventually break because of it. B: Bettman has the owners believing the players are going to cave. It’s not going to happen. The league needs to figure out a way to solve it’s own problems rather than taking from the players. Sakus Evil Twin says: First they take away my brick and now THIS? Yes … I’m taking it personally! There has to be some kind of fan backlash. There has been too much investment (financial and otherwise) to allow this to pass for a 3rd time in such circumstances … Sadly the marketing spin doctors will pull the easily influenced back into the frey with trinkets and ‘fan appreciation’ BS, while hiking the prices to make up for lost revenue. It’s unlikely, but I sincerely hope for a week of empty arenas on opening week if/when it happens. Habs Been says: What Bettman really meant to say was, “because we have the world’s stupidest fans!” Prove him wrong, people! If the NHL ever gets going again, don’t come back. Don’t support the players. Don’t support the owners. Don’t support any team. Walk away. Don’t let Bettman take you for granted. Now are you smart enough to do that? Join the conversation and express your opinion on the NHL lockout by logging on to hockeyinsideout.com, where you can also see a video from one frustrated fan titled Shut the Puck Up.