quincy said:
Little melodramatic AJ...
Finished, no. Gravely wounded, definitely. It's going to take a lot of work to win the fans back - lower ticket prices, better game play, more fan involvement.
It's gonna take a lot more than lower ticket prices and fan involvement to bring people back to the NHL....it's gonna take an emotional attachment (such as the 98 HR race to baseball), people will want a reason to go to a game (i.e. to see something special), not an excuse (oh look, tickets are only $20).
To have a long-term injection of a fan base, something really positive will have to have in a few different markets over the course of the next 2 years.
The next 2-3 years of NHL hockey will tell us the future of this league.
And I can't bash those NHLers who speak out based on emotions or frustrations, and don't really know what it's like for us common folk who put in 8-5's and don't make millions of dollars a year.
It's all relative people, to them, everyone in their
business makes a lot of money, for what we consider a game or a hobby. If they need another million to feed their dogs, than let them negotiate their contract. Honestly, I could care less what players do with their money and if they want to whine; it doesn't affect my behavior or attitude about them as individuals on an everyday basis. They just need to operate within a standard and a set of guidelines. If player A wants another million dollars, player B will have to give that up, or B and C will each give up $500k. You need a realistic ceiling.
Sure I would like salaries to come down and the average price of a family of 4 going to game to drop, but as long as people are willing to pay those prices, why would they drop? And as long as owners dish out the money, and players hold out for it, we'll continue to pay for it.
The NHL needs to have a ceiling and floor on spending to make the game fair, or at least competitive. You can pretty much look at the NHL playoffs for the last 10 years, and see at least 10 of the same teams there each year; the teams with the most money to spend.
The game is badly damaged, almost to the brink of no repair, but with some softer heads and greater minds, I think the game needs some changes before the next season starts. Contraction does not need to happen if there is a salary cap. Relocation would be a better option.
Well, I could go on all night and til the next day, except I have class and work tomorrow.
Discuss amongst yourself, and if you don't agree with me, we all have opinions, and the only way to resolve anything is to talk about them.
Thanks,
Vik
