Comments on: WWW, The Blues And A Sobering Realization

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:11:12 +0000

Reality is best….that is why I brought up about the coming changes. But that should not take away from this successful season.
As odd as it might sound, it is easier to write about controversy or negative happenings…..misery loves company maybe.
Coach Q. thought the win over the Blues was special too…the boys get a well deserved day off on Thursday.

By: Dave Morris

Dave Morris — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:20:29 +0000

Al, reading some of the negative opinions of so-called ’experts’ in the hockey blogosphere, I sometimes wonder if these critics actually hate the NHL.

They write about everything that’s ‘wrong’, yet devote precious little space to the tremendous strides made by the league in the past fprty years.

You see almost nothing about the charity work done by the NHL and NHL players.

You see almost no coverage of how the game is taking hold in places as far away as China.

For those of us who actually remember the six team league, we also remember how players were paid a pittance, among other inequities.

But the media loves a circus, and it loves disasters. Even if it has to invent them.

Hockey today is more entertaining and more accessible than it has ever been. The National Hockey League has become the pinnacle, the dream for hockey talent from around the world. And what’s wrong with that?

Nothing.

Now, to the Blackhawks…as we watched the Hawks defeat the Blues tonight, the idea that this team is special, was simply reinforced.

The reality that the salary cap will mandate changes should not diminish the enjoyment of what they are accomplishing.

There are plenty of kill-joys who want to vent their anger and jealousy because the Hawks are an exciting, successful team.

And so it goes.

Thanks again for your balanced and reasoned viewpoint.

By: Al Cimaglia

Al Cimaglia — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:36:41 +0000

You don’t have to stop…

The bigger the pool of fans the more likely the success of a franchise…TV still is the best advertisement.

By: jt19

jt19 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:57:52 +0000

+1 on Yawney getting another shot

By: shruew

shruew — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:42:28 +0000

Ugh, that “analysis” in the Puck Daddy post is horrible. It really hits a nerve with me when people start, to generalize, with the argument – “You can’t compete with free.”
Even the comparison with movies is a misunderstanding of the market. People don’t go to movies just to see a movie. Marcus Loew (founder of Loews) figured this out and noted that he sold tickets to the theater; not for movies.
The *experience* of going to the movies is different than watching at home for a variety of reasons and many cinemas have figured this out (see Gold Class Cinemas).
I would argue that the experience of going to a hockey game is more than just seeing who will win. You can’t replicate the crowd, the overall flow of the game you can’t get on TV and I never remember to stock my desert cart at home…(chocolate bailey’s shots anyone?)
As we’ve seen in the Wirtz example, exposnig more people to hockey is more likely to drive up attendance than not.
Puck Daddy’s quote “But Ovadia’s theory is something the NHL should be thinking about” makes me think that he’s suggesting the NHL should be looking to limit exposure to the game because it is hurting attendance. Hopefully, they don’t go done that route as it will do nothing but shrink the market.
Of course, neither quotes nor Puck Daddy offer in data that shows an increase in NHL viewership has let to a decline in attendance, etc etc. Ok, now I’m critiquing the original article too much instead of commenting on your post. I’ll stop.