GBLeaf
Registered User
Sorry, but someone in his position can't be seen to publicly make that comment.
Doesn't look good on him imo. Hugely unprofessional.
Doesn't look good on him imo. Hugely unprofessional.
Sorry, but someone in his position can't be seen to publicly make that comment.
Doesn't look good on him imo. Hugely unprofessional.
It's funny and true though
Not flawed.It doesn't even matter if the Leafs make the playoffs or not, the format is flawed, there's no way that two top teams should face each other in the first round, case closed.
You can double the ticket prices and cut the Leafs wins in half and the place will still be filled. Why? Corporations. They need to wine and dine big fish and they couldn't care less about the costs, it's not their money. Most of them never played sports, some of them don't know the rules. Corporations also overpay for TV rights. Overpay for ads.
So, the reality is, the old "we should boycott the Leafs" won't work. It's the most corporate team in the NHL. As a kid we could catch a Marlies game, watch a Leafs (or opponents practice) and buy a ticket from a scalper, sit in the greys and listen to guys scream "Argoooos" as the Leafs got hammered again. That was the old Gardens. Those days are long gone.
That's the nature of business. It's not right or wrong, it just is what it is. It's sad because the most hardcore Leaf fans aren't represented in the stands, while other teams (especially in the unusual markets where it's an anomaly to be a big NHL fan over say, NFL or NBA) have their most staunch fans in the stands, and they pay a reasonable ticket price.
So as Steve Stavros said famously about getting Gretzky (when he wanted to come here before heading to St. Louis) "and how many seats is he going to fill?" He didn't want to overpay for him even at a discount. The NHL thinks, "we're not going to bend over for this spoiled, wealthy team".
If we were a franchise on the brink of collapse, maybe. I'm not saying they don't listen, but they feel we are about sour grapes and have a perspective of self righteousness just because of the economic clout. MLSE should use it and keep applying pressure, but the league doesn't seem to really care.
That's what people said in 1993 when Kerry Fraser screwed the Leafs from playing Montreal in the finals. I don't think that the flawed playoffs format is intended to screw Canadian teams, it's just flawed.Not flawed.
Make sure Canadian teams take each other out.
The American Association of United States Ice Hockey Teams and their commissioner, Gray Bettman, are seeking a US TV network deal. Clearly, the AAUSIHT needs to show the American networks that no Canadian team is likely to make the finals and that two Canadian teams making it are pretty much impossible. The AAUSIHT must show the American TV networks that they need not fear a toxic Winnipeg vs Ottawa Stanley Cup final
Probably not the best team if you go down in the first round no?Boston-Toronto should have been the Eastern Conference Final last year...why boot the best teams in the first round?
But tell us more, Gary!
You can double the ticket prices and cut the Leafs wins in half and the place will still be filled. Why? Corporations. They need to wine and dine big fish and they couldn't care less about the costs, it's not their money. Most of them never played sports, some of them don't know the rules. Corporations also overpay for TV rights. Overpay for ads.
So, the reality is, the old "we should boycott the Leafs" won't work. It's the most corporate team in the NHL. As a kid we could catch a Marlies game, watch a Leafs (or opponents practice) and buy a ticket from a scalper, sit in the greys and listen to guys scream "Argoooos" as the Leafs got hammered again. That was the old Gardens. Those days are long gone.
That's the nature of business. It's not right or wrong, it just is what it is. It's sad because the most hardcore Leaf fans aren't represented in the stands, while other teams (especially in the unusual markets where it's an anomaly to be a big NHL fan over say, NFL or NBA) have their most staunch fans in the stands, and they pay a reasonable ticket price.
So as Steve Stavros said famously about getting Gretzky (when he wanted to come here before heading to St. Louis) "and how many seats is he going to fill?" He didn't want to overpay for him even at a discount. The NHL thinks, "we're not going to bend over for this spoiled, wealthy team".
If we were a franchise on the brink of collapse, maybe. I'm not saying they don't listen, but they feel we are about sour grapes and have a perspective of self righteousness just because of the economic clout. MLSE should use it and keep applying pressure, but the league doesn't seem to really care.
Bulletin board material.
I vote the Leafs set ticket prices to line up with other sections profits and expenses so we end up a $0 team.
We can afford it, right??
Maybe Gary will notice 200M dollars missing... Ya, that’s our profits every year... And good ol Gary has the nerve to say a ****ing word!
It's interesting how some, I assume, Leaf fans equate a crack at them as being a crack at the Leafs. Are you honestly that arrogant? Do you really consider yourselves the same as the actual team? I suspect that Leafs ownership and management at least chuckled at the comment as I'm sure they, unlike some of the fanbase, realize how silly some of their fans can be at times.
Some people on the Leafs board wonder why I dislike the Leafs fanbase at times. Some of the replies by Leaf fans in this thread are a good example of why.
The abuse this guy takes is for a reason. You know Canadian teams have been shook for 25 years. The south flow has gotta stop. Canadians will have to sell kidneys to see games that are less and less physical and entertaining every year. Gary is coming to town to sell that snake oil though, he'll be knocking looking for hockey obsessed Canadian folk to pay for his next Bettmansion.
Huh? It is.
When you take a crack at the Leafs fans, you are taking a crack at the people who cheer and invest their money in the team they cheer for. You can't see the obvious connection here? Said Leafs ownership and management have their salaries paid by the fans. All the players have their salaries paid by the fans. This team's - every other team's - lifeblood is the fans.
Blows my mind how uneducated some of the takes are on this board.
Absolute nonsense! If Canadians don't like the NHL, then they should just stop watching. Nobody is forcing them to watch or buy tickets. If a Canadian sells their kidney to buy an NHL ticket, that Canadian is an idiot. Now, maybe you think most Canadian hockey fans are idiots but I don't.
You clearly don't like the current NHL. Why are you still watching and discussing it? Why not move on and spend your time more constructively on something else?
They buy a consumer product. They don't invest in the team. Do you consider someone to be investing in Walmart when they shop there? Are you investing in Mirvish and company's business when you buy a ticket to a theatrical production?
And the "I pay your salary" is always pathetic -- whether it be from a sports fan or someone stopped by a cop.
It doesn't even matter if the Leafs make the playoffs or not, the format is flawed, there's no way that two top teams should face each other in the first round, case closed.
For the "Leaf fans have thin skins" crowd...do you seriously think it's appropriate and professional for a pro sports league commissioner to take shots at one of the league's teams? If so, why?
He didn't take a shot at a team. He took a well-deserved shot at a team's fans. Fans do not equal team.