News & Notes XLII: Consolidation Season

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I don’t think it’s a racial issue per se, it’s an immigration issue. People coming from a completely different culture (not just Buffalo vs Nashville different, but USA vs India different) are far less likely become hockey fans than are people whose families have deep roots with the game.

Look at where the future population growth is coming from, geographically speaking. It’s a tall order to convert a mass audience of Latin Americans or Bangladeshis or Nigerians to become hockey fans.

Beyond that, there’s also the matter of younger people being demographically less interested in sports than their parents, and gravitating toward other forms of entertainment.

There’s a real issue here and it’s not going to be talked about openly because that’s not how companies operate. But keep an eye on what their actions say as opposed to their words. Everything that’s being built right now is indicative of an expected drop in demand for actual tickets within the next generation. They’re setting up a model where the revenue comes from selling “luxury experiences” to companies and high-rollers, and raking in gambling revenue from the middle class. Actually attending a hockey game for the sake of a hockey game is becoming antiquated.

i agree with all of what you are saying.

2 things feed into this: sports at a high level have become very normal unlike when these kids' parents were kids. We had to watch sports center in the morning, read the paper, catch the handful of games on TV in a weekend just for a chance to see guys play. The allure has worn off with the kids because sports are everywhere. You can see highlights 10 seconds after they happen, watch and rewatch context repeatedly.

Also, the free market is making it hard to build new fans because of prices. Why spend a bunch of money a night to see a game when I can sit in my comfy chair, with a 1.50 beer, a 50 cent hotdog and 20 popcorn with no lines for the bathroom and a better view of the action than I would want to spend.

the growth of franchises will begin to plateau but we'll see far more ads intermingled with the broadcasts and on the players as being at the game is antiquated.

 

[WreckingCrew]

i agree with all of what you are saying.

2 things feed into this: sports at a high level have become very normal unlike when these kids' parents were kids. We had to watch sports center in the morning, read the paper, catch the handful of games on TV in a weekend just for a chance to see guys play. The allure has worn off with the kids because sports are everywhere. You can see highlights 10 seconds after they happen, watch and rewatch context repeatedly.

Also, the free market is making it hard to build new fans because of prices. Why spend a bunch of money a night to see a game when I can sit in my comfy chair, with a 1.50 beer, a 50 cent hotdog and 20 popcorn with no lines for the bathroom and a better view of the action than I would want to spend.

the growth of franchises will begin to plateau but we'll see far more ads intermingled with the broadcasts and on the players as being at the game is antiquated.

And because of blackout restrictions and other contracting-broadcasting bullshit, they're not even getting money from TV/streaming because they're forcing people to resort to pirating to get something they already tried to legally pay for.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

And because of blackout restrictions and other contracting-broadcasting bullshit, they're not even getting money from TV/streaming because they're forcing people to resort to pirating to get something they already tried to legally pay for.

Im a big fan of pirates myself!

 

[Svechhammer]

Lol Martinook did not seem pleased

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

lol be better Marty

 

[WreckingCrew]

Lol Martinook did not seem pleased

Dang he looks legit mad, which is weird when you only have 2 goals on the year, horribly failed 2 nights ago, and probably would have missed the net by 2-3 ft anyway

 

[Svechhammer]

Dang he looks legit mad, which is weird when you only have 2 goals on the year, horribly failed 2 nights ago, and probably would have missed the net by 2-3 ft anyway

Not like the rest of the team would be any better...

 

[WreckingCrew]

Not like the rest of the team would be any better...

It's really incredibly sad just how truly awful this team is at both shootouts and breakaways...it's hard to ever get excited about our guys going in alone because odds are high you'll be disappointed.

 

[Chrispy]

Not like the rest of the team would be any better...

 

[raynman]

It's really incredibly sad just how truly awful this team is at both shootouts and breakaways...it's hard to ever get excited about our guys going in alone because odds are high you'll be disappointed.

And according to Tripp they have a shootout after every practice

 

[Lempo]

And according to Tripp they have a shootout after every practice

As they should.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Not like the rest of the team would be any better...

Moral of the story: win in regulation or O/T!!!

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

In high school I was a goalkeeper for our soccer team.

During my senior year we were really good and made a run to the state championship. So, as we got farther along in the tournament, coach started doing PKs at the end of practice (since in soccer PKs are used all the time, even in the playoffs).

I was the backup goalie, but a very good shot stopper. Backup because unlike hockey, it’s much more important in soccer for goalies to be ball movers, come out and challenge for crosses, etc. My goal kicks barely made it past half field on a good day. Anyway, PKs were among my specialties, I was very good at them. Just a knack for reading the shooter, the timing of it all, etc.

Well, obviously I’ve been playing with these guys for 2-3 years now, so I know their shooting tendencies more or less. One practice, the day before the semifinals, coach decided to do a “game like” shootout. Went to the main field, turned the big lights on, one shooter at a time, really hyped the thing up. The goal was to get the team used to the pressure. Instead, I stopped something like 8 out 10 shots (exceptionally high for soccer), mostly because I knew everyone’s go to spot. I even stopped our best player and PK taker who hadn’t missed a PK all year. Long story short, I unintentionally sabotaged the drill, everyone got super annoyed with themselves and started losing confidence, and coach had to pivot and explain that this drill is actually nothing like the real thing at all because they wouldn’t be playing a goalie that knew their tendencies in the state tournament.

So yeah I get a little bit why Martinook might be pissed lmao.

 

[chaz4hockey]

In high school I was a goalkeeper for our soccer team.

During my senior year we were really good and made a run to the state championship. So, as we got farther along in the tournament, coach started doing PKs at the end of practice (since in soccer PKs are used all the time, even in the playoffs).

I was the backup goalie, but a very good shot stopper. Backup because unlike hockey, it’s much more important in soccer for goalies to be ball movers, come out and challenge for crosses, etc. My goal kicks barely made it past half field on a good day. Anyway, PKs were among my specialties, I was very good at them. Just a knack for reading the shooter, the timing of it all, etc.

Well, obviously I’ve been playing with these guys for 2-3 years now, so I know their shooting tendencies more or less. One practice, the day before the semifinals, coach decided to do a “game like” shootout. Went to the main field, turned the big lights on, one shooter at a time, really hyped the thing up. The goal was to get the team used to the pressure. Instead, I stopped something like 8 out 10 shots (exceptionally high for soccer), mostly because I knew everyone’s go to spot. I even stopped our best player and PK taker who hadn’t missed a PK all year. Long story short, I unintentionally sabotaged the drill, everyone got super annoyed with themselves and started losing confidence, and coach had to pivot and explain that this drill is actually nothing like the real thing at all because they wouldn’t be playing a goalie that knew their tendencies in the state tournament.

So yeah I get a little bit why Martinook might be pissed lmao.

Yeah but given our goalie struggles this year he is being selfish. Our goalies need as much confidence as they can get.

Btw: understand your point though.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

In high school I was a goalkeeper for our soccer team.

During my senior year we were really good and made a run to the state championship. So, as we got farther along in the tournament, coach started doing PKs at the end of practice (since in soccer PKs are used all the time, even in the playoffs).

I was the backup goalie, but a very good shot stopper. Backup because unlike hockey, it’s much more important in soccer for goalies to be ball movers, come out and challenge for crosses, etc. My goal kicks barely made it past half field on a good day. Anyway, PKs were among my specialties, I was very good at them. Just a knack for reading the shooter, the timing of it all, etc.

Well, obviously I’ve been playing with these guys for 2-3 years now, so I know their shooting tendencies more or less. One practice, the day before the semifinals, coach decided to do a “game like” shootout. Went to the main field, turned the big lights on, one shooter at a time, really hyped the thing up. The goal was to get the team used to the pressure. Instead, I stopped something like 8 out 10 shots (exceptionally high for soccer), mostly because I knew everyone’s go to spot. I even stopped our best player and PK taker who hadn’t missed a PK all year. Long story short, I unintentionally sabotaged the drill, everyone got super annoyed with themselves and started losing confidence, and coach had to pivot and explain that this drill is actually nothing like the real thing at all because they wouldn’t be playing a goalie that knew their tendencies in the state tournament.

So yeah I get a little bit why Martinook might be pissed lmao.

One of my kid's cross country coaches did the opposite way back. In a tune-up before state qualifying, he intentionally shortened the course so that runners would get their PR, even though he told them it was 5K. Not tremendously shorter, but enough for many of the runners to shave off 10s or so. He never told the kids and they went into the state qualifying meet with loads of confidence. IIRC, it worked as many of the kids ran their best race at that meet.

 

[bleedgreen]

i didn’t get the vibe he was actually angry at all. Not until I saw it written after.

Pretty standard hockey behavior going on there I thought? I assumed they were laughing and talking smack. A lot of guys would act fake annoyed.

 

[Chrispy]

Great. Now we are going to get a trade board thread about dealing Kochetkov because of Martinooks blow up.

 

[Joe McGrath]

i didn’t get the vibe he was actually angry at all. Not until I saw it written after.

Pretty standard hockey behavior going on there I thought? I assumed they were laughing and talking smack. A lot of guys would act fake annoyed.

Yeah this times 1000. Martinook is a goofball, he was probably mocking the Tkatchuk situation.

 

[Svechhammer]

If what you surmise comes true, then the "loudest arena in the League" will become like attending a game at Church.

The Yankees took that approach and their stadium is much quieter versus old Yankee Stadium and there are always plenty of empty seats in TV view because the fat cats don't always attend.

I mean we're basically already there. I have grandfathered Pure Hockey tickets, and its by far the cheapest option to go to a game in that goalline to goalline lower bowl. The costs of going to games since COVID has basically doubled with inflated concession, ticket, and parking prices to the point where I cannot really afford to have even a single ticket next year. And I make a good salary with only a mortgage to pay off as debt. They've just grown to such a prohibitively expensive experience that we made the decision to see this season out through the playoff run before dropping tickets for good, and its a recurring theme I've heard from so many of my friends and colleagues.

The average fan is actively getting squeezed out of the arena. The upper middle class is getting actively squeezed out of anything that isn't the upper bowl. The Canes hockey gameday experience that will exist in the post-renovation world is going to look significantly different than it does right now.

 

[AD Skinner]

I’m just some schmuck on a message board but it sure seems like this phenomenon of pricing out all but a very small percentage of people from experiences goods or services is an issue way beyond a specific sports team or league

 

[Svechhammer]

I’m just some schmuck on a message board but it sure seems like this phenomenon of pricing out all but a very small percentage of people from experiences goods or services is an issue way beyond a specific sports team or league

If I could like comments I would give this a Love reaction.

I bought my current home in 2020. I have done absolutely nothing to it since we bought, but apparently between then and now the home value has increased 75%. And while you think this would make me happy, it pisses me off because its effectively priced everyone else at my financial level out of the area. So many of my friends looked to buy even 6 months later and have had to go back to renting because nothing is affordable anymore. Its bullshit.

 

[bleedgreen]

If I could like comments I would give this a Love reaction.

I bought my current home in 2020. I have done absolutely nothing to it since we bought, but apparently between then and now the home value has increased 75%. And while you think this would make me happy, it pisses me off because its effectively priced everyone else at my financial level out of the area. So many of my friends looked to buy even 6 months later and have had to go back to renting because nothing is affordable anymore. Its bullshit.

I make a decent amount of money, more than I dreamed I would make doing what I do. I can’t afford anything by myself right now. If I had what I have now a few years ago I could’ve. 500k for small townhouses. I can afford a fairly hefty mortgage but I’ve had to save the down payment from scratch when rent is also high.

When I do buy I’ll likely Airbnb it as much as I can to afford it better when I’m on shift. Probably even sometimes when I’m not.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

60 dollars for 3 beers is insane

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Heck, I’ve slowed down buying beer at the store because a 12 pack is 15-16 bucks for a non crap beer.

Paying 20 bucks for a beer at a game or restaurant doesn’t make much sense to me.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Going to kraken game on thursday for sixth game this year. Probably will pregame on the ride from richmond.