What Will Be The New NHL Gimmick To Bring Back The Fans?

[jkrdevil]

I think the league is going to be shocked by how many fans they lost.

I don't think it will nearly as much damage as you believe. Especially since it doesn't look like thenleague is going to lose the playoffs, which is almost the only thing that matters. By the time the playoffs come around thisnwill be forgotten about by and large.

Missing the first couple months due to a lockout is better than missing the same amount of time dur to a late season players strike with it wiping out the playoffs.

 

[Sir Fenwick Corsi]

I don't think it will nearly as much damage as you believe. Especially since it doesn't look like thenleague is going to lose the playoffs, which is almost the only thing that matters. By the time the playoffs come around thisnwill be forgotten about by and large.

Missing the first couple months due to a lockout is better than missing the same amount of time dur to a late season players strike with it wiping out the playoffs.

True, the NHL will have preserved the most important part of their season, and that will help them save some face for sure. But I don't think the recovery is going to go as smoothly as it did the last two times. The worst thing to come out of round #3 between these idiots is that the greed factor is just so damn excessive this time around. I mean business is business, it is what it is, but both sides just look real bad. You can't help but notice the feeling of apathy hovering around this entire process, and imho, that's even worse than people being pissed off.

Fans of the game will continue to be fans of the game, but I suspect a significant amount are going to choose to be fans from a distance. That's the stance I'm taking at least. However long it takes me to warm up to this league again, who knows, but it will definitely be happening from my living room and not inside of an arena. I just can't fork my money over to this business in good conscious. It just feels wrong.

 

[NJDevs26]

I don't think it will nearly as much damage as you believe. Especially since it doesn't look like thenleague is going to lose the playoffs, which is almost the only thing that matters. By the time the playoffs come around thisnwill be forgotten about by and large.

Missing the first couple months due to a lockout is better than missing the same amount of time dur to a late season players strike with it wiping out the playoffs.

Assuming the league doesn't blow up over the next two weeks, I don't know how bad it'll be among the fans. It might be worse among sponsors and network execs, which'll have a trickle-down effect on the popularity of the game.

I do think some fans will protest for a while but ultimately losing less than half a season isn't really worth walking away for good, even if it is the 'third' prolonged work stoppage, it wouldn't be nuclear at least. The rumored free Center Ice the rest of the season would be a good start to at least throwing out an olive branch toward the fans watching and a way to reach the casual fan who normally doesn't.

Now if they do blow it up next two weeks, all bets are off.

 

[CerebralGenesis]

I actually think the fan backlash is going to be pretty bad. It's not only that they lost a chunk of games, but the leaking of information from both sides reveals how greedy and foolish they all look.

While you may be returning for the playoffs and won't care, there will be other who don't come back for some time or just limit themselves.

New Gimmick? How about 20 teams in the playoffs...gross...

 

[jkrdevil]

Assuming the league doesn't blow up over the next two weeks, I don't know how bad it'll be among the fans. It might be worse among sponsors and network execs, which'll have a trickle-down effect on the popularity of the game.

I do think some fans will protest for a while but ultimately losing less than half a season isn't really worth walking away for good, even if it is the 'third' prolonged work stoppage, it wouldn't be nuclear at least. The rumored free Center Ice the rest of the season would be a good start to at least throwing out an olive branch toward the fans watching and a way to reach the casual fan who normally doesn't.

Now if they do blow it up next two weeks, all bets are off.

Sponsors and tv care more about the playoff vs regular season than the fans do. NBC isn't happy they lost the content, but that is in the past. They still get the marquee part, which is what they are actually paying for. Sponsors won't like losing out on the ASG and Winter Classic, but outside of those again they pay for playoffs.

Now if the season does blow up, then I agree all bets are off.

As for the fans if you asked the season tickets holders to give a truthful answer they would gladly have the league cut the October and November games, so really we are missing a month and month in a half in terms of upset damage. There is a lot of excess fat on the NHL schedule and this is just trimming most of it (though I do concede it has gone long enough where it has taken some meat of the steak as well).

 

[Saugus]

I think the league is going to be shocked by how many fans they lost.

The casual fans will leave, but the diehards who are actually spending the most on the product (like most of us) will be back immediately. Numbers don't matter as much as dollars, and they have us hooked.

 

[NJDevs26]

I actually think the fan backlash is going to be pretty bad. It's not only that they lost a chunk of games, but the leaking of information from both sides reveals how greedy and foolish they all look.

While you may be returning for the playoffs and won't care, there will be other who don't come back for some time or just limit themselves.

New Gimmick? How about 20 teams in the playoffs...gross...

Thing is the people who have been following this closely enough to see just how ****ed up both sides are are the same diehards that aren't really going anywhere regardless, barring nuclear war breaking out again. It's not something that's thrown in the casual fan's face every day the way the NFL and even NBA lockouts were.

I mean the New York Jets are as badly run as the NHL is right now and I'm not boycotting the Jets.

 

[CerebralGenesis]

But we're talking the growth of the NHL and if you scare away casuals then you scare away potential diehards and more casuals. We won't know until probably the end of next season though.

 

[Bleedred]

If there is a season I don't think much damage will be done. Maybe I'm underestimating it, but that's how I feel.

Now if there is no season at all I think there will be a lot of damage. A LOT of damage, and I'm pretty certain I'm not overestimating that at all.

 

[jkrdevil]

I know the NHL has been through this more, but everything that is being said now was said about the NBA last year and they has one of their best seasons afterwards

 

[Desert Devil]

I really don't think the NHL will be hurt all that much unless these idiots can't reach an agreement this year to get a season in. If they lost it all, then there would be serious problems imo. Missing 34 games isn't a big deal for most fans, obviously excluding us hardcore fans.

 

[apice3*]

I know the NHL has been through this more, but everything that is being said now was said about the NBA last year and they has one of their best seasons afterwards

The NBA didn't lose an entire season 7 years prior though.

I'm not going anywhere, but I think the sport is going to lose a ton of fans. The previously known die hards are going to become casual fans, the casual fans are going to become even more casual, and the ones on the fence aren't going to care at all. Basically all the fans are sliding down one notch on the loyalty scale. I'm really not sure if it'll ever get back to where it was. If so, it's going to take a long time.

Maybe it's just all talk, but I've had a ton of hockey fans tell me they really don't care where the sport goes. With the Knicks revival and the Nets improving, a lot of local fans have found something better to do with their time and watch a sport that won't dick them over every 6 years.

 

[DatBoyJPP]

I really don't think the NHL will be hurt all that much unless these idiots can't reach an agreement this year to get a season in. If they lost it all, then there would be serious problems imo. Missing 34 games isn't a big deal for most fans, obviously excluding us hardcore fans.

Yea. As long as there's a playoff there shouldn't be a huge loss. Might take a year or two to rebuild trust but that's a small concern for the NHL

 

[Saugus]

But we're talking the growth of the NHL and if you scare away casuals then you scare away potential diehards and more casuals. We won't know until probably the end of next season though.

Clearly the league is willing to take that risk. It knows the diehards will be back no matter what.

 

[NJDevs26]

Maybe it's just all talk, but I've had a ton of hockey fans tell me they really don't care where the sport goes. With the Knicks revival and the Nets improving, a lot of local fans have found something better to do with their time and watch a sport that won't dick them over every 6 years.

It is a particularly bad year to have a lockout locally given how much buzz hockey had last year and how much the NBA is getting this year...but by the same token you also have a lot of NJ fans who won't root for the Nets in Brooklyn and will appreciate the only major sports team with NJ in its name more.

 

[jkrdevil]

How many people are truely upset that there wasn't any early season games they don't go to anyhow? Attendance doesn't pick up until this time anyways.

 

[Saugus]

Not having a full season will rankle with many people, but as long as the playoffs are saved and the Cup is awarded, everyone will eventually forget.

 

[NJDevs26]

This rumor won't go away...

https://twitter.com/RealKyper

Nick Kypreos ‏@RealKyper

Although it hasn't been brought up in negotiations both #NHL #NHLPA have had internal discussions on 4 more teams qualifying for playoffs

Oy vey...FOUR more teams? Who's ever going to make a deadline deal with basically nobody out of the playoffs.

 

[Wingman77]

If that were to ever happen, the NHL should try to get some more money from a TV network/deal and televise games on Comedy Central

 

[Bleedred]

If that were to ever happen, the NHL should try to get some more money from a TV network/deal and televise games on Comedy Central

HAHA!

This looked to be a relatively non humorous post until I read the Comedy Central part!

So what like the 8th seed plays the 9th seed in a one game playoff, and 7th seed plays the 10th seed?

Yeah no thanks.

 

[DatBoyJPP]

HAHA!

This looked to be a relatively non humorous post until I read the Comedy Central part!

So what like the 8th seed plays the 9th seed in a one game playoff, and 7th seed plays the 10th seed?

Yeah no thanks.

It would have to be at least a best of 3. No way would a winner take all game sit right with anyone

 

[Bleedred]

It would have to be at least a best of 3. No way would a winner take all game sit right with anyone

I wish the whole format wouldn't sit right with anyone.

 

[Wingman77]

The format for the playoffs is already ****ed up, look at how Florida got in last season, you'd have teams worse than what their record/pts was making the playoffs

Why it would even be considered that more teams with losing records make the playoffs is beyond me, but who are we kidding, this is the NHL, they find a way to **** everything up, next we'll see the winter classic played in the summer

 

[bmqdevils]

i dislike the way the top 8 are determined but i can already tell i will strongly dislike more teams in the playoffs. i think that they should keep 8(it's working) and just change that there has to be a team from each division in the playoffs, so the top team has to be in the top 8. keep everything else the same. why change what's working? the only thing wrong with the league is the lockouts! take away 05 and this year and we're competing with the nfl and mlb on espn.

 

[DatBoyJPP]

I'm fine with guaranteeing the division winner a playoff spot but they shouldn't be given home ice if they don't deserve it