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Courtesy, please
Submitted by rcarter on 01/12/2009 - 14:20
Ladies and gentlemen,
Hockey fans are passionate, and Canes fans are no different. And here at Canes Now, we're committed to giving y'all a forum to discuss and debate the team.Â
But we need to keep it from becoming a place where healthy debate gets choked by bickering between a few. We've already had a couple readers tell us they might go elsewhere because of certain people.Â
I'm not comfortable banning people because of contrarian viewpoints. However, when it escalates into namecalling and viciousness, I am going to step in and deal with it.Â
If y'all want, we can use this post as a discussion about what is and isn't appropriate. Readers of this blog are always welcome to e-mail me or Chip when you have a comment, complaint or question.
For right now, I'm going to get the ball rolling by reminding people that bit of Internet wisdom, "Don't feed the trolls." If you feel like someone is simply trying to bait Canes fans into an argument, ignore them. If you read an opinion you don't like, but you think was offered sincerely, then engage in conversation respectfully.
Let the fights stay on the ice.Â
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Comments
Chirping
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 20:02 — DroptheGlovesHockey has many elements on and off the ice that make it a great sport to follow, simply ignore posts that bother you please! I enjoy reading all of your posts and find them knowledgeable and entertaining. Lighten up and stay out of the Kool-Aid, other fans and opinions should be welcome on this blog and it is up to us not to retaliate and hit the sin bin for 2.
Welcome to Hockey...
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 18:26 — CanesRBoringAs Canes D-man Corvo said about the passionate Ottawa fans railing on their team, "It takes guys with thick skin to play here." The team is on the front page, "...it's 24 hours a day, it's on every media outlet. It is in the building, it's in the stands."
Boy I bet Karmanos, JR, the Gale Force Holdings, the players and any die hard hockey fan would kill for that attention down here! The Canes here barely get noticed. A recent poll by PPP has shown that this market is suffering. Many people in the NC area haven't even heard of the Canes. Karmanos is losing money. According to Forbes, the Canes are ranked at the bottom in value.
But as I can see from the majority of you cryniacs, you all don't have thick skin. And thats one of my main points! To play this game and to really, truly understand hockey, it takes a thick skin. This isn't little league baseball nor youth soccer, it's a rough and tumble sport which a thick skin is a main ingredient. This game separates the boys from the men and with the Canes main song, "Thank god I am a country boy", need I say more.
That is why, ultimately, this game and this team will fail in this market. Mark my word and I would put money on this, the Canes will not survive here with ACC and NASCAR. IT will be unable to draw away the fans from their college rivalries or deep southern tradition of NASCAR. This team is called Carolina Hurricanes not Raleigh, and they are failing miserably at marketing this team. And don't for one second think Karmanos, a business man first, won't bolt. He has done it before.
This game is not about exchanging pleasantries, tailgating, or the Jumbo Tron, that is nothing more than a deceptively, faulty orchestrated media campaign to get southerners into the rink. This game is a fast paced highly physical, highly gritty game that you fans are unable to grasp and that, my friends, will be the final nail in the Cane coffin!
I bring up my dislike of this organization and I don't threaten you guys nor constantly swear to make my point, unlike most of the replies I get.
I also realize that the Cane organization is deeply embedded in how you southerners view them and this forum along with the Canes official site is closely monitored and influenced by their media dept.
You guys want southern hockey, be careful what you ask for, cause you just might get it! An ice empty RBC center where you can reminisce about the Canes while watching NC State vs. Duke.
Since you guys don't have thick skin, please do me a favor and the rest of us former hockey/LAX players and fans...stay away, very far away from LaCrosse!
Lacrosse?
Thu, 01/15/2009 - 15:56 — wjcampYeah, we don't know anything about that down there either. Except when Carolina was winning national titles in the 80's with some classic matchups with the premiere lacrosse school in the nation, Johns Hopkins. And Hopkins is located in Baltimore, MD, way up there in the vast frozen wasteland that is the Great White North. No, wait a minute. That's only about 45 minutes from the south isn't it? Except during rush hour that is.Â
 Since CRB has brought up lacrosse, I'm guessing he's really from Buffalo and is getting ready to bring up the fact that the city's only pro championship ever is in indoor lacrosse. All the rest of this hockey bull is just Cup envy. ;-)
ya know
Thu, 01/15/2009 - 11:20 — wylde4canesWhat people resent most about you is the fact that you come in here with your holier than thou attitude preaching to the unwashed masses about hockey, as if to imply none of us watched or cared about this sport prior to the Canes.Â
 I got my start watching High School Hockey in North Dakota. I followed the B's before we got a franchise down here. Alot of folks around here followed different teams in different areas. Don't paint yourself the hockey prophet of the south. Alot of us know the game well enough.
 The other reason you catch so much flak is becuase you never say anything new. Just your same old diatribe, sometime augmented with petty name calling and snide remarks.Â
 I don't care one way or another who you pull for, just don;t think you are superior to any of us, just because we choose to pull for OUR team.Â
Well said...
Thu, 01/15/2009 - 14:31 — penaltykiller74I've been watching hockey since the first time I ran across one when I was a kid, while I was spinning the UHF nob around looking for anything to watch.
So that night on UHF - 17 out of Philly, I watched my first Flyers game, and was a hockey fan ever since. Once I moved down here though, my loyalty changed to the home team, and I've been a Caniac ever since.
You're right. Most people who live in the Raleigh area, especially in the Cary/Morrisville/Apex area, are mostly transplants from other areas, and there are plenty of longtime hockey fans among them.
GO CANES!!!
Ah yes, the old NASCAR
Thu, 01/15/2009 - 00:17 — atrioneAh yes, the old NASCAR card. Do you realize that Philly (2 tracks), Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and Boston have tracks closer than any NASCAR track is to Raleigh? Did you also know that it was the Toronto Maple Leafs who requested a Canes game start time be moved back so TSN could finish broadcasting a NASCAR race?
The Hurricanes are one of many teams in professional sports named for a state rather than a city. The NFL team that plays in Charlotte holds that distinction too. As do the Minnesota Wild and Twins. The New England Patriots are named for a region.
Can marketing be improved? Of course. The marketing of this team is slightly better than a joke. But we also proved that we'll support a winner. Last year, the Canes had an average of 1300 more than the Bruins. We played to a higher % of capacity than the Blackhawks. With all of the problems this year, we're less than 700 per night behind the "traditional" market that the Colorado (there's that state thing again) Avalanche play in.
What caused the failure of the NHL in Denver, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Kansas City and Cleveland? Was it the ACC and NASCAR there too? Oh wait, I forgot. I'm a southerner and my hockey knowledge only goes back to 1997. I'm not supposed to know about the Rockies, North Stars, Jets, Nords, Scouts and Barons.
You want an honest debate, back it up with facts.
Nice misconstruing of the facts...
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 20:27 — penaltykiller74According to Forbes magazine, the Canes are ranked 21st in value, low but not the bottom. The NY Islanders (24th), Calgary (26th), Pittsburgh (28th), and Washington (30th) are obviously ranked below the Canes, and they are in the more "traditional" hockey markets. So what's your point?
The Canes are ranked 15th for annual revenue, so I don't see how they are in such bad financial shape.
Yes, they didn't get the revenue sharing last season, but a trip back to the playoffs will take care of that.
As for "many" people have not heard of the Hurricanes, that's a bit vague. 18% of the entire states population is "many", but 82% of the state has heard of them. And besides, PPP is just someone elses blog, and is subject to scrutiny anyway.
No one here is saying that Carolina's market or marketing is anything like traditional hockey markets. We do care about the team, and we go to games. In the last 3 years, I have taken people to see the Canes play, that have never seen a game before, and they have been repeat spectators.
Maybe instead of critisizing the team and the market, you should take your efforts and promote the team yourself. But with your pessimistic views toward the team, you're doing nothing but contributing to the very poor view of the team that you complain about.
So, before you jump me again, with some diatribe about comprehension and questioning my intestinal fortitude to play hockey or continue a blog-banter with someone who has to have the last word, I have not quit reading this blog nor will I hide behind an anonymous moniker. You could only be so lucky.
As you noticed from the other posts, and the reason this topic was created, you have rubbed people the wrong way. I'm sure you don't really care though.
Anyway...
GO CANES!!!
LaCrosse, WI?
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 19:11 — richardfocLaCrosse, WI?
And No...
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 16:23 — esteban1949Passing gas...unless you can do it in a very very appropriate & politically correct manner...then honey...boogity,boogity,boogity...put the hammer down !!
watch it!! The Zamboni is on the ice...
code
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 13:05 — guppyman45does this mean we cant make catty, sarcastic, humorously snide remarks about some of the other bloggers, even though its done without malice? jeez, dont take away the fun.
the first rule should be no foul language.
second rule, no political references.
third rule, no advertising of products or ones self.
fourth rule, my brain is tired. somebody else take over.
Um ...
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 11:06 — totalkevYour job to police the boards, not ours. These posts all have to go through moderation. If you see a post intended to rile up the crew and not contribute to "polite conversation," don't approve it for publishing. It's really pretty simple.
so it is the job of the
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 16:13 — SubwayScoundrelso it is the job of the N&O to make sure people post with respect by editing, monitoring all posts. .  OK, using that logic.....I think I will blame my bank for me spending all my paycheck this month.  Yea, thats the ticket.....
comment moderation
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 15:08 — rcarter (author)Actually, the posts don't go through moderation. We don't approve the comments and on our blogs, there's no system for tagging inappropriate comments.
off subject...
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 09:04 — wolfpackcaniacA little off subject, but one thing I would like to see with this blog would be a section of links for blogs about the Hurricanes, NHL, and I suppose other teams (a la the "LinkBlog" section on ACCNOW. Being a State fan, its easy to get info there and then go to the other Pack blogs and then if I really need a laugh I'll check out what Tar Heel fans are whining about now. It'd be nice to have the same with the Canes, maybe checking in on Tampa Bay's blogs for a good laugh?
umm...
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 15:01 — lightthelamp...look to the left column...
Yo Rachel
Mon, 01/12/2009 - 19:07 — esteban1949a couple of thoughts or things...
1. Do Not delay...write and post as code of conduct...why ?
we can't be trusted !! Period...Just being honest here.
2. In this politically correct world we live in today...many folks did not have the kind of Home training in manners and respect as we did way back when be for you was a twinkle in your parent's eyes...
And that's the bottom line...cause ....( fill in the blank______)
hehehe...have a nice evening yall...Play Nice & Pray Harder !!
esteban rols back dressed in his official NHL ref's jersey...and get's ready for the face off at center ice...:-0
Trolls R Boring
Mon, 01/12/2009 - 17:22 — JRs_FaultRachel, the issue is not 'contrarian viewpoints'...
The issue is disrespect to the readers / fans / market in general. I have no problem hearing folks talk about shortcomings of the team and/or it's performance. It's also normal for people to aim comments directly at others' comments (hence the 'reply' button).
What I do have a problem with is seeing this forum used to take general shots at the fans/readers/posters merely because they count themselves as part of this community, often using gross over-generalizations about the readers, fans and even the market (haven't we all heard enough about how hockey isn't gonna make it in the South?). This can easily be categorized as Trolling, and is generally dealt with much the way Spam would be.... i.e. it doesn't see the light of day.
Most people here clearly recognize the difference between a disagreement and disrespect. It's not unreasonable to control disrespectful participants. Many respected on-line forums do so.
{Do the N&O blogs have a code of conduct? I couldn't locate one quickly.}
code of conduct
Mon, 01/12/2009 - 18:03 — rcarter (author)Thanks Rachel
Mon, 01/12/2009 - 15:08 — gso_canes_fanThis is usually the first site I go to for Canes info and in some cases I don't understand what some are submitting