On Thursday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman indicated he wasn't concerned about the impact of another lockout because, "We recovered well last time because we have the world's greatest fans."
As fans, how'd you take that statement? Feel taken for granted? Or honored by his faith in your loyalty?
Share your feelings in the comment section.
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at (919) 829-8947, @LukeDeCock on Twitter or
Comments
100% Taking forgranted fan loyalty.
Tue, 08/28/2012 - 14:03 — ScrapperHockey is a passionate sport driven by passionate fans and passion doesn't have an on/off switch. Either the teams are there to follow and cheer for or they aren't and you move onto somehting else, possibly to never return. Bettman can arrogantly tell himself that the fans will just sit and wait all he wants, but I don't think it'll be the outcome. The league will suffer if another lockout is allowed to happen. Players will go elsewhere and some won't return to the league even when the season opens and neither will some fans.
A question Bettman and his constituants should be asking themselves though. What happens when Ovechkin or Malkin get to return to Russia for a season and make ridiculous salaries and play in front of Russian fans? What happens if some of the leagues elite players decide they like it in another league like the KHL and decide to stay? Owners and the commisoner's greed in the big picture risks the entire leagues integrity, future, and possibly the quality of the players in the league. I wish for once from politics to commisioning leagues to running corporations that the people in charge could behave like responsible adults instead of bickering children. I learned in kindergarten to share, play fairly, and that everything couldn't go my way all the time because other people had opinions and needs so you have to compromise. Where did these people go to school?
worse yet
Tue, 08/28/2012 - 15:12 — louis12580is when the players try to leave the KHL and aren't permitted to. Ask some of the former Soviet Union players about how they were subject to extortion or their families were targeted for kidnapping and the subsequent ransom payment. Not only that, but what's to say that an owner might put a bounty on a player being hurt. Ask the 'Canes how their trip to St. Petersburg went. Their opponents were deliberately trying to hurt Staal by targeting his knees.
You're Right!!! Hey................
Tue, 08/28/2012 - 15:00 — gf101112I guess Paul Maurice and Tom Barrasso really did know hockey!!!
Bettman can keep telling
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 10:24 — mokimanoBettman can keep telling himself that line of bull but the reality is that the economy we live in today is much different than the lock-out year in 2004. Surging gas prices, higher ticket prices, higher parking and concession prices...NHL fans in general have alot of choices these days on how they choose to spend their hard earned entertainment dollars...and for many fans another lock out just screams greed and the out of touch reality that the owners and players seem to have for the very population that feeds them the big dollar revenues and contracts they take for granted. Another lock-out just pushes some hockey fans away further from supporting Bettman's league.
I for one enjoy my big screen HDTV and the comforts of home watching NHL hockey over being at 20 games a season...and my disposable income does not allow for $100 single game tickets, $10 parking and $12 beers...so in the past I use to spend a helluva lot more cash on the NHL, today and moving forward not so much, and I must admit attitudes like the one Gary Bettman has would be a main reason why I have cut back a great deal.
Agreed!
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 12:12 — Caniac5I wonder what would happen if the FANS did a "Seat out" and did not go to any games for an entire week? That would be so funny to see them playing in a totally silent arena!!!
Just a thought!
Fan seat out
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 15:50 — ammy144I actually like that idea. I am too old to miss another season. Very soon, sitting at home and watching the games on TV will be my only option. I wish the boys would man up and act like adults. In these economic times, only the elite will be able to go to the games and put dollars in the owners pockets. I personally think that the rest of us are only true fans and we are the ones that will be shut out.
Math Problem
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 09:27 — Biff_BeersThe most frustrating aspect of a potential lockout for this season is that the two sides don't seem to be arguing over deep structrual issues the way they were in 2004. If the main issue this time is the revenue split, well, that's just a math problem. If they start canceling games, at some point they lose more revenue than they gain by holding out for one more percentage point of the revenue split. I wish they'd just do the math and let us all know when the season will start. They did all the hard work last time they renegotiated the CBA. This time, I am getting the impression that they are arguing for the sake of arguing. It's a little embarrasing, to be honest.
Taken Granted Of!
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 08:57 — Caniac5Bettman has been in his position for 17 years now and it's time for fresh blood. Everytime the man gets up to speak he is boo'ed! He is arrogant and Fehr is really no better. But then again, the owners and players are arrogant too! I love the game and watch every chance I get but with the possibility of there being another lock-out show the fans are far down on their list. All the owners and alot of the players are millionares! The fans are people that respect them all and would give anything to be in their shoes just for the love of the game.
People will come back but there will be a drop in revenue and there will be a struggle to build to what there is now. They should go 50/50 and play the full season while Bettman/Fehr work out details through the season. And as far as ticket prices...Bettman is a liar!!!
He's probably right
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 08:40 — puborexOf course I feel taken for granted. It was a stupid thing for Bettman to say. But as much as I hate to admit it, he's probably right. I think hockey has much fewer casual fans than other sports. People tend to be either passionate about the game or not all that interested in it. While I'll hate it if we miss games because the two sides can't get this thing worked out in time, when they finally do drop the puck again, those of us who love the game will be there watching.
Agreed
Tue, 08/28/2012 - 12:17 — oldpoliticalsBettman told the truth.....fans will come back. The players union also know that, they just have not said it. Regardless.......that chip cuts equally on both sides.
Dismiss the self-serving
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 07:10 — ctillDismiss the self-serving hyperbole about "greatest". What he really means is that fans will follow the game despite the loss of a season. Of course, that's tautologic. Labor strife has already been factored into the decisions of hockey fans to be fans. The rapid rebound in 2005-06 proved him right, and there's no reason to think that another lockout will have a different outcome.
Did anyone expect that ticket prices would fall after the last lockout? That was bunk all along.
Bettman's Arrogance
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 06:38 — abramsdougBettman's arrogance struck me. It was a statement from his heart, unfortunately. He does take the fanbase as a given. That arrogance and entitlement toward its fanbase is foreign to the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have nurtured its fanbase with a strong sense of community and an emphasis on character. I was offended by Bettman's statement; and I was also struck by the lack of understanding he seems to have for the fanbase.
I regard Bettman and Fehr as having become drawn into a personal battle of egos. They are both willing to take significant risks that their actions may have far worst ramifications long term than they have projected. Both insist a lockout would not cause any long term damage; and there is evidence to support that conclusion. There is also evidence that teams from smaller markets will face much more problems bringing back the casual fan than either Bettman or Fehr have taken into their calculations. It's a risk not worth taking.
What I find truly offensive is that a deal is there to be had. There is no reason for the players to be asked to strip away income to give it back to the owners of the Red Wings, Leafs, Rangers, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals, and other large market, highly profitable teams. There is, however, a logical reason to seek to have the players all participate in providing funds so that smaller market teams can spend more money toward the salary cap, and in theory build their revenues. It is of course silly to expect only the players to take the hit. The NHL owners need to improve the revenue sharing system. The NHL owners also need to add a wild card system to add teams to the playoffs. That system has worked well in the NFL and in MLB. It adds excitement, revenue, and makes the playoff push even more exciting for the fans.
Bettman's statement confirmed to me what I have feared all along. Both Bettman and Fehr have made a conscious decision not to seek a compromise until there is a lockout. Both seem to feel it will enhance their side's negotiating position. Both cannot be correct. In my view, the owners have vastly more leverage than the players; and a lockout ultimately favors them. On the other hand, as people committed to growing the game of hockey, the NHL owners ought to be leading the movement for a quick, sane, and long-term solution. Instead, they seem to authorized Bettman to stonewall negotiations in the hopes of crushing Fehr and the NHLPA. They may well win the battle and lose the war. They may humiliate Fehr and humble the NHLPA, but the money they lose in revenues will come directly out of their own pockets.
Agree!
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 21:12 — AN0NYM0USFully agree with you. Fans could vote with their feet--but for those of us who are STHs, we'd lose our place in line (prime seats after 12 yrs) if we walk away. This is a tough decision but the arrogance of management could push us over the edge--and if that happens, low likelihood of coming back.
Bettman lives in a corporate fantasy world
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 11:54 — sittler27Bettman is a priveleged highly compensated executive living in NY and pandering to wealthy owners. When he goes to games he sits either in a box or premium seats. Can he truly relate to the hard core hockey fan who is involved at the grassroots of the sport and has to save up or divert a chunk of scarce disposal income to take their family to a game? I very much doubt it or that he much cares. His comment about loyal fans immediately struck me as offensive. To his mind a loyal fan is a corporation that has a box and an allotment of premium seats to entertain clients......he cares about business people, legacy tickey holders in major markets like Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Chicago, Vancouver, NY, etc. and the well healed who have no issues with $100 a seat tickets. Take a look at the average ticket prices in those markets and you quickly see why they generate three times the revenue of small markets. I have been to these cities many times to see games. Unless it is playoffs or a marque match up, the fan base there, especially during the week, arrives late in suits from a "business dinner"; heads to the private lounges 5 minutes before the period ends and arrives back in their seats 5 minutes into the next, and leaves early. Hard core fans? Some are and they are mostly in the third tier but for half it is just a night on the town or corporate entertainment.
What Bettman knows is that they will be back no matter what. It is just an expense line on the P/L or a cost to keep the tickets in the family for the next generation. And if this kills off Phoenix then there is already an approved a new rink under develoment in Markham (weatlhy suburb of Toronto) and they just drooling at the prospects of another team there.
Bettman doesn't care about what we consider to be fans. I doubt he cares much for the deep history of the sport. It's pure business for him. It's mostly business for the owners. And in a high speed collision sport where the average career length is about 5 years, the players love to play but they are independent contractors who in many cases need to earn a lifetime of income in a few short years. In my opinion both sides raise "fans" up the flag pole but that is well down the list of priorities. It's a business.
Good Assesment
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 09:23 — CanarseThe only thing I think you left out is that the Fehr and Bettman are doing exactly what the players and owners are paying them to do. When the players hired Fehr they had to know they were setting themselves up for another lockout. If they didn't then shame on them for having their heads in the sand.
Honestly, both sides are exceedingly selfish. The owners want as much as they can get while getting rules to protect them from themselves. The players could care less about competitiveness of the league. They want as many dollars as possible on the top end. Who cares if teams like Carolina, Nashville, etc. lose all their UFAs every year.
I truly despise Don Fehr. The damage that he and Bud Selig did to baseball is permanent. Now it looks like he and Bettman are heading down the same path with hockey.
Taken for granted. I'm
Mon, 08/27/2012 - 05:45 — atrioneTaken for granted. I'm still waiting for the ticket price reduction he promised 6 years ago. The owners got everything they asked for last time, revenue has increased by almost 50% and they want a 25% salary rollback? The Wild owner cries poverty in April and then signs Parise and Suter to $196 million worth of contracts with more than 1/3 paid in the first 3 years? The owners position once again boils down to "save us from ourselves".