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The Fan’s do have a voice: Project: Unfollow Hockey The NHLPA, NHL, Lockout, Escrow, Hockey Related Revenues, KHL, Cancelled Pre Season, Core Economic Issues, Non-Core Economic issues, Collective Bargaining agreement, Players, Owners, fans, 50/50 split, 57/43 split, talks resume, talks cancelled, meaningful proposal, we care about the fans, it’s the fans fault, we just want to play hockey, we just want there to be hockey, 3.3 billion, revenue, growth, small market teams, large market teams, and the FANS CANNOT DO ANYTHING. I believe that statement is wrong. The fans can and should be heard. There is something small and easy we can do to make our voice heard or limit the voice of the NHL and the players. I will get to this shortly. We the fans love this game, we are passionate about it, we eat, sleep and breathe it, and we support it with our hard earned dollars. It is a funny thing being a fan, or more appropriately, a fanatic. We are so emotionally invested in the performance of teams and players that we rarely have any true connection with. It just helps us to believe that besides playing for the love of the game (and making more money in one year at league minimum than most fans will make in a lifetime) that they appreciate us and our devotion. What really bothers me about this lockout is that once the puck finally drops whether it be at the beginning of a shortened season or next season, I will go right back. I also know I won’t be going back alone. We just love this sport too much. It is part of our upbringing, culture and lives. Sure some fridge fans will leave and the small market teams will definitely be hurting but the big market teams and most teams in Canada will be fine as soon as the season begins. Our inevitable return makes me angry but I know it will happen and you know it will too. Why do they get to know we are coming when they need us but they don’t come when we need hockey? You feel helpless because we are allowing the league to continually have labour disputes because we just love the sport too much. It’s a fantastic sport that has never been better we love it too much not to go back to it. Being a hockey fan is a way of life. Social Media has been booming since the last lockout and has revolutionized the business. Players and teams have Facebook and Twitter accounts and as a result fans have never felt so close to their favorite team or players. It gives insight to the life of an NHL player and their team and organization as a whole. It gives you something fun to read each and every day. The most amazing part is we can actually communicate with our heroes. If you have not realized where I am headed, my simple solution for the fans to stop following NHL players and teams. It may seem like nothing but each follower has a value associated with them. Just like we are all dollar signs to the NHL and NHLPA. Just like any business there is a cost per interaction and a cost linked to how many followers you have. It helps drive sales, gets fans into the seats, and promotes hockey merchandise that a player has a stake in. It has taken these teams and players years to get to the level of followers they currently have so if we all decide to un-follow, unlink or insert any relevant social media term here we can actually make a difference. We can show them that the fans have a voice and that the fans are fed up with the NHL/NHLPA. Trust me they do care about how many followers they have. Do we really need to follow the players on twitter during a lockout? I am sorry but the stuff they are posting shows that we do not need to feel sorry for them and they seem to be enjoying their time off. They are not being hurt by this lockout they are going to Vegas, Chicago for Ryder Cup, playing golf, and having an all-around good time. Fans do not want to see what you do on your free time when they work 9-5 jobs that pay very little and are not enjoyable and fulfilling they want to see you play hockey because yes you are exceptionally talented and deserve the money you make in the NHL but you should be playing in the NHL not Europe. What does that show? You don’t care about taking someone else’s job that makes pennies compared to you? These players who are losing jobs need to support a family. What about people’s businesses and livelihoods that rely on the NHL? Bar and restaurant owners will have empty seats and they will require less staff, removing jobs from our fragile economy and money from the pockets of people who actually need to make more money. Team twitter accounts are where there is a real dollar figure associated with followers. Promotions can reach a huge audience in seconds. Companies can get you in their CRM (definition?) database with one small promotion. There is tremendous value to an organizations follows and if we reduce that number substantially they will notice. The big business owners will take notice when their social media groups are losing fans left right and center. We do not want to hear from our favourite teams unless there is a season! Sure we may all go back and follow players and teams as soon as a CBA is agreed upon, but we can show the league that the fans have a voice and they want to be heard. This is not the previous lockout this is a lockout in 2012 where FANS DO HAVE A VOICE! THE FANS ARE SICK OF THE LABOUR DISPUTES! THIS IS THE FAULT OF BOTH THE OWNERS AND PLAYERS. WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR PR MOVES! JOIN THE PROJECT AND UNFOLLOW NHL PLAYERS AND TEAMS! Twitter-@Unfollowhockey Email-unfollowhockey@hotmail.com

Ok, it's Saturday night, I'm drunk and despite my poor English speaking, I 'll speak about Swiss league. Tonight was the 4th night of our regular season. Davos vs Lakers: Nash put an hat trick with one assist and Thornton 4 assists in a 9-2 win. Ok, we don't care about them. So Brunner scored twice in a 6-3 win over ambri, à team from the italian side of Switzerland. For the people who don't know about Swiss, we speak 3 languages: French (for me) German and Italian. There is an another one but nobodies knows it: romanche. A mix between the 3. Very strange.

I think you could still get a good handle on what's going on by just following guys like Dreger and McKenzie. It sounds like there's an existing twitter account that's basically trying to do the same thing. https://twitter.com/UnfollowNHLSept

Neither side was concerned about the time frame. I guess they were both wrong. So, your argument was that you didn't believe it. So we provide proof that the league was ready to negotiate early, and this is your response. I really try to take what the NHL and NHLPA say at face value. I guess I don't understand how some people can take what one side says as the truth while taking what the other side says as false.

It's the Shanahan factor. We were soft, always getting pushed around. All the skill in the world (and all the regular-season success) meant nothing against the Devils and Avalanche in the playoffs. So we ponied up for a power-forward. And we all know how that went. The key was, it wasn't just Shanahan. It wasn't a one-man thing. I mean, yeah, he was a wrecking ball for us, and it was awesome. But, more than that, it's the way our game changed. Before Shanny, we could only hurt in one way. Teams got wise, realized, "Hey, all we have to do is shut that s*** down. Then they just fold." It's the same way today, really. All we have is our skill (especially up front, on the scoring lines). I've said this before and I'll say it again. Are we superb defensively? Can we play lights-out lockdown D? No, even with Lidstrom. Are we especially big? Are we really young? Are we fast? Is our PP especially lethal? Is our penalty-kill ruthless? Can Howard steal half a dozen playoff games for us?

I'm not talking about enforcers. I'm talking about premier scoring-line power-forwards, e.g. Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, Wayne Simmonds, Milan Lucic. Our blue line is not where it needs to be. And that bothers me. But I'd give it a fighting chance in the postseason. Our scoring lines, on the other hand - I know their chances in the playoffs. Because I've seen the future. It's in the past. (Fwooosh, plot twist!)

Of course they aren't prepared to do that in January, they're in the middle of the season! They're playing games! Typical Bettman and Daly, trying to pass the blame to the players even more. Nothing's ever their fault, it's always someone else.

I really don't think that is accurate. I really do believe that people who voice against one side and only one side are pretty much 100% with that side. Sure, I hear some of these people say that they put blame on the other side as well, but when questioned about the opposite sides actions in some respects, they are quick to defend their side. I agree! I would not have put it past Fehr to do that, and I would have supported him for it.

I agree. The point is that neither side can claim that they did everything they could to avoid a lockout. I understand everyone loathing Bettman. I think the ownership would do better with someone else at the helm. That being said, when I look at the big picture, I just don't understand how anyone can side the the NHLPA 100% either. I am about 60% on their side in this right now, but I can't ignore the missteps they have taken through this process.

Jokes about the value of people with MBA's are not just jokes.