Big Crowd For Stanley Cup Rally

[Firehawk 305]

Sorry, but I can't sit and see that comparison based on population dynamics of MI and comparing big urban areas like the SF bay area and LA as a whole. Most (including myself) have moved away from Detroit and those that still live there are only around 4 million. Compare those numbers to the support for the WIngs 10 years ago and you realize that certain areas contain fans, while others don't. We could would likely never be able to support another NHL team in MI due to population dynamics, not fan support.

Lets see where the Ducks are in 25 years.

They'll be in another state

[Dixie Wingslover 0]

Beautiful pic. Looks even better on tape..or better yet being their live. I remember we got there around 8am thinking it was 'early' yet we had NOWHERE to stand. It was completely insane.

Anyone remember how bad it was raining that morning, and as soon as the Wings and the Cup arrived the sun started shining. Shanny said "God loves the Red Wings." lol

OMG - I had forgotten that comment. Wasn't it just the most amazing thing.... the way the crowd would close in on the cars.... and then part, the whole course of the parade. One of my favorite memories is of Hullie and Cheli, blasted sitting on the tailgate of that pick-up, just as happy as could be. And how stunned I was at how small and young looking Datsyuk was that day.

[RedRockit 0]

Sorry, but I can't sit and see that comparison based on population dynamics of MI and comparing big urban areas like the SF bay area and LA as a whole. Most (including myself) have moved away from Detroit and those that still live there are only around 4 million. Compare those numbers to the support for the WIngs 10 years ago and you realize that certain areas contain fans, while others don't. We could would likely never be able to support another NHL team in MI due to population dynamics, not fan support.

Lets see where the Ducks are in 25 years.

There's going to be an erosion of population from MI (as it's been gradually eroding from Ohio-- all OH auto-based industry began heading south two decades ago. It's taken a while for MI, especially and obviously Detroit, to feel this burn).

Completely playing devil's advocate (not a role I normally relish, but it's a useful one albeit), but...

Let's see where the Wings are in 25 years.

[Duckette 0]

This is very true, BUT I would be willing to bet Tampa Bay had A LOT more fans show when they won a few years ago......

About the same number, actually.

...also, your little stab at us with the quotes around 1 million, like we are padding our numbers, just bite us, because there was documented OVER a million people at each of our parades and party's. That doesn't include the thousands of folks who stayed at the bar's and restaurants to watch it on the tube. We had more people show up to 3 events than you'll EVER total in ticket sales. I am willing to bet that they barely sold 3,000,000 tickets in the entire Ducks history.

I'm ignoring your conspiracy theory. I put the quotes around the '1 million' because I had heard that there were more and there were less. It was my way of meeting in the middle. I can go grab a media guide and count how many tickets were sold throughout the history of the Ducks, not including the 2006-07 season.

California is NOT a hockey hot bed. I'm not trying to argue that. But we do have fans. Get over it. So not all of SoCal showed up to party for the Cup, it shouldn't matter! The franchise is there in Cali and it isn't leaving. It's been made a legal thing as of last summer that the name 'Anaheim' cannot be removed from the Franchise's name. They're stuck here

I think you're mistaken. I lived in that area for 1.5 years. There are three ice rinks in the Tampa area: St Pete Times Forum, the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon and JP Igloo Ice Center in Ellenton. I lived in Venice, which is about 1 hr 20 mins south of Tampa, so the closest rink for me was JP Igloo... and that was a 45 mile drive!

How long ago did you live there? We have rinks in Sarasota, Oldsmar and tons of other places now. There are a bunch more rinks than just those three.

Sorry Duckette. You're one of a very few good people in the area who appreciates a good sport.

And I'm not even in the area in anymore I'm here in Tampa...

[Dixie Wingslover 0]

Dixie Wingslover,

that is seriously one of the most beautiful pictures i've ever seen.

wow that just makes me well up. and im not saying this in a self righteous way or anything but there is nothing like fans of the detroit red wings. look at that!

i see you're from charlotte?

how are the carolina hurricanes on the other side of the state?

haha pretty bad huh?

im actualy moving to south charlotte in a few years, one great thing about this is,

hopefully the Wings will play AT carolina and i could catch a game in person from then on unless im up here again and able to see one at the Joe.

i'm actually north of Charlotte. Grew up and til less than a year ago... lived West of Flint, MI. I miss the hockey, I miss FoxSports Detroit. I miss Mickey and Ken. I miss Little Caesars. But.....C'mon down, half the state is here. Think we all had the same idea. If ya gotta move to live.... might as well make it an adventure. We have a little Wings community. They don't know what to do at the car dealership when on gameday they have 3 salesmen in Wings jerseys and ties........ Priceless........ The Hurricanes may be a smaller club right now, but the fans they have are really enthusiastic. And so far, despite a little homerism, they are fairely knowledgeable about hockey. Now if we could just convince the local NBC affiliate not to pre-empt a hockey play-off game for a little rain..... in favor of radar and weathermen.... we would be in business

[Dixie Wingslover 0]

There's going to be an erosion of population from MI (as it's been gradually eroding from Ohio-- all OH auto-based industry began heading south two decades ago. It's taken a while for MI, especially and obviously Detroit, to feel this burn).

Completely playing devil's advocate (not a role I normally relish, but it's a useful one albeit), but...

Let's see where the Wings are in 25 years.

In much the same place, probably. I am one of those eroded.... and have found most of those leaving MI were Red Wings fans...... and still are. My kids will be Wings fans. In North Carolina. Their kids are Wings fans too. Anybody recall a little team called the Green Bay Packers?????? How many fans do they have outside of Wisconsin? Legions. The emotion that runs between Packer Backers and their team, and Wing Nuts, and their team is cut from the same mold. I know this because I was raised by a cheese head in Michigan. I know about displaced fans. Some teams can handle it.... others can't. The Wings will.

One of the reasons I know that hockey will go in Milwaukee is a signed puck I have. Chris Chelios. He signed it for my brother one Christmas Eve at the bar, when he, my brother and Suter all sat, shot the s*** and got wasted - in Madison, Wisconsin. He played Badger hockey...... and even non-NHL followers know that in Wisconsin. The ones I had to explain who Cujo was to...... when he had already met him at a party in St Louis

[OsGOD 3]

1.2 Million Salute Red Wings

DETROIT (AP)  Hockeytown never looked better  or redder.

Police estimated that 1.2 millions fans jammed downtown today to honor the Red Wings, who swept the Stanley Cup championship for a second straight year.

[Yzerfan75 0]

In much the same place, probably. I am one of those eroded.... and have found most of those leaving MI were Red Wings fans...... and still are. My kids will be Wings fans. In North Carolina. Their kids are Wings fans too. Anybody recall a little team called the Green Bay Packers?????? How many fans do they have outside of Wisconsin? Legions. The emotion that runs between Packer Backers and their team, and Wing Nuts, and their team is cut from the same mold. I know this because I was raised by a cheese head in Michigan. I know about displaced fans. Some teams can handle it.... others can't. The Wings will.

One of the reasons I know that hockey will go in Milwaukee is a signed puck I have. Chris Chelios. He signed it for my brother one Christmas Eve at the bar, when he, my brother and Suter all sat, shot the s*** and got wasted - in Madison, Wisconsin. He played Badger hockey...... and even non-NHL followers know that in Wisconsin. The ones I had to explain who Cujo was to...... when he had already met him at a party in St Louis

I give your kids credit. A student of mine recently left NC to play hockey in New York...the state of youth hockey is really really bad here.

I'm over here in the Greensboro area and I have to say that it's awesome that the Canes fans there are legit. The ones on this side of e state are very few and far between (yes...even Post-Cup Era) and the ones that I do run into are VERY HOMERISTIC and sadly not very knowledgable. At the RBC it was sometimes better...and in truth I was surprised how many Wings fans I'd see at a game that the Wings weren't at. There seem to be a lot of transplants in the Triangle and Charlotte-Mecklenburg areas. Maybe just not so much here in the Triad (hence the fact that Winston and Greensboro no longer have minor league teams).

I want to say that more than 15,000 were at the first parade that I was at...I don't know how many made the second one in Downtown Raliegh. The best quote I heard was something like "Oh...is that Laurel Stanley's Cup?" when Cam Ward was being driven around with the Conn Smythe. Classic!!

[Dixie Wingslover 0]

I give your kids credit. A student of mine recently left NC to play hockey in New York...the state of youth hockey is really really bad here.

I'm over here in the Greensboro area and I have to say that it's awesome that the Canes fans there are legit. The ones on this side of e state are very few and far between (yes...even Post-Cup Era) and the ones that I do run into are VERY HOMERISTIC and sadly not very knowledgable. At the RBC it was sometimes better...and in truth I was surprised how many Wings fans I'd see at a game that the Wings weren't at. There seem to be a lot of transplants in the Triangle and Charlotte-Mecklenburg areas. Maybe just not so much here in the Triad (hence the fact that Winston and Greensboro no longer have minor league teams).

I want to say that more than 15,000 were at the first parade that I was at...I don't know how many made the second one in Downtown Raliegh. The best quote I heard was something like "Oh...is that Laurel Stanley's Cup?" when Cam Ward was being driven around with the Conn Smythe. Classic!!

Ouch, that hurts..... but on the bright side....At least they knew pretty close what the trophy was called....We all have to start someplace. I read a story the other day about a California Wings fan, whose neighbor was making small talk about the Ducks not doing too badly.... and when the Wings fan said, yeah, they are doing well in the playoffs.... she said.... oh, the play offs have started???? In Anaheim. In part we chose North Carolina because of a hockey franchise in the State. It's a pretty mixed bag here as far as fans.... but, we have already been a bad influence on some of the locals.... made him and girlfriend Wings fans.... If we won the Cup, they wanted to go to Michigan with us for the celebration, purchased Center Ice. I know from experience what new hockey fans are interested in..... and it aint clutch and grab. Or head shots.

[Guest Shoreline]

And I'm not even in the area in anymore I'm here in Tampa...

Yeeeouch. If you don't mind me asking -- how come?

Edited June 12, 2007 by Shoreline

[Hank 0]

I know from experience what new hockey fans are interested in..... and it aint clutch and grab. Or head shots.

The same could be said for longtime fans such as myself. I never understood why people equated clutch-and-grab with 'old time hockey'.

I guarentee you if the game was played just like it was in the 80's the sport would be booming with new fans. But sadly, with the technological advances in equipment and coaches penchant for defensive systems, we'll never, ever see that kind of hockey again.

Regardless, there are still things that can be done to promote offense.

Regarding the whole debate over how great Anaheim is as a hockey market, I think the 15,000 speaks for itself. I think it shows that a great majority of the "fans" that followed the Ducks to the Cup were bandwagoners or Sharks/Kings fans. They sure jumped off once the final buzzer rang.

I have no problems with building up a fan base but it's not like the Ducks came out of nowhere. They have the most playoff wins since 03 and have been to the conference final 3 of the last 4 years and twice to the Finals. I would think that should have created a strong base. Certainly stroner than 15,000 showing up to celebrate the victory.

I know that there are some excellent Ducks fans out there, but clearly there aren't enough.

For me, this pathetic turnout made me happy only because of some of the ignorant Duck fans that showed up here and because of what that horribly retarded LA Times writer, Hellen St. James, wrote about Detroit.

Don't start throwing stones from inside your glass house.

[Duckette 0]

Yeeeouch. If you don't mind me asking -- how come?

I'm a military brat... Gotta love being a Navy Brat...

[Henkka 0]

Hmm, 15 000 fans?

I haven't read the whole topic, but did Detroit have ONE MILLION fans celebrating the 2002 Cup? I think that's the standard what others team could try achieve.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Henkka

[FUUFNF 1]

For me, this pathetic turnout made me happy only because of some of the ignorant Duck fans that showed up here and because of what that horribly retarded LA Times writer, Hellen St. James, wrote about Detroit.

i think you meant helene elliott. hellen st. james writes for the freep, no?

I've been to Cali and as the saying goes - Nice place to visit, but I can't afford to live there.

fixed it for ya.

[vangvace 12]

I'm a military brat... Gotta love being a Navy Brat...

There are worse places to be stationed... hope the best for you during the summer storm season.

<<<Hint

[Duckette 0]

There are worse places to be stationed... hope the best for you during the summer storm season.

<<<Hint

I can handle the storms, but I have a lot of hair and the humidity is not too kind to it. It's been dry-er lately, but not for long...

[Drimo 0]

We have rinks in Sarasota, Oldsmar and tons of other places now.

Sarasota? I highly doubt Sarasota built an ice rink within the last 6 months. I lived there from July 2005 through December 2006. Closest rink to where I lived was JP Igloo in Ellenton... and that can hardly be called Sarasota. There are not enough young people in Sarasota to support an ice rink.

[Duckette 0]

Sarasota? I highly doubt Sarasota built an ice rink within the last 6 months. I lived there from July 2005 through December 2006. Closest rink to where I lived was JP Igloo in Ellenton... and that can hardly be called Sarasota. There are not enough young people in Sarasota to support an ice rink.

*shrugs* The guys on my HS team play travel hockey up there apparently. Perhaps I am wrong, but I do know Oldsmar has one...

[Drimo 0]

*shrugs* The guys on my HS team play travel hockey up there apparently. Perhaps I am wrong, but I do know Oldsmar has one...

You do know Sarasota is south of Tampa, right? lol Looks like Oldsmar is in Tampa / St. Pete area; didn't know where that was, thanks.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

There's going to be an erosion of population from MI (as it's been gradually eroding from Ohio-- all OH auto-based industry began heading south two decades ago. It's taken a while for MI, especially and obviously Detroit, to feel this burn).

Completely playing devil's advocate (not a role I normally relish, but it's a useful one albeit), but...

Let's see where the Wings are in 25 years.

If there is no NHL team in Detroit in 25 years, it's because there is no longer an NHL.

[Duckette 0]

You do know Sarasota is south of Tampa, right? lol Looks like Oldsmar is in Tampa / St. Pete area; didn't know where that was, thanks.

No. I just moved here less than a year ago and I don't have my drivers license, so I don't know where anything is

[Drimo 0]

No. I just moved here less than a year ago and I don't have my drivers license, so I don't know where anything is

Ah... then I guess I shouldn't recommend bar hopping at Ybor City then riding the trolley down to Channelside for some more brewskis and late-night bowling? Enjoy Florida while you can; someday you'll be spending 50+ hours in an office.

[Duckette 0]

Ah... then I guess I shouldn't recommend bar hopping at Ybor City then riding the trolley down to Channelside for some more brewskis and late-night bowling? Enjoy Florida while you can; someday you'll be spending 50+ hours in an office.

>.< I certainly hope not...I don't think I have to do that as a sports caster... a different kind of office

[vangvace 12]

I can handle the storms, but I have a lot of hair and the humidity is not too kind to it. It's been dry-er lately, but not for long...

Having almost no hair was one of the nice things about being in Southern Miss all the times I've been there.

Now the "death march/sleepwalk" three times a day my first visit made me appreciate cars and a/c all the more.

Congrats BTW on resigning Moen and Parros already

Edited June 13, 2007 by vangvace

[Izzy24 44]

California is NOT a hockey hot bed. I'm not trying to argue that. But we do have fans. Get over it. So not all of SoCal showed up to party for the Cup, it shouldn't matter! The franchise is there in Cali and it isn't leaving. It's been made a legal thing as of last summer that the name 'Anaheim' cannot be removed from the Franchise's name. They're stuck here

Well that's just ridiculous! I grow weary of your lies! The Ducks have no fans, not one! You don't even like the Ducks, you may think you do, but you do not.