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NHLFan33

NHL Fan Lockout Pledge

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Hey folks. After 48 hours of hope, it looks like both sides may remain entrenched. Its hard to believe, but I think both sides still think they can play this game wihtout losing fans or revenues.

I think fans need to send them a message by getting involved in the many sites that are cropping up for fans like NHLFanBoycott and the NHLFansArmy or some of the twitter movememnts like NHLFanBoycott and NHLFanBoycott1. Maybe it won;t make a difference, but if enough fans ovoice their explicit plans to financially punish the NHL/NHLPA if they dont get it done, maybe it will ramp up the pressure to deal (and hlep avoid lockouts again the future).

So this is my plea to fans to get involved and send a message in soem way to the league ... and it need to be in the only lanugage these sides seem to understand right now - $$$$. It can be as simple as tweetign yoru favorite players or gviing feedbakc to your favorite teams front office. But Pledge to make the sides pay $$$ if they dont get it done.

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Why bother?

NHL hockey is an entertainment. Just find some other purpose for your time and money previously devoted to watching NHL hockey. When they come back if the price and product is right get back to it. Otherwise, move on to better things in life.

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Guest Johnz96

Hey folks. After 48 hours of hope, it looks like both sides may remain entrenched. Its hard to believe, but I think both sides still think they can play this game wihtout losing fans or revenues.

I think fans need to send them a message by getting involved in the many sites that are cropping up for fans like NHLFanBoycott and the NHLFansArmy or some of the twitter movememnts like NHLFanBoycott and NHLFanBoycott1. Maybe it won;t make a difference, but if enough fans ovoice their explicit plans to financially punish the NHL/NHLPA if they dont get it done, maybe it will ramp up the pressure to deal (and hlep avoid lockouts again the future).

So this is my plea to fans to get involved and send a message in soem way to the league ... and it need to be in the only lanugage these sides seem to understand right now - $$$$. It can be as simple as tweetign yoru favorite players or gviing feedbakc to your favorite teams front office. But Pledge to make the sides pay $$$ if they dont get it done.

They won't give a s*** until it affects the bottom line. We have to follow through until Bettman is gone. He is the worst thing to ever happen to the game of hockey

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Why bother?

NHL hockey is an entertainment. Just find some other purpose for your time and money previously devoted to watching NHL hockey. When they come back if the price and product is right get back to it. Otherwise, move on to better things in life.

Yup. Also, its pointless empty speak. We are all going to be right back watching and supporting the NHL after this is all over. Both the players and NHL know this.

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Yup. Also, its pointless empty speak. We are all going to be right back watching and supporting the NHL after this is all over. Both the players and NHL know this.

Maybe so, but why run right back...fans should just hold off as long as they can when the season starts (or if it starts this season). Would like to see half empty arenas starting out.

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Want to hit the NHL where it hurts?

Stop buying their stuff, going to the games at least at the start (whenever that will be), cancel center-ice packages and stop buying merchandise with the NHL logo printed on it - these are the things that hurt. Do some people honestly believe the PA or NHL cares about unliking them? *lol* this is a business and as we all know you hurt a business by refusing to buy ( = giving them money) their stuff.

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A boycott implies an eventual return, but I am done with the NHL:

- Cancelled Centre Ice

- Sold my 4 Winter Classic tickets

- Put every piece of my merch in a packing box

- Shut down my 5 year old online hockey pool

- Bought flex pack for Oshawa Generals (OHL)

Perhaps I'm cynical, but at my age, I've realized that the NHL is simply a vehicle for the game I love and that all they do is play on nostalgia to get fans to return under the guise that nothing has changed and that this is the same ol' team/league as it was 5, 10, 15 years ago and that everything is fine. I have also finally realized that investing emotionally into sports is quite possibly the worst thing you can do, for me anyway.

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Yup. Also, its pointless empty speak. We are all going to be right back watching and supporting the NHL after this is all over. Both the players and NHL know this.

I think its different this time. I like to consider myself an "Average Guy", meaning that if I feel a certain way, or am mad about something that there will be millions and millions of other guys who feel the same. After working my a$$ off for the last 25 years making mere fractions of what these NHL Players and Owners make I have some perspective and I'm f%$king pissed off. If this season is lost, hell even if half of the season is lost I'm done.

I will continue to support junior as well as college and university hockey but the as far as I'm concerned the NHL can shove it where the sun doesnt shine.

Edited by UP2HERE

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I think they were really worried about fan reaction in 1994...scared to death of it. Somewhat worried in 2004 if they lost the season, but I think there is much less worry on either side now because history has shown that the fans will come back.

The problem with the plan is that the fans won't follow through, they will come back as soon as games are played again.....if not, are they really fans? If they stay away, how does that help the game? I suppose it could help when the next CBA is about to expire, but that would only work if the fans that decide to punish them will stay away forever....which is only the case if they are not fans.....so...again, what's the point?

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I posted this in a similar thread:

The only thing that matters here is money, and like others have said, unfollowing NHL or some player or whoever won't amount to much or help solve the lockout issue.

Some folks suggest boycotting the NHL altogether, but that isn't viable either. We all understand just how passionately we love the game, and the moment the Wings take the ice again, everyone will be watching and spending money on memorabilia. Besides, a boycott punishes us as fans moreso than the big guys at the top, whose wallets are already quite stuffed.

As fans there is very little we can realistically do that will echo into the upper tiers of NHL management. But we aren't completely hopeless. Despite what they may want us to think, the NHL does not have a monopoly on hockey. There are other leagues around that can provide good entertainment. Instead of sitting the year out as a fan, stay invested in the game, but turn your attention (fully) to the Griffins, or the Whalers or whoever tickles your fancy. Spend the same amount of money on tickets as last year. You'll go to more games and have better seats! Buy a jersey and a hotdog on hotdog night. Go out to a local restaurant or bar before the game. Help the local economy.

If we're very very lucky and enough dollars are put into other leagues, it may remind the NHL and/or players how much their losing, and may entice them to reach an agreement sooner (although admittedly not likely). At the very least, us as fans still get to enjoy quality hockey, and check out some top prospects while we're at it, and maybe some of us will start a lifelong fandom into a totally new league. There's also the plus of helping out the local economy and financially backing some of these smaller teams. You would be spending all that money on the NHL anyway, so why not?

I know I'm already planning to take the 2.5 hour drive to Grand Rapids to catch the Griffins play a few games this year. If FSN gets enough votes the Griffins games will be televised, too (there's another thread floating around where you can cast your vote). I'll be staying at a hotel and eating at the local hot spots when I visit, and I'll be spending about as much as I would spend in Detroit if a lockout wasn't occurring.

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I think they were really worried about fan reaction in 1994...scared to death of it. Somewhat worried in 2004 if they lost the season, but I think there is much less worry on either side now because history has shown that the fans will come back.

The problem with the plan is that the fans won't follow through, they will come back as soon as games are played again.....if not, are they really fans? If they stay away, how does that help the game? I suppose it could help when the next CBA is about to expire, but that would only work if the fans that decide to punish them will stay away forever....which is only the case if they are not fans.....so...again, what's the point?

I must disagree. I have been a Wings fan since Gordie was still good. I wear Wings gear 365 days a year. I eat Little Caesars, especially when new contracts are signed (see Pavel and Hank) to help pay those contracts. I attend games every chance I can afford them. My family had season tickets since 1982. The Wings/Leafs Winter Classic is the game of a lifetime for me. I have poured most of my disposable income into this team. I think I can safely call myself a true fan.

This lockout has, shall we say, dampened my enthusiasm. If a deal IS done this year, as much as it pains me, I will not attend the Winter Classic. I have begun purchasing non-Wings related winter clothing. Some who know me see this as a sign of the apocalypse. I don't know that I will even watch any games, but I won't rule out the possibility. That not watching is even a consideration for me would have been inconceivable 3 months ago. 3 lockouts has taken its toll. Being a fan of hockey has not come cheap; why am I going to hand over thousands of dollars to a sport that doesn't give a s*** whether I attend or not, outside of the profit pool?

If, as a fan, I can't have a CBA with the NHL guaranteeing me they won't cancel out the sport I've spent a lifetime loving and supporting, then for now, I'm not giving them a dime. I need a new computer anyway. Not buying Wings sweatshirts should cover that.

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Want to hit the NHL where it hurts?

Stop buying their stuff, going to the games at least at the start (whenever that will be), cancel center-ice packages and stop buying merchandise with the NHL logo printed on it - these are the things that hurt. Do some people honestly believe the PA or NHL cares about unliking them? *lol* this is a business and as we all know you hurt a business by refusing to buy ( = giving them money) their stuff.

This really is the right way to go.

I typically go to 10 games a season, purchase the NHL Center Ice Package, and purchase merchandise. I have already promised that if the NHL doesn't have a full season, which it looks like it won't, then I won't be doing any of those things. Will I watch the Wings on TV? Yes. My cable bill will be the only money I spend to watch the Wings. I just won't spend any money on tickets to nhl games, the center ice package, or merchandise for the next 5-6 years. It will save me at least $1500 a year, to which I will spend that money on something else.

Speak with your wallets!

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This is silly. The fact that we're all clattering away on this message board during a lockout is that we're all huge fans of hockey. If the game came back, the last thing I'd want is to financially "punish" the league. I want the game to be popular and strong and I am bothered by those that consider our game a fringe sport. The fact of the matter is that they have a product we love and can use that to their advantage now. It sucks but we have to wait it out until the greed gets worked out.

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This is silly. The fact that we're all clattering away on this message board during a lockout is that we're all huge fans of hockey. If the game came back, the last thing I'd want is to financially "punish" the league. I want the game to be popular and strong and I am bothered by those that consider our game a fringe sport. The fact of the matter is that they have a product we love and can use that to their advantage now. It sucks but we have to wait it out until the greed gets worked out.

I understand your points but theres a big difference between "Hockey" and the "NHL". I will continue to support "Hockey" but if this season is lost I will not support the NHL and contrary to your opinion I beleive if more fans did this than the NHL (Or another pro league entirely) will be better for fans.

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This is silly. The fact that we're all clattering away on this message board during a lockout is that we're all huge fans of hockey. If the game came back, the last thing I'd want is to financially "punish" the league. I want the game to be popular and strong and I am bothered by those that consider our game a fringe sport. The fact of the matter is that they have a product we love and can use that to their advantage now. It sucks but we have to wait it out until the greed gets worked out.

Which is exactly why we should be making our voices heard, not just blindly suck up whatever crumbs they choose to leave for us. The last lockout was for "the long-term good of game." Expansion was also for the long-term good of the game. Those have both worked out really well, haven't they? Another lockout 7 years later and teams that are siphoning off revenue from other teams, one of which is now owned by the NHL itself because it can't begin to support itself. Please explain to me how these things are helping. You can say revenue is up, but so is the price of tickets, merchandise and concessions; kind of hard not to generate more revenue when you're charging 8.50 for a beer and 20 bucks for a 6-piece pizza. We're not getting our money's worth, and it will stay that way until we change it.

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I really struggle with this. I live in Minnesota, and even here, I talk to some casual sports fans and they don't even know about the lockout going on. The REAL hockey fans are already suffering. We're suffering right now. I don't want sign some pledge or get up on a soapbox about buying NHL merchandise or tickets to further punish myself (one of the select few that actually cares) AFTER the lockout is over.

I don't buy Lidstrom or Datsyuk jerseys, watch NHL games on TV, or eat Little Caesar's Pizza because I'm "supporting the league" or even because I want to put more money in Mike Illitch's pocket. I do it because I ENJOY those things. I'm sorry, but as much of a power trip as Bettman and Fehr might be on, they don't own this game. And when people try to make me feel guilty for loving the game of hockey because of a bunch of lawyers in a boardroom, I'm sorry, but that's seriously screwed up. You're GIVING ownership of the game to people who don't deserve it when you do that.

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I really struggle with this. I live in Minnesota, and even here, I talk to some casual sports fans and they don't even know about the lockout going on. The REAL hockey fans are already suffering. We're suffering right now. I don't want sign some pledge or get up on a soapbox about buying NHL merchandise or tickets to further punish myself (one of the select few that actually cares) AFTER the lockout is over.

I don't buy Lidstrom or Datsyuk jerseys, watch NHL games on TV, or eat Little Caesar's Pizza because I'm "supporting the league" or even because I want to put more money in Mike Illitch's pocket. I do it because I ENJOY those things. I'm sorry, but as much of a power trip as Bettman and Fehr might be on, they don't own this game. And when people try to make me feel guilty for loving the game of hockey because of a bunch of lawyers in a boardroom, I'm sorry, but that's seriously screwed up. You're GIVING ownership of the game to people who don't deserve it when you do that.

This is pretty much the sentiment I was trying to express. We're the real fans and pledging to tear down the league that we love watching just doesn't seem like a viable route for me anyway. The league will feel the bulk of the repercussions for what they're doing when they lose their casual fans.

And it's not like the league is evil from top to bottom. The franchises do a lot for the fans. In the last few months, I have been floored by the Red Wings' fan appreciation efforts with the fan mural and the events they have been holding. I mean, I can't get over how ridiculous it was that they let me lace them up and go skating at the Joe for free.

You can cite the struggling markets and expensive beers, but it's not all doom and gloom. Efforts to expand the game, whether completely successful or not, should be welcomed to get the sport recognized nationwide. And yeah, beer is expensive at games, but so is popcorn at the movie theater. That's what happens when places don't allow outside food. In my opinion, the game is much better since the last lock-out and the revenues and increased viewership shows it. It really sucks that we're stuck in a bargaining gridlock right now, but the greed needs to be worked out by the bigwigs and then we can return to admiring the other more important aspects of the game. Any money-making industry will have its ugly side.

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I'd rather be swept up in idealism than mired in inertia. I'm not rallying the troops - everyone is free to do what they will. This is my chosen route. And I'm not asking for perfection, as evidenced by the Dead Wing era, which was a major portion of my life. I'm not going to put up with a lockout every 5 years; it's ridiculous. No other business would put up with that. Do schools close for an entire year? Do movies stop filming for an entire year? And the Wings, and Mr. Ilitch in particular, are a decided minority as far as overall ownership goes. And I'm not going to let my 1"x1" picture in a mural at the Joe wipe out all the crap I've had to take. Yes, skating at the Joe would be cool, but I'm cautious about whether it's genuine concern or merely preemptive. For every dollar I spend, whatever amount, let's say 20 cents of that goes to revenue sharing. I'm not putting good money after bad for now.

Whether the game is better or not is debatable. I could not possibly care less if the game becomes more recognizable or not. I will not enumerate the reasons for that so as not to go completely off topic. Yes, I'm mad, and I have every right to be and to make that displeasure known. It takes away the sting if I tell the NHL how mad I am as I'm dialing up Ticketmaster.

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Personally I feel like boycotting the red wings doesn't make sense as Ilitch at least from the small rumors doesn't already align with Bettmen but there isn't much that can be done including other owners who are are also successful like Ilitch who also doesn't agree with Bettman. Its a two sided sword that the fans just get bent over and screwed over. We can only hope (or at least I can hope) that these small market teams lose so much money that they will finally either moved or close down. I hope for the latter a smaller more productive league is better for the fans.

These poor desision making small market teams hold all the power and keep Bettmen doing what he does making it as profitable a league as he can pretty much for the best interest for middle of the road and bad market teams. The tier teams will make more money at the expense of losing being able to ice great teams. The ability to go out and spend disappears so whats the difference for a player to go anywhere other than the fact that team x happens to have more cap space that year. Mediocracy is all we will most likely get out of the NHL so that more owners can be more profitable. Unfortunatly as Red Wings fans we lose.

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I dont know I LOVE the sport LOVE my wings and frankly was looking forward to the season and now a bunch of greedy bastards are spoiling my fun!!

So I am replacing the money I would spend on Center Ice and taking friends to the Gwinette Gladiators games. Got 2 tickets on the glass for 22 bucks a piece for tomorrows game. Good luck getting that price in any NHL arena.

Is it NHL hockey no! Do they skate, hit, score and fight(something that needs to come back in the NHL), ...YUP!

This gives me my hockey fix and I think IF we get a season back it will be a struggle to "punish" the team I love but I just might not spend that money on that new Helm jersey I was thinking about.

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I must disagree. I have been a Wings fan since Gordie was still good. I wear Wings gear 365 days a year. I eat Little Caesars, especially when new contracts are signed (see Pavel and Hank) to help pay those contracts. I attend games every chance I can afford them. My family had season tickets since 1982. The Wings/Leafs Winter Classic is the game of a lifetime for me. I have poured most of my disposable income into this team. I think I can safely call myself a true fan.

This lockout has, shall we say, dampened my enthusiasm. If a deal IS done this year, as much as it pains me, I will not attend the Winter Classic. I have begun purchasing non-Wings related winter clothing. Some who know me see this as a sign of the apocalypse. I don't know that I will even watch any games, but I won't rule out the possibility. That not watching is even a consideration for me would have been inconceivable 3 months ago. 3 lockouts has taken its toll. Being a fan of hockey has not come cheap; why am I going to hand over thousands of dollars to a sport that doesn't give a s*** whether I attend or not, outside of the profit pool?

If, as a fan, I can't have a CBA with the NHL guaranteeing me they won't cancel out the sport I've spent a lifetime loving and supporting, then for now, I'm not giving them a dime. I need a new computer anyway. Not buying Wings sweatshirts should cover that.

I understand the thought process....but what do you epect to accomplish by this other than missing out on hockey?

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Guest Johnz96

I understand the thought process....but what do you epect to accomplish by this other than missing out on hockey?

Getting Bettman out of hockey.

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