A Fan's Take On The NHL Apology

[vladdy16 2,154]

It's not mine, but I wish I could take credit for it. Just Drop It on Facebook shared this fan's letter:

By Tangotiger
Terrible apology.

First, they never say “I’m sorry”. In order to express remorse, you MUST say “I’m sorry”. If you say “I apologize”, you simply acknowledge a wrong, but without expressing remorse.

Secondly, even if you want to accept “apologize”, they don’t even mention their culpability. They say “for the time we’ve missed”. That’s like coming home late for dinner because of bad traffic. Like, it couldn’t be helped.

“I apologize for being late, as the traffic was terrible.” That’s what the NHL just said.

But, the NHL is the one that caused the accident! They locked out the players. They can’t even acknowledge it. They’re hoping by not saying it, people will forget about who to blame! Even some of their NHL.com “reporters” go out of their way to not say “lockout”.

Anyway, after that complete opening fail, they want to earn your trust by… having someone else play their hearts out for you! The players were willing to play with an expired CBA. They were always ready to play their hearts out.

So, the NHL caused an accident, made you late for dinner, and is going to get their mechanic to work extra hard on your car, and even though the mechanic was going to do that anyway. And for this, they expect absolution.

Does the NHL offer you free NHL Center Ice? No, of course not, because their “partners” wouldn’t allow it. Some of their partners (Comcast, Cablevision) happen to own the Flyers and Rangers. And I think inDemand is owned by Comcast. Anyway, I understand that Cablevision still wants their 49$ cut out of the 99$ they’d otherwise charge for a 48-game season. But, why is the fan paying that 49$? Why can’t the NHL give the fans a rebate on that? So, you pay the 49$ to Cablevision, and then you fill out the rebate form at NHL.com, and the NHL gives you back 49 NHL bucks, which you can apply to tickets, concessions, or merchandise. Instead, Bettman goes on the radio and now makes his partners complicit in the idea that the fans can’t get a free NHL Center Ice package.

Finally, they end their apology letter by asking us to forget everything and focus on the players. This is like Congress blocking aid to Sandy for two months while eventually agreeing to the proposal all along. It was a ridiculous wait.

The only apology I’d like to see is Bettman/Daly’s performance in early December following Fehr’s pronouncement that they had agreement on the dollars, and were right on top of each other everywhere else, while they were talking about hills to die on and comparing Fehr’s statements to being a billion dollar apart the last time. The deal they eventually agreed to was pretty much what Fehr was talking about in December. It was five weeks lost, for no other reason than whatever motivates Congress: talk loud and hope no one notices that you are saying nothing.

And if someone from the NHL happens to read this: if you have taken offense to what I just said, then I apologize. Dinner will be waiting.

[Guest The Axe]

No need for them to apologize. Like everybody else, I paid 11.75 for the most horrible piece of pizza at the Joe last year when my dad and I forked over 65 each a ticket to see the wings play nashville. I will go to both games at the Shark Tank this year, too. I like hockey enough to get over the lameass money fights every 6-8 years. So does almost everybody else.

[frankgrimes 1,836]

They can say whatever they want, it is still a bunch of crap, if you don't know how to split 3,3 BILLION $ something is really really wrong and btw. we will have another one in 7 years. I will not spend a dime on merchandise or anything NHL related for at least another year.

[Seraph 240]

Fact of the matter is they're selling a product that people collectively pay millions to experience every year. They can throw a hissy fit every eight years if they want because they are the ones who own this amazing product. It's strange to see fans still butthurt that there is a business aspect to hockey, expecting free crap and Center Ice. Yes, the lockout sucked, but that's how business works sometimes. Yes, it has sucked more than other major sports leagues, but it's over now. Stop feeling so entitled. It's like being mad at a super hot model who stopped working for a few months. You aren't the one calling the shots here.

[vladdy16 2,154]

Fact of the matter is they're selling a product that people collectively pay millions to experience every year. They can throw a hissy fit every eight years if they want because they are the ones who own this amazing product. It's strange to see fans still butthurt that there is a business aspect to hockey, expecting free crap and Center Ice. Yes, the lockout sucked, but that's how business works sometimes. Yes, it has sucked more than other major sports leagues, but it's over now. Stop feeling so entitled. It's like being mad at a super hot model who stopped working for a few months. You aren't the one calling the shots here.

Stop telling other people how to feel or that they have no right to be angry. No one died and made you the arbiter of etiquette. Go ahead and lay down for the NHL - no one has told you what to do, yet you feel entitled to tell others. Don't think that just because you feel a certain way, no one has the right to feel differently.

I and others who are still "butthurt" can spend our money in any way we see fit, and we choose not to give it to something that slaps us in the face. You are welcome to say thank you, sir, may I please have another, but others are going to make their displeasure known.

Get over it.

[frankgrimes 1,836]

Fact of the matter is they're selling a product that people collectively pay millions to experience every year. They can throw a hissy fit every eight years if they want because they are the ones who own this amazing product. It's strange to see fans still butthurt that there is a business aspect to hockey, expecting free crap and Center Ice. Yes, the lockout sucked, but that's how business works sometimes. Yes, it has sucked more than other major sports leagues, but it's over now. Stop feeling so entitled. It's like being mad at a super hot model who stopped working for a few months. You aren't the one calling the shots here.

Although their product is overhyped, overpriced and not as good as it once (pre 2005) was and yet they are continuing to charge premium fees for punching people in the face, every X years and yet some fans are gladfully coming back giving them money again...

[Dabura 12,207]

Although their product is overhyped, overpriced and not as good as it once (pre 2005) was and yet they are continuing to charge premium fees for punching people in the face, every X years and yet some fans are gladfully coming back giving them money again...

Like Weezer.