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A frustrated fan says so long to the Canucks - Any STHs here walking?


DEV1LDR1VER

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Boycotting the first game of the year would send a statement, but I'm not going to punish myself for the transgressions of the NHL and NHLPA.

Clearly the fact that NHL and NHLPA think nothing of either truncating or even killing seasons, and that many people affected by that, means nothing to you...you just want your NHL hockey, no matter what the cost...and you're not alone, which is probably why we'll be back here sometime in the future...there's more than enough of you that doesn't care how much the NHL and NHLPA sh!ts on its product, you'll be first in line the minute they're back in business. And I'm not much different than you...I'm annoyed and pissed by all of this, and it's soured me on the NHL for the forseeable future, but if they get a season in this year, by next season I will likely be 100% back on board. Maybe I won't be first in line like you, but I'm still in the line.

Like I've said, for me, I'm not into punishing anyone for this, I've just lost my desire to watch the NHL for the moment, and I've stated why. But if others want to consciously stick to the NHL by not going and not watching, especially if a third lockout has finally caused some of them to snap, I can't blame them.

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Clearly the fact that NHL and NHLPA think nothing of either truncating or even killing seasons, and that many people affected by that, means nothing to you...you just want your NHL hockey, no matter what the cost...and you're not alone, which is probably why we'll be back here sometime in the future...there's more than enough of you that doesn't care how much the NHL and NHLPA sh!ts on its product, you'll be first in line the minute they're back in business. And I'm not much different than you...I'm annoyed and pissed by all of this, and it's soured me on the NHL for the forseeable future, but if they get a season in this year, by next season I will likely be 100% back on board. Maybe I won't be first in line like you, but I'm still in the line.

Like I've said, for me, I'm not into punishing anyone for this, I've just lost my desire to watch the NHL for the moment, and I've stated why. But if others want to consciously stick to the NHL by not going and not watching, especially if a third lockout has finally caused some of them to snap, I can't blame them.

I am not pleased with the NHL or the NHLPA, but I'm not going to take it out on myself and on the Devils organization. Even if I were to boycott the NHL for a while to show my displeasure, the loss of my dollars would not make enough of an impact for them to take notice. So, I'll be right back because I enjoy the game and I love the Devils.

I do think that the casual NHL fan is rapidly losing interest though, and might not be back for quite a while...or ever.

Edited by JWomp
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This region, especially, will be hurt by this lockout. When you think of all the hype that was going on around here in May and June because of an epic playoff season for Philly/NJ/NY, it did more for hockey in the area than has happened in decades. Like many of you are saying, the average casual fan out there has lost interest. Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks are playing well now, so that's probably where their attention is now. If hockey started on time, they might have gone to a couple games by now...

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I am not pleased with the NHL or the NHLPA, but I'm not going to take it out on myself and on the Devils organization. Even if I were to boycott the NHL for a while to show my displeasure, the loss of my dollars would not make enough of an impact for them to take notice. So, I'll be right back because I enjoy the game and I love the Devils.

I do think that the casual NHL fan is rapidly losing interest though, and might not be back for quite a while...or ever.

I think the point CR76 is making (and the one I was too) is that it's not to punish anyone or take it out on the league or ourselves. It's that not just the casual fans, but even some hardcore fans are starting to lose interest bit by bit as well. We all enjoy the game and love the Devils. We wouldn't be discussing our season tickets on a Devils message board otherwise. Some have just grown more tired of the repetitive work stoppages than others.

Like CR76 said above, the Rangers, Flyers, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Toronto, they won't miss a beat. But what will this lockout do to Jersey? Or even worse, Florida, Columbus, Tampa, Nashville, Phoenix? How is Bettman supposed to justify this and the inevitable loss of business to these cities, who he fought to bring the game to?

Will I be back when hockey is back? Of course I will. I love it. But will I be dropping thousands of dollars on season tickets? Eh, I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll be fine once I've gone to another game an remembered why I love it. Maybe I'll drop down to 10 - 12 games a year. I don't know. But there are hardcore fans in other markets who are asking themselves the same thing now and some of them may be moving on for good.

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I think the point CR76 is making (and the one I was too) is that it's not to punish anyone or take it out on the league or ourselves. It's that not just the casual fans, but even some hardcore fans are starting to lose interest bit by bit as well. We all enjoy the game and love the Devils. We wouldn't be discussing our season tickets on a Devils message board otherwise. Some have just grown more tired of the repetitive work stoppages than others.

Like CR76 said above, the Rangers, Flyers, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Toronto, they won't miss a beat. But what will this lockout do to Jersey? Or even worse, Florida, Columbus, Tampa, Nashville, Phoenix? How is Bettman supposed to justify this and the inevitable loss of business to these cities, who he fought to bring the game to?

Will I be back when hockey is back? Of course I will. I love it. But will I be dropping thousands of dollars on season tickets? Eh, I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll be fine once I've gone to another game an remembered why I love it. Maybe I'll drop down to 10 - 12 games a year. I don't know. But there are hardcore fans in other markets who are asking themselves the same thing now and some of them may be moving on for good.

It's funny, I'd almost like to see an "eye for an eye" strategy adopted by the NHL fanbase...for every game that's canceled, we boycott one on the revised schedule. So say the NHL starts this season with, say, a 50-game schedule...fans then boycott the first 32 games, since 32 were taken away from us. I know it has no prayer of happening, but at least it might motivate these guys to settle a lot faster the next time.

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It's funny, I'd almost like to see an "eye for an eye" strategy adopted by the NHL fanbase...for every game that's canceled, we boycott one on the revised schedule. So say the NHL starts this season with, say, a 50-game schedule...fans then boycott the first 32 games, since 32 were taken away from us. I know it has no prayer of happening, but at least it might motivate these guys to settle a lot faster the next time.

This is actually the exact approach I'm taking.

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I haven't lost my desire or interest in watching Devils hockey, it's using my hard earned money to support these whiney spoiled brat players and owners that I no longer really want to support. It's easier to ignore how much these guys are overpaid and how much money I give to this team when there aren't lockouts but when this stuff happens it makes me really question why I even bother when I can watch the games on tv in HD in the comfort of my own living room for free.

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Don't care about sides, feelings, none of that crap. I love hockey and the Devils are the closest, most convenient to reach pro team. If I stop watching NHL hockey, where am I gonna go to get my hockey fix? The next closest teams to me(besides NY, vomit) are the Trenton whatever they're called now, then probably the Pens AHL team in Wilkes Barre/Scranton. Both of which are at least as long a drive as Newark and will likely cost as much, if not more than seeing a Devils game. So, I would like to ask all you 'I'm gonna punish the NHL' people: Is letting the NHL know you're mad for realsies this time worth losing hockey over? The answer for me is, nah man, sh!t nah, I believe you get the sh!t kicked outta ya for saying something like that.

Hockey to me is just part of me, part of my life, inseparable from the rest. I grew up loving hockey, watching it, playing it. My first video game: NHL 95, some of my first(and best) memories of childhood: On the ice, playing hockey. This game is something I love more than I've loved most, if not all, things. Without it, my life is bleak, with it, I'm intoxicated. So tell me, are you to tell me I should live a bleak and sober life the next several months just because the NHL needs to learn a lesson? gtfo.

You want to poo on the NHL, don't buy licensed merchandise, don't watch NHL network, don't watch anything hockey related besides the Devils games on MSGs networks, but don't hurt yourself or the Devils because you got your panties in a bunch because big mean brother took away your favorite game.

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Its possible to love hockey and hate the NHL. With great quality broadcasts of KHL and CHL games that are easily accessible and in my case the ability to assist my friend who is coaching a HS team this year, I find I'm getting my hockey fix just fine without the NHL. I know not spending money on NHL products isn't going to prove anything or be noticed - that's not the point. I'm just done being a puppet for this league for awhile. I'll always love the Devils and watch every game, but my love for the sport far surpasses my love for the Devils now.

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I read some article on Philly.com about a Flyers fan who proposes boycotting the opener whenever the game returns. It might not sound like much, but if enough fans around the league went along with that idea, it would be a pretty cool statement.

There's been discussion about similar ideas on the puckpodcast. I think it would be a great idea for fans to stage a league-wide boycott of one NIGHT of hockey. Pick one of those nights when all (or almost all) the teams are playing, and ALL fans boycott that night. I realize it would be a monsterous undertaking to organize such a thing, and the chances of actually making it happen are virtually zero. But it would be perfect. Edited by Brick Pig
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It would be easier to get fans to boycott concessions and beer for the season. It would also help the local businesses if more people pregamed. Still not that likely, but I could see more people being willing to sacrifice the convenience (not sarcastic) of paying too much for food at games than sacrifice hockey.

I'm fairly broke, and trying to save money in the possibly unrealistic hope of going to Brazil in 2 years for the World Cup, so I probably wasn't going to a game anyway, so much as I'd like to boycott for ethical reasons, this actually has nothing to do with me missing games.

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It's funny, I'd almost like to see an "eye for an eye" strategy adopted by the NHL fanbase...for every game that's canceled, we boycott one on the revised schedule. So say the NHL starts this season with, say, a 50-game schedule...fans then boycott the first 32 games, since 32 were taken away from us. I know it has no prayer of happening, but at least it might motivate these guys to settle a lot faster the next time.

Since the fans have no voice in the bargaining but are the 3rd party...this idea sounds cool.

The problem I will have with hockey is I pay game by game since I can't get season tickets. I am getting comfortable with that money in my pocket.

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Don't care about sides, feelings, none of that crap. I love hockey and the Devils are the closest, most convenient to reach pro team. If I stop watching NHL hockey, where am I gonna go to get my hockey fix? The next closest teams to me(besides NY, vomit) are the Trenton whatever they're called now, then probably the Pens AHL team in Wilkes Barre/Scranton. Both of which are at least as long a drive as Newark and will likely cost as much, if not more than seeing a Devils game. So, I would like to ask all you 'I'm gonna punish the NHL' people: Is letting the NHL know you're mad for realsies this time worth losing hockey over? The answer for me is, nah man, sh!t nah, I believe you get the sh!t kicked outta ya for saying something like that.

Hockey to me is just part of me, part of my life, inseparable from the rest. I grew up loving hockey, watching it, playing it. My first video game: NHL 95, some of my first(and best) memories of childhood: On the ice, playing hockey. This game is something I love more than I've loved most, if not all, things. Without it, my life is bleak, with it, I'm intoxicated. So tell me, are you to tell me I should live a bleak and sober life the next several months just because the NHL needs to learn a lesson? gtfo.

You want to poo on the NHL, don't buy licensed merchandise, don't watch NHL network, don't watch anything hockey related besides the Devils games on MSGs networks, but don't hurt yourself or the Devils because you got your panties in a bunch because big mean brother took away your favorite game.

That is a very nice and impassioned post, however it totally misses the point. Most of us aren't interested in punishing anyone, including ourselves. We are just discussing that the endless lockouts have taken their toll on even the most hardcore of fans. We've all pretty much agreed that no form of boycott will really work.

Also, at no point did anyone tell you or anyone else not to go to games or enjoy the Devils. A few of us just personally have less interest than we did during 2004-05 lockout. It's not a 'who's a bigger fan' contest.

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That is a very nice and impassioned post, however it totally misses the point. Most of us aren't interested in punishing anyone, including ourselves. We are just discussing that the endless lockouts have taken their toll on even the most hardcore of fans. We've all pretty much agreed that no form of boycott will really work.

Also, at no point did anyone tell you or anyone else not to go to games or enjoy the Devils. A few of us just personally have less interest than we did during 2004-05 lockout. It's not a 'who's a bigger fan' contest.

That's the thing too. In the three seasons after the lockout, I wasn't actively or conscientiously protesting the league over the lockout. I just simply learned to live without it and almost had to reignite my passion for it the same way it was before the lockout.

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It would be easier to get fans to boycott concessions and beer for the season. It would also help the local businesses if more people pregamed. Still not that likely, but I could see more people being willing to sacrifice the convenience (not sarcastic) of paying too much for food at games than sacrifice hockey.

I'm fairly broke, and trying to save money in the possibly unrealistic hope of going to Brazil in 2 years for the World Cup, so I probably wasn't going to a game anyway, so much as I'd like to boycott for ethical reasons, this actually has nothing to do with me missing games.

That's definitely a reasonable 'compromise' solution, although it falls under the parameter of punishing the team in a sense since they do get concession money, it also helps the local businesses (which suffered the most with this lockout) and doesn't punish yourself. Ironically because of the food and beverage card I'm supposed to be getting I don't have to worry about buying concessions there anyway per se. The only thing that might be problematic to go without for me are programs since I like to get them as souveniers for Opening Day, the playoffs and other big events, and you can't get them outside the arena so I might have to make an exception for that.

As far as your second (somewhat OT) point, I do hope the World Cup comes back to the US in my lifetime, I was too young to really go myself in '94 but I'd definitely go if I had another chance.

Edited by NJDevs4978
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You're missing the point too, though. Nobody is saying it's a "who's the bigger fan contest."

My initial post in this thread that took some heat was misinterpreted in the same way.

It may not be intended, but it comes off that way. Here's a couple of quotes from earlier in the thread:

Obviously, you weren't a very big hockey fan in the first place if that's the case.
If you're such a big fan, you'd continue to go to games and continue to watch.
By definition, a true fan doesn't give up on the team

We are all fans here. Just because some react differently than others doesn't make anyone lesser fans. If I wasn't a fan, I wouldn't have a few thousand bucks sitting in the Vanderbeek's bank account while I wait for this thing to end.

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That is a very nice and impassioned post, however it totally misses the point. Most of us aren't interested in punishing anyone, including ourselves. We are just discussing that the endless lockouts have taken their toll on even the most hardcore of fans. We've all pretty much agreed that no form of boycott will really work.

Also, at no point did anyone tell you or anyone else not to go to games or enjoy the Devils. A few of us just personally have less interest than we did during 2004-05 lockout. It's not a 'who's a bigger fan' contest.

Yes, agree on all counts. I know my "eye for an eye" idea would never fly, because there are thousands of fans like JWomp and ATLL765 who just want their NHL hockey, end of story. There simply aren't enough potential boycotters who would ever follow through on something as extreme as not showing up for the same number of games that were taken off the schedule. If I ever got into "Let me teach the NHL something, we'll show them!" mode and really tried to make something like "eye for an eye" happen, by hitting as many Devils fansites and trying to get as many Devils fans as possible on board, how many would really go for it? Or the better question: how many season ticket holders would get on board? If were to guess, I'm thinking, after a month of endless "recruiting", I might get 20 fans, most of whom would be casual fans who go to maybe 5 games a year, tops. I'd have a very hard time getting even one season ticket holder to go along. In the end, no one would even notice.

But it's like DD56 says, I was never out to punish anyone or make statements, or to tell anyone what to do...sure, I think running right back tells the squabbling parties involved that it's OK to sh!t on their product over and over again, but at the same time, the Devils fans who do run right back are spending their hard-earned on a franchise for me that clearly needs every last penny it can get. There's pros and cons to every fan's approach, which is why there's really no right and wrong. Like I've said, at this point I think I'd like to drive up to Newark if/when the season starts up, and watch my first games in the local restaurants, because I sympathize much more with those people that I do the players and owners. I'd to see THEM make some money.

JWomp, your first post wasn't misinterpreted one bit, it was loud and clear, and DD56 quoted you on why. You called me out on how big a fan I was because my reaction to all of this wasn't the same as yours.

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That is a very nice and impassioned post, however it totally misses the point. Most of us aren't interested in punishing anyone, including ourselves. We are just discussing that the endless lockouts have taken their toll on even the most hardcore of fans. We've all pretty much agreed that no form of boycott will really work.

Also, at no point did anyone tell you or anyone else not to go to games or enjoy the Devils. A few of us just personally have less interest than we did during 2004-05 lockout. It's not a 'who's a bigger fan' contest.

Multiple people have made mentions about how they are not going to game in order to punish the league through a boycott. I don't care about being a bigger fan, I'm just giving you my perspective as a hockey lover that would have to inconvenience himself greatly in order to enjoy hockey sans NHL. I work M-F during the day, so I can't catch live KHL games, it's hard to find good highlights and it's just not the same when you can't follow closely like I can with the NHL. If there was high level hockey, near me, that I could get to in as much time or less, pay as much or less to see, than I would, but that doesn't exist for me. I love to see my younger brother play, but watching a bunch of 9 year olds play isn't quite the same as pro hockey.

I'm not out to change anyone's mind really. And if anyone missed my last sentence in the first paragraph, that was a reference to Office Space, not my actual thoughts.

I'm all for trying to prove a point to the NHL, that's why I mentioned boycotting anything that gains them revenue, that would not otherwise affect you seeing hockey.

As for being a bigger fan or not, if you can stay away from hockey, you are not as big of a fan as I am, period. I'm not saying stay away from NHL hockey, I mean all hockey. The only reason I only bring up the NHL, is that I have no alternative to it. If anyone could tell me where there is high level pro hockey that's as convenient and cheap as seeing the Devils in Newark, I'd love to see it, but I don't have that here in NW NJ.

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I may check out the Titans...I still love the sport. That won't ever change. It's about 45 mins or so away for me, same as Newark. Might see a game or two in Albany too. I do miss watching hockey a lot.

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I may check out the Titans...I still love the sport. That won't ever change. It's about 45 mins or so away for me, same as Newark. Might see a game or two in Albany too. I do miss watching hockey a lot.

Also do not forget Princeton Tigers hockey too. Cheap tickets and only about 20 min from me!

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Also do not forget Princeton Tigers hockey too. Cheap tickets and only about 20 min from me!

Good idea, thanks!

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I would like to know if STH who paid in full will still be getting the "bonus" for doing so even if there is NO season... I do not recall there being any requirement other than to pay in full for 2012-2013 by X date. :)

I'm sure they would give you the same thing for '13-14 if there was no season. The tricky part is if there's a shortened season this year, they can't offer as many suites, there's not as many games where tours can be arranged, etc. I don't even know what I 'won', just what I'm getting (a $200 f/b card, plus practice and I think team awards tickets). Heck, they still have to offer out restitution for people that picked equipment sale access as a reward since there was no equipment sale.

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