Skip to main content

And the fans have spoken...

The results of the yearly NHLFA (NHL Fans Association) poll are in, and here's a recap of some of the more notable results:

  • Although it's a poll of diehard NHL fans, a full 36% fail to attend more than one NHL game per season. Perhaps this is another argument that ticket prices remain too high.
  • Favorite rule changes? The Tag-Up Offsides, elimination of the two-line pass, not allowing teams to change players after an icing, and assessment of fines upon video review for diving.
  • The least favorite rule changes? The final-five minute instigator penalty, and the dreaded Trapezoid of Doom, beyond which puckhandling goaltenders dare not tread.
  • Most fans (59%) view the new CBA as a positive force for change within the league, but it wasn't worth the loss of the 2004-5 season.
  • The division-heavy schedule was taken to the woodshed, with 60% of fans indicating it is "a bad idea."

My favorite item within the poll was the question, "Should the NHL and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) work together to bring Saturday "Hockey Night in Canada" to all American fans via a national public U.S. broadcaster?" A resounding 86% "YES" vote makes one wonder why the NHL has failed to even broach this issue in recent years.

There are 59 questions in full over at the NHLFA, and it's well worth taking some time to go through. And while you're there, sign up to join the NHLFA - it's free and your membership helps to make the voice of the fan that much louder within the NHL offices.

Popular posts from this blog

Cheer up, it's the holidays...

Why is it that various media outlets continue trying to put their own spin on the "what's wrong with the NHL" story? Our latest example comes from The Hockey News , in a piece by Jay Greenburg entitled, "Excitement Level On The Decline." Take the opening sentence: Attendance is down and yet still up from before the lockout, leaving it arguable whether buildings in New Jersey and Florida are half-full or half empty. It's no surprise that attendance is down from last season, particularly if you compare the first half of 2005-06 to the first half of this year. Coming out of the lockout, there were legions of fans starved to see the on-ice product, particularly in light of the massive rule changes. This year is more indicative of business as usual, so the fact that the league is above pre-lockout levels is a positive. Toss in the projection that overall revenues are increasing despite a 1% decrease in attendance, and I'd say that paying fans have come back
Read more

How I'm Trying To Make Money Sports Blogging

To kick off this series of articles general sports-blogging articles here at OTF Classic, I think it's best to start with a comment that Brad left here last week, after I shared my goals for 2012 , which include specific revenue targets: I considered diving into the world of internet marketing myself, but I felt that my friends would hate me for bugging them about stuff. I mean, it's pretty low-risk high-reward, so it's tempting. I wouldn't mind reading about tips on how to maximize impact of blogging in general to make it a legitimate income source. Trying to make money at sports blogging can be a very touchy subject - for the vast majority of us, this is an activity we pursue to both exercise our creativity and share our love of the game, whether it's hockey, football, badminton, whatever, with fellow fans. Mixing that personal conversation with a commercial message can turn people off, especially if it becomes too intrusive for the reader. It's not unrea
Read more

Celebrating a milestone month

I've been remiss in providing regular updates on my quest to turn this whole sports-blogging hobby into at least something of a significant side income, if not a career, but good news has a way of prompting action. That, and I've been heads-down busy working on a few different fronts to push things forward...
Read more