All of these people saying they are going to stop buying tickets and stop going to games are ridiculous. How can you refer to yourselves as fans? "Ottawa's losing, why would I want to spend money to see them play?" Because they are your team, losing sucks, but not standing by your team when they are at a low point, which they are far from, is utterly insane. When I'm walking around Toronto, wearing my Sens jersey on game day, I feel totally alone. This is to be expected, I'm on enemy soil. But to feel the same way when walking around Scotiabank Place makes me sick.
I remember being at the Pittsburgh game, Ottawa was down, half of the "fans" left during the second intermission. Another quarter had left during the 3rd and the Pittsburgh fans almost outnumbered the remaining Ottawa fans with 10 minutes left. On top of that, I had an Ottawa "fan" get mad at me for sitting on the edge of my seat when there was a scramble in front of the Penguins' net. This experience made me come to the conclusion that Ottawa fans, for the most part, are nothing more than spectators. You don't love the team, you just show up to watch, and just like with TV, if you don't like what you are watching, you switch it off.
When we have fans showing up to games expecting the team to lose, and the only noises we hear are fake cheers for the goalie, if he's been letting in softies, or perhaps boo's raining down when a defenceman gets caught flat footed, it makes me cringe. Can you not see that this is a terrible way to show support for your team? Coming to home ice only to be treated like the visiting team. Awful.
The fact of the matter is, when the Sens are doing poorly do you not think they know? The media hounds them and they are forced to watch video of all of their mistakes made in the previous game. On top of that, the coaching staff further pounds the point home; so yes the team knows when they are playing poorly. They don't need their fans reminding them as well.
I have to chuckle a little bit when the only legitimate cheers I hear are started by children. Cheers which are quickly silenced by parents who are afraid their kids are being too loud, or worse, they are silenced because no other fans want to be caught cheering for a team who's losing. But these children are doing what we should all be doing, cheering on the troops regardless of what the score on the board says. A little positive reinforcement never hurt anyone, especially when you are getting negative reinforcement from everywhere else. If anything, an arena full of loud fans cheering "Go Sens Go" would make me want to get going.
Hey they're your tickets, do what you want, if it were me I'd be at every game, cheering as loud as I can, no matter what.
Dave
63 comments:
I totally agree on everything Dave wrote. Personally I`m flying in from Norway to watch two home games in January, and to me, it would be great to watch the team I love grab a couple wins, but I`m not flying 15 hours just to see the sens win... it would merely be icing on the cake if they did.. All i want is to see them live again.
It`s shocking to read about the toronto - scotiabank place comparison you wrote about, but oddly it does sound familiar, and I can easily relate as to how you feel walking through SBP.
Atleast I`ll be there cheering with you :)
I'm a Senators supporter, not a fan. Fan is derived from fanatic. I am realistic and when they play teams like Boston, with Thomas in nets, I have higher expectations that they might not win. I still support the team, but not to the point of delusion- where I expect them to win every game (see Leafs).
What it comes down to is that hockey is entertainment. If you are not being entertained, you have every right to decide to do something else. This is not a war between two tribes, whereby the loser is condemned to death, this is just a game, a sport, watched for amusement. Viewing it from that angle, reviling treacherous supporters with shifting loyalties, I'd argue, is insane. It's just a game.
I do agree with you that it would be nice if Sens fans were a little more respectful and supportive to their team. Positive reinforcement doesn't hurt.
Before I head out, let me say that I've supported the team since '93, whether win or loss. It's not easy being in Southern Ontario, surrounded by Leafs fans either.
sidenote; when I heard how loud the leafs fans were in SBP, with their go leafs chants, really made me feel bad ~~ if they can be that loud, and I hardly hear anything that loud from the sens supporters, somethings wrong
Fans spend money on tickets and merchandise which pay the salary of the team. If the team is not performing well the fans have every right to hold the team accountable for their poor preformance. Why should we as fans reward the Ottawa Senators (by buying tickets and merchandise) if they are not doing their job of producing a winning club. Furthermore why should we as fans reward an underacheiving player by giving them undeserved cheers.
This goes for any sporting organization. I am happy with the sens and am a constant supporter. But it sickens me how Leaf fans blindly support a team that year after year underacheives and makes bad moves. Your favourite team is not your child that you need to baby. It is an organization that is trying to make profit. If they want to make profit from me then they need to produce a product that I am willing to pay for...a team that plays hard and can win on any given night.
It is kinda embarassing how SBP is known as one of the quietest arenas around. There is no way another teams fans should be louder than you in your own building.
I think some of it has to do with the age of the team, we are 16 years old so kids that have grown up with the Sens are still too young to buy tickets-while their parents grew up cheering for the Laughs or Habs. Within the next 10 years, kids that have known the Sens all their lives will be going to games instead of what we have now a mixture of newer Sens fans and the old Laugh/Hab people. The more time that goes by, the more true Sens fans will fill the building. Right now no-one under 16 can say they have been a life-long Sens fan-and it shows.
3 cheers and props to you Dave! this is the god honest truth if you ask me and why i cringe at reading comments and discussion on so called hockey fan boards. We have too many spectators and not enough true die hard fans! The fact is everyone will follow the team in their own way, but we need more positivity and support for a team when they're down...not getting down on the team and players. I find it funny reading comments and discussions about certain players when they have a good game v. a bad game. If it was a scouting report given each time they would be a first liner one game and a fourth liner the next game. All players will have good and bad games and the same with teams. Enjoy what we have and be lucky we have a team to follow and love! If i lived in ottawa i would be at every game and cheer the boys on night in a night out!!
Props to you dave for saying it as it is! If only we were all like those children and followed our team unconditionally to if they were performing well or not!
A bit of a stretch on how you would feel alone in SBP with a sens jersey LOL
Rob: Sure, you have every right to do something else if you're not being entertained. Just don't get up from your 200 dollar seat and walk out in the middle of a tie game just so you can "beat the traffic" and be in bed by 9:30 on a Saturday night. Those people just baffle me.
i'm really tired of this "true sens fans" garbage.. its really just a bunch of guys going, "Hey, i'm true a sens fan!" who cares.... I've loved the team since they started, but I get that people get fed up with a team from time to time. who cares!
OK:
1) Leafs fans are Leafs fans. You can't really compare them to anyone else. Even as a die-hard Sens fan, I can't think of any other fan base in professional sports who are as blindly loyal to their franchise. Closest I can come are Yankees fans, but the Yankees also reward their fans by WINNING things, earning their loyalty by not losing for 42 straight years... but I digress.
2) I work in sports apparel, and you'd be AMAZED at how many people I talk to who want Murray fired because "we traded Heatley for Cheechoo"... and when I bring up Michalek, they usually call him a toss in. I swear, I'm not making this up. Clearly, this isn't representative of the entire fan base, but it is disheartening to know that there is a large number of sens fans who really have no clue what is going on with the team.
3) As for SBP being a quiet arena, I think that some Sens fans sometimes forget that we live in a quiet city. Sure, Leafs fans are generally louder than Sens fans, but Torontonians are also generally louder PEOPLE than Ottawans (and usually more obnoxious, and dirtier, and I could go on here, trust me).
We're quieter folk than those in Montreal, too. And Calgary. And Edmonton... and many, many other cities. Having lived all across our country, it's one of the main reasons I moved BACK to Ottawa after having moved away for school and career: It's the best city to raise a family in BECAUSE it's friendly and quiet. We have many great, wonderful and admirable qualities as Ottawans, but being loud just isn't one of them. Never has been.
4) someone hit the nail on the head earlier here... Sens fans are mainly comprised of ex-fans of other NHL teams. We haven't had a team long enough to have "generations" of fans. I was a Red Wings fan growing up, mostly because of the local Nepean/ Steve Yzerman link. My son is growing up as a Sens fan, but honestly he's probably just in the tail end of the first TRUE generation of Sens fans. We don't have 90 years of folklore, and myth, and living legends. As much as we want to pretend that the old Silver Seven/Senators teams are part of our legacy, all we really did was adopt a different franchise's history. The Ottawa Senators started in 1992, not 1903. I think as we mature as a franchise, we will mature as a fan base. "Sens Nation" doesn't need an overhaul, it needs time.
anyone that posts on SC is a true fan. except those A-train trade rumor trolls...
NB,
They baffle me as well; I find it disrespectful to the team. But if they want to waste $200 on a ticket and leave before the performance is over just to beat traffic, then by all means, they have every right to do that.
two words. beer prices. only thing keeping the real hardcore fans out of the arena. Plus having an arena so far from the core blows. don't care what anyone says. go ask phx...
I don't speak for other fans but me, personally, I consider myself a die hard Sens fan, and have been so for about 10 years now. I go to about 10-15 games per year and catch every other game on tv, I buy the jerseys and gear, I read multiple sites like this daily and know the team inside and out for the most part.
When I go to the games, I never leave the games early no matter what the score and thats one thing that drives me nuts about Sens fans.
I also cheer or jump out of my seat when some-one scores a goal or there is a good fight, but I just can't get into the repetitive "Go Sens Go" chant whether there winning or losing, not sure why, maybe its the cheer I'm not sure, but I never have really gotten into it and I've gotten attitude in the past from supposed "real fans" in the past for it.
What I would like to know is, am I really not a "Sens fan" cause I don't shout "Go Sens Go" repetitively throughout the game?
Right on Dave!
Go Sens Go!!!!
Sens fan till I die!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I Agree completely!
good rant Dave.
I agree with the poster who said who cares.
All in all, it's good that fans hold the team accountable by showing less support for non-performance.
The arena was loud during the SCF and during World Juniors. Ottawa fans are very enthusiastic when things are rolling. That's a good thing a in my books. The management team should feel pressure to perform.
I support the team win or lose. But, if they want my money, they have to be well run. I'm not happy with the Murray regime.
i don't buy the whole ottawa is a quiet city. i don't know if anybody here went to the world juniors last year but every game i went to was insane. i have never heard anything as loud as that where i had to yell to talk to the person beside me. now i understand that it was a big event and alot of people came from out of town but the majority of fans there were from ottawa. and they were very loud. i jut dont understand why people can't be that passionate about your home team. is it just cuz a game in the middle of the season doesnt mean anything so you don't feel that you should cheer on your team?
We should start a "rowdy section" in SBP, perhaps the Molson section?
Anybody that wants to be loud, cheer and boo should buy tickets for that section and get loud and rowdy. Maybe it will catch into nearby sections like the plague!
I remember going to the Sens vs. Pens game #2 in 2006. There were 3 different chants going on at once during that game. Go Sens go, Fleeeeuuurrrrryyy and Alfie chants all at the same time. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it...
Go Sens go!
I've mentioned this before but as far as atmosphere is concerned, part of the reason why people consider the Bell Centre one of the better ambiances for a game is because of the way the game is presented.
Shut off the lights during the play, illuminate only the ice surface, play the music louder, have a better and more interactive scoreboard and you "have a better party" irregardless of if you are catering to kids or drunk blue collars...
The Sens do tons of things right, The Sens theme song, the bleed red, Spartacat is awesome, but when it comes to the game atmosphere, nothing is done to drown out the quiet...
Being a fan, or a "supporter" means your with the team through the bad and good. I go to SBP whenever I get the chance, and yeah, I really want them to win, but its also about seeing a show of grit, heart, skill and COMPETITION that makes the other half of it all worth it. Its about seeing chris neil get bloodied right up in a fight and still keep going and still take the guy down, its about matt carkner workin his butt off and being there to see him get his first nhl goal, its about fisher working so hard in the corners, fighting off two or three players and setting up a chance, its about seeing volchenkov put his body on the line to block a shot, its about seeing michalek just blow his way past the defence and crash the net for one of the ugliest, but at the same time amazing goals. IF anyone on here cant understand this, then your not a fan, pure and simple. Having an nhl hockey team in your city gives the population something to believe in, something that brings the city together. It is business but its more about fellowship and competition. When the team is down, who do they look to for motivation on the ice in the middle of the game? US the sixth man out there. Motivate them not by threatening to stop buying tickets, motivate them by cheering, waving flags, paint your face red, white, black and gold, get crazy as much as you can, cause it helps them to know that there are people who believe in them.
I'm a ens fan in Halifax, and never had the pleasure of attending a Sens game outside of exhibition. When I eventually do, I will certainly not be ducking out early if they happen to be down a couple in the 3rd. I may be tempted to close my eyes or peek between my fingers if they're playing badly though.
A few other posters basically eluded to this, but I think a large degree of our "true" nature really does come down to numbers. We lack both the demographic size of our two neighbouring teams in the Habs and Laughs. Plus we've only been in existence since '92 (Count me amongst the people who don't think the original team of the early 1900s counts). So given our smaller numbers, the numbers of fanatical fans of other teams is sure to overpower ours. That's only natural (for now).
As we are not an Original 6 team, and we situated so close to the afore-mentioned markets, it's only natural that some of those fans would have to come from their markets. As for myself, I "chose" the Sens as my team only about 7-8 years ago. Of course I liked how they were dominant in the regular season, and they seemed to have a tonne of super-talented players. But there was something more. Even now, when they aren't as dominant as they once were (thanks salary cap), I still like the fact that our fan base is still generally more level-headed than others. We also won't tolerate mediocrity. If some fans are choosing to make their opinions known by holding onto their wallets, or by booing bad plays, I say that's fine. That's their right. I don't think it means that they don't care or that they've given up - it means that they expect more, and want someone to notice. And if that's the case, I can't disagree with that.
Ultimately, over the years, I think our fanbase will continue to increase. With that will come a substantial amount of long-term, die-hard fans. And the biggest key to doing that: winning. Plain and simple. Oh, and a Stanley Cup or two wouldn't hurt either. :) In the meantime, they can count on my continued support (and criticism when it's warrented)
Oh yeah, almost forgot:
Go Sens Go!!!
Dave,
Try worrying about yourself.
The only thing more annoying than watching my favourite team lose, is listening to some guy who thinks he has all the answers.
The good to date:
Alfie
4.9 mil for 9g 16A +4
Fisher
4.2 mil for 10g 11a +7
Michalek
4.3 mil for 13g 5a +1
total 13.4 mil for 64 points
The bad to date:
Spezza
7 mil for 2g 13a -1
Kovalev
5 mil for 4g 7a -2
Total 12 mil for 26 points
see the problem here...
This is one of the reasons that I turn off the tv from time to time. I love my Sens but I HATE underachievers that sit on their salaries.
I have to agree with this guy. I might just be a 15 year-old kid but I love the Sens! I live in the States with my father being in the US Military but I walk around wearing my signed Fisher jersey with PRIDE! We currently live outside DC, so everytime they play the Caps Im there right next to the bench cheering on the team I love. I understand goaltenders have off nights and skaters have poor seasons but seriously leave them alone. Theyre paid to play hockey, not you and obviously if theyre in the NHL they have a better knowledge of the beautiful game and a lot better abilities than you!
GO SENS GO!!!
Keep up the good work boys... and hurry Volchy we need you back. Best of Luck to Nick Foligno and Alex Kovalev with their losses. May their family members rest in peace.
No better way to say it Dave !
Dave you f**** righteous pr****!
Look at me! I'm a REEEEEEAL Sens fan...F_U!!!
yes most of what you "true fans" are getting annoying really, this is not toronto we dont have 5MM people we have under 1MM so they have to keep us happy or we will not buy tickets but that is a good thing I would say.
how long are they going to be giving Cheechoo I would think its time to eat his contract and move on?
It's really popular to hate things, this team ain't bad. You don't go, you're going to miss em. Have some faith, or is 1 point out first place just not good enough?
Some good points, but you exaggerate others. Bottom line: winning sells. This isn't a concept Ottawa invented. The Blackhawks were in the bottom of the basement in attendance for most of the decade, but add Kane, Toews then BOOM...people show up! Pittsburgh was in dire straits, losing like crazy and no one was watching. Jim Basillie almost moved the team out of town...then BOOM, add Crosby, Malkin, a Stanley Cup then fans show up again.
So having said all that...despite the collapse in 07/08 and a first round sweep...a 10th place finish in 08/09 with no playoffs...and an uncertain future this season after a rough start and the Heatley debacle, attendance was still about 18,000 a game (which I think would have been higher if they didn't charge extra for most of the games) numbers most other teams would kill for.
BTW...Scotiabank Place is the loudest arena I've ever been when they won their first playoff series in 1998 and in 2007 with their Cup run. Just because Habs fans will cheer a monkey taking a dump in a hat in the middle of the rink doesn't mean Sens fans aren't passionate. We're perhaps a little more demanding, and quite frankly there's nothing wrong with that.
lapointeric....that was a lame response man. Weak.
you missed one of the bad:
The bad to date:
Spezza
7 mil for 2g 13a -1
Kovalev
5 mil for 4g 7a -2
Cheechoo 3Mil
Total 12 mil for 34 points
I agree with the post of the week, i support the sens 100% i cheer so loud watching game that my neighbors across the street can hear us.
We went to a game last december, a 9 hour trip to see a live game at scotiabank place, we were so excited to be surrounded by sens fans for once! we walked in a bought sens swag, a jersey a bumper sticker and a womans sens shirt for my fiance.
we went to our seats and were ready to watch the sens take on florida, the game started and i couldn't believe how quiet it was in the building, me and my fiance were so loud cheering the sens every step of the way, midway though the second we finally had other fans going, but it didn't last long, florida scored and for the remainder of the period it was so quiet i thought we were at a resturant or something, i had already lost my voice and i couldn't cheer anymore.
tough game we ended up losing in ot with 19seconds left, it could've went either way and i think if our building was louder and had more fan support that we could've got the victory supporting our squad with cheer and support, at times only thing was loud was boos.
not sure why fans act this way in ottawa, in windsor our team gets full support and we do have home rink advantage because of their great fans, show some love ottawa. My neighbors hear it every night ottawa plays and i think you should be doing your part as a fan in ottawa!
2sensfans, sens army supporter.
I don't buy what you're selling Dave. FYI, I have been to lots of other NHL arenas, and I've seen many of the same things. Fans leaving early. Fans not cheering when the team falls behind.
Geez, have you ever heard the term 'take the fans out of the game'?
I've been to Leaf games at the ACC, and some nights it sounds like a morgue in there.
By the way, I've also been to a game in Pittsburgh. I will say this. The fans wear lots of team colours, but many of the jackets, sweat-shirts and team jerseys are for the Pirates and Steelers...even though the fans are at an NHL game.
Time for you to get off your high horse there Dave. Nobody, owns a patent on what it means to be a 'true fan'.
I get tired of people lecturing others on how to enjoy a hockey game, what time they should leave, and how they should cheer.
Dave, do your own thing....and quite worrying about how others act.
Took the words right out of my mouth, Dave. Well done :)
GO SENS GO!!!
Ottawa fans are just as supportive as any other team in the league. There is no team in the NHL who gets down by multiple goals and still has a loud crowd. Ottawa fans simply have high expectations that the team will be competitive.
Twelve years of post season births in a row and a team that was a perennial contender for Lord Stanley will do that to a fan base. It creates the falsely high expectation that things will always be this way when that is not realistic to say the least.
The fan base is now adjusting to what is now a hard-working team that should make the playoffs in a tight race. We will have a chance but we sure as hell won't be the favorites. They will accept that soon enough. The season ticket sales will rebound from a soft year that was the result of a bad economy and two lousy seasons.
What the fans won't support is a team that isn't giving 100% every night. The last couple years we have had bad coaching and lousy effort. The team was the NJD's without the ability to actually win games under Hartsburg and the goaltending of Gerber would suck the life out of anybody. Paddock sure as hell wasn't any better.
Now that we have a coach who has righted the ship and set this team up to play its best hockey and use the weapons in its arsenal of players more effectively the fans will come back. We pay to be entertained by quality hockey - not the garbage we've been forced to sit through the garbage and drama of the past two seasons.
Sens fans are as loud as any in the league when the product on the ice deserves the encouragement. What we won't cheer for is mediocre garbage and that's why we aren't the Laughs or the Habs. Teams that will never face any pressure to change the crap going on in their floundering organizations because the money keeps flowing in no matter how piss poorly the team is managed. You really think JFJ would have been in charge so long if they were down to 15,000 or lower in attendance per game in leaf land? Not a chance.
Another thing to consider about this:
I've been to three games this year and the one thing that really pisses me off about the atmosphere in the arena is the pavlovian responses expected by fans. Is anyone else annoyed by that red siren or is it just me? For those who don't know, whenever the sens get a pp or have a face off after a commercial break, a red siren comes on the jumbotron and everyone is supposed to cheer like we just scored or won a playoff round. Sens fans are many things, but WE ARE NOT SHEEPLE!!! We know hockey and cheer lots when warranted. The one thing I will agree on is that it is frustrating to see young people (parents with young children and old people get a pass on this since they have bedtimes to maintain) leave with 5 minutes left in the 3rd in a tie game, which I've seen happen twice this year. These people deserve to be pushed down the stairs as they distract fans watching the game and are loud and obnoxious as they leave. You paid money for your seats, true, but so did I, and your arrogant, ignorant, snobby and selfish ways lower the value of my ticket and others. For shame!
I have been reading a lot of the comments, and am seeing two distinct groups forming. Those who think I have it right and those who think I am a self righteous jerk.
I have debated with myself as to whether or not I should come to my own defense because, quite frankly, those comments which refer to me in a mocking tone are generally one liners which offer nothing to the debate, I'm looking at you anon 9:13.
Let me start my only comment on this subject by saying this: never once in my rant did I refer to myself as a "true" sens fan. I was merely reflecting on the reality that many sens fans tune out when we aren't winning, and go elsewhere. I am not on a "high horse" by saying that I always cheer my team on, but rather dictating that I am a fanatic (fan) of the team. Whether or not that is related to an underlying mental problem is for you to decide, I like having something to believe in and a professional hockey team playing a sport that I grew up with, playing in my hometown is just that. I really do believe that our team can win every year, whether or not it's justified is your decision, I do think that there is always a chance, however miniscule it is (depending on the season). Strange things happen all the time.
In response to anon 12:08, your last statement pretty much sums up my point, as much as I am twisting your original meaning. I do do my own thing which is why I submitted my rant in the first place and I believe that there are many people who want to cheer loub, but are afraid of the consequences. On a side note, I find it ironic and contradictory that you said to quit worrying about how others act, because that is exactly what you are doing to me.
At any rate, it's now late, and I am in a daze, so I do hope this comes out semi-coherent.
On a final note: Go Sens Go.
-Dave
People who feelm the need to not call themselves "fan" because of semantics need to seriously get lives. Fans go to games and cheer for their team, nif they want to keep it. Many people in ottawa are too politically correct to do this I think. It's hard to develop a really strong fanbase here in ottawa, however, as we even have hosts on "the voice of the senators" declaring themselves habs fans, and others saying they simply like to go and sit on their hands and don't like people cheering. Whow. Where to start with this. I lived in calgary for several years, and when a leaf fan booed iginla, he had beer poured on him and was pushed around. I don't expect this from pc ottowans, but I sure as hell do expect the leafs fans to be drowned out when they're booing our friggin captain. And there're people making excuses for letting this happen?! I'm absolutely blown away. That's just straight up depressing. You know what? If you make an effort for just a little while to get into the game and support the troops... voila.... it'll just start happening on its own after. AMAZING!!
And to all those making excuses: ottawa is the 4th biggest hockey market in canada. Every canadian team has sold out every game since the lockout except for ottawa, despite ottawa being the winningest (heard but haven't verified). I must say that I don't think having an absurd number of home games to start the season helped us there though.
And for the record, I've seen games at the ACC, and leafs fans aren't even as loud there as they are here. All we need to do is step on them for a while, and they'll roll over and die, just like theyir pathetic, "hockey" team.
pg
i disagree with everything dave said, quite surprised a rant was chosen from this guy as your main blog
Great letter - i'm a SENS fan in Montreal and sometimes on T.V. it seems like they are playing to empty seats - so quiet in the building. C'mon OTTAWA. GO SENS GO!
@ Anon Nov 29 8:59 PM
umm... The sens wouldn't be the same without Kovalev and Spezza. There is still a lot of season to go.
Kovalev has the ability to make the game winning play and that's something your stats don't take in account.
Look at don't mind the quiet supporters but what I absolutely hate are fans that jeer and boo their own team or players. If you're upset that you are paying big bucks and your team is not performing... how the hell is booing them going to improve their performance?? Confidence is everything for an athelete and as a Sens fan I like to cheer them on. It's really an atmosphere thing too. When I pay for a sens ticket, it's mostly to enjoy the atmosphere. Cuz with HD tv these days you can pretty much have a better view of the game than if you were at the SBP.
There's nothing worse than sitting through a game at the SBP (while our sens are losing) and having to listen to these cynical assholes that call themselves "sens fans" whine and bitch all game long. I mean what... do you think you look cool cuz you're following the popular trend of bashing your team?
To be perfectly honest, when im at the game I rather talk to the opposing team's fans - they have more positive things to say about our team (that's the truth).
Sens players are dedicated. If they aren't they're shown the way out. Heatley, Corvo and Hasek being some good examples. All I ask from my Sens is to be dedicated to bringing us a Stanley Cup. So far this year, I see a lot of intensity in their play and it makes me optomistic. I believe they have the ability to win any game on any given night.
Giving my support all the way from Poland. Go Sens Go.
The Sens aren't playing well? I think they're playing very well. They're a point off of Boston for first in the northeast with 2 games in hand. They have a 10-3-3 home record. How is that not playing well? Realistically this isn't the same team from 4 years ago, and isn't going to score 6 goals/night. But that old team would lose games because they just didn't show up some nights - this year's team shows up and competes every night, and I've really enjoyed watching them play. If you'd rather watch goals than hockey, go search the schedule for a Caps-Sharks game. Otherwise, recognize that this is a good team, with a good record. They HAVE put a good product on the ice, and I for one am enjoying it immensely.
Here here!
Truth is that a lot of Ottawa fans think they're so refined in terms of knowledge of the game when really they know nothing! I was at the Columbus game and listening to the lady behind me was painful. Not only was she making all kinds of comments about how crappy Kovalev is and how she won't start loving him until he starts scoring, but was also making all kinds of comments refering to the penalty kill as the powerplay, calling out the players by name telling them what they should be doing (which was so horribly off), etc.
The fact of the matter is, for the most part Ottawa fans suck. I hate to say it because it's embarrasing, firstly that a town with such an incredibly rich hockey history could have strayed so far from its roots, secondly, because you have to admit that leafs fans are the epitome of hockey fans and they make us real Sens fans look like idiots. It sucks when the Flames or the Leafs or the Habs get more cheers in our own building. It sucks that players like Cheechoo are considered failures even though they're out there working their asses of every night. What sets us apart from the leafs fans or fans in other sports like soccer is that we only have passion when it looks like we're going to win. Maybe it's because we've been teased so many times before, but that's no excuse.
I remember when we lost to the Ducks, in game 5 I, along with some friends, started a go sens go cheer in the dying minutes to thank the Sens for a good and exciting run. Maybe 20 odd people joined in, the rest were already leaving city hall grounds. (Not to mention that rally at city hall was pathetic, no one would even sing O Canada)! Our team and our city deserve better!
To be fair, Dave sent this in to me before the Senators went on their win streak on home ice.
I knew this would be a controversial subject because its a debate that has been had many times before.
Dave is just telling one side of the story here. I thought it was worth reading.
If someone would like to post the other side of this age old debate, I would gladly post it next Sunday...
Brad C is right on up there, it takes time, winning and players who capture fans attention to build a franchise fan base and we're getting there...dont envy leafs and habs fans, half of them are mindless goofs who dont even watch hockey and just want to be a part of the biggest size group of fans they can find, so they feel like they fit in...sort of like peer pressure for adults.
On an unrelated note, i remember you guys all saying you wanted prospect updates in a poll, so here goes:
I am a sens fan living in saint john, NB, so i dont get to many sens games. We do have a QMJHL team here called the sea dogs, and our fifth round draft pick from 09 Mike Hoffman is here. I saw him play twice this weekend and the guy dominates the ice. He can be a bit of a hot-dog, and will need a coach to break him of that, but the guy can skate, has fantastic hands and moves, and a wrister that goes shelf faster than a fat guy who hasnt had a cookie in a while. He scored 5 goals in two games this weekend, so hopefully he will blossom into a legit goal scorer, because as we have been shown before, success in the Q is the least likely to translate to NHL success out of the three CHL leagues. Not sure what the knock on him for him to go 5th round is, especially at 19 after a huge season in Drummondville, maybe he's too selfish, but he certainly has the skills, with the right coach maybe he can round out and Bryan Murray will look like a draft genius yet again.
Thats all from me fellas, if anyone else gets to look at some of our prospects elsewhere holler back.
Ross
If you go to a movie, and it sucks, you leave.
If you go out to dinner and it sucks, you send your food back / don't tip / leave.
Leaving early is your right as a paying customer. Especially given the traffic nightmare that SBP is before and after games.
If hanging around for the last 5 - 10 minutes of a game where the home team took the night off makes you a better fan, congratulations!
The way I see it, if the team takes the night off, why shouldn't I?
Good post by Dave but it's a bit of a myth that there is some sacred compact between fans and the team, that it should be supported no matter what.
That's the ideal, of course. You would like to have a fanbase that cheers no matter what...but is that the best way to go?
A sports team should draw (attendance) and receive praise dependant on its play. A team that's middling SHOULD NOT SELL OUT. It should get average to below average attendance. A team that plays badly should hear it from the fans.
Dave, you asked whether the team doesn't hear it from the media. I ask: Are you serious?
I'm listening to Team 1200 now and they're talking to a 67s coach, talked about the Grey Cup (fair enough) and will likely talk about the Senators for all of 15 minutes in a 2.5 hour show. Contrast this to the Toronto radio, which is RABID about the team. They'll analyze every single thing, grill Wilson, grill the players, etc etc.
The print media isn't much better, sadly. They are almost all cheerleaders. Stevenson, Garrioch and Panzeri are the only ones that don't bow down at the Senators altar.
Dave, I love the team but don't expect me to be obsequious and to bow down to them. If they play like crap (HELLO SPEZZA AND CHEECHOO) they'll hear it on blogs and from my calls on the radio. If they play well...I'll give them credit, but not too much credit!
After all, they are paid millions to perform, so how much praise should they genuinely expect from me or anyone?
Gregory
fans are like wives. no offense intended to any females here. but you gotta keep fans happy to keep fans. just like you gotta keep the wife happy.
ofcourse, there will always be fans who are always loyal to the team through thick and thin. and then there will be fans who will deride the team and resort to whatever other form of derision (not going to games etc.), however, they will still cheer for the team when its winning. and then ofcourse there will be fans who will jump the bandwagon.
this is just the nature of the beast. i think its not worth a debate. ofcourse, to openly admit to not going to games because the team is losing is quite childish indeed. however, if that is the reason to not go to games, you can't really argue with it either, because after all, in most cases people are spending hard earned money to go to a game or games. its hard to debate it because at the same time ofcourse you can argue that they chose to support the team in the first place so they should stick with the team. its a case of unspoken loyalty and at the same time unspoken disloyalty. best left the way it is. the senators are not the only team with fans and all kinds of fans. the key point is that the city has enough fans and supporters to keep this team in the city. and that is more than enough.
so, now can anyone explain why was karlsson called up? and why is campoli STILL PLAYING? also, can someone also explain what the hell is wrong with clouston's head when he goes on the road? why he didnt use the hot hand in the shootout with michalek? why does he still send spezza down the shootout when he knows spezza is having a bad streak? something that really bugs me about clouston is the excuses sometimes. im sure after losing the one point in the shootout he probably said that its a 50-50 chance or whatever and is probably not prepared to admit responsibility for crappy shootout choices. the other thing i just dont understand anymore is that, more and more kovalev is playing like a friggin centerman and not like a goal scoring winger. no wonder mike fisher has so many goals because he is too busy being set up by kovalev. not that you can complain about that, but isnt kovalev supposed to replace Heatley's goal scoring partly?
its just weird when as a fan you see your own coach and GM hamstringing this team from really breaking out.
im still completely puzzled by the karlsson decision. he is just not NHL ready. he is too small and too scared. he gets shaken off the puck too easily. not to mention, clouston put him out there with campoli. something thats going to BM until he trades campoli away is that trade he made last year before the deadline to get campoli and comrie for that 1st rounder and mcammond.
sigh. just pissed. they had boston cooked in the first 5 minutes. and then again in the last 1 minute too. but bonehead decisions on the ice and behind the bench make sure that this team gives up a 2-0 lead on a divisional rival and then loses in the shootout when it could have won it.
and wthell is wrong with Chris Kelly and all those idiot penalties. i think the whole notion that the refs are picking on us might be just..false. i think there was only maybe one questionable call against the sens on saturday. and..lets just not get started on the powerplay.
and gregory is right about the media thing. there is just a complete lack of insight and coverage into what is really going on with the senators. the ottawa sun is still ranting about the heatley trade. give me a break.
I have played hockey all my life and been a fan of the Senators since I was a young lad and over the years I have seen a team for the most part that has been one of the best drafting teams in the league, has brought in a ton of great top talent: alfredsson, havlat, hossa, heatley, spezza, redden, chara, hasek, yashin (i know) just to name a few...and over the past few years especially ive grown frusterated with our fan base and even more frusterated with our media.
The Senators organization is a class organization, sure they've made some bad moves too but more good moves id say. Now as someone who watches probably atleast 70 games per season i can say this team has also been one of the unluckiest teams ive ever seen as well...and thats something i feel one day will change for us. Daniel Alfredsson is one of the best captains in the league and easily the most underated player in the NHL..he does everything for us and he's the most loyal Senator of all time and we should all take a page from his book of class and start being as loyal to the Sens as he is.
Lastly, the ottawa media and fans ARE the reason we lost to Toronto 4 years in the playoffs...we focused on hating Toronto sooo much that we got that team so fired up to beat us every year and they did. Flying airplanes over Toronto that say "Leafs suck"...Leafs suck songs on the radio, media chasing players out of town (Joe corvo). we need to stop focussing on Toronto and focus on supporting our team the way we should. i know we are a young fan base still growing but i lived in ottawa for the 07' cup run and that display of sens patriotism was incredible and my god if we could ever sustain that type of atmosphere in most games then we'd be talkin...
Yell at the tv wen u dont see something you like, sure..but dont be negative like the media always is and no matter what, win or lose you should support this team because that's what a true FAN does and god we need thousands more of these kind of people.
Go Sens Go! were takin first in the north east this year and Alfy will lead us to the promise land!
Cheers
I have to agree with a anonymous post who said it blows that the arena is far from the city core. if the arena was at the spot of the war museum, we would see a rowdier crowd and would attract more fans from Gatineau (it's not all of us who likes the Canadiens). I would like to see the statistics, how many people from the city goes to Kanata and how many people from Kanata and surroundings goes to the games.
=O= tattoué sur le coeur
It is hard to get excited for a game when you have to drive 30 minutes or more to get to the rink. PUT SBP downtown and people would get more excited, go to retaurant, get to the game early. 30 minutes in your car does not get you excited for the game, that is Ottawa's biggest problem.
Guillaume
You can call Leaf fans idiots and crazy but they have a rediculous amount of diehard fans. those are the crazy pple who make it loud, who proudly cheer their team on 24/7 and who understand what it's like to be a lifelong dedicated fan to their favourite NHL team. This is Canada, hockey is like a religion here, if you think its "crazy" to be in love with a hockey team so much, your wrong...its how Canadians were brought up (me anyway)
We have our diehard fans, just nowhere near enough of them and we are probably outnumbered by people who just dont care as much and wont stick with the team unless they are winning...hopefully someday we can get enough diehard fans like a true canadian team should and we can drown out the other people and fans of other teams in our building. One day it will happen i believe, gotta have faith.
By the way i see great things with this team so far this year...watch, wen they tie up games in the last minute of games that is a sign this team can win. Also the OT wins (not shootouts) is another great sign. in 07' they often did this and it showed their resilliance and i can see a bit of that this year already! Enjoy the season folks.
Go Sens Go!
We have had season tickets since 1996.
I realize most of you may go to some live games during the year, but I doubt you understand that a lot of season ticket holders go to 35-40 home games LIVE for the last 5-10 seasons (I've seen over 500 games & EVERY home playoff game).
These are not people that go to 1 game/month - BUT 2-3 games/week!
So why are you surprised that the 65 year old couple sitting beside me leaves a 3-1 game with a few minutes left (parking SUCKS at the Bank)? Or doesn't scream their head off like a 10 year old?
Face it - most of the season ticket holders are people who can afford to go to 30-40 games/YEAR & do NOT act like crazy fanatics.
Cheap games against weaker teams have the worst atmosphere & tend to be the quietest games, so if you expect a loud crowd that's really into it - pay up for the big teams like Montreal or Toronto on a Saturday night - not Florida on a Tuesday.
I agree with most of what you say Dave! I would like to point out that there is a lot of other arenas around the league that spectators yell at others to not use only the edge of their seat. For instance it happened to my friendas whikle we were at a game in Montreal!! There are lame supporters in all cities!
Brent
well said dave, well said. If I lived in that area I would be at every game drunk and rowdy as hell cheering on the boys even if I was the only one but I live in Saskatchewan about 2 hours away from where the Oilers play and i attend every senators game when they come to Edmonton. Come on what happened to the Sens army?? I guess mostly all senators fans are bandwagoners and started cheering for them when they were in first in the east every year. PATHETIC
Sitting on the edge of your seat, blocks the view of the fan behind you.
Sitting back in your seat, has nothing to do with being a good or bad fan. It has everything to do with being a considerate neighbor....and not blocking the sight-line of the person seated behind you.
Of course, i'm not sure what to make of someone who thinks they wear the 'lone' Sens jersey to SBP.
Listen to the players Dave. They never complain about fans leaving early, or booing when they don't play up to expectations. The players aren't whining Dave, so why do you feel you have to take up the cause.
Dave, go to the games. Cheer your brains out. Wear your Sens jersey proudly and open your eyes...You will see many others wearing various Sens Jerseys as well.
And finally Dave, please...sit back in your seat so that the 'fan' behind you can see the game and enjoy it as much as you do.
Anon @ 10:54
Jason York let it be said that Brian Lee is going to be a good defenseman somewhere else, because he's Muckler's guy and Karlsson is Murray's guy...that's about it.
Campoli is playing for the same reason, Murry traded for him and he's Murray's guy.
I just hope we don't look too bad against San Jose...we're doing well now, in a playoff spot so let's not blow it with a sub .500 road record.
The lack of ability to understand literary exageration on this website astounds me. Also, last I checked sitting in your seat without being able to move sounds more like library behaviour to me. Just sayin'. -_-
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