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Post by Siniq on Sept 15, 2010 9:56:20 GMT -4
I believe the guy they got to play the bugle in place of Mike Cowie now plays the bugle at Detroit Red Wings home games. There was a bugle guy at the Cup Finals in Moncton last year.... he was ANNOYING as hell. (I believe it is the same guy, Crazy Claude) I am sure you can find a thread or two on the Moncton/SJ boards complaining about him. Back on Topic, giving tickets away to kids/young adults at any level will certainly help. Junior High/High School/University students always make lots of noise. But IMO, the best way to generate the atmosphere is to put a quality team on the ice. Doesn't need to be rolling 20+ game winning streaks, just have to be competitive. From what I saw in the pre-season, I think Halifax will be a lot more competitive then they were last season.
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Post by Darkside on Sept 15, 2010 10:44:16 GMT -4
Someone suggested giving free tickets to junior high kids, I'd suggest giving them to university kids. They don't always have the extra cash to buy a ticket and they are more likely to dress up with face paint, etc than junior high kids who are much more self-conscious. I suggested jr high kids because most of them don't have money to buy tickets, therefore you're targeting a market that would normally go untouched. I think for universities they should just offer special discounts, such as 2 for 1 with a student ID or something of that nature. Promote at the university bars on game nights, etc. It's not rocket science. The organization seems to be lazy in that aspect and rely on the papers and a little bit of radio/print advertising as they've done for a decade now. Time to try something new to get the Metro Centre rocking a little bit. It would be nice to see people in more than just the first couple of rows of the upper bowl.
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Post by bois on Sept 15, 2010 11:08:46 GMT -4
I think atmosphere gets blown out of proportion on these boards...... the atmosphere in every single rink in the Maritimes is pretty similar...............
put a solid product on the ice with a hard working team and people will respond
but don't ever expect 34 nights of jammed buildings with people stomping and painting themselves up and yelling/taunting the opponents... it isn't going to happen
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Post by CrazyJoeDavola on Sept 15, 2010 11:12:34 GMT -4
I think atmosphere gets blown out of proportion on these boards...... the atmosphere in every single rink in the Maritimes is pretty similar............... put a solid product on the ice with a hard working team and people will respond but don't ever expect 34 nights of jammed buildings with people stomping and painting themselves up and yelling/taunting the opponents... it isn't going to happen I agree... utlimately it will come down to the product on the ice. An entertaining team... a winning team... a tense game... all these things are what creates the atmosphere. A game on a Wednesday night with 4000 people can get much rowdier if its a 5-4 game with lots of bad blood than a 3-1 loss on a Saturday with 6500 fans. If the game is uneventful and crawling along, I dont need a clown with a bugle in my face telling me to get up and scream to make the game more enjoyable. For 90% of the people in the building, they react to the game, not the moose mascot.
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Post by forbesy on Sept 15, 2010 11:36:44 GMT -4
Something that the Pittsburgh Penguins do that I think might be worthwhile to consider is 'Student Rush' nights. Here's some info: www.fromtherink.com/2009/5/21/882330/the-success-of-the-student-rushpenguins.nhl.com/club/page.htm?bcid=tic_studentrushwww.post-gazette.com/pg/07017/754338-61.stmNow that the Penguins have seen a resurgence in on-ice success, I don't believe they do it for every game, but still the thought remains. Obviously, you don't want to peeve off your season ticket holder base by undercutting the prices that they're paying, but even if it's for a handful of nights a year where students can get in for say...$5. Market it right, get on campus, make contact with Student Associations, make sure it's like the way the Penguins do it, with a seperate line (maybe not in the box office? as that area is crammed enough prior to the game). For a city that boasts three major universities as well as NSCAD, King's, NSCC and a handful of others, it makes sense to market to that population. If anything, I think the new pricing with a different cost for upper-bowl and lower-bowl is moving in the wrong direction. Any shrewd fan would be wise to buy an upper-bowl ticket and then move down to one of the open seats in the lower-bowl, saving yourself the extra bucks.
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Post by melly on Sept 15, 2010 12:02:11 GMT -4
I think atmosphere gets blown out of proportion on these boards...... the atmosphere in every single rink in the Maritimes is pretty similar............... put a solid product on the ice with a hard working team and people will respond but don't ever expect 34 nights of jammed buildings with people stomping and painting themselves up and yelling/taunting the opponents... it isn't going to happen I agree... utlimately it will come down to the product on the ice. An entertaining team... a winning team... a tense game... all these things are what creates the atmosphere. A game on a Wednesday night with 4000 people can get much rowdier if its a 5-4 game with lots of bad blood than a 3-1 loss on a Saturday with 6500 fans. If the game is uneventful and crawling along, I dont need a clown with a bugle in my face telling me to get up and scream to make the game more enjoyable. For 90% of the people in the building, they react to the game, not the moose mascot. Agree Joe, on the weekend I came right out of my seat when Campiani scored, then I jumped up again when Frk scored. A game can be exciting in many ways, a big hit, a big fight, a big goal etc.. As was said earlier, 34 games can't be crazy, frenzied excitement. Mike Cowie brought a very rare personality and touch to what he did. He had impeccable timing, and a good handle on the mood of the building. Everyone now gets compared to him, and that isn't really fair, and makes it very difficult to find someone. What it did bring was some excitement to boring moments and long stoppages of play. However, I am not sure how things would work with the hurry-up faceoffs.
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Post by Deer on Sept 15, 2010 12:09:21 GMT -4
I haven't been to a game at the Metro Centre in two years now, but the last time I was there the atmosphere had degenerated to something of Barney-and-Friends calibre. The Mooseheads organization has gone way too far with trying to make for a "family-friendly" game presentation, some of the stuff they did the last time I was there belongs on Full House - not at a hockey rink.
Apparently it's gotten worse - mascot videos? I can't imagine how lame that is.
It's not just a Halifax thing - seems almost all the Maritime teams have sold out to the soccer mom types and their toddlers.... but Halifax seems to have gone further with the joke than anyone else.
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Post by Citris on Sept 15, 2010 14:48:19 GMT -4
Bernie here. The atmosphere is the worst in the league far as i know. Not because the team suck. Most of the old season tickets holder for the last 15 years complaining to the usher when people behind them make noise or yell to the opposite team. Been there done that. Most of them read the newspapers from the back of their seats, like in their livingroom. Most of the rink around the league allow flag pole, people stand up on the concourse with standing table, fog horn etc.... I know when i start to yell to the opposite team. People tell me to shut off and seat down and let them play because they are kids. I have a news for you. Those people who complainted has never been where the Mooseheads team play. Like Rouyn Noranda, Val D'or, Chicoutimi, Quebec and Rimouski. Their fans are passioned, yelled are our team and throw beers at our team. I don't think throwing beer should be allow either. But i used as an exemple. Most of the opposite team love to play in Halifax now. Because our fan are quiet and don't yell at them. I like to be able to use my flag and yell to the opposite team. But qhen i have bad look from old season tickets holder, there is no sense for it. Most of regular fan come to the game like they come to the church. The casual fan come to the game to have fun, drink some beers and go out after that. They come to entertained themself. Like most of the fans around the league. If i could be behind the bench again. Trust me the section 23 will bang the floor and make noise to distract the opposite team. I will wave the flag to have their attention. Just like old time hockey. One more thing. I'm a proud canadian sailor. I like to sing the national anthem before the game and i have people look at me wheni sing it. Casual fan are the one who bring the little of atmosphere we have now. Not from the 3500 tickets holder since 1994. OLD tseason tickets holders, please let the casual fan enjoy the game the way they want to. Bernie ! Well, okay if we're going to generalize about our "Old season ticket holders", lets also generalize and say that french hockey fans are INSANE. I myself am a Mmontreal Canadians fan, but if the Mooseheads upset a team in the playoffs, I'm not going out to flip a car over and light it on fire, just sayin'. You do make a few good points however. But for me there is a difference between positive and negative atmosphere. Alot of the stuff you're talking about is of somewhat of a negative nature. There's a big difference between supporting your team, and being classless toward your opponent. For me, the occasional chant of the opposing goaltenders name, booing a guy complaining to the ref or just for touching the puck, that's just part of hockey, but anything further than that, throwing stuff, yelling and swearing at kids, its just classless. I want the opposing team to dread coming to the metro center because they don't want to play the moose, not because their fans are assholes. As for like foghorns and unnecessary noise, Noise is good, when there's something to make noise about. I'm not a fan of the "european style" of making noise constantly all game over dick all nothing. Children do it too. Its annoying. A good fan reacts to whats happening on the ice, a goal, a big hit, a good pk, something like that, if you constantly yell, scream, and blow on a goddamn fog horn all game regardless of whats happening on the ice, you're not being a good fan your just ignoring the team and being an idiot. Children should be quarantined to the upper bowl too, imo. Possibly with a larger version of one of those baby gates. Its hard to enjoy a game when there are small children behind you being completely uncontrolled by their parents. Bigger rant than I intended, but that's how I see things.
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Post by eastcoastfan on Sept 15, 2010 15:20:08 GMT -4
. Children should be quarantined to the upper bowl too, imo. Possibly with a larger version of one of those baby gates. Its hard to enjoy a game when there are small children behind you being completely uncontrolled by their parents. The problem is not children in general, it's children who have never been taught by their parents how to behave in public or whose parents egg them on to make more noise and draw attention to themselves. Case in point at Saturday's game, we had two little girls, probably two or three years old, about two rows behind us whose father was urging them through the first two periods to yell "Go, Moose, Go" no matter what was going on on the ice. There is nothing more shrill than a two year old girl's voice (except maybe two of them) and I was ready to throw something at them by the end of it. I know that we weren't the only ones getting fed up with it. Thankfully he was at least a good parent in one regard and decided it was time to take them home to bed after the second period. On the other hand there are two brothers who sit near us, also about two or three years old. They are at every game in their Moosehead jerseys and are always good as gold. And they've been coming to the games since they were babies. There can be annoying fans of any age at a game. Not all little kids are bad fans.
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Post by dt281 on Sept 15, 2010 15:29:17 GMT -4
Raimu, maybe they should have a senoirs section where everyone is quiet and no kids can bother you guys. "Children should be quarantined to the upper bowl", I know all kids aren't saints but most kids I see at the games are enjoying themselves. After all, this is a hockey game not church.
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Post by Reesor on Sept 15, 2010 15:44:55 GMT -4
It's not just Mooseheads games that this stuff happens at either. I was 4 rows up from the ice in Section 5 for all 26 World Hockey Championship games back in 08. When Canada played the USA and scored to make it 1-0, I Jumped up and cheered just like the other 9500 people there. The guy behind me shoved me in the back and told me to sit down because he couldn't see. Wow. Takes all kinds I guess.
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Post by jimmy on Sept 15, 2010 15:52:29 GMT -4
I think atmosphere gets blown out of proportion on these boards...... the atmosphere in every single rink in the Maritimes is pretty similar............... put a solid product on the ice with a hard working team and people will respond but don't ever expect 34 nights of jammed buildings with people stomping and painting themselves up and yelling/taunting the opponents... it isn't going to happen bois hits the nail on the head IMO ... there is no magic solution ... Last spring, in the second half of the regular season and the playoffs, the Coliseum was rocking ... the anticipation was building, and the bandwagon was filling up; the team was the talk of the town, and even casual fans were looking forward to game nights and talking about the team around the water cooler. Between whistles, the crowd was going nuts with the cardboard noisemakers, the music was good, etc... Flash forward to this year ... they handed out the exact same noisemakers for the first two home games ... played many of the same songs - but they didn't seem as good, and most of the noisemakers sat unused ... the magic is gone. Like many fans, last spring, I was cheering wildly - booing questionable calls, heckling opposing players, pounding my noisemaker until my hands were sore. This fall, there isn't as much to get excited over - I still love going to the games, but I watch them in a more detached manner ... I roll with the bad calls, appreciate the nice plays made by opposing players, focus on the little things our boys are doing right (or wrong) - not so much cheering for my team as I am enjoying the game of hockey. Some day, probably in a couple of years, the Cats will be back in the hunt for the cup ... the magic will be back in the air ... and I will undoubtedly once again be cheering wildly. But until then, it is hard to go nuts 34 times a year when the ultimate goal is unreachable - there will be nights or plays that will get me out of my seat ... they will just be a little less frequent ... and I think that holds true for most people. Winning trumps all when it comes to atmosphere...
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Post by Citris on Sept 15, 2010 16:22:04 GMT -4
Raimu, maybe they should have a senoirs section where everyone is quiet and no kids can bother you guys. "Children should be quarantined to the upper bowl", I know all kids aren't saints but most kids I see at the games are enjoying themselves. After all, this is a hockey game not church. Its an exaggeration. yea there are some kids who do sit quietly and actually pay attention. I said it myself tho, its not the kids its the irresponsible parents, if your kid is going to ruin the experience of the game for everyone within a 15 meter radius of it then have it sit somewhere where it wont bother anyone except other kids. Like the minor hockey nights, they should have "SPECIAL KIDS SECTION!" and make it sound like its all cool and stuff and have hal come and bring them pizza or something. They can enjoy being ADD and yelling over eachother while the rest of us can watch the game, win/win.
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Post by purpleflash on Sept 15, 2010 17:30:32 GMT -4
It's not just Mooseheads games that this stuff happens at either. I was 4 rows up from the ice in Section 5 for all 26 World Hockey Championship games back in 08. When Canada played the USA and scored to make it 1-0, I Jumped up and cheered just like the other 9500 people there. The guy behind me shoved me in the back and told me to sit down because he couldn't see. Wow. Takes all kinds I guess. I would have punched him in the face.
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Post by nibs on Sept 15, 2010 19:00:09 GMT -4
Market it right, get on campus, make contact with Student Associations, make sure it's like the way the Penguins do it, with a seperate line (maybe not in the box office? as that area is crammed enough prior to the game). What are you suggesting that Dal students only be allowed on the West side of MC, and SMU on the East side? Surely you're not as that is segragation by association and would get the students mad as hell at each other ... yelling across the arena and all! I'm sorry, but that just shouldn't be permitted under any circumstances.
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