Fans at the Arena?

[darksabre]

This is why I go to college hockey. Our fans never take a night off. I go to Sabres games and it's a crap shoot whether I'll get a good section that doesn't give me the stink eye for cheering.

[Weave]

$5.00 ticket? Where did you sit, behind one of the posts in the upper blues?

 

Look, I love beer. I mean I really love beer. But $8.00 a beer? It's not that the money is an issue, it just seems wrong to spend that much for a can of beer poured in a plastic cup that doesn't even taste that good when you get back to your seat. Cut the beer prices in half and I bet consumption, and crowd volume, doubles. Maybe muffy will even flash her teats at the camera.

 

Season tix price for 1st row oranges in the corner were $6.50 IIRC. And before I had season tix we used to hit up the scalpers just before puck drop. Wasn't uncommon at all to get seats for $5.

 

$8 is outrageous for a beer. I won't pay it (well, maybe I buy one). And I think it does factor into the noise level. Imagine how quiet a Bills game would be if tailgating were disallowed.

[spndnchz]

Season tix price for 1st row oranges in the corner were $6.50 IIRC. And before I had season tix we used to hit up the scalpers just before puck drop. Wasn't uncommon at all to get seats for $5.

 

$8 is outrageous for a beer. I won't pay it (well, maybe I buy one). And I think it does factor into the noise level. Imagine how quiet a Bills game would be if tailgating were disallowed.

 

To be fair, it is a 24 oz beer.

[Eleven]

Toronto game the day after Thanksgiving: my brother-in-law, a Blackhawks fan, noted how loud the crowd was compared to the home crowd he's used to. When we were late returning to our seats after the second, and we were watching (and listening) to the TV at Pour Man's, he actually asked why the crowd on TV was so much quieter than the crowd in the arena.

[SwampD]

Toronto game the day after Thanksgiving: my brother-in-law, a Blackhawks fan, noted how loud the crowd was compared to the home crowd he's used to. When we were late returning to our seats after the second, and we were watching (and listening) to the TV at Pour Man's, he actually asked why the crowd on TV was so much quieter than the crowd in the arena.

Wrong! It's the apathetic fans! How could any team get up to play for fans like that?[/channeling PA]

[R_Dudley]

The problem is the fact that the majority of the people that attend are season ticket holders. I for one don't really get very excited about going to hockey games anymore. I don't yell over every stupid thing anymore, although I do pay close attention, and of course yell when they score, etc.

 

If the team wants a more lively crowd, play more lively hockey.

 

I do think their is some truth to this, it becomes a routine and not wanting to offend all the people you know around you. Kind of not shaughting were you eat. When you had more game to game sales the occasional fans may tend to try and get more out of it and not worry about offending the person next to them and they were more dispersed throughout the arena. Having fun is contagious.

 

The lack of physical play is a big reason as well.You don't need to play goon hockey, but when you lay hits and play the body....and don't let anyone get away with liberties...the fans notice.I went to the Kings game with my cousin who is in her 20's, and there was a fight early on. The crowd errupted, and she goes, "that was fun!". Then McCormick and a King wanted to go, but were held back and each got 2 minutes. I told her..."watch what happens when the penalties are over...if the play is going on they will come out and beat the crap out of each other." The only reason I was confident that would happen is because it was McCormick. Anyone else on the team probably would have slinked out of the box and worried about their defensive assignment in Lindy's system. Sure enough....they come out whaling on each other. My cousin went nuts and learned a little about how the game used to be played. Afterwards, she said that was the most fun part. And she's more a girlie girl than beer swiller.

 

There are few chants. Back in the day, every clearing on a penalty kil would get an ovation and when the penalty was over fans would semi-errupt. I also agree that the in-house promotion overkill makes for an annoying experience and a less educated fan. Take the Bills for instance.....the most fun I had recently was when they lost power for the first half of the San Diego game a few years ago. It was what War Memorial was probably like. It was beautiful.....just you and the game. But most of the young fans had no clue what was going on. Simple things like what the different orange sidelide markers meant, or hand signals for penalties. They seemed to have fun too, but it was obvious that this was not the glory years fans who could tell you what number Howard Ballard and Hal Garner were.

 

If Pegula comes, I hope he understands the need for a restructuring of the arena experience. I used to sit in the Oranges behind a mother and son in their 60's and 40's, who had matching jerseys, matching beers, and matching mulletts. but they were good fans and good people. Now Chet and Muffy (that should be trademarked), rule the day. For as dour as I can come across...if this team played with some nuts day in and day out, I would still have my seats, drink my 5 beers with a beef on weck and nachos, cheer, scream, and pay attention to every last detail. In all honesty though, the last few years feel like I am at a business seminar. I could just as easily check my voicemail or daydream as play is going on. Yes, boring team = boring fans.

 

This whole ownership change has me excited again. If it falls through, I may just give up on hockey alltogether. If it happens and he is 80% as good as he sounds, I will expect to be a "full blown" fan sooner than later.

 

Right on and what I agree on as the biggest reasons.

 

On the family owned season tickets vs. the younger crowd, season tickets are harder now/more expensive to afford. When I was young and single I used to be part of a a 4-way season ticket split on 2 seats in the corner reds, We chose our 10 games draft style one game at a time and I would spread mine out over the season a little heavier to the Feb-April timefrane. I would take the occasional date but mainly went with one of my buddy's and we would get loud and have a good time.

 

Enough of that type of fan spread around the arena with an exciting up tempo physical style of play would have a great impact on the atmosphere dynamic.

 

One thing they can do right now to start to switch that dynamic is something the Pens started several years ago in the old Mellon arena and that is student pricing tickets. They hold around 500-1000 student priced tickets for every home game for $20. They go on sale on game days at 3 or 4pm and it is first come first serve with a student ID. They even still do it for Playoffs. College kids start lining up at noon for regular season games and the night before for playoffs. That type of enthusiasm is contagious in the arena on game nights and really helps amp up the rest of the older crowd and the young kids.

[Weave]

So which one of us is going to forward the link to this thread to Pegulla when he takes over? Cuz he really needs to read this.

[X. Benedict]

Crowds are hit and miss. But usually when I go to HSBC I'm also recording the game.

As quiet as the arena has been, I think it production they are turning down the ambient noise of piped in music overpowering the broadcast.

 

But I am annoyed nobody cheers the clear on the PK. That should be a given.

[OverPowerYou]

Bring back all of the exciting players from the last 5 years and you will have an excited fan base. Buffalo management screwed this one up, each year they decided to let go of some of their fan favorites and they slowly became more boring. Not to mention, the players they let go within the last 4-5 years were their clutch players, speed players, and guys who would score at will and made the game fun... Take all those exciting elements out of the game and we get the boring team we have today whose lone superstar is a guy whose job is solely to stops pucks.

 

Add more scoring talent, more physical players, and a team with heart, and you will rejuvenate Buffalo's fanbase.

As for tonight, I will be watching my heartless, spineless team find another way to lose tonight against a hot and firing Pittsburgh Penguins team. But that's ok, the Sabres mangement still wants me to think they have a team that actually cares.

[X. Benedict]

 

As for tonight, I will be watching my heartless, spineless team find another way to lose tonight against a hot and firing Pittsburgh Penguins team.

 

Why are the daggers out at the moment?

Seven out of the last eight points.

 

(not directed at OPY)

I'm also wondering how many people here would be bored if the Washington Capitals were their team, with a string of low scoring 1 goal games.

[spndnchz]

Crowds are hit and miss. But usually when I go to HSBC I'm also recording the game.

As quiet as the arena has been, I think it production they are turning down the ambient noise of piped in music overpowering the broadcast.

 

But I am annoyed nobody cheers the clear on the PK. That should be a given.

 

I still do.

[X. Benedict]

I still do.

I counted that as a given. :thumbsup:

[Stoner]

Why are the daggers out at the moment?

Seven out of the last eight points.

 

(not directed at OPY)

I'm also wondering how many people here would be bored if the Washington Capitals were their team, with a string of low scoring 1 goal games.

 

Define "string."

 

If less than 13 years, you're not making a point. :)

 

It's a hockey version of moral equivalency. Sabres=Capitals. No one's going to buy that.

[Stoner]

Toronto game the day after Thanksgiving: my brother-in-law, a Blackhawks fan, noted how loud the crowd was compared to the home crowd he's used to. When we were late returning to our seats after the second, and we were watching (and listening) to the TV at Pour Man's, he actually asked why the crowd on TV was so much quieter than the crowd in the arena.

 

:rolleyes:

 

You'd think the crowd would be so loud, the noise would filter all the way to the corridors, making it impossible to hear the TV.

 

I smell BS here.

 

You fight the good fight, I have to admire that. But the cat's out of the bag. The jig's up.

[SwampD]

:rolleyes:

 

You'd think the crowd would be so loud, the noise would filter all the way to the corridors, making it impossible to hear the TV.

 

I smell BS here.

 

You fight the good fight, I have to admire that. But the cat's out of the bag. The jig's up.

You really are a pain in the ass. :thumbsup:

[Stoner]

You really are a pain in the ass. :thumbsup:

 

I'm just trying to get you to backcheck. Trust me babe.

[spndnchz]

I don't care if the Sabres had lost 30 games in a row.

 

Hey! YOU! Have fun at the game, make it enjoyable for yourself regardless of the play.

 

There is an etiquette not to be an ass at a game but u certainly can cheer, clap when the puck is cleared, taunt opposing goalies at will. You're not gonna get tossed for screaming your head off.

 

Hell, who was it last year that made the paper for getting the "Daarrceeee" chant going last year. That's a fan.

 

I don't care if all the people around me sit on their hands and text the person next to them during the game. I'm going to have fun, scream, clap, stand for the servicemen when they get introduced and sing the anthem.

 

The same people that bitch about players on this board are the same people that don't do crap at a game. Complainers are some of the worst hand sitters. I know. I've seen guys talking about this board between periods and bitching about the Sabres and fans, the 'old' days. Yet, they're the ones that don't even stand up when we score.

[X. Benedict]

Define "string."

 

If less than 13 years, you're not making a point. :)

 

It's a hockey version of moral equivalency. Sabres=Capitals. No one's going to buy that.

Sorry to be oblique. (although I'm not sure what you think I mean)

 

My point: Caps have been getting booed at home. Attendance has been down. 18-9-3 so far. They are winning but not blowing people out of late. Just wondering what tolerance levels are.

[Fire Lindy Ruff NOW]

it seems that once the sabres got really good a few years back all the bandwagoners jumped on board because the sabres were the hip new thing. that may be why its not so loud there anymore. cause the place is jam packed with bandwagon upperclassmen who dont appreciate hockey or even really like it, so they dont cheer like a diehard fan would.

[Eleven]

:rolleyes:

 

You'd think the crowd would be so loud, the noise would filter all the way to the corridors, making it impossible to hear the TV.

 

I smell BS here.

 

You fight the good fight, I have to admire that. But the cat's out of the bag. The jig's up.

 

No BS. You can hear the crowd in the arena get loud, and you cannot hear the crowd on the TV at the bar, also in the arena.

[dan213]

The big thing, I think, is the play style change from run and gun that really excited people...to the much less exciting defensive style they've adopted.

 

Definately this. It's tough to be "rowdy" during a 0-0 game in the 3rd when the Sabres have had 2 scoring chances....

[theesir]

Definately this. It's tough to be "rowdy" during a 0-0 game in the 3rd when the Sabres have had 2 scoring chances....

This hits it on the head. I bought a 10 game mini pack this year and have been to 4 games so far, the last one being the win over the Bruins a week ago. The crowd is indeed dead, but I have to say at times I am watching some of the most BORING hockey I have ever seen. The second period of the Bruins game was HORRIBLE. The majority of the period was played in the neutral zone. It is really hard to be enthusiastic when the game is so unexciting and to tell you the truth, when the players seem disinterested.

[Sabre Dance]

The lack of fan involvement is compounded by the fact that Buffalo audiences are (notoriously) hard to please. If they are distracted or disinterested in the least, they will ignore the main event. As an example: Some years back, a local radio station was holding a "Listener Appreciation" concert at the Tralf. The band was a then up-and-coming group called "Lone Justice". The tickets were free, but you could only get them by listening to the radio station and then scrambling to the location where the tickets were being given away (store, restaurant, etc.) when it was announced. So, basically a free concert. Some folks apparently just got the tickets because they were free, but my co-worker and I loved that band and really wanted to see them.

Well, when the concert finally came along, the band played great, but the crowd mostly ignored them and sat drinking and conversing. At one point, the lead singer (Maria McKee) was lying on her back onstage, still playing the guitar and singing, trying to draw some kind of response from the crowd. The audience yawned. I've never felt so ashamed... But, it just goes to demonstrate how self-centered Buffalo crowds can be.

The fact that there are so many other things available to distract a younger crowd (Jumbotron, cell phone, iPod, iPad. etc) I'm sure takes its toll as well :(

[Hephaestus]

Ok so last night on twitter Schopp said "If you are at the Sabres-Thrashers game as you read this, I'm just letting you know that it sounds like you're not."

To which Jeremey from WGR responded "must be a tv problem."

 

I know we've debated this quite a bit this year, and I can't even throw in my two cents because I've been unable to make a home game this season, but I'm beginning to think the audio mix isn't right on The Sabres Network/MSG. I watch a few hours of the NHL Network each night, and something I've noticed is that cities that are less hockey driven like Nashville, Columbus, and Tampa Bay all seem to have louder crowds when the network does live look-ins on games.

 

If the crowd was in fact silent even during the great games we've had the second half of the year, and the mix wasn't the issue, then wouldn't we be able to hear more individual yelling/whistling? You could barely even hear the goal song and "1,2,3,4...we want" cheer last night, which tells me the mix is way too focused on Rick and Harry.

[Stoner]

Ok so last night on twitter Schopp said "If you are at the Sabres-Thrashers game as you read this, I'm just letting you know that it sounds like you're not."

To which Jeremey from WGR responded "must be a tv problem."

 

I know we've debated this quite a bit this year, and I can't even throw in my two cents because I've been unable to make a home game this season, but I'm beginning to think the audio mix isn't right on The Sabres Network/MSG. I watch a few hours of the NHL Network each night, and something I've noticed is that cities that are less hockey driven like Nashville, Columbus, and Tampa Bay all seem to have louder crowds when the network does live look-ins on games.

 

If the crowd was in fact silent even during the great games we've had the second half of the year, and the mix wasn't the issue, then wouldn't we be able to hear more individual yelling/whistling? You could barely even hear the goal song and "1,2,3,4...we want" cheer last night, which tells me the mix is way too focused on Rick and Harry.

 

Except that many media members in attendance have talked about how dead the arena has been the last couple of seasons.

 

The "mix" argument doesn't make sense. The arena sounds plenty loud at times. It sounded loud when Hasek got his ovation. During the Ottawa game it was loud at times.

 

I really hope over the summer the producers and technical people on the broadcast go to Ted Black and get the very best audio equipment installed.

 

One by one, from Darcy and Lindy to the arena, let's remove all of the excuses once and for all.