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So how much of this is on Ted Nolan?

dudacek

By dudacek
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WildCard Hall of Famer

WildCard

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I couldn't have said it better but then I am as big of anti TN as anyone here.

I will be very surprised if he is behind the bench next year.

I think he'll get to finish out his contract. I'm not sure TM expects anything grand out of next year other than a .500 performance or a challenge for 8th. Nolan is certainly capable of that.

WildCard Hall of Famer

WildCard

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Talking about the losing culture a Tank brings

"It's a very difficult process to go through," McPhee said recently.

"People can talk about rebuilding, and conceptually it sounds fine, but it [had] better work," he added. "Because if you don't do it right, you're going to lose your fan base. ... It's a very difficult process. You don't get any respect. Your team is a doormat. It's not much fun.

"I know that experience. I wouldn't want to do it again. We were fortunate in that it worked

- GM of the Capitals when they rebuilt for Ovechkin

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/11875718/nhl-losing-winning-move-carolina-hurricanes

Stoner Hall of Famer

Stoner

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Talking about the losing culture a Tank brings

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http://espn.go.com/n...lina-hurricanes

 

It worked?

 

Except they didn't have a fan base before OV.

 

A bit of an overstatement. I mean, they drew very respectably over the years. But of course when you're from Buffalo, all hockey fan bases must be denigrated.

WildCard Hall of Famer

WildCard

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Except they didn't have a fan base before OV.

I was more referring to the quote

 

"You don't get any respect. Your team is a doormat. It's not much fun."

 

Lot of the talk above was about a losing culture, so I figured this fit.

 

It worked?

At least ours is built around a center :thumbsup:

drnkirishone Second Liner

drnkirishone

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what will cost teddy his job is if the youngens do not progress. if Myers, Ennis, Risto, Nikita, Zemgus and such don't get better or dare I say regress. He will be out of a job. Even when Patty was here as his bos,s his job was to progress the young talent from being prospects to be nhlers and eventually all stars. If he fails in doing that he will and should be replaced. So far that is the one thing I will give positive remarks to Nolan. the young players seem to be doing good.

Eleven Hall of Famer

Eleven

Posted
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It worked?

 

 

 

A bit of an overstatement. I mean, they drew very respectably over the years. But of course when you're from Buffalo, all hockey fan bases must be denigrated.

 

I lived there. I owned my first home there. I know what I'm talking about. This has nothing to do with being from Buffalo or denigrating other fan bases. I went to playoff games where the arena was 3/4 full. I had thirty--THIRTY FREE TICKETS--to a first-round playoff game in 1998 and literally could not give them away. The arena routinely was 50/50 with other teams' fans--think about what we see for Toronto games, only make it EVERY game. That city did not care one bit about the Capitals until OV showed up.

MattPie All Star

MattPie

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I lived there. I owned my first home there. I know what I'm talking about. This has nothing to do with being from Buffalo or denigrating other fan bases. I went to playoff games where the arena was 3/4 full. I had thirty--THIRTY FREE TICKETS--to a first-round playoff game in 1998 and literally could not give them away. The arena routinely was 50/50 with other teams' fans--think about what we see for Toronto games, only make it EVERY game. That city did not care one bit about the Capitals until OV showed up.

 

I'll second this. I went to a game just before OV or early in his tenure (it was a game or two after the Caps traded Mike Grier to Buffalo, 2004). In the upper seats, there were far more Buffalo chants than Capitals, and probably half of the few fans that were up there were cheering for Buffalo. Fast forward a couple years and the place is filled with red jerseys (I don't remember seeing may of the blue-yellow-black screaming chicken ones) and packed.

SwampD Hall of Famer

SwampD

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I'll second this. I went to a game just before OV or early in his tenure (it was a game or two after the Caps traded Mike Grier to Buffalo, 2004). In the upper seats, there were far more Buffalo chants than Capitals, and probably half of the few fans that were up there were cheering for Buffalo. Fast forward a couple years and the place is filled with red jerseys (I don't remember seeing may of the blue-yellow-black screaming chicken ones) and packed.

I was at the game in D.C where OV hit Briere from behind and got kicked out. Even with OV, I'd say it was a 60/40 mix of fans.

Drunkard First Liner

Drunkard

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

I was at the game in D.C where OV hit Briere from behind and got kicked out. Even with OV, I'd say it was a 60/40 mix of fans.

 

Buffalo is known to travel well because of all the people who have left the area over the years though and at the time the Sabres were really good making Buffalo expatriates even more likely to want to catch a game. A city like DC though I would assume would have a disproportionate amount of fans who cheer for other teams though just because of it being the nations capital and people moving there from all over for work purposes.

Edited by Drunkard
Eleven Hall of Famer

Eleven

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Buffalo is known to travel well because of all the people who have left the area over the years though and at the time the Sabres were really good making Buffalo expatriates even more likely to want to catch a game. A city like DC though I would assume would have a disproportionate amount of fans who cheer for other teams though just because of it being the nations capital and people moving there from all over for work purposes.

 

It's not just attendance. They were rarely discussed on 980AM (Washington's equivalent of GR); they were very rarely on the front page of the Post sports section; they weren't part of the "sports conversation" in the city except for about two weeks in 1998 when they were in the finals. They were very much behind pro football, the Wizards, the Orioles, Georgetown basketball, and maybe even DC United in the city's consciousness.

Drunkard First Liner

Drunkard

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It's not just attendance. They were rarely discussed on 980AM (Washington's equivalent of GR); they were very rarely on the front page of the Post sports section; they weren't part of the "sports conversation" in the city except for about two weeks in 1998 when they were in the finals. They were very much behind pro football, the Wizards, the Orioles, Georgetown basketball, and maybe even DC United in the city's consciousness.

 

I see your point. Hockey's a niche sport to begin with and in a place like DC there are always other options available so it's no surprise they wouldn't get as much attention. I have no doubt that Ovechkin is single handedly responsible for a large percentage of that fan base. I just think in general games against Buffalo are bad to use as examples. I know Canes games are another good example. I've never been to a Canes game where Buffalo isn't playing but I know a handful of other people who have. From what they've told me that have little issues with the number of opposing fans besides us, Pittsburgh, and I think one other team (either the Massholes or Capitals or somebody I can't recall). Claude could probably answer it though.

MattPie All Star

MattPie

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Posted

I see your point. Hockey's a niche sport to begin with and in a place like DC there are always other options available so it's no surprise they wouldn't get as much attention. I have no doubt that Ovechkin is single handedly responsible for a large percentage of that fan base. I just think in general games against Buffalo are bad to use as examples. I know Canes games are another good example. I've never been to a Canes game where Buffalo isn't playing but I know a handful of other people who have. From what they've told me that have little issues with the number of opposing fans besides us, Pittsburgh, and I think one other team (either the Massholes or Capitals or somebody I can't recall). Claude could probably answer it though.

 

It was Atlanta. Those Thrashatics travelled in droves to see the team in Raleigh. :)

z-man Prospect

z-man

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Posted

The Caps are definitely more popular now, but there's so many transplants that there are always lots of opposing fans in all the DC sports venues. It's just the way it goes. For instance, Philadelphia fans used to organize "takeovers" of Nats Park for Phillies games, until the Phillies started sucking hard and the Nats came up with a whole PR campaign, dubbed "Natitude", to combat the phenomenon.

 

Back in the day that Eleven is referring to, they used to have to explain the rules on the scoreboard at the (then) MCI Center during Caps games. For instance, someone gets called for hooking, and they define what hooking means on the scoreboard. No joke.

 

Hockey is definitely down in the ranking of DC sports. The Redskins get the most coverage, followed by the Nationals, and then the Wizards. The Caps may have gotten more coverage than the Wizards at some point, but now the Wizards don't suck and this is more of a basketball town. I also have a feeling that a lot of Caps fans are coming in from the further out suburbs - there's definitely a different cross section of people than you would find in a typical DC metro train (and not just because Hockey is less popular with African Americans).

Eleven Hall of Famer

Eleven

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The Caps are definitely more popular now, but there's so many transplants that there are always lots of opposing fans in all the DC sports venues. It's just the way it goes. For instance, Philadelphia fans used to organize "takeovers" of Nats Park for Phillies games, until the Phillies started sucking hard and the Nats came up with a whole PR campaign, dubbed "Natitude", to combat the phenomenon.

 

Back in the day that Eleven is referring to, they used to have to explain the rules on the scoreboard at the (then) MCI Center during Caps games. For instance, someone gets called for hooking, and they define what hooking means on the scoreboard. No joke.

 

Hockey is definitely down in the ranking of DC sports. The Redskins get the most coverage, followed by the Nationals, and then the Wizards. The Caps may have gotten more coverage than the Wizards at some point, but now the Wizards don't suck and this is more of a basketball town. I also have a feeling that a lot of Caps fans are coming in from the further out suburbs - there's definitely a different cross section of people than you would find in a typical DC metro train (and not just because Hockey is less popular with African Americans).

 

I remember that!

X. Benedict All Star

X. Benedict

Posted
Posted

I lived there. I owned my first home there. I know what I'm talking about. This has nothing to do with being from Buffalo or denigrating other fan bases. I went to playoff games where the arena was 3/4 full. I had thirty--THIRTY FREE TICKETS--to a first-round playoff game in 1998 and literally could not give them away. The arena routinely was 50/50 with other teams' fans--think about what we see for Toronto games, only make it EVERY game. That city did not care one bit about the Capitals until OV showed up.

 

I go to the Buffalo Washington games in Buffalo with a Caps guy.

He repeatedly tells me that in the 90's his company in DC would often hand him a stack of 100 Cap tickets that would otherwise go unused. He couldn't give them away.

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