Buffalo fan's rant gaining some public attention

[Split98]

Saw this pop up in my feed, and The Athletic even wrote something on it this morning: https://theathletic.com/1574432/2020...is-sick-of-it/

But interestingly, it's not just about the product on the ice (as they lost 3 in a row to the Habs last night). But he's directing his attention to ownership and last straw has been the missteps they've made during the 50th Anniversary celebrations this year.

Originally Posted by The Athletic

“Again, I get it if there isn’t enough (cap) money to put the product you want on the ice,” Steinel said, “but treat us like we matter, man. Treat us like we matter. That’s all I want. That’s all we want

Here's the rant from the 29th (3:49 long)
https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio...es-sabres-rant


I also didn't know about the goofs they've made in all of this, which is pretty funny but definitely embarrassing for an NHL franchise

Originally Posted by The Athletic

This was supposed to be a year of celebration, a time to reflect on 50 years of NHL hockey. Then the losses started and were joined by dubious decisions that included not enough anniversary jerseys to meet demand, fake sweaters on alumni, misspelled last names of team legends and no 1990s jerseys on 1990s night.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1220122668860682247

Originally Posted by The Athletic

6. Spell the legends’ names right and let kids win
You’ve probably noticed by now, but the 50th anniversary season has had glitches — and that’s putting it mildly. Can anyone “C” the problem with Dave Andreychuk’s jersey? I know that “I” can spot a blunder with Mike Robitaille’s sweater.

Spoiler!

https://theathletic.com/1561903/2020...-cleanout-day/

Which are pretty weird mistakes, to say the least! How does the Sabres organization even come to the decision of using a knock-off jersey in the first place? Is it just as simple as someone in the office saying "I have a Gare jersey, I'll bring that" and that's how the organization is run? How did no one notice the mis-spelling of TWO alumni's names?

Going to be interesting to see if this gains any traction from the (however big it'll be) spotlight Duane's put on how things have been going over there. But after all the FAF stuff here and the Oilers with their 'tiered' fans, it's kind of refreshing to see a (fairly well organized) rant directed at fan experiences and I wonder how much of a scare an outcry like this will be to ownerships rolling their eyes at teams like Vegas and Montreal

Silly non-sense or a pretty good point? Selfishly, as someone involved in said experiences, I'm very curious to see what people think of how much it's affected this fan's experiences.

[Toonage]

That sort of lack of attention to detail speaks to a chain of people that either don't know or don't care.

Its a problem.

[Flashpoint]

If you haven’t heard the full audio rant it’s a MUST!

I think 3 different escalations of tone and volume over the course of it.

The Duane train is coming for us all!

[Erick Estrada]

Yeah that's a pretty bad look for the people in charge of running things.

[Hemi-Cuda]

That organization is a disaster only outdone by the tire fire in Edmonton. The NHL really should have some sort of clause that would force the sale of a team when utter incompetence is so clear

[rbochan]

That's what happens when there's a Black Widow and a Bumbling Billionaire running the show.

[TheScorpion]

Yeah it was pretty weird to see a picture of Dave Andreychuk wearing an "ANDREYCHUCK" jersey and Mike Robitaille wearing "ROBITALLE" at a fan event.

[GioforPM]

It looks bad on the org. But that rant was soooo over the top.

[SportsJunky]

"My sister had to sit through that!!!!!!!!!!!"

This guy is unglued.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Yeah it was pretty weird to see a picture of Dave Andreychuk wearing an "ANDREYCHUCK" jersey and Mike Robitaille wearing "ROBITALLE" at a fan event.

Yeah. One would think they would notice themselves.

Or, you know, anybody with them who can read.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

"My sister had to sit through that!!!!!!!!!!!"

This guy is unglued.

I can imagine him sitting and ranting while his sister tried to look like she was with whoever was sitting on the other side.

[Rando]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Yeah it was pretty weird to see a picture of Dave Andreychuk wearing an "ANDREYCHUCK" jersey and Mike Robitaille wearing "ROBITALLE" at a fan event.

Say what you will about the piss poor product they've put on the ice but at least the Flames have always been a first class organization with how they treat people. Have talked with two Flames alum who speak of the organization. From the day they arrived, to the day they left, to the day they settled back in town and became an alumni.

Fake knock-offs and misspelled jerseys. It's just disrespectful.

[EastCoastFlamesFan]

WOW. That was the Rant of all Rants. I give that guy credit as it takes some balls to do that. I'm sure we've all felt like that at points too. I remember the Vegas game 2 seasons ago when we coughed up the lead in the last two minutes (or whatever it was) I had a meltdown and just said it wasn't worth the stress anymore. I still consider myself a hardcore fan, but have finally convinced myself that there is more to life than this team and things could be so much worse. I know Tre isn't perfect but I feel like he's a really good GM and we're lucky to have him compared to the gong shows in like Edmonton/Buffalo/Minnesota.

I'm at a point in this season where I keep telling myself that this team is ready to explode and just dominate but at the same time keeping my expectations in check. I think we all learned last year (and in 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 06, 07, 08--I'll stop) that regular seasons don't mean squat. Let's just get to the playoffs with zero pressure on us and make a run like we did in 2004. I am really, really hopeful that this team is a trade deadline piece or 2 away from making some noise.

[OutOfTheCube]

The team and the organization is a complete gong show and has been for a decade. It’s sucked any life and interest in hockey out of me, I honestly just don’t care anymore. It’s no coincidence I’ve changed my avatar and signature recently, I can just no longer identify as a hockey fan in general anymore when it’s only been constant a source of constant frustration and disappointment. There’s more interesting and rewarding things in my life to invest energy in.

[1234iggykipper]

There's a little Duane in all of us

[White Out 403]

####ing epic rant. Good for him. Passion is what makes us fanatics.

[Flash Walken]

"Forever a Sabre"

[Igottago]

Haven't listened to the rant yet, but the organization giving the alumni jerseys with their names spelled wrong or using a fake knockoff jersey is honestly one of the most pathetic things I've seen in pro sports. How does that happen?

[Split98]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

The team and the organization is a complete gong show and has been for a decade. It’s sucked any life and interest in hockey out of me, I honestly just don’t care anymore. It’s no coincidence I’ve changed my avatar and signature recently, I can just no longer identify as a hockey fan in general anymore when it’s only been constant a source of constant frustration and disappointment. There’s more interesting and rewarding things in my life to invest energy in.

So do you identify with Duane in this?

He seems to be very clear that he's not happy with the on-ice product, but what has done him in is the gong-show off the ice. Would what's happening on the ice be more tolerable if the fan-experience staff and ownership still tried to make a good experience out of the night?

[Split98]

Originally Posted by Igottago

Haven't listened to the rant yet, but the organization giving the alumni jerseys with their names spelled wrong or using a fake knockoff jersey is honestly one of the most pathetic things I've seen in pro sports. How does that happen?

Has to be a lack of care in one way or another

Either the people involved didn't care enough to get it right
or the people who hire them didn't care enough to give them time and/or compensation to make it right