UPDATE: NHLPA votes for further negotiations on 24-team return to play format

[Jason14h]

I am amazed how many TV viewers of the game care at all about the fans.

By the 2nd game no one would even notice that the arenas are empty . Reminds me of the netting over the glass arguments and how it would ruin the game and sightlines. By the 2nd period of the first game no one even realized they were there anymore

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

I am amazed how many TV viewers of the game care at all about the fans.

By the 2nd game no one would even notice that the arenas are empty . Reminds me of the netting over the glass arguments and how it would ruin the game and sightlines. By the 2nd period of the first game no one even realized they were there anymore

Fans are a big part of the atmosphere of a game and the ebb and flow. I don’t think we will be watching and not notice it. Way different than netting over the glass.

Having said that I want to watch playoff sports so I am excited to watch without fans but I do think the product will be impacted for it.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

I am amazed how many TV viewers of the game care at all about the fans.

By the 2nd game no one would even notice that the arenas are empty . Reminds me of the netting over the glass arguments and how it would ruin the game and sightlines. By the 2nd period of the first game no one even realized they were there anymore

It was pretty weird last night watching UFC with no crowd as you could tell the crowd eruptions were missing when a fighter got knocked down and that's a sport that probably works better without a crowd than say football or hockey. It wasn't a deal breaker for UFC but there's going to be zero atmosphere for team sports as a goal, big hit, fight, etc is just going to be quiet. The people calling PBP will be tasked with drumming up some excitement.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

The complaints about teams making a playoff contention with a worse record than they would normally require only need to look at the playoffs until 1991 where a team was already guaranteed to make the playoffs it seemed by nature of existing as 16/21 teams made the playoffs.

Which is all the more reason why it needs to remain at 16 teams. It has been this way for almost 30 years, and in a +30-team League a cutoff at 16 is just about perfect. I see no good reason at all to expand the format, even in the unusual present circumstances.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[2macinnis2]

The fans not being part of a game is one thing.

The much, much bigger problem IMO is the presence of a virus that is still not really under control.

In terms of legitimacy, no home ice is one thing. The bigger issue is player(s) testing positive, which over the course of 2+ months of reg season/playoffs is very likely. In fact one of the UFC fighters was pulled this weekend, which is one thing when those guys train individually, but in a team sport can potentially lead to many more quarantines and infections. It is in the White House. We are talking about a very contagious virus that’s just hard to ‘keep out,’ no matter what measures taken.

In my opinion, if a team loses a couple key players to Covid, that makes the Cup more illegitimate than no real home ice or fans.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

I am amazed how many TV viewers of the game care at all about the fans.

By the 2nd game no one would even notice that the arenas are empty . Reminds me of the netting over the glass arguments and how it would ruin the game and sightlines. By the 2nd period of the first game no one even realized they were there anymore

The nets still suck live depending on where you sit...and playoff atmosphere is a huge part of it IMO...it would be a massive difference.

Games seven winner in OT...dead silence and a few F yeah boys

[Saqe]

Count me in as one who thinks it's going to be a lame version of hockey if they play without fans. A low energy event with low entertainment value.

Still I guess it would be better than nothing and certainly people would watch just to kill time during this crisis. But it's a valid question whether it would be worth it to show a watered down version of the nhl.

[ComixZone]

This scenario of empty arena hockey is something new (especially at this scale), so naturally two sides have formed:

Optimists: Happy to have hockey back

Pessimists: Writing empty arenas off as worthless because fans are what drive the sport

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by Saqe

Count me in as one who thinks it's going to be a lame version of hockey if they play without fans. A low energy event with low entertainment value.

Still I guess it would be better than nothing and certainly people would watch just to kill time during this crisis. But it's a valid question whether it would be worth it to show a watered down version of the nhl.

I've been watching wrestling without fans and it's taken a bit to adjust, but I've been finding that I am really enjoying it now and certain aspects are better than before such as being able to hear what is happening in the ring during matches.

No crowd for hockey to me means the sounds of the game will be enhanced, the hits will be louder, we'll hear the skates, the sounds of the shots, the sounds of the posts will echo, hell the broadcasters may have to put up language warnings after commercial breaks because we'll hear more trash talk.

In the end it might not be as good in some ways, but it will be better in others.

[Saqe]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

I've been watching wrestling without fans and it's taken a bit to adjust, but I've been finding that I am really enjoying it now and certain aspects are better than before such as being able to hear what is happening in the ring during matches.

No crowd for hockey to me means the sounds of the game will be enhanced, the hits will be louder, we'll hear the skates, the sounds of the shots, the sounds of the posts will echo, hell the broadcasters may have to put up language warnings after commercial breaks because we'll hear more trash talk.

In the end it might not be as good in some ways, but it will be better in others.

Hockey and other sports that have scoring as a climax from time to time (or hits etc.) where crowds reaction is a part of the experience will be a big let down imo. It's an emotional game where passionate fans play a part. I'm not sure there will be anything extra gained from silence in the arena, everything is mic'd up anyway nowadays so you can already hear the posts and hits easily. I watched the highlights of UFC 249 and someone who's not really into the technical stuff of fighting it felt like a practice match with very low energy level.

[Ryan Coke]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Games seven winner in OT...dead silence and a few F yeah boys

But this is exactly what happens when it’s the visiting team who scores the big game 7 OT goal. The sound of 20000 people being totally deflated is usually pretty much dead silence, while the winning team is celebrating.

Hey, maybe instead of the perfunctory crowd shots after a goal is scored, they could cut away to Skype shots of people in their houses showing them cheering, or devastated and throwing their remote? Seriously, I could see something like this.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

Disagree. If my team won, they won under the same rules and in the same circumstances as everyone else.

It counts and I'd love it. Any "asterisk" situation is soon forgotten. Nobody cares about a shortened season in lockout seasons. Nobody cares now that an expansion team was guaranteed a spot in he final 50 years ago. Those cups have no asterisk.

One this year would count just as much as any other.

Don’t kid yourself. Every fan base that does not win this one, will forever attach an asterisk to this. Can you imagine Canuck fans and Oilers fans giving credit if the Flames win? Seriously?

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by Saqe

Hockey and other sports that have scoring as a climax from time to time (or hits etc.) where crowds reaction is a part of the experience will be a big let down imo. It's an emotional game where passionate fans play a part. I'm not sure there will be anything extra gained from silence in the arena, everything is mic'd up anyway nowadays so you can already hear the posts and hits easily. I watched the highlights of UFC 249 and someone who's not really into the technical stuff of fighting it felt like a practice match with very low energy level.

If you think crowds in hockey bring more than in wrestling you are fooling yourself, literally almost every single thing they do in wrestling is designed to get a positive or negative reaction from crowds.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by troutman

Don’t kid yourself. Every fan base that does not win this one, will forever attach an asterisk to this. Can you imagine Canuck fans and Oilers fans giving credit if the Flames win? Seriously?

You think they would regardless? They wouldn't, they would make up some excuse to minimize the win.

[troutman]

I just don’t know how they pull this off. Gyms reopened in China, then had to close again.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/beij...irus-wave.html

Singapore, spike in cases:
https://theconversation.com/singapor...py-ride-136994

New lockdown in Iran, after cases spike:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/...000151683.html

Cases rise in Germany:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ction-in-weeks

[Jason14h]

Well I guess we’ll See how it goes with soccer

https://www.espn.com/soccer/english-...ts-june-1-date

[zukes]

With the AHL now cancelling, I am now on the fence whether this season will get completed. I know that the money lost is the driving force, but I just can't see the players adhering to a full lockdown in one spot. You know that guys will be sneaking out of whatever quarantine they are in.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by troutman

Don’t kid yourself. Every fan base that does not win this one, will forever attach an asterisk to this. Can you imagine Canuck fans and Oilers fans giving credit if the Flames win? Seriously?

Who cares, I would welcome that. “Sounds like loser talk”.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by troutman

I just don’t know how they pull this off. Gyms reopened in China, then had to close again.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/beij...irus-wave.html

Singapore, spike in cases:
https://theconversation.com/singapor...py-ride-136994

New lockdown in Iran, after cases spike:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/...000151683.html

Cases rise in Germany:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ction-in-weeks

No doubt there's gonna be another huge spike in the U.S. as well. Good on the NHL for trying, but I agree, I just don't see it happening.

[Scroopy Noopers]

I don’t see it happening either, but understand the efforts. And selfishly would love to watch some hockey.

Got me thinking today though, what would be worse for the NHL financially: To just cancel and wait this out, or to start back up and then be forced to cancel due to a rise in cases (or if the league gets inundated with cases)?