Bossola named Flames CEO (QC Online)

[Hoody]

http://www.qconline.com/archives/qco....php?id=377577

Hoody

[Hoody]

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008...a496104925.txt

[dobbles]

i sure hope he can get things going in a new direction. too many games this year with too few people. definitely doesn't seem to be a buzz at the games.

it's funny, so many people complained that the games weren't fun like they were with the previous team here, and perhaps its because none of the people took the time to show up? its hard to have a raucous crowd when theres only 20 people in your section!

i am new to the area but am really grateful that i got here at the same time as high quality hockey. i just fear it will be gone very soon.

i kinda want to start a tangential conversation if i may...

i have noticed that tons of people here are the type of fan that want to just see a bunch of dudes fight. part of me thinks it is simply because this market had a beer league team for so long that it is what they are used to. part of me worries that there really are very few people like me that come to hockey games for the actual hockey. i get excited by great saves, scoring chances, good strategy, etc... but everyone else at the game seems to just want to see people fight.

am i just a canadian hockey lover at heart and stuck in the wrong country, or do most people really just come to the hockey games to see the fights?

[QCPuckFan]

I'm a QC area hockey fan. Have been for a long time, well before we ever had a team here. In fact, we used to drive to Peoria for Rivermen games when they were still an IHL affiliate. I was also one of those who, when they completed the Mark in the '90s, stuck a bumper sticker on my car imploring the powers-that-be to bring us a hockey team.

I'm sure there are those in the stands who just want to see fights. I've definitely sat near a few. Personally, I don't think those cement-heads are actual hockey fans. However, I don't think this year's attendance concerns have been all about the "beer-league" theory either. Regardless of the goonish style of hockey played in the Colonial, and later United Hockey League, the Mallards (apart from their first season) quickly established a tradition of winning...and winning a lot. That, coupled with the novelty of hockey in this area back then, really made the experience exciting. I mean, sellouts of 9,000+ were a common occurrence for a number of seasons going forward. And the place rocked. They were a fun team to watch, and not just because of the fighting. I have to say, though, attendance at Mallards game had declined itself in recent years, due to a number of other issues.

I don't think it has helped that this year's Flames team just doesn't score many goals. Let's face it...people love seeing goals. Winning at home helps too, and we just haven't had lot of either this year. People like me are going to show up regardless, but the casual fan doesn't necessarily see the nuances. I guess if we lived in Minnesota or Alberta, we wouldn't have to worry about this stuff.

[Ziggy Lidstrom]

Bossola, what a great name for a CEO.

You can even find that type of pugilistic celebration here in Canada, HockeyFights.com. Some fans are dedicated, thoughtfull,logical and sensible. Others are just riot-starters, who seemingly love the Heroin beer more than the on the ice product, but to them it may be one and the same.

To tangentially respond, I think you'll find those types in any crowd, but I do think that the volume of said fans differs where you are watching the product. In minnesota, you won't find many of those fans. I Vancouver you will, along with the pleasant fan. This is just to say that not all markets are generally addicted to violence moreso than the others.

However, I regret to say that the good old hockey game isn't very popular in USofA, so I wouldn't be surprised to see people jump on the bandwagon due to the pugilistic nuances of the fastest game on earth. If that's the case, just move to a hockey-crazed town and forget those rabble once and for all.

In a nation bombarded by images of violence, is it any wonder what is celebrated within that culture as zeitgeist? Football, Hockeyfights, MMA...Where is the love? I think this happens exactly to politicians designs: get the people to use sports as a channel for their aggressions and then they won't turn on their gov't, or they'll be able to channel that violence into an enemy of the state.