The "Open Letter Series" is a series of letters to different people, groups of fans, or basically anything else the Elsinore All-Stars cannot stand because they make being a hockey fan practically unbearable. On occasion I have been known to write some positive open letters - letters that don't rip people apart or openly mock. Well, readers, today is another one of those letters. Whether casual or die hard, new or long-time, if you're a fan of hockey, then today's letter is for you. Today's open letter is to all the hockey fans of the world.
Some of this letter may read similarly to my open letter to casual fans from a while back. I'm OK with it. I believe the message is an important one and I'm going to share it, like it or not. What can I say? I'm a giver like that.
Hockey fans,
We all know hockey is the greatest sport in the world, that's why we watch it. Whether you're a newcomer to the game, a long time fan, a casual fan, a hardcore fan, or anywhere in between, hockey has a way of captivating people like nothing else (unless you're watching a game where one team is coached by Jacques Lemaire - in that case, happy napping). As if hockey wasn't already an enthralling sport, we're currently in the midst of the best time of the year to be a hockey fan. The World Junior Championships were just a couple months ago, the NCAA Frozen Four is ongoing, and we're about to begin the playoffs in the ECHL, AHL, and NHL. It is a great time indeed.
As if all that wasn't enough to draw plenty of attention to the sport, labor strife in the NFL and NBA could lead to much more exposure for hockey than we hockey fans are accustomed to. We'll likely see many more spectators at hockey games and at sports bars going forward. If NFL & NBA disputes last into the fall, perhaps we'll have many more new fans at NHL arenas in October. While it can wreck havoc with ticket availability, it is not a bad thing to have more fans. An explosion in the popularity of football made the NFL far more accessible to fans. While the NHL will likely never compete with the NFL in the American market, hockey fans should look at that as a perfect reason to be welcoming of new fans.
In closing, as new fans are introduced to the sport, don't be so snobby. Too often hockey fans try to outdo one another, competing over who is a "better" fan or who has been watching/following hockey longer. That sort of attitude won't help the sport grow. Certainly there's nothing wrong with some playful banter and trash-talking done in the spirit of fun, but there's no point in looking down on someone for being new to the sport. Remember, everyone was new to the game at some point - even you. We follow the greatest sport in the world and there is no harm in sharing it with others.
Hardly the greatest blogger of what is definitely the greatest sport,
Doug McKenzie
Thank you so much for this post. I moved to North Carolina in 2006 and fell in love with the Hurricanes. As I started to go to more games, join social media, and take lead of a sports blog I was so disappointment by the attitudes of fellow fans. It felt like high school. Groups of girls that know so-and-so player the best, or clicks of hardcore fact spewers shunned my entrance in their 'world.' I refused to let a bunch of arrogant fans ruin my experience, but I can see how it would deter others. If people truly love the game, why would they push newcomers away? More the merrier, right? Thanks again, great post.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on getting linked to by Puck Daddy and having your words reach a wider audience.
ReplyDeleteI've mentioned here before that I'm a relatively new fan. It annoys me when people imply that being raised into fandom by a parent is somehow more noble than being taught fandom by a spouse. Hockey fans get so caught up in determining who's a "real" fan that they can repel people who would love to become real fans.
There are things that newcomers and casual fans need to understand--for example, nobody wants to explain the rules during the heat of the action, especially not in a bar or arena, so wait for breaks to ask. However, that sort of thing's just courtesy. If there were a little more of that, you wouldn't have to write so many open letters.
@KP - I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I'm all about growing the popularity of the sport. Some folks will claim all newcomers to the sport are "bandwagon" fans and basically chase them off with an elitist attitude. Sure, you find that attitude with a lot of things, but in the long run we're just competing to see who can root the best for a bunch of people on ice who have no idea we even exist - at least in an individual sense. Thank you for the kind words.
ReplyDelete@CrackerLilo - It should be incumbent upon new fans to take some responsibility and learn about the game on their own. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking questions to get some information, but fans of any sport don't want to babysit newbies while trying to enjoy a game. But as for not having to write so many open letters...perish the thought. These things are my meal ticket. Ha! Thanks for reading.
Well, I found you via Puck Daddy too... and thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'm southamerican and grew up and live with soccer as the synonym of sport (sigh) but spent 2 years in Minnesota, with hubby doing his PhD there. On 2/13/2009 we went to one Gophers' men hockey game (just as a curiosity, as we too attended Prairie Home Companion and the State Fair) and it was like a revelation to me. I was speechless for the entirety fo the game, unable to understand what was going on down in the ice but truly subjugated by the beauty and power of the game, which I knew only by passing references.
In the following days and weeks I tried to get (watch, read, learn about) as much hockey as I could, and though you'd think it's not the hardest thing to do in Minneapolis, it took me a while to find someone who could help me. (My circle of acquaintances was made of soccer fans who just made fun of me :-) ).
It was Mike, a Gopher fan and goal official for a round of exhibition games in the Twin Cities prior the U18 world championship in Fargo Moorhead, who actually let me in explaining why the game stopped so often (things that weren't obvious to me like icing or too many men on the ice) and how players are actually organized in lines, so get on and off the ice fairly always in the same groups. The Ridder arena was practically empty, with more people in the benches and officiating than anywhere else, so I moved around to find the best place to watch the action (I think it's the corner). However, when I sat right behind one goal, the guy in the cabin asked if I was with one of the teams and we started talking. A very nice guy I'm indebted to, and I wished I could tell him so.
By the way, it was also in the Ridder arena watching Womens Gophers against Team USA that I met the guy writing the hockey jersey blog, Third String Goalie. Another very nice guy who took a moment to talk to me.
But back to your letter, it's true that "real" fans are sometimes hard to stomach, you're right that they hurt the game. How do they do so, in my opinion? They press, they practically lobby, for tv or radio programs to avoid explaining the basics and focus on very specific aspects. I'm all for discussing that in specialized blogs, but on TV? No thanks.