TBN piece on sagging attendance, enthusiasm in arena

[Eleven]

. There aren't any real attempts to fire up the fans by mascots, giveaways, clever videos played on the jumbotron (example attached), 

 

Are you kidding?  There's too much of that .

[JJFIVEOH]

I don't think it's a product of Sabres mediocrity, it's a product of today's NHL. The league is in a rut and it needs to get itself out in the very near future before it implodes. I haven't seen so many areans with so many empty seats as I have this year. I can say on average, one out of every five games is worth watching for a casual fan. The die-hards will still watch the other four all while being bored to death. No more hitting, no more fighting, no more scoring................. might as well watch soccer. Not to mention an adult atmosphere can get more enthusiastic and rowdy, but those days are gone too. While it's important to bring kids to the arena, most arenas have gone overboard in making it a PG/Disney atmosphere. It's not helping the cause, I know I've mentioned this before.

[Eleven]

I don't think it's a product of Sabres mediocrity, it's a product of today's NHL. The league is in a rut and it needs to get itself out in the very near future before it implodes. I haven't seen so many areans with so many empty seats as I have this year. I can say on average, one out of every five games is worth watching for a casual fan. The die-hards will still watch the other four all while being bored to death. No more hitting, no more fighting, no more scoring................. might as well watch soccer. Not to mention an adult atmosphere can get more enthusiastic and rowdy, but those days are gone too. While it's important to bring kids to the arena, most arenas have gone overboard in making it a PG/Disney atmosphere. It's not helping the cause, I know I've mentioned this before.

 

Don't get me started on this.

[Iron Crotch]

Are you kidding?  There's too much of that ######.

 

Whomever is in charge of that stuff in Buffalo needs to be replaced with someone who knows what they're doing.

 

For the non-diehard fan (a demographic that isn't us on this board), effort needs to be taken to keep the casual fans engaged. It's just how it is in today's "Impulse Society" of immediate gratification. Milt Ellis plus an organist was great in 1976, but that's not the era we live in anymore.

 

I'm not saying the lack of fighting and scoring and power plays don't have an impact. Just that steps can be taken to augment the off-ice product.

[JJFIVEOH]

Don't get me started on this.

 

OK, I'll want until after the holidays. Merry Christmas!

[JohnRobertEichel]

Lots of good points made in this thread, but I still think it all comes down to the uninspiring on-ice Sabres product we've been subjected to over the past 8.5 seasons following the summer of Briere's and Drury's departure.

[woods-racer]

http://www.top10homeremedies.com/home-remedies/home-remedies-firming-sagging-breasts.html

 

Don't go to work for the Sabres PR department, I do believe that was a major swing and miss on target audience.

 

But very funny and totally unexpected.

[IKnowPhysics]

...IMHO, the off-ice product - the arena experience - in Buffalo is the worst in the league.

I respectfully disagree. I've been to LA, Anaheim, Philly, Minnesota, and Florida. FLA and ANA are way worse and it's not even close. LA isn't far behind those two, even when winning (although a lot of this is a stadium architecture issue).

 

The crowd noise should be compared not to the top teams that are winning, but teams that have sucked as hard as we have. Think early 90s Red Wings and Senators and Bill Wirtz Blackhawks. We've got much better attendance and fan involvement than teams on that scale.

 

Besides, you know FNC will rock in perpetuity as soon as we win our first post-tank playoff series and all ails will be cured.

[DaveSnuggerud]

Ok, I'm in my mid 30s and find myself wanting to go back to the days of the Aud. The game was different, the fans were different, and the place always seemed to have a buzz. It could be that I was a kid just getting into hockey but every game was entertaining.

 

I also remember the atmosphere in the goat head years, where we made playoff runs, as electric. A favorite memory was starting a "Ray Borque sucks" chant during the '99 Bruins series. That was a blast!

 

I think the primary issue is that the average fan's attitude toward actively participating in the game/atmosphere has nearly vanished. With Jumbotrons, cell phones, and mega sound systems endlessly blasting rock the fan has been pushed further and further into the role of a passive consumer. IMO the best part of any game is being part of a sustained "Let's go Buffalo" chant. It's hard to pull that off these days, unless the fans bring it during a lengthy run of play. It would also help for the current team to play some playoff hockey to bring some more energy but I see the issue being more connected with fan attitude/expectation.

 

I fully intend on pissing off Avs fans here in Denver with plenty of "Let's go Buffalo" chants next month. Maybe some of you can join me.

[Iron Crotch]

Ok, I'm in my mid 30s and find myself wanting to go back to the days of the Aud. The game was different, the fans were different, and the place always seemed to have a buzz. It could be that I was a kid just getting into hockey but every game was entertaining.

 

I also remember the atmosphere in the goat head years, where we made playoff runs, as electric. A favorite memory was starting a "Ray Borque sucks" chant during the '99 Bruins series. That was a blast!

 

I think the primary issue is that the average fan's attitude toward actively participating in the game/atmosphere has nearly vanished. With Jumbotrons, cell phones, and mega sound systems endlessly blasting ###### rock the fan has been pushed further and further into the role of a passive consumer. IMO the best part of any game is being part of a sustained "Let's go Buffalo" chant. It's hard to pull that off these days, unless the fans bring it during a lengthy run of play. It would also help for the current team to play some playoff hockey to bring some more energy but I see the issue being more connected with fan attitude/expectation.

 

I fully intend on pissing off Avs fans here in Denver with plenty of "Let's go Buffalo" chants next month. Maybe some of you can join me.

 

I agree with the bolded statement. But, I don't think the reason is sounds systems, the jumbotron, etc. Chants start organically in many other arenas that all have the same high tech gadgets as Buffalo. When I look around at a typical Sabres home games (note: I only go to a few per year) I notice a lot of Zombie-like people who act like it is a crime to draw attention to themselves by showing some emotion. One theory is this is a function of the aging population of WNY. The Sabres crowd is simply aging, and it is the young people who bring the energy and start the chants. According to Forbes, Buffalo is now the third greyest city in the country (% of population over 60 vs. under 15) and getting greyer. 10 or 20 years ago crowd noise would naturally be less of an issue than it is today. Just a theory... just throwing it out there... either way, a better team naturally helps. And, I still think the Sabres are weak when it comes to in-game marketing. :)

[PASabreFan]

I agree with the bolded statement. But, I don't think the reason is sounds systems, the jumbotron, etc. Chants start organically in many other arenas that all have the same high tech gadgets as Buffalo. When I look around at a typical Sabres home games (note: I only go to a few per year) I notice a lot of Zombie-like people who act like it is a crime to draw attention to themselves by showing some emotion. One theory is this is a function of the aging population of WNY. The Sabres crowd is simply aging, and it is the young people who bring the energy and start the chants. According to Forbes, Buffalo is now the third greyest city in the country (% of population over 60 vs. under 15) and getting greyer. 10 or 20 years ago crowd noise would naturally be less of an issue than it is today. Just a theory... just throwing it out there... either way, a better team naturally helps. And, I still think the Sabres are weak when it comes to in-game marketing. :)

I think you're onto something. The Sabres are like the Catholic Church. The older folks still go to mass, but what about in another 15-20 years?

[biodork]

Ok, I'm in my mid 30s and find myself wanting to go back to the days of the Aud. The game was different, the fans were different, and the place always seemed to have a buzz. It could be that I was a kid just getting into hockey but every game was entertaining.

I also remember the atmosphere in the goat head years, where we made playoff runs, as electric. A favorite memory was starting a "Ray Borque sucks" chant during the '99 Bruins series. That was a blast!

I think the primary issue is that the average fan's attitude toward actively participating in the game/atmosphere has nearly vanished. With Jumbotrons, cell phones, and mega sound systems endlessly blasting ###### rock the fan has been pushed further and further into the role of a passive consumer. IMO the best part of any game is being part of a sustained "Let's go Buffalo" chant. It's hard to pull that off these days, unless the fans bring it during a lengthy run of play. It would also help for the current team to play some playoff hockey to bring some more energy but I see the issue being more connected with fan attitude/expectation.

I fully intend on pissing off Avs fans here in Denver with plenty of "Let's go Buffalo" chants next month. Maybe some of you can join me.

I'll be in section 304 (I think)!

[Kr632]

The crowd at sabres games are less exciting than people attending catholic church. It's terrible. Everybody there is miserable. Much rather go to a bandits game.

[Marvelo]

Examples of a better experience?

 

It's the little things. They often play "Shake it off" after the opponent scores. That would irk the crap out of me if I was a player. It just reeks of people who don't have a sense for the game making that decision and I'll leave it at that. And please stop announcing the opponent's goal three minutes after play has resumed. Do it before the faceoff. Who wants to be reminded you got scored on after it's already being put away in your head? Stupid. The organist's musical choices are atrocious. And, oh yeah, Doug Allen shouldn't be the anthem singer, whether or not 47 people shout "oooooggggieeeee" before he starts.

 

I haven't been to a Sabres game in years -- I live in Massachusetts -- but what you say is plausible. I hear it time and time that people comment that the First Niagara Center is like a morgue. And the little things are aggravating, especially those last two turdburger seasons the Sabres shoved down our throat. Now Pegula says it was some of Buffalo's most succesful seasons. The residual suffering from these entire seasons of terrible hockey are going to be around like a bad hangover. After about 40 some years of being a respectible hockey franchise; competitive to say the least, the Sabres sunk to the very bottom and it was brutal. I watch on the package and the turd jerseys of last year look they were designed by either one or both of the Pegula daughters whose mediocre designs now grace the front page of the Buffalo Bills shirt and pants store website. 

 

The hangover effect can only be wiped out by great hockey, not slightly above average or .500 hockey. The NHL product itself, the 2-1, 3-2, 4-2 games so prevalent...is not exciting enough. The fact that there is rampant unemployment, much more than they report to us, has to be putting a damper on things too. But it starts with getting a great team and a great fan experience to wipe out the bad taste left from the years of the intentional tank.

[PromoTheRobot]

When you look at the moves of Tim Murray, how much involvement do think TP has?

As much that fits his narrative.

[PromoTheRobot]

As far as game atmosphere is concerned, I agree it's pretty dead, but I side more with Santa than Potato. The level of "game ops" (as it's called in the biz) is fine. I'm there to watch the game, not to be led through the Hokey Pokey. And as for hating the music, that's a lame excuse. It just means they aren't playing YOUR favorite songs.

 

I actually was the backup DJ at Monarchs AHL games in the early 2000's. Trust me when I say atmosphere is foremost in everyone's mind. We used to meet at 5pm game nights to game plan ways to get people fired up.

 

But the game has a huge effect on mood. It's harder to fire to a bored crowd. And frankly the Sabres have been pretty boring the last two years. The entire NHL is boring, frankly, because teams have taken scoring out of the game. It's all about defense now. That's the main problem.

[PASabreFan]

As much that fits his narrative.

I know, right? It's not like Terry would admit Ehrhoff and Leino was his decision or would overrule his GM and pick a head coach.

[Eleven]

As far as game atmosphere is concerned, I agree it's pretty dead, but I side more with Santa than Potato. The level of "game ops" (as it's called in the biz) is fine. I'm there to watch the game, not to be led through the Hokey Pokey. And as for hating the music, that's a lame excuse. It just means they aren't playing YOUR favorite songs.

 

I actually was the backup DJ at Monarchs AHL games in the early 2000's. Trust me when I say atmosphere is foremost in everyone's mind. We used to meet at 5pm game nights to game plan ways to get people fired up.

 

But the game has a huge effect on mood. It's harder to fire to a bored crowd. And frankly the Sabres have been pretty boring the last two years. The entire NHL is boring, frankly, because teams have taken scoring out of the game. It's all about defense now. That's the main problem.

 

No, it just means that I can't talk with the folks around me or lead a spontaneous cheer.  They could reprise Springsteen's live performance of Greetings from Asbury Park and I would still hate it.

[PASabreFan]

When you look at the moves of Tim Murray, how much involvement do think TP has?

This is a good question. Of course the overarching strategy of fully tanking came from Terry and Terry's people. I don't think Darcy would have initiated something that bold and I think the reason he's gone is that he didn't have the stomach for it. I don't really hold that against Terry. It's macro meddling and you can argue that's the owner's prerogative. Beyond that, I don't really know if he's micromeddled with Tim. But I hope and suspect he hasn't. I suspect he's been too busy doing so with the Bills. I am actually pretty hopeful that things are finally working in a sane way on Perry Street. Also: OTOH maybe they've gotten smart about not letting Terry speak in public anymore.

Edited December 26, 2015 by pASabreFan

[Eleven]

It's too bad that last night's game was on the road. I think it would have breathed some life into the Arena.

[That Aud Smell]

^

 

Yes. Lord, yes.

 

The arena is often quiet. NHL hockey games are often dull affairs.

 

When the Sabres start winning consistently, I predict significant improvements in in-game vibe.

 

But, even then, NJ on a Tuesday? Might still be a snoozer.

[#freejame]

I miss the corny buffaloes charging the stadium video they'd start the game with, I miss the old music (I rarely hear "We will rock you") with the jumbotron actively engaging with the crowd.

This was always my favorite non-hockey part of the game going as a kid. Then they replaced it with Sabretooth coming down from the rafters, which was designed for kids (assumption), and it bored the life out of me. 

 

 

The choice of music during stoppages is terrible. There aren't any real attempts to fire up the fans by mascots, giveaways, clever videos played on the jumbotron (example attached), etc....

 

I would definitely take the organ over watching that. If they want to do funny things on the jumbotron, do it like the Stars do. http://thehockeywriters.com/dallas-stars-jumbotron-10-greatest-hit/I think we could do without the viral memes, but they fans who are there for the entertainment would enjoy it (as they do in Dallas, it's often shown in highlight packages) and those who don't care don't have to be bothered by the nonsense.

 

I don't think it's a product of Sabres mediocrity, it's a product of today's NHL. The league is in a rut and it needs to get itself out in the very near future before it implodes. I haven't seen so many areans with so many empty seats as I have this year. I can say on average, one out of every five games is worth watching for a casual fan. The die-hards will still watch the other four all while being bored to death. No more hitting, no more fighting, no more scoring................. might as well watch soccer.

Soccer is often boring to people who don't understand the rules of the game or the nuances of play. Every time I hear the bolded, I think the same thing. That's not saying you don't understand hockey, just my thoughts on it though.  

[wjag]

^

 

Yes. Lord, yes.

 

The arena is often quiet. NHL hockey games are often dull affairs.

 

When the Sabres start winning consistently, I predict significant improvements in in-game vibe.

 

But, even then, NJ on a Tuesday? Might still be a snoozer.

 

I offer you exhibit A of what a crowd should sound like, even when playing the Devils.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVgPmn4XAOI

[#freejame]

I offer you exhibit A of what a crowd should sound like, even when playing the Devils.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVgPmn4XAOI

Shooting fish in a barrel by using Montreal, but I agree. 

[That Aud Smell]

Yeah. I don't know that Buffalo's ever been in the same league as Montreal. Greatest hockey city in the world.