BREAKING NEWS: Panthers are "nobodies"
by Donny Rivette on Aug 21, 2009 8:06 PM EDT
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From Mike Kiley at Chicago Now's Blackhawks Confidential:
Even from Helsinki, the stands are more likely to be filled with Blackhawks jerseys than Panthers jerseys. Wherever they go, the Blackhawks are a name brand. The Florida Panthers are nobodies--even in Florida.
Now, read the article and keep the comment in context, but it's still a lousy, eyeball-catching tactic to lump the Cats' fanbase - no longer stagnant, and finally picking up steam - into such a broad stereotype.
If I recall correctly, the Hawks were having some attendance issues of their own in recent years. Like those years they failed to make the postseason. Sounds familiar to those of us who closely follow the "nobodies" at BankAtlantic Center.
Yes, Chicago's NHL entry will always be an "original six" member, and the club has generations of home-grown fans to rely on, as well as the simple fact that the name "Chicago" has a bit more far-reaching out-of-market penetration than "Sunrise" or "Florida". Yes, the Cats have nowhere near the name-recognition of their upcoming European opponent.
Sorry, select few Blackhawk fans, that the Panthers are not the Wings, Blues, Leafs, Rangers, Penguins, et al. Sorry we're not worthy of your presence on the world stage. It's enough to fight the entire sporting universe as a league in unison; evidently the Hawks are above even that battle.
I'm personally thrilled that the Hawks have gained serious momentum - for a wide-ranging variety of reasons - over the past several years. A healthy "big market" team gives the "smaller" guys hope.
I'm getting a visual of the Chicago front office staff, gathered around the conference call with the league where the 2009 "Premiere" teams were announced. "And to Helsinki: the Blackhawks..." (breaths held in anticipation of a big-ticket matchup) "...and Panthers." Blank stares.
Wouldn't have wanted to be around that crowd for a few hours.
Of course, it didn't go down that way, and the teams were not a closely guarded secret by any means, and I'm being phenomenally simplistic. Sort of like calling the entire Florida organization "nobodies".
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Blahblahblah...
Same old silly crap. I won’t tell you what some guy on the Tri-Rail said about SoFla hockey fans today. I wanted to ask him if the comment applied to him too as he’s been living here 20 yrs. And he’s never even been to a Cats game. Idiot.
Unfair comparison
I lived in Chicago and went to many games in the old stadium as a season ticket holder. You cannot beat the electricity that was generated in that building. However, when the Hawks traded/let go of their stars in the mid-late 90’s they went on a real tailspin, and guess what fans stopped going to games.
Here in Florida, there is one thing that people forget. It’s a football town.
When the Panthers start winning, the casual fans will come out, that’s just the way it is.
For now, the passionate fans like us support them and go to the games, hoping for a competitive and winning team.
It boils down to getting the right players, winning games, and having a quality product on the ice.
Things will get better.
Spot on. It’s really easy to throw stones, and the media and fans from places like Chicago, Buffalo and (Balsillie’s first buy and move target) Pittsburgh forget really fast about the lean years their own teams have had. Remember that kids, when you want to bust on Florida teams for not having a fan base, last year’s Cup champs almost got moved only three years ago. And if you think a Panthers-Rangers or Panthers-Leafs crowd is bad, you should have seen all the Wings jerseys at the Sabres-Red Wings game I saw ca. 2003.
by John Beatty on Aug 22, 2009 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
There must be something wrong with me since I’m far more happier/excited about Panthers playing here than about Blackhawks…
Как хотел я
Maybe because when our players get drunk, they don’t beat up cabbies, they tangle with the police like real men.
by John Beatty on Aug 22, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah but...
While on the surface, I agree with most of these comments, the Blackhawks or Penguins or _____s “lean years” didn’t last more then a decade, or at least the lean years of said teams that I remember. Teams like the Red Wings and Rangers might go through long spells without winning a cup, but they are competitive. They make the playoffs once in awhile. But if the Leafs or the like went this long without a PLAYOFF BERTH, there would be riots. Yes, bigger market teams with more history will continue to look down on the Panthers. Why shouldn’t they? Until we have something more than one good year that happened 13 summers ago, until we have games against the Leafs and Rangers in December where the home crowd is not the minority, until we have a front office that actually shows initiative and the guts to go out and sign someone, we will be nobodies to the rest of the league. Ugly truth.
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