ConfettiGate: 10,000 surplus Huselius bobbleheads may be next to rain from BAC rafters
by Donny Rivette on Apr 14, 2010 12:08 PM EDT
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Now that countless piles of confetti - employed Sunday evening in celebration of, well, something - have been swept from the lower bowl of the BankAtlantic Center, word on the street is the Panthers organization then showered fans with freebie t-shirts. A fine gift if one is a history buff: the shirts were from Opening Night. Of 2007.
Why not re-insert into the local stream of consciousness a relic from an evening which saw the Cats slip only one goal (long live Cory Murphy) past New Jersey backup Kevin Weekes?
Went from "Shirts off our Backs" to "Shirts off our Books" in record time.
Ok, enough with the sarcasm. For now.
The confetti issue is one thing: Cats prez Michael Yormark described it in his thinly-veiled concert promotion page blog as being "geared toward thanking our fans for the loyalty, dedication and support they showed us all season long." That's cool; South Florida is indeed a unique hockey market with distinct demands. Things are done a bit differently here. No news there.
But the fan-love celebratory atmosphere should have been announced before the game to the players first, so as to make no mistake what the point of all the hoopla really was about. As in "We are going to promote a happy, pumped-up Thank You Fans blast after the game, which has nothing to do with our club scowling in the standings dumpster. So don't take offense when shredded season ticket holder applications wind up in your jocks." Perhaps a large "Thanks, suckers!" banner should have been unfurled from the TyrannoVision at the same time. Easy enough, and no confusion.
Onto the t-shirts: I get the general idea, but did it have to be such low-grade surplus crap? How that initial proposal - essentially disposing of three-year old unwanted corporate giveaway junk little further up the evolutionary ladder from personalized pencils and golf balls - didn't smack of a ridiculous lack of class is beyond most fans' realm of rational thought. Has the front office ever considered the concept of thinking something through?
A question: why weren't those shirts donated to disaster relief?
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Unfortunately, it’s just something us fans have sort of come to expect from this organization.
Granted, this does feel like a new low. Last in the division, won something like 7 of our last 20 games… and they think a confetti party to celebrate the fans that actually showed up over the last month is gonna be seen as a “nice thing to do”?
I’m just amazed those 2007 t-shirts were still in the building. Maybe Cohen had them stuck in a closet somewhere and forgot to take them with him when he moved out.
Sigh.
Classless
Yormark and co. are simply classless. If I were one of the owners and I got wind of this, I’d fire him and his staff immediately. That’s like pissing on your players AND your fans with one swift stream.
What else is new?
Michael Yormark is a cancer on this organization. He’ll monetize anything, and cares nothing about the fans. Or his employees, as far as I can tell.
I think all Panthers fans owe it to themselves to drive over to Tampa for a game. Yes, their building isn’t that great and their ownership and management issues have made our organization look good by comparison, but the game presentation and the atmosphere in the building compared to here is night and day.
Yormark has sucked the soul out of this team and until he’s gone, things are not going to improve.
Florida Panthers: Giving the league a punching bag since 2000.
Just went to the Tampa Game
I went to the game in Tampa Saturday and sat 4 rows behind our team. One thought that I couldn’t shake was that being my first trip to the St. Pete Times Forum, I was sure when approaching from outside, that I was at an arena where hockey is the primary object being promoted. Of course, during the game the Bon Jovi promotion came on as they play there the night before BAC. That’s good I said to myself, “they have concerts at The TB Lightning arena.” Then I thought, what is the BankAtlantic Center?
Is it a facility built to house an NHL Hockey team and its secondary function is for other events or is it a concert facility that has hockey games played there secondarily? I’m really not sure.
The Tampa Bay Lighning facility is an NHL facility that has concerts. Just look around “Bolts everywhere” inside and outside.
The BAC: A Concert Facility that has the “occasional hockey game” unless you are a Season Seat Holder and know better.
A stranger would never know that the primary purpose of the BAC is to house the NHL Panthers Hockey Team.
There is no confusion of that type at the St. Pete Times Forum in my opinion.
On the BAC's role in life ...
I’ve had the same exact complaint for years. Before the 2004-2005 lockout the BAC (Office Depot Center at the time) felt like a hockey arena, with the banners of the thirty NHL teams displayed in the walkways and hanging from the rafters. Pantherland exclusively sold Panthers gear — if you wanted another team’s jersey, there was “Enemy Gear” located around the 120s (that location is empty now).
The lockout strategy was to retarget the facility to be more multi-purpose, focusing on concerts. After the lockout was resolved … they didn’t go back. The Panthers are still the bastard stepchild of the BAC in the minds of certain members of SSE management (cough yormark cough).
Being a foolish mortal, I’ve renewed for the 2010-2011 season. If next season is like this year — with a continued lack of focus by the SSE crew on hockey — I’ll quit. I love hockey, but the “who gives a damn” feeling one gets at the BAC is killing whatever joy remains.
Forgot one thing – you should add the McCartney incident:
Good Morning,
I have the opportunity to offer you up to 4 complimentary tickets to the Paul McCartney show at Sun Life Stadium this Saturday, April 3rd. I am offering this to you as a valued client. The tickets will be at will call.
In order to receive these tickets you must be renewed for the 10-11 season and I need the will call name by noon today. Please make sure all requested tickets are used. See below link for more information on the show. Thanks for you support of the Florida Panthers Hockey Club and the BankAtlantic Center.
Saturday, April 3rd was the evening of the Panthers vs Rangers home game.
You sarcastic humor never fails to crack me up. Shredded applications….tyrano-vision….brilliant!
Peninsula Is Mightier:Your SB Nation Miami Heat Blog Community
"My parents would always say, `It doesn't matter if it`s a guy picking up the garbage or the President of the United States, treat everybody as you would want to be treated.'"- Dan Marino
Come on guys, have a little faith in the Yormark name. Look at the success his bro is having with the NJ Nets…
How’s my poker face?
How about a nice sprinkling of Radek Dvorak and David Nemirovsky rookie cards?
Bettman's Nightmare: A Blog Where Hockey Aficionados Dismantle That Mighty Empire, One Balsillie at a Time
http://bettmansnightmare.blogspot.com/
by Bettman's Nightmare on Apr 15, 2010 12:24 AM EDT reply actions
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| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
51 | 24 | 16 | 11 | 59 |
|
Washington
|
51 | 27 | 20 | 4 | 58 |
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Winnipeg
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53 | 24 | 23 | 6 | 54 |
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Carolina
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(updated 2.5.2012 at 9:10 AM EST)
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| GP | W-L-OT | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
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New York Rangers
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49 | 32-12-5 | 69 |
|
Boston Bruins
|
50 | 32-16-2 | 66 |
|
Florida Panthers
|
51 | 24-16-11 | 59 |
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Philadelphia Flyers
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51 | 30-15-6 | 66 |
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Pittsburgh Penguins
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52 | 30-18-4 | 64 |
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New Jersey Devils
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51 | 29-19-3 | 61 |
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Ottawa Senators
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55 | 27-21-7 | 61 |
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Washington Capitals
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Winnipeg Jets
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53 | 24-23-6 | 54 |
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Tampa Bay Lightning
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Buffalo Sabres
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52 | 22-24-6 | 50 |
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Carolina Hurricanes
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