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Kevin Bieksa Calls On Canucks Fans To Be Louder


hockeyville88

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Agreed, my buddy is into IT, and he gets hooked up with Microsoft seats often, its a lot of business for people in Vancouver.

What better way to treat a client? Bring them to a nucks game....

My friend knows I am a die hard fan, and when he took kinda snuck me in, he asked that I don't get too carried away. As to not embarrass himself around other business member who may be in the area!

Last playoffs I bought front row tix to the first nucks vs blackhawks game, was right in Lou's corner (remax sign area).

Nucks were great, in the pregame skate one of the nucks caught me not watching and slapped a puck to the boards, saw me jump and he got a cheap laugh...

I also got in trouble for slapping the glass whenever players were fighting for the puck in the corners (an usher came and said the players said we were distracting them).... Also we were constantly asked to sit, and the season tickets holders next to us looked very annoyed. I know everyone has a right to enjoy the game, but I mean i dumped 500 bucks for each of those tickets.... slapping the glass seems mandatory...

All in all it just seems like tickets near the bottom are season ticket holders and corporate season tickets.

And for the loud blue collar fans, we get to holler from the back of the bus.

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When I first read this story I was really angry. I am a jersey wearing Bieksa fan but this felt like a slap in the face. I have stewed for awhile trying to figure out why it bugged me and many others so much. It's because right or wrong there is nothing more I can do as a fan that I don't already do when I go. I have been in upper bowl it has a way better atmosphere -strangers hugging each other,etc when we score. There is some witty banter usually as well and heckling of anyone in opposing jerseys. I have been in the lower bowl and had to spend half my time passing credit cards and food orders over my lap to the now maligned "corporate suit" sushi eater. At the same time I am trying to be polite in discouraging conversation. This same person leaves 5-6 minutes before end of the period and comes back 10 minutes into the next. Just because it wears a Canuck jersey does not mean it is a true Canuck fan ( remember the riots?). Slapping down $200 plus for a jersey doesn't hurt some. The person next to you, without a jersey, may be a more loyal fan but can't afford the jersey because the game tickets cost so much. I have also sat front row and alot of those people were psycho! in a good way. It irritates me to look down on the I-don't-cares seated below me texting, talking etc. The reality is that without corporations we don't get arenas, stadiums, support of youth sports, significant donations to Canucks charities, and without all the money floating around we wouldn't be able to keep the players we adore and support. If the players want a louder crowd then their input should be directed at the powers that be that allocate the seats. I am sitting on a very long season ticket list so forgive me for not knowing the format in its entirety. Families and many other hockey fans don't care for being served in their seats, could there not be specific corporate section and allow for fans paying less to sit in nonserviced areas lower down? How about the real mccoy fan the one that has been there game in and game out since the 70's shouldn't they be rewarded with great seating options? If you could empty out some of the mancaves in the lower mainland that are stuck in front of their tv's instead of at the rink, you'd hear some noise! I agree with Kevin Bieksa but all I can do is shout from the rooftops. For those lucky ones seated in the lower bowl that bleed blue and green, take the lower bowl back. If you want to yell, yell, if you want to stand and hug, or high five your neighbour after a goal then do it! I find it hard to believe that the true hockey fan that bleeds blue and green is initimidated by a stare or look of disapproval. I am not condoning seat rage! let me be clear but perhaps there should be some places in life that money doesn't get to push people around, doesn't that kind of happen to us everyday as it is? The hockey rink is the hockey rink , its where hockey is played, the sport we Canadians live and die for. We only have one place to scream out our lungs, support our boys, and enjoy the whole competitive atmosphere of it all and that is in those seats staring at that ice. For those 60 minutes we escape reality and become an extension of our warriors on the ice seeking that adrenalin rush that comes with victory. For those who wish to eat, socialize, text, check their stocks, or boast about their overachieving, Vancouver is full of many fabulous establishments to do so where you don't need to tolerate all us riff-raff. Perhaps we should show up with signs next game saying Kevin Bieksa told me I could yell, take it up with him :)

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When I first read this story I was really angry. I am a jersey wearing Bieksa fan but this felt like a slap in the face. I have stewed for awhile trying to figure out why it bugged me and many others so much. It's because right or wrong there is nothing more I can do as a fan that I don't already do when I go. I have been in upper bowl it has a way better atmosphere -strangers hugging each other,etc when we score. There is some witty banter usually as well and heckling of anyone in opposing jerseys. I have been in the lower bowl and had to spend half my time passing credit cards and food orders over my lap to the now maligned "corporate suit" sushi eater. At the same time I am trying to be polite in discouraging conversation. This same person leaves 5-6 minutes before end of the period and comes back 10 minutes into the next. Just because it wears a Canuck jersey does not mean it is a true Canuck fan ( remember the riots?). Slapping down $200 plus for a jersey doesn't hurt some. The person next to you, without a jersey, may be a more loyal fan but can't afford the jersey because the game tickets cost so much. I have also sat front row and alot of those people were psycho! in a good way. It irritates me to look down on the I-don't-cares seated below me texting, talking etc. The reality is that without corporations we don't get arenas, stadiums, support of youth sports, significant donations to Canucks charities, and without all the money floating around we wouldn't be able to keep the players we adore and support. If the players want a louder crowd then their input should be directed at the powers that be that allocate the seats. I am sitting on a very long season ticket list so forgive me for not knowing the format in its entirety. Families and many other hockey fans don't care for being served in their seats, could there not be specific corporate section and allow for fans paying less to sit in nonserviced areas lower down? How about the real mccoy fan the one that has been there game in and game out since the 70's shouldn't they be rewarded with great seating options? If you could empty out some of the mancaves in the lower mainland that are stuck in front of their tv's instead of at the rink, you'd hear some noise! I agree with Kevin Bieksa but all I can do is shout from the rooftops. For those lucky ones seated in the lower bowl that bleed blue and green, take the lower bowl back. If you want to yell, yell, if you want to stand and hug, or high five your neighbour after a goal then do it! I find it hard to believe that the true hockey fan that bleeds blue and green is initimidated by a stare or look of disapproval. I am not condoning seat rage! let me be clear but perhaps there should be some places in life that money doesn't get to push people around, doesn't that kind of happen to us everyday as it is? The hockey rink is the hockey rink , its where hockey is played, the sport we Canadians live and die for. We only have one place to scream out our lungs, support our boys, and enjoy the whole competitive atmosphere of it all and that is in those seats staring at that ice. For those 60 minutes we escape reality and become an extension of our warriors on the ice seeking that adrenalin rush that comes with victory. For those who wish to eat, socialize, text, check their stocks, or boast about their overachieving, Vancouver is full of many fabulous establishments to do so where you don't need to tolerate all us riff-raff. Perhaps we should show up with signs next game saying Kevin Bieksa told me I could yell, take it up with him :)

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When you aren't losing to scrubs like Montreal and Phoenix I'll cheer. When the team starts to care about winning and putting a product on the ice that is up to my standards, I will cheer. We have better players then all the teams we have lost to recently, meaning we aren't putting in 100% effort.

Stop making excuses and play the game.

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I read the first 5 or so pages of this and... Wooww. What's with all this uproar? All the people who say that we will cheer louder when they start winning are bandwagoners. When the team is down, we should support them by cheering at least as loud. Sending a message via jeers.. Sure! Wake up the team. But don't sit silently, support your Canucks!

The most disgusting, ignorant replies to this this thread are the ones saying that Bieksa shouldn't give a crap about the fan noise. Really?! Have none of you been in a track meet or an organized sport? Hearing the roar of the crowd can get you pumped up! You think that as soon as someone hits a seven figure salary, that disappears? Or worse yet, it SHOULD disappear? Give your head a shake. The players that are immune to fan are the ones that have stopped enjoying the game, stopped caring. This just shows how the Canucks feed off their (usually) awesome fans. Go Canucks!

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The thing that bothers me the most (mind you I have only gone to two games) about the 'Fans' at Roger's arena is the fact that they leave before the game is over. I was at the March 14th game, and was shocked how the lower bowl basically started to empty with a minute left in the third. I know our team was losing but come you should stay and support your team no matter what! Not to mention that the game could have been tied well these 'fans' were leaving.

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Vancouver sports fans have always been reactive when it comes to making noise.

When I go to sporting events in the US, or even in Winnipeg and Regina, the fans are pro-active when it comes to getting rowdy.

I agree with KB. There's nothing wrong with cheering to encourage the team, instead of waiting for them to do something, then making noise.

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Amen. I'm on the island too, and it has to turn in to a weekend trip. So a simple hockey game ends up costing around $400 (at least). I'm going to the Columbus game, but only because my dad is paying for the hotel. And this'll be my second game all time because of the prices.

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KB and Jim Robson find that hard to believe.

I’m going to end this rant with something Jim Robson told me:

“Sports became a real release or outlet for people in tough times … There was something about sports being an escape, but the people who are suffering financially nowadays couldn’t afford to go to a game.”

And ain’t that the truth.

To every Canucks fan who’ll be watching from home or a pub, I’ll be joining you.

To all the Suits planning to go to Rogers Arena who aren’t really huge Canucks fans – I hope you feel guilty that there are a hundred thousand people who should be there instead of you.

And don’t spill your $8 beer on your $2,000 suit.

I knew playoff tickets were going to be expensive here in Vancouver, but I didn’t think that seats for games in the Stanley Cup Finals would be comparable to the men’s hockey games in the 2010 Olympics.

It came to my attention yesterday that tickets for the SC Finals at Rogers Arena are going for $924. Each. A seat.

That’s half my pay check, and no doubt it’s some people’s ENTIRE pay check! With the cost of living in Vancouver being as high as it is, many fans can’t afford to go to any of the games, which really sucks because this would be the time to see them play; to possibly watch the Canucks make history.

Of course, Canucks tickets are already the most expensive in the NHL during the regular season, so I expected things to get pricey, but $924? Seriously?

This just goes to show how elitist hockey is becoming in the Canadian market. Montreal, Calgary and Toronto have very high pricing for games too, so this isn’t an isolated issue. It’s a problem, really, because this means that only those with a decent amount of disposable income can afford to go to hockey games.

Canucks fans notice how the lower bowl of Rogers Arena is being packed with “suits”, clients of big corporations who are season ticket holders and hand out tickets as perks. This usually makes for a lacklustre audience down below while the more rambunctious fans pack the rafters in the upper bowl, where the seats are considerably cheaper.

Corporations own a fair share of season tickets at Rogers Arena, and season ticket holders get priority for tickets to post-season games. Is it surprising then if the majority of lower bowl crowds are uninterested businessmen fiddling with their iPhones? These people aren’t there to watch hockey. They’re there because someone gave them a free ticket to some hockey game that they should probably check out.

There have been complaints since Round 2 of the playoffs that Rogers Arena has been “too quiet” during games. I agree that some games have seemed pretty dead (most remarkably game 1 against Nashville), but apparently those in the arena say it isn’t so bad, and CBC’s audio doesn’t do justice to the noise level of the crowd.

Either way, is it really any surprise that as ticket prices go up, the crowd gets a bit tamer? I mean, think about the kind of people who can afford tickets – they’re not average fans, that’s for sure. More and more clients, celebrities and high-profile businessmen will be filling Rogers Arena because they can afford it, and I can’t see these people wearing face paint, jerseys and waving their playoff towels around.

It’s unfair, because there are a lot of fantastic, die-hard fans out there who deserve to fill Rogers Arena to the rafters and watch their favourite hockey team go for the Holy Grail of hockey. Instead hundreds of thousands of Canucks fans will be watching from home or a pub because admission’s free there, and beers definitely come cheaper there than their $8 counterparts at Rogers Arena.

There should be some kind of priority seating for die-hard fans at Rogers Arena; the rich, uninterested clients and their partners would be turned away at the door. But that’s not realistic. More and more hockey is becoming all about making money, and the only way to do that is to hike ticket prices, which means slowly but surely, fans at Rogers Arena and around Canada are being replaced by the Suits.

Why? Because the Suits can afford it, not because they really want to watch the Canucks play.

And yes, it’s an absolute shame.

I’m going to end this rant with something Jim Robson told me:

“Sports became a real release or outlet for people in tough times … There was something about sports being an escape, but the people who are suffering financially nowadays couldn’t afford to go to a game.”

And ain’t that the truth.

To every Canucks fan who’ll be watching from home or a pub, I’ll be joining you.

To all the Suits planning to go to Rogers Arena who aren’t really huge Canucks fans – I hope you feel guilty that there are a hundred thousand people who should be there instead of you.

And don’t spill your $8 beer on your $2,000 suit.

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I was actually at the Jets game. What I noticed was the initial cheer was rather quiet, but as the game got going, whenever the jets fans would try to cheer "go jets go", they would immediately get swamped by "go canucks go". I've seen worse games for cheering.

If you heard whistling when the canucks came on the ice, that was me.

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Ditto.I live on a Gulf Island and by the time I get to Vancouver on a slow boat,wait for a bus or heaven forbid pay for a taxi,get a hotel room and then get back home the next day we are talking 24 hours,four hundred dollars and the result is being really burnt out.

I am not wealthy and $400 is not even remotely realistic for me.

I am wondering why the Canucks.org and /or the very wealthy Canucks like KB do not pool their money,buy a hotel for Canucks fans and offer us a cheap hotel with cheap hotel/ticket packages.

You want a louder crowd that really want to be at the games.KB? Do something about it with the corporate pay cheques you guys receive and recreate a real fan base.It is in your power. Whining about the corporate suits will never change anything.You play for the corporation that creates your problem.

Maybe the really concerned Canucks can take that one up with Gillis and the Acquilini's at the corporate Christmas party.

When the cup is won and 1.5-2 million real Canucks fans line the streets in Van there will be drinking of beer in public,screaming,whistling,throwing confetti,non-stop cheering,waving of flags and the suits will not be seen.

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All I know is if I paid a decent amount of hard earned money to see a game live I wouldn't waste the opportunity by screaming out loud "go canucks go" for any length of time. I'd much rather pay attention to the game and cheer when theres a goal, big hit or fight...not cheer mindlessly throughout the whole game, and personally I would also be annoyed by people doing this nearby. And I'm sorry if you are a pro athelete making millions crowd volume level should have zero impact on how you are playing, and if u say it does you need to question your choice of profession.

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