Are we truly a "knowledgeable" fanbase?

[Ganymede]

knowl·edge·a·ble [nol-i-juh-buhl]

adjective

possessing or exhibiting knowledge, insight, or understanding; intelligent; well-informed; discerning;perceptive.

Long time Canucks fan here, and browser of CDC topics, but this is only the first time I've ever started a topic. I felt I needed to get something off my chest.

I was born and raised in Burnaby, and I've been a fan since 1985. I was 7 years old at the time. Tony Tanti was our superstar, we played in the Smythe Division, Jim Robson was our play-by-play, and we called the Pacific Coliseum our home. I've been through the heartaches of 1994 and 2011 like most of you. I moved to Toronto years ago, then to the U.S., and now back to Toronto, and in all those years have never wavered in my support of my Canucks team. Favourites of all time: Linden, Bure, Naslund and Luongo. Most memorable moments: Bure's Game 7 winner against Calgary, and Burrows Game 7 winner against Chicago.

My one wish: To see the Canucks win the Cup before I die.

I believe last year was one of the lowest points of our entire history. But since April, and the arrival of Trevor as our president, I've felt a renewed hope and purpose, from the top down, and throughout the organization. The hiring of Benning and Desjardins seem to be excellent choices, and the draft and free agency period this year have been the most exciting and dynamic for a Canucks fan in a long long time. All of this bodes well for the future, and I'm excited to watch the team again this year, just to see if they can turn it around. Hope appears to be on the horizon.

I believe Canucks fans are some of the most passionate fans in all of sports. You only need to watch the latest video on the Canucks Summer Summit to realize just how passionate we are. Shorthouse alluded to this, that amidst beautiful 27 deg C sunny weather in Vancouver, thousands of fans showed up at Rogers Arena just to talk hockey. The passion is undeniable.

What may be up for debate, however, is how truly "knowledgeable" we are as a fan-base.

Personally, I feel there's a small proportion of those in Vancouver who really understand the game because they play it, have played it, or are involved in it at some capacity. The much larger proportion of fans would probably be more like me: watch a lot of hockey, talk a lot of hockey, and follow it *with a passion*, but probably don't really know what goes on behind the scenes, for example, within the locker room, or at ice level.

I bring this up largely because of the Q&A period I just watched during the Summer Summit. One of the fans who asked a question (the one about "Connor McDavid sweepstakes") declared our entire fan-base a "knowledgeable" one. And somehow, I get the feeling that many other fans have the same feeling about us as a fan-base. Without offending anyone though, I would argue that as a fan-base overall, we as Canucks fans are not as knowledgeable as we perceive ourselves to be. Just look at the questions that were asked during the Summit for a small sample, and read CDC regularly for a larger sample size, and you'll realize just how un-informed we really are.

If you really want to know what a "knowledgeable" fan base is, I bet you'd find one in Medicine Hat. A small Canadian town, with grassroots hockey, and outdoor rinks. A large proportion of the citizens probably are involved in hockey at ALL levels, and live and breathe junior hockey with the M.H. Tigers. I bet if you bumped into someone on the streets of M.H., they'd be able to tell you which "kid really is starting to develop", or "who has NHL talent", with actual specifics on their skill level and development, because they've been watching every game live, and scouting (like Trevor's mom!) I bet Coal Harbour, or Peterborough, or London would have a similar "grassroots" feel to them. When we say Canada is a hockey nation, I believe it's because of these types of communities, not because of large markets like Vancouver.

In Vancouver, what we have is a large metropolitan area, a diverse demographic, and a melting pot of cultures, where hockey is just one of many hobbies and interests to keep the Vancouverite active. You bump into someone on the street, and they'll talk about the Canucks alright, but probably without the same true insight you might hear from a grassroots "hockey dad" (except of course for those truly involved in hockey in Vancouver, which presumably is a much smaller fraction of the population compared to the small towns I'm referring to).

I first noticed the difference when I lived in Madison, Wisconsin. As an avid sports fan, I thought I was fairly "knowledgeable" about not just hockey, but also basketball and football. I mean, I watched a lot of NBA, knew the teams, the players, the stats, the rules, the jargon; I loved the CFL and followed the NFL, etc. I thought I knew what I was talking about, especially since I had regular, intelligible conversations with my friends back home in Vancouver on these same sports.

But what I realized was that the "average fan" at a sports bar in Madison simply knew the sport of basketball and football at a completely different level than I did. They lived and breathed college sports, and could dissect the game down to individual playcalls that were drawn up on the clipboard, as if they had played or coached the sport themselves. I realized then that knowing sports trivia or being an avid sports fan watching games on TV was not really the same as being truly "knowledgeable" about the game.

I decided I needed to rant because I'm truly frustrated with our fan-base, moreso than my frustration with the team itself. I believe our fans think too highly of themselves, such as the one that claimed we are a "knowledgeable fanbase", when that's not an accurate assessment for a large fraction of the population. I believe that because of our arrogance, we are not well respected by fans in other markets, and that this negatively affects others' perception of Vancouver as a hockey town, and the Canucks as a team. In short, I think our arrogance and ignorance as Canucks fans has hurt the reputation of the very team we love so much.

If you want to help the team in your role as a fan, I implore you do two things:

1. Stop claiming that we are collectively a "knowledgeable fanbase" when we are not. (Note: You are of course welcome to consider yourself "knowledgeable" if that is indeed the case, but no need to extend that to the rest of the fanbase; you would be in the minority when it comes to being truly knowledgeable in Vancouver).

2. Actually learn more about the game, beyond what is broadcast on TV, or said on the radio, or printed in newspapers. Go down to your local rink and get involved in the sport, if you truly want to be "knowledgeable".

Perhaps then and only then will the Canucks, our fan-base, and our city actually get the respect and reputation it so truly deserves. It won't happen though if we keep patting ourselves on our own back. Let others do it for us if and when we deserve it. As fans, we owe it to our team to represent them well too.

[Dral]

We, as a fan base, suffer from too much knowledge and not enough wisdom

[elvis15]

Just like any fanbase, some are rabid follows with high insight and ability to interpret stats and review video until the end of time. Then there's the opposite end of the scale, the casual fan who's watched some games and has an opinion they'd like to share on a fan message board. I won't talk about any 'fans' whose IQ puts them in question.

[smokejump]

I find the fanbase is definately overrated as knowledgable. I think there are lifelong hockey fans and then there has been a slow injection of fans since the 99 season ever year that kind of brought vancouver into the maibstream of its culture.

Basically everyone who lives in vancouver loves the canucks that makes it statistically impossible to be accurate in saying the canucks have a knowledgable fanbase.

I think what they mean ia the 1% of fans are so hardcore they could probably sit with benning and linden discussing players and how they move.

The 99% would ask who bo horvat is.

This sums it up.

[Brad Marchand]

Maybe the casual fan goes around trumpeting about how smart Canucks fans are, but I don't see a lot of it here. A lot more self-loathing if you ask me.

Lots of casual fans anywhere wouldn't know what the neutral zone trap is, let alone how to detail it properly. It's just how many sports fanbases are. Most people don't have time to immerse themselves into hockey as much as you describe. Getting to really know the game right down to the x's and o's takes years of experience.

And let's be honest: we're still better than Toronto. Or, at least there aren't as many of us.

[Gross-Misconduct]

Well, although your rant isn't too far off base (just read the threads on CDC) I think the majority of Canuck fans are pretty knowledgeable.

Where you lose me is imploring fans to start cheerleading and follow your rules to become a better fan base so the team will go on to great success and other team's fans will like us and like the city. That's actually pretty ridiculous.

Speaking for myself, I played rep all throughout minor hockey. My dad was a coach for many years also. So I know a little about the game and I'm sure many posters here have the same background in hockey as me.

Again, decent rant, but kinda condescending and misguided. If you want to be a happy Canuck fan, just deal with it. It is what it is.

[Rounoush]

"The ancient Oracle said that I was the wisest of all the Greeks. It is because I alone, of all the Greeks, know that I know nothing."

--Socrates

[McBackup]

No more or less so than any other team with a large following. Believe it or not, CDC and its "OMG We have the worst fanbase in the world(except for me)" mentality is not indicative of the fanbase as a whole.

[etsen3]

Small towns will always have a higher concentration of "hockey people" than the big cities, simply because there's nothing better to do. That's why the Prairie provinces and small towns have disproportionately high numbers of NHL players for their population. However, we still are in Canada and hockey is the dominant sport, so Vancouver is gonna have more knowledgable fans than say Phoenix or Florida, or even LA (whose reporters can't even pronounce their own players' name)

[Nuxfanabroad]

...Or one might study hard in science class, & ultimately work towards developing a cure for cancer?

So many paths to take, hobbies to pursue & interesting books to read. CDC can be a good place to read & chat, but I'd like to believe there are other matters more worth agonizing over.

Sports fans are pretty addictive creatures.. was social media primarily invented for ourselves?! As world problems expand & become more complex, the hockey junkie seemingly gets pulled deeper into the minutiae of Stanley Cup-obsession.

Define interests like sport as you wish..if you can explain(& actually care to) that rationally, what a bonus. Couldn't care less how other people choose to define my own outlook on ice hockey.

[Burlinbert]

I've been saying it for years. Canuck fans suck. (As a whole) I lived in Edmonton and calgary for years, the fans are way more knowledgeable. I am a canucks fan for lige, living back here in van, but I'd ratjer watch the canucks play in rexall place or the saddledome

[artin]

the guy who proposed tanking in order to get in on the "connor mcdavid sweepstakes" is an idiot and rightly got boo'd for his idiotic question so no need to get offended by him or any of the bandwagon fans of which there are many in vancouver. try interacting with real fans, completely different experience.

[McBackup]

I've been saying it for years. Canuck fans suck. (As a whole) I lived in Edmonton and calgary for years, the fans are way more knowledgeable. I am a canucks fan for lige, living back here in van, but I'd ratjer watch the canucks play in rexall place or the saddledome

That's interesting, because I know some awful flames and oilers fans.

I think you're all falling victim to confirmation bias.

[Apple Juice]

Definitely wouldn't consider us one of the most knowledgeable fanbases. In fact, it's hard to judge. But if we're talking strictly Canucks, then no. Most Canucks fans, especially in the city, only know about the Canucks. The knowledge they have in terms of other NHL teams and players are nonexistent. So when we acquire a new player(s), most people will question whether we got enough for the return.

For example, I was talking to a lot of customers at work after Kesler got traded and when I told them we got Bonino, Sbisa and the 24th pick back, loads of people asked me who they were or said that's it? I'm not saying they should broaden their knowledge, but I'm saying that I got first hand experience of how knowledgeable Canucks fans in Vancouver are. When it's not concerning their team, or if it's not a superstar, they won't care about anything else. Same goes for almost every fanbase.

[messier's_elbow]

Definitely wouldn't consider us one of the most knowledgeable fanbases. In fact, it's hard to judge. But if we're talking strictly Canucks, then no. Most Canucks fans, especially in the city, only know about the Canucks. The knowledge they have in terms of other NHL teams and players are nonexistent. So when we acquire a new player(s), most people will question whether we got enough for the return.

For example, I was talking to a lot of customers at work after Kesler got traded and when I told them we got Bonino, Sbisa and the 24th pick back, loads of people asked me who they were or said that's it? I'm not saying they should broaden their knowledge, but I'm saying that I got first hand experience of how knowledgeable Canucks fans in Vancouver are. When it's not concerning their team, or if it's not a superstar, they won't care about anything else. Same goes for almost every fanbase.

I cant even talk hockey with people like that. Its like talking to a monkey.

[Baggins]

I think we have a passionate fanbase. Many seem to confuse passionate with knowledgeable though.

[MayRayDown]

I cant even talk hockey with people like that. Its like talking to a monkey.

They are probably hard to see from your high horse

[JC2]

I would say I'm more wise than a I am knowledgeable. I'll be the first to say that I don't know a lot about the teams past or it's players and haven't really played the game that much myself say for some non competive ball or street hockey. I understand the game and know the current team and prospects and can identify with current NHL teams and former Canucks for about the last 10 years but beyond that I rely on other more knowledgeable hockey minds for information like my dad since he has been following the team since they entered the league. I'm a die hard fan who lives and breathes this team but I'm wise enough to know that I don't know more than the people actually running the team which is the problem with the fan base because it's seems there's too many people who think they know more about hockey than current or past management. The NHL is a business where signing players or making trades is not done at the click of a button on a video game controller. I may not have the most knowledge but I do know there are much smarter people than me running this team and I thank god for that.

[Ganymede]

I think we have a passionate fanbase. Many seem to confuse passionate with knowledgeable though.

Bingo. My point exactly.

[Ganymede]

Thanks for all those who replied. I appreciate the honest self-assessment from some of you on where you lie on the "passionate vs. knowledgeable" spectrum. If more fans were like you, I wouldn't have ranted in the first place.

I simply have a problem with those who brag about themselves being "knowledgeable" when it's mostly just "barber-shop" talk amongst passionate fans. As long as you know where you lie, I got no problem with it.