Posted on 05/13/2008 8:10:41 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
It's the economy, stupid.
Political strategist James Carville made that statement the focal point of Bill Clinton's successful run for the U.S. Presidency in 1992, but those words could also be directed at Hockey Night in Canada's guru of misinformation, Donald S. Cherry.
In rants on HNIC and ESPN, Cherry talked about the empty seats at Joe Louis Arena for Game 1 of the Dallas Stars-Detroit Red Wings series and blamed the decline in attendance on the Red Wings' style of play.
"The people hate the way the game is being played," Cherry said. "It's a redneck town, they love the banging and smashing. Don't say it's the economy because the Lions are selling out, the Pistons are selling out and the Tigers set a record in baseball, so it's not that. They like rock 'em, sock 'em hockey and they're not getting it."
Well Don, anyone who knows anything about what's happening in Detroit knows that it is the economy and the next time you go on a rant, you should check your facts.
For starters, Cherry's wrong when he talks about the relative success of the Red Wings and the other teams in Detroit.
It's true that, after years of playing to sellout-plus crowds during the regular season, the Red Wings' average attendance fell to 18,912 fans a game this season. But it still ranked seventh in total attendance in the NHL and played to 94.2 per cent of capacity.
By comparison, the NFL Lions last season sold 94.3 per cent of their available tickets and the baseball Tigers are running at 90.3 per cent of capacity this season with considerably cheaper tickets. The Pistons are doing better. They have sold out every game for nearly six consecutive seasons. But they don't play in Detroit. Their arena is located in a more affluent suburb.
The Detroit area has lost tens of thousands of jobs in the auto industry during the past decade. It had the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. for the past three years and the highest rate of home foreclosures each year since 2005.
Cherry would like people to think that he's one of the common folk but, when you're making twice as much money as the prime minister of Canada, you forget there are a lot of people in Detroit who can't plop down $2,000 for hockey tickets like his affluent friends in London.
Note from a music lover: Quebec nationalist publisher Michel Brûlé and I may not be on the same wavelength politically, but I agree with his complaint that there's too much English music being played during hockey games at the Bell Centre.
If you go to most arenas across North America, you hear the same music. It's occasionally racist, sexist or in bad taste, but the one common denominator is that it's loud.
But there are some exceptions. Go to Halifax or St. John's and you hear folk music that reflects the local heritage. Ditto for Nashville, which draws on its country heritage. It's ironic that, while George Gillett has expanded the range of shows at the Bell Centre and other venues to include more French acts, the breaks in the hockey games continue to be dominated by a playlist drawn up in New York.
Canadiens sign White: Ryan White, a 6-foot, 213-pound forward from the Calgary Hitmen, has signed a standard, three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens. A third-round draft choice in 2006, the Canadiens had to sign him before June 1 or he would have gone back in the draft.
Hmm, I thought it had to do with global warming.
Economy kept Wings’ seats empty..........
It’s not because they suck?
“but I agree with his complaint that there’s too much English music being played during hockey games at the Bell Centre. If you go to most arenas across North America, you hear the same music. It’s occasionally racist, sexist or in bad taste,”
I’m sure this sensitive liberal whould love it if they played some Anne Murray and Celine Dion at the hockey games.
Absolutely. The Pistons charge far less for playoff tickets. It’s often commented upon in Michigan that for two people to go to a game, it’s at least around $200 for the tickets, and then there’s parking and food, etc.
Hockey Ticket prices in general are just too pricey... When your “cheap seats” are $50 and up, during the regular season you aren’t pricing yourself for the masses, pure and simple.
OMG that is one funny/sick clip.
oh god I’m crying. Canadian humor at its best.
Ever since the Red Wings started winning regularly, their prices shot up and tickets became nearly impossible for an average schmuck like me to get. (you have to KNOW somebody...)
The Tigers, on the other hand, have been lousy for so long, their prices have stayed low and have even dropped some. And you don’t have to be a corporate exec. to get them. On a nice day I can take the kids down and enjoy watching somebody whoop the Tigers while we eat our hot dogs and peanuts...
Every Play-off Game is “sold-out”. People didn’t go because they suck.
I don’t like games where the neutral zone trap kills the offense. However, I love games where there is lots of shooting, but low scoring (in other words, spectacular goaltending with a couple of clankers off of the posts thrown in). Some hard hitting is good, too.
I did not know that people go to Hockey games for the music!!!
You mean the fans right?
they sure do
Don`t know if it`s the ticket price or not but
I do know this is the fastest team I`ve seen since
the Oilers of the 80`s with the likes of Gretzky, Kurri,
Coffey who made other teams look like they were skating
in slush.
The Red Wings are exciting and amazing to watch. The
team is playing at a whole...nutha...level.
I’ve loved hockey ever since I was a little kid. I now live within 50 miles of Detroit. But I wouldn’t ever consdier going to a Red Wings game because they play at Joe Louis Arena, and I’d never know if my car was going to be intact when I got back to it. Sorry, but THAT’s the truth.
Let’s export Michigan’s economy to the rest of the nation and elect a Dem President to go along with the D legislature.
Nah, if you park in the garage you’re ok. Just budget an additional 90 minutes to get out of it after the game. Big cooler of beer worked for me.
finally gave up on insulting the team.. now your coming after the fans? :P
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