With negotiations slated to commence later on today, it is with a heavy heart that I must report that it was too little, too late for some local hockey fans.
A good friend of mine and a season ticket holder since the 2003-2004 season has finally taken his sealed box of season tickets for this year to Bridgestone Arena and asked for his money back.
I have spoken with many other Predator fans who have done exactly this. Long time supporters, many of which survived the last lockout and kept their money in the system in earnest of a deal getting struck before the loss of the 04-05 season are starting to lose faith. My friend, Jeff Leet, was one of those and he is one of the main reasons why I report on the Predators today and have such a renewed passion for the game of hockey.
Jeff is from Kentucky and after moving down here to attend Watkins School of Art and Design, he found himself as an intern at a company where his boss was a huge hockey fan and season ticket holder for the Nashville Predators. Jeff won tickets to a game towards the end of the 2002-2003 season and from then on Jeff was hooked. He immediately bought season tickets for the next year and attended every game for the next five years.
During the lockout period of 04-05, Jeff took me to Gillian’s for the Predators draft party where I got the chance to meet Adam Hall and Coach Peterson. I have always followed hockey but by being at MTSU finishing my degree, I was not able to follow it as closely as I once did in high school. Plus, I had never been to an NHL game…ever. Jeff took me to my first NHL game the season following the lockout against the Detroit Red Wings which sparked my immediate passion for the Predators and my vehement hatred of the Winged Wheel.
By staying with the Predators during the lockout, Jeff was commemorated with many others as the “Loyal Legion”; those who kept their money with the Predators in hopes of a season that wasn’t. (Interesing side note: They misspelled his name on the puck Jeff Leey)
I asked Jeff about the difference between the lockout of 04-05 and 2012-2013 and he had this to say:
“In 04-05, everybody knew major flaws existed in the system…it sucked but needed to be fixed; it didn’t feel greedy….[12-13] is simply damaging…there were way too many precursors to allow this to happen.”
The most telling quote from Jeff strikes at the very heart of the unresolved tension and fan apathy for the NHL and NHLPA:
“I quit following the situation because it makes me disgusted when the wealthy are arguing with the wealthy.”
He agrees that both sides are greedy in this venture and not one are above blame for the continued lockout. His breaking point came over a period of five days from the meltdown of negotiations last Thursday to the cancellation of games til December 30th on Monday. So on Tuesday, Jeff did what he felt was a clear signal to the NHL and NHLPA of him not buying into another season with a league that would put their fans through another lockout within eight years…he took his sealed box of season tickets and handed them back at 501 Broadway and said enough is enough.
I asked Jeff if he had any inclination of coming back to support the Predators and by extension the NHL to which he replied:
“Maybe I will come back, but the stubbornness in me would keep me from coming back…it is absolutely frustrating….it all depends on the resolution of both sides i.e. five year CBA=not returning because I am not going through this yet again, but a longer term deal, there is a possibility I might buy season tickets again.”
Jeff also wanted to make clear about his intentions not being directed at the Predators, but the league as a whole.
“It is unfortunate the Predators have to take the loss of my business but the only way both parties will listen is if you hit them in their pocketbooks….this is the only message I can personally send that makes a difference. I LOVE the Predators…this is my sports team, I may like the Vols and Titans but I love the Predators.”
In conclusion, Jeff feels that if the season is cancelled that many more devoted Predators ticket holders will cancel their tickets. I have already seen Codey Holland of Section 303, a section of some of the most devoted Nashville Predators fans, has cancelled his tickets.
Hopefully the lockout will get resolved soon and the fallout from this event might not be as bad, but for many such as my friend Jeff Leet, the damage has been done.
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Stay HardCore…
I’m just waiting for the official cancellation of the season and I’ll be cancelling my season tickets too. I couldn’t agree more with your friend regarding this lockout. It’s greed. Pure and simple. The players can say they’re standing on principle and fighting for their rights, it still comes down to the money. The owners can say they need to fix the system, but it’s a cash grab.
I’m tired of Bettman allowing this to happen, but I KNEW it would happen the moment the players hired Fehr. And don’t give me that crap about labor peace in baseball. In 2002 they were headed for a lockout at season’s end. Angel fans started littering the field with debris after a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They were chanting No Lockout. That scene not only gave owners and players some incentive to work their differences out quickly, but it’s also the reason that CBAs don’t end when the season does anymore. It was more about the fans than Fehr.
Fehr has been a cancer to this process. Not that Bettman and Jacobs have been any better, but I’m guessing if the NHLPA had kept their last guy in place (the name escapes me at the moment) this CBA negotiation would have been completed before the end of last summer.
You guys can do as you see fit, but please understand that Nashville is a small market team who needs all the fans it can get. And I have a feeling that you just may regret your decisions once this nonsense ends. But if too many do what you’re going to do, plus the casual fan already gone elsewhere, this franchise may suffer. I know it’s rich vs rich in some respects, but the salary is really not that high for most of these players who literally put their bodies on the line every game and will no doubt suffer in their later years because of it. Please think on it a bit more.
Last year, I finally became a Predator season ticket holder. Last April, I renewed and paid in full. I was willing to wait a while to see if the season would be saved, but I chose to ask for a refund. I’ve been a fan for 30 years. Slept out for Stanley Cup Finals Tickets, had season tickets to the Rangers, Lightning and Predators over the years, bought Jerseys…etc. In 2005, I let the Lightning hold my money while the season was flushed away, but this time I won’t let the greedy owners or players have a cent of my hard earned money. I’m not saying I’ll never return, but I won’t be back for a long time. The NHL and the Preds better come up with a plan beyond painting “Thank-You Fans” on the ice. It will take much more than that to win back the fans and former season ticket holders
What are the Predators paying Shea Weber in bonus money this year? Is it 38 million? I would think that more than anyone else, the Predators organization wants to get a deal done ASAP and not the ones nit picking at issues.
I don’t know how well Bettman and Fehr are representing their sides. Rather, this has turned into a pissing match. It’s no different from when my wife and I argue over something inconsequential. Who cares what is said or who gets hurt? The important thing is to win the argument.
If I lived in Nashville, I would definitely support the Preds whenever they returned back to the ice. However, I can’t do much to support them financially from where I’m at other than purchasing more apparel. I WILL NOT be purchasing NHL Center Ice. This season means nothing to me at this point. I will follow what’s happening, but I’m not going to watch closely or pay attention to every detail or read every article I can feast my eyes on.
I have USHL hockey in Sioux Falls. It’s a fine substitute at a much cheaper price.
See you in the fall.