Great game. I didn't think this game would matter much either way, but I'm still relieved we got the win. Winning the opener is a pretty big psychological boost. The first seemed slow, but the Sens played extremely well. The Rangers really looked like nothing special though they came on much harder in the second and we got pretty sloppy on D from time to time. The teams looked about even in the third and we we're lucky to get the win. Someone in the Rangers blog called EK 'superboy' sarcastically. I like that: Superboy haha.

I was quite delighted with the Dzingel goal. I've done my share of complaining about him this season - fast, but can never finish - and his poise on that goal was something I've never seen from him. Took his time, picked the corner... awesome goal.

Game 2 is going to be a real test as I'm sure the Rags will ramp it up considerably not wanting to go back to the MSG without a draw. It will be awesome if we can win again. So Sens!

Ya know, it sucks. I hate having to defend our fans. I was at the game last night, and I had a pit in my stomach seeing all those empty seats at the top. It actually killed the mood for me for the entire 1st period. It really got to me.

I will never defend the fair weather Sens fans who make excuses.

I will say though, that the Sens fans in this city who are under 40 are as good, if not more loyal than fans of any other team. The problem is they don't have the money (or time..being young parents) to go to a bunch of games. I always try to get to 5-10 a year, but after last night, I'm priced out.

I maintain that in 20 years, when the leading edge of the true Sens fans get into their 50's, this will be a very different market.
- Charliebox

I think the other thing that gets overlooked is that in Ottawa it's easy to become a season ticket holder... so, let's say you get a 10 game pack (2 tickets) and the average cost is $50 (probably lower 3rd level)..

So, that's 2 tickets x $50/ticket x 10 games = $1,000 minimum that you'd spend on the regular season.

Then the playoffs start and you have to spend say $75 a ticket on the 1st rd... 3 games, 2 tickets to each is $450.

So, before yesterday you've already spent $1,450 on the Sens (that's before food and parking etc...) before round 2 begins!

Now, let's take the average Habs/Leafs as a comparable... Season tickets to those teams are almost impossible to come by so they are typically getting one or maybe two games per year in the regular season (let's say the comparable tickets are $150 a pop). So the average Habs/Leafs fan will spend $300-$600 on regular season tickets to see their team.

So in the end your typical Sens fan who's a season ticket holder will spend $1,000 on the regular season and probably another $450 on playoffs...

Your average Habs/Leafs fan is spending $300-$600 on regular season tickets and can also maybe go to one playoff game if they're luck enough to get tickets for it at lets say $200 per ticket...

Sens fans aren't cheap... don't give us that reputation if you don't understand the market...

R

I think the other thing that gets overlooked is that in Ottawa it's easy to become a season ticket holder... so, let's say you get a 10 game pack (2 tickets) and the average cost is $50 (probably lower 3rd level)..

So, that's 2 tickets x $50/ticket x 10 games = $1,000 minimum that you'd spend on the regular season.

Then the playoffs start and you have to spend say $75 a ticket on the 1st rd... 3 games, 2 tickets to each is $450.

So, before yesterday you've already spent $1,450 on the Sens (that's before food and parking etc...) before round 2 begins!

Now, let's take the average Habs/Leafs as a comparable... Season tickets to those teams are almost impossible to come by so they are typically getting one or maybe two games per year in the regular season (let's say the comparable tickets are $150 a pop). So the average Habs/Leafs fan will spend $300-$600 on regular season tickets to see their team.

So in the end your typical Sens fan who's a season ticket holder will spend $1,000 on the regular season and probably another $450 on playoffs...

Your average Habs/Leafs fan is spending $300-$600 on regular season tickets and can also maybe go to one playoff game if they're luck enough to get tickets for it at lets say $200 per ticket...

Sens fans aren't cheap... don't give us that reputation if you don't understand the market...

R
- riceroni

This is all true.

My argument is a bit different. I'm arguing that most people who are in their 40's + who call themselves Sens fans, aren't really fans at all. They're fans of convenience.

Go into any men's pickup hockey dressing room with guys over 40. Poll them who their favourite NHL team is. 20% will say the Leafs, 20% will be the Habs (and these guys are the diehards, that never miss a game), 10% will be of various other teams.. then the other half of the room will say they are Sens fans. But they are the lamest fans of the bunch. Most of them won't even know more than 10 guys on the team.

A couple points...

- Ottawa is the least respected team in the play-offs, because people don't know or care about them. I'm OK with that, and they are educating the hockey universe right now
- I'm sick and tired of people saying that Ottawa can't hold a lead.... the entire league has demonstrated how easy it is to overcome a 2 goal deficit..... its the nature of today's NHL..... so in my opinion, Ottawa has blown one lead.
- at least some of the Sportsnet crew are finally realizing that EK is the best defenseman since Bobby Orr...... maybe Grapes should have a chat with , so he can come to grips with reality
- I agree it's sad that the bldg is not sold out, but totally understand why...... 2 tickets + prkg, etc. Ends up costing $400 in no time.... most people simply can't afford that

Ok, that was a few, not a couple...

GO Sens GO.

I'd like to see you drive out to Pickering for a hockey game on a Thursday night when you have a pub down the street showing it with cheaper beer and still a great atmosphere. It strait up wouldn't happen. People watched the game on TV. This is a city of public servant. Hit the links bud.

- nohtingbutnet

Kanata is, what, 20km from downtown Ottawa? 25? It's the playoffs.

Ask Winnipeg fans how far they drive for a Thursday night game in January.

To my fellow Sens fans:

If you're going to use money as an excuse, go ahead. Everyone understands that.

But if you're going to complain about traffic, or parking, or anything else as a reason not to go to the game, please stop.

You're making the rest of us look bad and feeding into the stereotypes that other fan bases have about the Sens.

Ottawa doesn't have traffic anywhere near as bad as other major cities. I live 45 mins from the building. The game ended at 9:45 and I was home by 11. It took 20 mins extra to get out of the parking lot. Big (frank)ing deal. It's the playoffs for god sakes. Who cares.

Now...if playoffs tickets were $50 -$100 (like in Ottawa for a lot of tickets).....I along with even more people would have scooped them up. Heck at that price, the leafs would fill the Rogers center.
Fakepartofme

The cheapest ticket on Ticketmaster is $108 + fees for nosebleeds behind the stinking net. I ain't paying that much for those kind of seats for 4, plus $20 parking, plus paying supper and on a weekday on top of it! ~$600 for a round 2, game 1 night is not in my budget. I prefer to put that money for the family to enjoy our summer vacation instead. Got to see the game on TV from way better angles then being in nosebleeds seats behind the net! didn't cost a dime, had better food and beer too!

Now, if by some miracle they make it to the Stanley Cup Finals like in '07 (to which I did go and the prices were WAY cheaper), then that's another story...I'll go on a single ticket if needs be! LOL

The reality is simple. Ottawa is a marginal NHL market. They're a Canadian team that has to sell"flex packs" and sell seasons tickets at a discount to help entice people to buy. They rarely sell out games that do not involve the beloved Habs or Leafs. They are now in the 2nd round and there are row and rows of empty seats. Kanata is quite a haul but that kinda drive would not preclude fans in any other CDN city or most US cities from driving similar distances to attend games in their city.

If I have to listen to another Sens fan moan about their team getting little respect I will vomit. They don't even respect their own team enough to sell out games. Sens Army is a JOKE

The Senators are and will be a budget team. So, realistically, they have little chance at winning a Cup. Once Karlsson leaves in a few years, then things will really go in the toilet.

I think the other thing that gets overlooked is that in Ottawa it's easy to become a season ticket holder... so, let's say you get a 10 game pack (2 tickets) and the average cost is $50 (probably lower 3rd level)..

So, that's 2 tickets x $50/ticket x 10 games = $1,000 minimum that you'd spend on the regular season.

Then the playoffs start and you have to spend say $75 a ticket on the 1st rd... 3 games, 2 tickets to each is $450.

So, before yesterday you've already spent $1,450 on the Sens (that's before food and parking etc...) before round 2 begins!

Now, let's take the average Habs/Leafs as a comparable... Season tickets to those teams are almost impossible to come by so they are typically getting one or maybe two games per year in the regular season (let's say the comparable tickets are $150 a pop). So the average Habs/Leafs fan will spend $300-$600 on regular season tickets to see their team.

So in the end your typical Sens fan who's a season ticket holder will spend $1,000 on the regular season and probably another $450 on playoffs...

Your average Habs/Leafs fan is spending $300-$600 on regular season tickets and can also maybe go to one playoff game if they're luck enough to get tickets for it at lets say $200 per ticket...

Sens fans aren't cheap... don't give us that reputation if you don't understand the market...

R
- riceroni

You're trying to compare the average Senators season ticket holder to the average Leafs non-season ticket holder. I can see how that helps your argument but it's not exactly equivalent.

To my fellow Sens fans:

If you're going to use money as an excuse, go ahead. Everyone understands that.

But if you're going to complain about traffic, or parking, or anything else as a reason not to go to the game, please stop.

You're making the rest of us look bad and feeding into the stereotypes that other fan bases have about the Sens.

Ottawa doesn't have traffic anywhere near as bad as other major cities. I live 45 mins from the building. The game ended at 9:45 and I was home by 11. It took 20 mins extra to get out of the parking lot. Big (frank)ing deal. It's the playoffs for god sakes. Who cares.
- Charliebox

I don't find the parking is an issue for the past 2-3 years as there's now 4 lanes on the 417 when leaving (or going to) the game. You pretty much go 100 easy as soon as you get on the highway.

For me, having young kids and so many other more important bills to pay $$$ is the issue...

A couple points...

- Ottawa is the least respected team in the play-offs, because people don't know or care about them. I'm OK with that, and they are educating the hockey universe right now
- I'm sick and tired of people saying that Ottawa can't hold a lead.... the entire league has demonstrated how easy it is to overcome a 2 goal deficit..... its the nature of today's NHL..... so in my opinion, Ottawa has blown one lead.
- at least some of the Sportsnet crew are finally realizing that EK is the best defenseman since Bobby Orr...... maybe Grapes should have a chat with , so he can come to grips with reality
- I agree it's sad that the bldg is not sold out, but totally understand why...... 2 tickets + prkg, etc. Ends up costing $400 in no time.... most people simply can't afford that

Ok, that was a few, not a couple...

GO Sens GO.
- SensnRBs

At this point in his career this is a HUGE stretch. After he retires, show me the numbers that prove he's better than Lidstrom. Until then, I don't buy it.

To my fellow Sens fans:

If you're going to use money as an excuse, go ahead. Everyone understands that.

But if you're going to complain about traffic, or parking, or anything else as a reason not to go to the game, please stop.

You're making the rest of us look bad and feeding into the stereotypes that other fan bases have about the Sens.

Ottawa doesn't have traffic anywhere near as bad as other major cities. I live 45 mins from the building. The game ended at 9:45 and I was home by 11. It took 20 mins extra to get out of the parking lot. Big (frank)ing deal. It's the playoffs for god sakes. Who cares.
- Charliebox

You made some really good points in another post. Without knowing a lot about the situation, I'll assume you know what you're talking about with all of that.

You're absolutely right, "inconvenience" is no excuse. Most of the people in the ACC from night to night are coming in from the suburbs.

You're trying to compare the average Senators season ticket holder to the average Leafs non-season ticket holder. I can see how that helps your argument but it's not exactly equivalent.
- Jeffmt

OK, the average Leafs season ticket holder must be fairly wealthy if you can afford to spend $150 a ticket x 2 for 41 games... that's not really comparing apples to apples

The Sens attendance is what it is. It is a reflection of where the market is at this point in time.

There is no huge corporate base to buy up large numbers of tickets as in Toronto or Montreal as this is a government town. The fan base is fractured with loyalties split between Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Boston and even the western teams to some degree. Some die hard fans will buy seasons passes, while many fans will make it out to 5 to 10 games a year, which is a significant investment in time and money.

I used to have 2 half seasons passes for 7 years but now I just go to a couple of games a year. Different priorities.

My conscience doesn't bother me. And I don't worry too much about the self righteous Leafs fans who may go to 1 or 2 games a year either.

OK, the average Leafs season ticket holder must be fairly wealthy if you can afford to spend $150 a ticket x 2 for 41 games... that's not really comparing apples to apples
- riceroni

That's not necessarily true either. Yeah, a lot of season ticket holders are wealthy, I'll give you that, but not all of them. I grew up with a guy who's dad is a season ticket holder (and lives 2 hours from the ACC), he drives a cab, average middle class family. Lots of season tickets have been held by families for decades. People find a way.

The reality is simple. Ottawa is a marginal NHL market. They're a Canadian team that has to sell"flex packs" and sell seasons tickets at a discount to help entice people to buy. They rarely sell out games that do not involve the beloved Habs or Leafs. They are now in the 2nd round and there are row and rows of empty seats. Kanata is quite a haul but that kinda drive would not preclude fans in any other CDN city or most US cities from driving similar distances to attend games in their city.

If I have to listen to another Sens fan moan about their team getting little respect I will vomit. They don't even respect their own team enough to sell out games. Sens Army is a JOKE

The Senators are and will be a budget team. So, realistically, they have little chance at winning a Cup. Once Karlsson leaves in a few years, then things will really go in the toilet.
- BernardShakey

I'm not sure what you're not understanding.

They have to sell 'flex packs' because it's the only way people under 40 in this city are going to afford it.

Next time you watch an NHL game in a Canadian city, count how many people you see in the lower bowl (the part you can see on TV) that are under 40.. who aren't with their parents.

Ottawa signed a deal with TSN for 400M for 12 years. If you add the national deal that Sportsnet has, the Sens get almost 40M per season in TV deals.

Attendance isn't everything. Ottawa has a young fanbase, but they all watch on TV. The team is getting paid and I mean PAID by TSN because the team clearly has good TV ratings.

The Sens still pull in far more revenue with the CTC at 75% capacity, than half the league does even when they sell out, simply from TV money alone.

If Ottawa was a 'marginal market', they wouldn't get 40M/yr in TV money.

Please stop being ignorant of the demographics of our city. You come across as nothing more than a troll.

The senators are not an original 4 team. entirely different franchise.
- Conquest

Yes, because the NHL cares more about extracting an expansion fee then anything else.... But didn't the club receive a letter or reinstatement from the league?
Isn't frank finanigan's #8 retired?

I haven't been up to Ottawa, but do they have any Stanley Cup banners in the building?

Whatever. Still like them better then the Toronto Arenas....

Hey buddy, do you wanna please STFU. I'm sick of reading your phucking stupid opinion all over the place. Yes we're a small and unimportant market with no truly dedicated fans and empty stands. Ok we get it. Now get a life and phuck off! This is undoubtedly some bitter troubled Leafs fan...

The reality is simple. Ottawa is a marginal NHL market. They're a Canadian team that has to sell"flex packs" and sell seasons tickets at a discount to help entice people to buy. They rarely sell out games that do not involve the beloved Habs or Leafs. They are now in the 2nd round and there are row and rows of empty seats. Kanata is quite a haul but that kinda drive would not preclude fans in any other CDN city or most US cities from driving similar distances to attend games in their city.

If I have to listen to another Sens fan moan about their team getting little respect I will vomit. They don't even respect their own team enough to sell out games. Sens Army is a JOKE

The Senators are and will be a budget team. So, realistically, they have little chance at winning a Cup. Once Karlsson leaves in a few years, then things will really go in the toilet.
- BernardShakey

All I'm hearing is excuses.

If this was a Leafs vs. Sens series you'd have droves of Leafs fans DRIVING IN FROM TORONTO ON ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, many of which would be adding a hotel, two tanks of gas and 3 meals+ to their expenses! The same could be said for Habs fans who have half the distance to get to Ottawa, many of which would also suck up a 2hr+ drive home on the same night... And you guys are complaining about a short drive and using the excuse of "a young fan base without disposable income as an excuse?"

So not only can thousands of tickets be had at cost through the usual channels, but knowing that the game hasn't been sold out the scalpers and secondary markets will be forced to eat some of the cost, ultimately making loads of sold tickets cheaper than cost.

And yes, I lived in Ottawa for years as a student and went to countless games (even when the Leafs WEREN'T in town) and know first hand what the Sens' fan base is.

Sorry, but this is an embarrassment for this organization and fan base. I'd expect this from a number of American based teams (i.e. Florida, Jersey, Arizona), but as a Canadian franchise this pathetic.

...And some of you actually have the audacity to call the Sens "Ontario's Team" when this kind of part-time fan business is going?

*slaps forehead*

This is not a troll, interested in finding out from locals - how did you not sell out the arena?
- redmonsters

We have a federal government that is not paying about a fifth of their employees in the city properly (about 50,000 people) due to a change in payroll systems that was a total screw up. Some people have not been paid for months. That combined with how most people who can afford to go in this city are parents and have to pay 3x or 4x to go while living on lines of credit. It's a really bad and under reported issue. Also, our economy hasn't recovered as well as yours from the recession (we didn't crash as badly, but it's been a longer and slower recovery here than in the US) and our unemployment rate is a bit higher as a result.

If the US government shuts down next week, you may see similar things in Caps game attendance as people in DC stop getting paid. If they survive that long...

All I'm hearing is excuses.

If this was a Leafs vs. Sens series you'd have droves of Leafs fans DRIVING IN FROM TORONTO ON ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, many of which would be adding a hotel, two tanks of gas and 3 meals+ to their expenses! The same could be said for Habs fans who have half the distance to get to Ottawa, many of which would also suck up a 2hr+ drive home on the same night... And you guys are complaining about a short drive and using the excuse of "a young fan base without disposable income as an excuse?"

So not only can thousands of tickets be had at cost through the usual channels, but knowing that the game hasn't been sold out the scalpers and secondary markets will be forced to eat some of the cost, ultimately making loads of sold tickets cheaper than cost.

And yes, I lived in Ottawa for years as a student and went to countless games (even when the Leafs WEREN'T in town) and know first hand what the Sens' fan base is.

Sorry, but this is an embarrassment for this organization and fan base. I'd expect this from a number of American based teams (i.e. Florida, Jersey, Arizona), but as a Canadian franchise this pathetic.

...And some of you actually have the audacity to call the Sens "Ontario's Team" when this kind of part-time fan business is going?
- As_I_See_It

I bet you bought $100 tickets all the time as a student huh?

Great to see that the team is starting to get rolling now. The power play was generating lots of chances, Anderson was solid throughout and the team put in its most consistent game of the playoffs.

Starting to like our chances of getting to the next round.

Okay.. I'm going to try to say this without coming across as an bumhole.....but.. are you (frank)ing well?

In what world do the 20-40 year olds spend the most money on sports tickets?

How many 30 year olds are dropping 15K on a pair of season tickets?

The 20-40 yr olds buy the cheap seats when there are deals. The 20-40 yr olds find a way to the building without paying for parking. The 20-40 yr olds sneak their own booze into games instead of paying $10 for a beer. The 20-40 yr old avoid the concessions at all costs.

Honestly, that was the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
- Charliebox

Uh?
I could see a 20 - 25 year sneaking beer in ...but anyone over that...doubtful...unless pretty immature.
25 - 40 spend a lot of money on entertainment. In Ottawa, you have what two sports teams to spend money on? CFL and NHL.
Im not talking season tickets...Im talking playoff games...people 25 -40 (maybe 20 was too young) have quite a bit of expendable money.
$50 -$100 for playoff tickets.....no excuse for cost and not attending.

I bet you bought $100 tickets all the time as a student huh?



- Charliebox

Actually, I did. As a student I had a sweet bartending job that saw $400+ CASH in my pocket WEEKLY.