Do You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

Question

I am a middle class Leafs Fan. I use following this team as a distraction from the things that suck in life. I get an opportunity to afford to go to one Leafs game a year. That game was tonight. Me, my girlfriend, and her mom go, are seats are the top row of the arena, and the Leafs get blown out 7-1 by the CAPITALS. Now the part that grinds my gears is that we payed $55/ ticket, $25 for parking, $10 for beer, $6 for a pop, $4 for popcorn. Basically we paid over $200 to watch our team get humiliated.

MLSE can charge what they want and the businesses buy up 80% of the tix, and this leaves the middle class fans screwed. Some might say cheer for another team, but I am not a Bandwagon jumper, and the Leafs will always be my team. I bleed blue and white.

My question is, what are us Leaf fans to do?

Jenni M, the love started back in the Quinn days, when we made the playoffs like 7 straight years, got to the second round 4 of those times and to the third round twice. And yes, that includes beating the Sens 4 straight times! Thats when I used it to get away from life!!!

People can say stop going to games? but when the businesses have the majority of the season tickets, its not the real fans doing it. When there are more suits than jerseys, its not the real fans fault. Its not like they would ever go along with a boycott

From reading the responses, and looking into the matter more, I guess my beef is with the whole NHL. I see that this is the case in many rinks, and the Leaf prices are actually standard for a lot of other hockey cities (Canadian ones, Detroit, Philly, etc). This was more of a I just watched my team lose 7-1 kind of rant. The thing is that I don't think we would mind, and wouldn't boo so much if the tickets were reasonably priced. If I spent $20 / ticket and $5 for parking, whoppy $H!T, at least I didn't blow $200. There should be a digit shaved off everything. Top players should make $700,000......Barely in the NHL should make $50,000......and ticket prices should range from $5-$40, not $50-$400...........but I know, I'm dreaming, thats the way it should be though.

And the whole thing about cutting the mesh on Sundin's goal is dumb, and for all the Leaf haters who love to laugh at Leaf fans, just because we cheer for the team doesn't mean we always agree with MLSE.

Answer 1

I understand your pain. I am lucky to see even one game in a season....infact I have only been to one game at the ACC, used to go more often when they were still in the Gardens. The best game I ever saw in person was Toronto/Detroit, the first game after the playoffs when we upset the Wings. We won the game, like 6-3 or so, it was a rout with tons of fights. Bob Rouse threw Probert's stick over the glass, it was great! And I'll never forget it. But I have been to stinkers as well. I'm sure that when Pony scored 30 secs after the Caps scored the place was absolutely electric. Unfortunately that would be all. I was listening to the game on the radio and checking up on the internet while I worked. When it got to 6-1, I said that was enough and shut it off. I then thought about the people, that are exactly in your position, and I really felt bad for you all. Not only a waste of money, but a waste of time! I didn't watch the game, but pulling Toskala for Raycroft. I mean Toskala wasn't exactly faultless, but why would Maurice pull him? I guess to motivate the team. Raycroft gave up 2 goals on 3 shots in the 2nd. Belfour with a bad back was better than Raycroft. I think one of our problems is him. But Raycroft is just one of the many symptoms. The disease in the Leafs starts from the top in Larry Tannembaum and the rest of them that run MLSE. They keep their hands off the Raptors and allow Colengelo to do as he pleases. But with the Leafs they feel the need to be more involved in the every day operations and so they put JFJ in to do as they wish. Unfortunately none of the people at the top of MLSE are experienced at making a winning professional hockey team. They seem to be happy with maybe making the playoffs with a mediocer team, rather than blowing up the team and rebuilding. What the Leafs need is a Colangelo-type come in that is given complete control of the team's personel with noone being untouchable in the building of a team that can hopefully win the cup. I don't know what we can do about it. We can hope for more embarassing losses like tonight to get JFJ out. If Hamilton ever got a team, I may change, that is perhaps why Hamilton will never get a team. Maybe you could start a petition to get everyone to unsubscribe from Leaf TV. Again, I am sorry to hear you had to see it in person. They should have to reimberse everyone when they stink out the joint like that.

Answer 2

Support Family Guy like you just did. What, hasn't anybody seen the DVD movie?

My ex was just at that game too. She shelled out OVER $200 just for tickets alone for her boyfriend. As for what Leafs fans can do? Stop buying into that crap. That game was only broadcasted on Leafs TV, one of the most useless channels ever. I watched it at the bar a couple of weeks ago (it was the game against the Panthers) and the repeat commercials are worse than listening to a story about a mutant flying reindeer with a red nose 300 times a day during the Christmas holidays. Another thing is stop going to the games. MLSE will pick up the message sooner or later when the worthless Ontario teachers start seeing their pension funds dip.

But, that won't happen. Too many idiots in the city who uses the Leafs as a status symbol to fill their egos. Why do you think there're more suits than average joes like you and me? It's like people organizing a boycott on gas on a certain station. "Don't buy gas on so-and-so day and maybe we'll get the prices to drop." No, as$hole, stop buying SUVs when you only drive yourself to the corner store every day and THAT will bring down gas prices.

LITY: The suit part may be true, but I wouldn't know; I'm still a recovering poor, starving college student. That whole comment is based on a status quo paper I did for sociology. But there's also a difference between a privilege and being herded around like sheep. I think my gasoline analogy does the perfect job comparing MLSE to OPEC. Neither care about their customers as long as they're making money. They also don't need a catchy marketing gimmick because both are a fact of life (the Leafs are part of the Toronto culture). Either way, they make money without lifting a finger. The only difference between the two products is, gas does what I bought it for as a product, while the Leafs still dishes out a below-average product.

Answer 3

Has anybody been to a game in any of the other arenas aside from Toronto?

I go to about 30 leaf games a year. I usually sit in the lower section, and I always count more jerseys than suits (especially on Saturday nights) and almost all of the people I sit with are rabid hockey fans.

I've also been to games at every other NHL arena with the exception of 'The Rock' and the fans there have all the complaints you have.

Your city owning a hockey team is a PRIVILEGE, it is not a RIGHT.
- you talk about boycotting the sale of Leafs merchandise. The Toronto Maple leafs only get 1/60th of that revenue.
- you talk about not going to games
Well, there are over 17,100 season ticket holders for maple Leaf games, less than 5% belong to corporations. Most of the rest were purchased in the 1930s and 1940s (Montreal is in a similar situation)

The Leafs announce every year when single tickets go on sale, you just have to be there.

I could see if the Leafs were the most expensive ticket in the NHL, but they aren't.

You want to enjoy the PRIVILEGE of enjoying an NHL game live, you EARN it. Don't expect it to be given to you.


Note: I've never seen an NHL game outside of Chicago Stadium/United Centre for free............thousands of junior and college games yes............but never an NHL game. Wirtz was generous...........but not that generous

Answer 4

I have vowed to not spend a penny on the Phillies until they are sold to owners that care about winning baseball. If it means that I get planted in the ground still rooting for the Athletics that'll be fine with me.

I see the Maple Leafs owners and Phillies owners being of the same interest - make money by making the team interesting enough to fill the seats.

DISCLAIMER: Any mention of the Maple Leafs in the same sentence as the Phillies is purely coincidental and not meant to suggest that the two organizations are comparable in status.

I despise the Phillies.

Answer 5

Well first of all we can start by not going to the games. It is too bad that this will not happen since Leaf Fans are too loyal to their team. They need to fire the management that owns MLSE and also get rid of JFJ. There was an article in the Toronto Star on who you should blame for the leafs suckieness. Maybe if leaf fans riot in the streets then maybe we can get our point across and prove to the leafs management that we want an improved team.

I have been to four leafs games in my lifetime. 1 was at MLG and the 3 at the ACC.

Answer 6

LMFAO....when you quit buying crap to boost the Teachers Pension Fund!
After Sundin scored his 500th goal last season, the nylon mesh from the milestone net was removed and cut into 2,000 strands. Each strand was then individually mounted beside a pic of Sundin. This "netted" a $40,000 profit for your all so caring Leaf owners! I won't even get into the ice-shavings from the last game at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1999....Leaf fans are suckers...plain and simple. Have fun paying 30% more for tics in the next few years.

Answer 7

Tough luck. I have some ideas but most would get me at least a small amount of time behind bars. Boycott is the noly method we have to fix this and it's more likely Jack Layton will be the next PM than Leaf fans actually boycotting the games.

Answer 8

So, let me get this straight..you're trying to get away from the things that suck in life..and you're a Leafs fan? lol jk dang I'm xtra saucy tonight!
Suck it up things could be worse

awww Wings Fan that is awful. I love going to live games. I know how it feels though .This season I'm kinda low on the $$ too b/c of college.

Answer 9

Brandon, I just said it in another post but I'll say it again for you. We're fairly helpless but there's LOTS of good hockey in Canada.

Pick a local kids team.....a Pee Wee or Minor Bantam AAA team (12-13 year olds) for example, and start following their seasons. The kids are great little hockey players and you know what???? They still love the game, it's not about making 5 mil a year for them. It's about skating faster, hitting harder, and scoring more goals.

We live in Canada and we truly don't have to look far for good hockey. Give it a chance and I promise you, the passion the kids have for the game will steal your heart.

Hockey parents are good entertainment too....lol.

Answer 10

Wow man, that really sucks. That's what you go through being a fan. Don't worry, I think the Leafs will turn it around in a couple of years.