Rogers play-by-play man envious of Niagara fans

[AlphaDog]

Listen to the play-by-play guy :)

[ItsGameTime]

yeah i saw that, as much as i dont like the majors, i feel bad for those kids because they weren't pegged as a team who could do much this season and they finished 5th in the East, regardless of what team they play for these kids deserve more support than Mississauga is giving them, OHL hockey (regardless of what city you are in) is exciting and its too bad Mississauga hasn't realized it in the 10 years its been there.

[GoDogsGo]

great post.... well done... pipe dream... missy has no fans... that was evidant last night when the team needed them most....

[MadMann]

Yeah it is depressing. It must be so frustrating for the majors to not have any home games when they play against us. A portion of the crowd in missy is also composed of Ice Dogs fans who still live in the GTA. Were going to have some good crowd rivalries with teams that have loud fans. When we went to Oshawa it was dead. I wonder if they are louder during the playoffs?

[AlphaDog]

Yah I feel sorry for the Majors team too. 600,000 people in Mississauga, 2.5 million Toronto, what.. 4-5 million in the GTA? And they can't put more than 1600 people in their rink during the playoffs?

Wow what's wrong with Mississauga residents? (present company excluded of course because obviously THEY'RE hockey fans! :) )

[NightHawk2810]

you think that building would be full .

[MadMann]

I bet if it were a cricket match the place would be absolutely packed

[Phil Margonis]

yeah ifeel bad for the majors too. they did work hard all series they just had way less talent than us.
its too bad for the tam and league no one goes to their games

[AlphaDog]

yeah ifeel bad for the majors too. they did work hard all series they just had way less talent than us.
its too bad for the tam and league no one goes to their games

That's the most disheartening point of all. Not that we taunted them the entire series, but the fact that their own hometown gave them NO support during it.

Ok, there's reasons for that of course... OUR team used to be THEIR team for a decade, so most OHL hockey fans in that city are fans of our team still. You can't just switch teams in an instant to a team that used to play in Toronto, that now plays in your town, when the team you've been following for years is now here in Niagara.

But if St. Mikes had any fans before they moved you'd think they'd do the short drive from wherever, to Missy.

Maybe Melnyk didn't do any research into stuff like that. Figured he'd just move the team to a bigger rink and people would just show up and cheer. Figured all Mississauga IceDogs fans would just instantly switch and become Majors fans. :confused1:

[Quizzer83]

I bet if it were a cricket match the place would be absolutely packed

Now while cricket is an excellent sport, I don't see why that sort of stereotyping would be called for in this instance... ;)

[WellandDogsFan]

The problem with OHL teams in the GTA is two fold(and probably more but two big things come to mind right off the bat).

1) There is HUGE competition for joe citizen's entertainment dollar in the GTA. There just isnt as much to do in smaller communities.

2) The GTA is an ethnically diverse area. There are a lot of people that didnt have hockey as their sport of choice when they were growing up. One of the problems of living in a melting pot is that old customs are hard to shake. Yes there was a reference to cricket earlier, and yes so what if that would sell out. I am sure in many different places in the world they wonder why a nation so big as Canada can't field a decent national soccer program or why their rugby program isnt on par with theirs.

Yes its an embarrassment to see the Cottage empty but you have to look at the whole picture as to why it is empty.

[tbone]

Yeah i herd it on TV last night, and i think he was stupid saying that, when we go up to mississauga next year, every seat in the mississauga arena should be filled with icedogs fans from niagara.

[I.L.L.]

I was a bit sad :sad2:for the Majors as well....every team needs fans...they gave all they had and it's just sad that they don't have a real following like our boys..

[russ]

Now while cricket is an excellent sport, I don't see why that sort of stereotyping would be called for in this instance... ;)
cricket...? harsh but true!
:iagree:

[AlphaDog]

Now while cricket is an excellent sport, I don't see why that sort of stereotyping would be called for in this instance... ;)

Hehe. I was mentioning that to PhilMargonis actually when we were driving in. I'm not racist in any way, it's just simple facts that the ethnic backgrounds of the Mississauga population aren't ones where hockey is a big sport. It's not racist/bigotry - it's just fact. If multiculturalism works, then I'm all for it. It's just that the most multicultural towns in the 'O (Brampton/Misssissauga) are also some of the LARGEST int he 'O, yet draw the least amount of hockey fans. But hey, to each his/her own. If they don't want to support hockey, and choose to follow other sports, that's fine! Doesn't affect me, doesn't bother me. But HOPEFULLY they can start getting more of those 600,000 Mississaugians catching on to hockey though. It would be much more fun even for US going there if the place was a rockin.

[AlphaDog]

cricket...? harsh but true!
:iagree:

I've never watched cricket.. some guy on TV explained the rules and scoring, and I felt even MORE stupid AFTER that then before it was explained.

Plus, it seems too much like baseball, and with my attention span, if there's no non-stop action, I change the channel. Every beginning of a new baseball season I TRY to watch the Jays, but I just can NOT get through more than an inning or two before I find something else to do :p

[AlphaDog]

The problem with OHL teams in the GTA is two fold(and probably more but two big things come to mind right off the bat).

1) There is HUGE competition for joe citizen's entertainment dollar in the GTA. There just isnt as much to do in smaller communities.

2) The GTA is an ethnically diverse area. There are a lot of people that didnt have hockey as their sport of choice when they were growing up. One of the problems of living in a melting pot is that old customs are hard to shake. Yes there was a reference to cricket earlier, and yes so what if that would sell out. I am sure in many different places in the world they wonder why a nation so big as Canada can't field a decent national soccer program or why their rugby program isnt on par with theirs.

Yes its an embarrassment to see the Cottage empty but you have to look at the whole picture as to why it is empty.


^^ What he said. :) (you said it better than me me thinks)

Yah if there was a city in say... England, or Hollland, that was 70% Canadians, you'd probably have a hard time selling soccer in that town. They'd probably have hockey rinks spouting up on every corner. LIke I said in my previous post, it's just a fact that different ethnicities have different sports which dominate their entertainment. Mississauga and Brampton are well known to have a very multicultural population, but that's not to say they aren't fans of sports the way other cities are - they're just fans of different sports.

But YOU WOULD THINK Melnyk would have realized this - you would THINK he would have taken a look at attendance at the Mississauga IceDogs figures for previous years BEFORE he moved in.

Then again, he's a billionaire. I'm sure he doesn't care about tickets generating revenue. But he has to care a BIT otherwise he wouldnt' have bothered to move them from the tiny St. Mikes rink. With all his cash he should have just built a bigger rink in the same vicinity as the old one...

[lafleur52]

I bet if it were a cricket match the place would be absolutely packed

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Thats so true man, in Mississauga and around the GTA its Leafs or nothing, if the Leafs didnt exist the Majors would sell out easily

[Swifty14]

Gary Melnyk got exactly what he had coming to him! The way he handled the purchase of the team and the shift into the Hershey Center was an absolute insult to the people of Mississauga. Has anyone spoken to the fans who are actually at the games? The hate Melnyk with a passion and want nothing more than to watch this team go down the tubes. Just the simple fact that they won't call the team The Mississauga Majors, but the Mississauga St. Micheals Majors is just another point to let the people know its not really their team. I feel for the boys but I don't think anyone in Missy will actually want to support this franchise for years to come. Where are all the real St. Mikes fans anyway? Too far to drive? For one of the oldest teams in the entire league I think its pretty sad that they are no where to be found.

Good job Melnyk......... Dumbass!!!!:thumbdown:

[ItsGameTime]

Good post Swifty14, and very true.

ps. Its Eugene Melnyk, not Gary

[three dog night]

Brampton cannot draw crowds either less than 3,000 to watch Barrie and even the Toronto Marlies of the AHL have problems drawing good crowds .

[MadMann]

I wonder why they cant fill a rink in Brampledesh?

[MadMann]

There must be 5000 people who want to go see a hockey game in Brampton. I wonder why they dont show up. I can understand a little bit about the stuation the majors are in, but I wonder why some of the other teams stuggle so much to get fans out? Marketing maybe ?

[joe]

Yah I feel sorry for the Majors team too. 600,000 people in Mississauga, 2.5 million Toronto, what.. 4-5 million in the GTA? And they can't put more than 1600 people in their rink during the playoffs?

Wow what's wrong with Mississauga residents? (present company excluded of course because obviously THEY'RE hockey fans! :) )


Although Missisauga has such a great population I can see how a team might not get as much fan support as here in Niagara. There is so much multicultural diveristy in that city. I work in Mississauga and I see a lot of names, and the majority are not anglosaxon names. Reading the posts I can tell most of you already know that too.

I'm sure if there were a professional soccer team or a cricket team they would get more fans than the Major's do and the Icedogs did. I'm not saying that to be insulting in any way. The population is just too diverse and mostly by people to whom have never even heard of hockey.

Another thing, Mississauga is a rich area with many coporations working out of Mississauga and the surrounding areas. People working for these big companies are sitting in the Platinums or should I say sitting underneath the platinums at the ACC. Why go to the Majors when you can eat, drink and be merry for free at the hottest ticket in town?

I think we are lucky to have a team in our area and I think the Icedogs are lucky to have the fans of the Niagara Region as well. The Niagara Region is a close knit area where the community comes together a lot easier to show support for things in the community. I just hope it's like this when the Icedogs go through a rebuiling year. It's only natural in the OHL. Every team goes through it. Ours is a couple years away. This was the perfect time for the Icedogs to relocate. Smart move by Bill and Denise. I'm glad it's working for them and i hope it continues during the rebuilding days and the tough times too. I know I'll have my seasons each year regardless of how good or bad the team is.

[theradioguy]

A large start to improving fan participation would be a good active site?
http://www.freemyteam.com/teams/106-brampton-battalion

If this is the one site Fans in Brampton have maybe we could offer a hand.

I couldn't even find a Mississauga St. Michaels Majors Fan Foorum to Join.

Does either team have an official fan forum ?

[Tape Monkey]

that was awesome!
that commentator sounded like some second grade teacher disciplining their student for eating play-doh!

[MadMann]

A large start to improving fan participation would be a good active site?
http://www.freemyteam.com/teams/106-brampton-battalion

If this is the one site Fans in Brampton have maybe we could offer a hand.

I couldn't even find a Mississauga St. Michaels Majors Fan Foorum to Join.

Does either team have an official fan forum ?


I dont think any other team has a fan forum thats even close to this. Correct me if im wrong, but im pretty sure im not. lol

[WellandDogsFan]

I dont think any other team has a fan forum thats even close to this. Correct me if im wrong, but im pretty sure im not. lol
The Rangers fan forum use to be very good but not sure of the activity lately.

[ItsGameTime]

I dont think any other team has a fan forum thats even close to this. Correct me if im wrong, but im pretty sure im not. lol

I believe the Soo has a pretty good one but I think it got hacked recently.

[Casey]

I believe the Soo has a pretty good one but I think it got hacked recently.

I really hope ours doesn't get hacked!!!
I think ours is the best because we plan stuff like cheers and signs and stuff... its a way to take being a fan to the next level!!

[lafleur52]

Im a pretty big Majors fan but its pretty funny, he sounds like a kindegarten teacher talking to a 5 year old

[three dog night]

It sounds Brampton is drawing worse less then 1,500 last night

[Canuck311]

Is it the fact that the majority of missi inhabitants are mostly new canadians.. and they dont know or like hockey?

I hate MIssy.... the city of cement.... is there any forest or parks in in Missy?

[ItsGameTime]

Is it the fact that the majority of missi inhabitants are mostly new canadians.. and they dont know or like hockey?

I hate MIssy.... the city of cement.... is there any forest or parks in in Missy?

there are a ton of parks as for actual forest, if there is, there isn't very much

[AlphaDog]

I dont' know how Brampton and Mississauga can keep teams there. I know financially their rich owners can afford it, but c'mon... the OHL has to have some friggin standards here. It's EMBARASSING to the league when you see a 6000 seat rink with 4500 empty seats. Imagine how the players feel playing there!

I think any team averaging less than 40% of capacity should be forced to move to a smaller rink. Don't allow the owners to use OHL teams to lose money just so it will put their other businesses in a lower tax bracket... put an end to big empty rinks! :sneaky2:

[lafleur52]

Is it the fact that the majority of missi inhabitants are mostly new canadians.. and they dont know or like hockey?

I hate MIssy.... the city of cement.... is there any forest or parks in in Missy?

Mississauga is the kind of city where you have to be born and raised to like it. Obviously youve only been to the area around the Hershey Centre, where its all warehouses and offices. Theres plenty of forests and stuff in the Erin Mills area and the outside areas.. Id say the people that attend Majors games in Mississauga are the only people in the city who are more than 2nd generation Canadians, same with Brampton

[lafleur52]

I dont' know how Brampton and Mississauga can keep teams there. I know financially their rich owners can afford it, but c'mon... the OHL has to have some friggin standards here. It's EMBARASSING to the league when you see a 6000 seat rink with 4500 empty seats. Imagine how the players feel playing there!

I think any team averaging less than 40% of capacity should be forced to move to a smaller rink. Don't allow the owners to use OHL teams to lose money just so it will put their other businesses in a lower tax bracket... put an end to big empty rinks! :sneaky2:

The Hershey Centre's lease guarantees that there will always be an OHL team in Mississauga, wether its the Majors or anyone else. Im not sure about Brampton though.