Go Sens Go - Fan Forum 08/09

[dave-O]

PS Fucking CBC. I have Leafs vs Pens on 6 SD channels and 1 HD one. No Sens or Habs games to be found.

[Booche]

So the amount of money you spend on a team is in direct relation to your loyalty as a fan? Do you vote Republican too?

Remember the good ol' days when Booche used to bitch about people telling him how he should and shouldn't spend his money?

I sure do. That was his go-to excuse for not going to shows and/or never leaving his apartment.

I fucking love you guys. Rich Stadium rocks.

[Kanada Kev]

PS Fucking CBC. I have Leafs vs Pens on 6 SD channels and 1 HD one. No Sens or Habs games to be found.

The CBC is showing more Habs games this year than Leafs!!! And only one more Leafs game than Sens games. Quit yer bithcin' crankypants

[AD]

yeah - but if you don't live in the Sens or Habs regions most if not all the Saturday games are blacked out. I think that's what Dave-O is going for here.

[Kanada Kev]

yeah - but if you don't live in the Sens or Habs regions most if not all the Saturday games are blacked out. I think that's what Dave-O is going for here.

Well in that case then it's usually the local team that demands the blackout (to try and sell out a game with seats still remaining) or a competing TV broadcast/PPV.

[AD]

I think Dave-O's point is that the Leafs are not a local team in NB.

[dave-O]

No, not blacked out. The Sens were shown on the Ottawa affiliate, in the Ottawa area only; the Habs were shown on the Montreal affiliate, in the Montreal area only. That was the case last night anyway.

For whatever reason NB is considered Ottawa region as far as NHL broadcasts are concerned. Leafs games on Sportsnet are blacked out and I couldn't even order Leafs TV from Rogers if I wanted to.

[rubberdinghy]

PS..

Kanata Senators?

The Scotiabank place is located within city limits.

I can't believe I missed all this fun tooooooo!

[AD]

No, not blacked out. The Sens were shown on the Ottawa affiliate, in the Ottawa area only;

For whatever reason NB is considered Ottawa region as far as NHL broadcasts are concerned.

PS fuÇking CBC. I have Leafs vs Pens on 6 SD channels and 1 HD one. No Sens or Habs games to be found.

so can you watch sens games or not? i'm so confused. shoulda stayed out of it, but i thought i knew what you were talking about. you live in NB still right?

[dave-O]

Sorry. To simplify, I get 7 different CBC affiliates and the Ottawa one (the only to show the game) is not one of them.

[dave-O]

How much do you spend on one Habs game?

As much as it takes because I am not a fairweather fan.

I can't believe no one has called BS on this line! Booche circa 2002-03 barely followed the NHL and certainly didn't spend close to what he spends today on tickets.

The reason? The Habs were lousy and he is as fairweather as anybody else.

[badams]

How much do you spend on one Habs game?

As much as it takes because I am not a fairweather fan.

I can't believe no one has called BS on this line! Booche circa 2002-03 barely followed the NHL and certainly didn't spend close to what he spends today on tickets.

The reason? The Habs were lousy and he is as fairweather as anybody else.

I've known Booche since 1991 or 92 and he has always been a big hockey / Habs fan. There were many many hockey nights at the old apartment. There were also many hockey pools.

I would say in 2002/2003 he didn't have the disp osablefunds he has now. Also it could be the sudden surge of Sens fans has brought the fight out in him.

[badams]

Why am I defending Bouche... I must be drunk still

[Tissue Man]

How much do you spend on one Habs game?

As much as it takes because I am not a fairweather fan.

I can't believe no one has called BS on this line! Booche circa 2002-03 barely followed the NHL and certainly didn't spend close to what he spends today on tickets.

The reason? The Habs were lousy and he is as fairweather as anybody else.

meh nice try. he is sticking by the raiders so i have no doubt he stuck by the habs through the shit times.

[dave-O]

When I first met Booche, he'd turn on HNIC just to watch Coach's Corner then switch right back to his Dead bootlegs.

[Booche]

Dont listen to DaveO, he is full of shit and trying to start nonsense. I was watching Les Habs and bitching about hockey on the whole because I wasnt a fan of that period. Every game seemed like it was New Jersey playing New Jersey.

Ask Badams if I was watching the Habs, he should remember me trying to talk him into moving to Ottawa because every game was on. I'ld call him and give him updates while bitching about Andre Savard.

[dave-O]

When we went to see Moe in Montreal in Nov. 2003, Booche didn't know who Pavel Datsyuk was.

Reason? He's as bad as Leaf fans with homerteameritis.

[Booche]

At least I never "pulled a Rahmer" and believed the Leafs grabbing Raycroft was a good move.

[Tissue Man]

explain the bailing on this oh sens fans.

less then face value tickets and its for charity and he still cant sell them. but for some odd reason two years ago it was a success.

hmmmm wonder why that was?

Local hockey dad may have bit off more than he could chew in effort to raise money for prostate cancer research

You pay a price sometimes for loving hockey. Just ask Dave Neilson.

It starts with children. In Neilson's case, twin, 10-year-old boys that love hockey, and so he signs them up, pays the tournament fees, buys the equipment.

He doesn't even balk when one of the boys wants to become a goalie, the sort of request rational, non-hockey-loving parents run from. So he shells out a bit more for equipment. Sits through Saturday morning games with nerves more frayed than a caffeine-addict on amphetamines.

It's a price he's willing to pay. He loves hockey.

But it doesn't stop with the children. Ottawa gets an NHL team and overnight he's a Senators fan. Tries to go to as many games as he can, which isn't as many as he might like, working as he does as an access-to-information officer at the Privy Council.

Still, Neilson goes to the games, buys the replica team jerseys, the car flags, the Daniel Alfredsson posters.

He loves hockey, right?

LIMITS TO LOVE?

But perhaps there is a limit to how much a man should pay for a love of hockey. And perhaps -- just perhaps -- that limit is when he writes a cheque to the Ottawa Senators for $17,000.

"It's a big cheque, no doubt about it," says Neilson. "My hands were trembling when I wrote it. That's all my money."

Now, let's back up and explain. Even give you the opportunity to rescue Dave Neilson from the folly of loving hockey too much.

That $17,000 represents 600 tickets to the Nov. 13 Senators home game against the New York Islanders. Yes, he takes his sons and some of their teammates to Sens games from time to time. But 600 tickets is a pretty large major atom team, even for Orleans.

What was he thinking? Well, he was thinking the way more of us should, I guess.

Five years ago Neilson's father-in-law, David Waters, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His struggle touched the entire family. Grandpa had operations. Lived down at the Cancer Centre. His grandsons asked if there was anything they could do to help.

So four years ago Neilson became involved in Ride For Dad, the annual motorcycle ride to raise money for prostate cancer research. It was a natural fit -- he already had a Harley-Davidson, Soft-tail Custom sitting in his garage.

It is in its 10th year and this year more than 1725 people participated in the day-long cruise to Perth and back, raising $320,000. It was held in May, when many hockey parents have just finished another season, and maybe that's what gave Neilson the idea. Or maybe it was that crazy love of hockey thing again. You decide.

Anyway, Neilson began to wonder if there was a way of combining his two great passions -- hockey and raising money for prostate cancer research. The idea he came up with was to buy a whack of Senators tickets, get a discount from the club, and then resell them. Any profit would go to Ride for Dad.

"It was done two years ago, and more than 500 tickets were sold," he says. "It raised more than $8,000 for charity."

So maybe it's the economic downturn. Or maybe it's the hockey team itself, which is still very much a wait-and-see proposition so far this year. It's hard to put your finger on it exactly.

But for whatever reason, David Neilson is sitting on a whack of unsold tickets. Many mortgage payments worth.

"I think we've sold about 150 tickets so far," he says. "It's way down from what it was two years ago. Quite frankly, I'm getting a bit nervous."

Now, there is some good news here. David Waters has responded well to his treatment and recently had his five-year prostate cancer check-up. Complete remission.

Neilson is also sure the Senators will take back any unsold tickets. Still, he can't figure it out. The tickets -- in the third level -- can be purchased for $45, which is less than their face value. And $16 of that will go directly to Ride For Dad.

There was a time, not so long ago, when he thought this was a no brainer.

Anyway, love of hockey. It makes you do crazy things.

If anyone can help Neilson out, he can be reached at sensridefordad@rogers.com, or at 613-424-3087.

[dave-O]

From where I'm sitting I still say it was a great move.

[ollie]

explain the bailing on this oh sens fans.

First I've ever heard of this guy. He obviously doesn't have the natual business savvy to market himself properly. I'm sure the article will help.

[Booche]

He obviously doesn't have the natual business savvy to market himself properly

He had no issues before.

[dave-O]

Blame the ecomony, phans.

[badams]

When we went to see Moe in Montreal in Nov. 2003, Booche didn't know who Pavel Datsyuk was.

Who?

[Kanada Kev]

Neilson is also sure the Senators will take back any unsold tickets. Still, he can't figure it out. The tickets -- in the third level -- can be purchased for $45, which is less than their face value. And $16 of that will go directly to Ride For Dad.

I would hope that the Sens would buy the remainders back, or simply purchase them from him and then give 'em away to some kids who are sick or something.