Playoffs, yo.

[pipinghell]

So, from one of my (I think) February posts about Hating Your Favorite Team...

...However, they [the Sharks] are on this year for Cheechoo's dirty hit on Mark Eaton that broke his arm and took him out of the game for a few months. He's our best defenseman, and that hurt, let me tell you. Come playoff time, when the hockey gods break Cheechoo's leg

Comments

[harleymae]

We sold out in 12 minutes. :P I believe that this year Nashville's playoff tickets for round 1 are sold out (which they weren't last year).

I think what happened in the Pens game was that deer-in-headlights response when a significant number of the guys on the team haven't been in the NHL playoffs before. It happened to the Sharks last season when the team skated around dazed and confused for a whole period before coming back to tie the game (and ultimately losing it by 1 goal) and then win the next 4 in the series.

The goals scored at the end of the game by the Pens are important, because it dispels any notion of "ooh, we can't score on 'em". They should have a much better showing tomorrow.

[pipinghell]

Pshaw, beat us by one minute ;) SJ is not a bad hockey market. I know lots of people like to claim that there should never be hockey in places where it doesn't snow, but I think places like San Jose and Dallas have done great. Obviously, they've sold out where snowy places like New Jersey have failed. And in places like Dallas, they've implemented high school hockey leagues, which can only promote the game.

I just have a problem with being able to call up Ticketmaster and getting 15+ tickets all in a row for the playoff game the next day. That's huge chunks of the arena not sold off. I know the playoffs are more expensive, and I know that has something to do with it. But you have to start evaluating teams when they not only can't sell out their playoffs, but they can't sell out their regular season either. Sometimes it's a problem of people taking the team for granted - some of the Pens teams that dominated in the 90s had this problem - but sometimes it goes deeper

[harleymae]

San Jose is a very unique market in the sense that the building is sold out every night, most of the fans are very loyal, knowledgeable, etc, but if you stop most of the people on the street (maybe not in San Jose itself, but the greater Bay Area), I don't think they even know that a hockey team exists here.

You are paying for the magnificent Sidney Crosby!

Urgh, yes, let's hope that comes true.

[pipinghell]

That's...odd. Why is that?

Psh, yeah. And Atlanta is paying $15 for the magnificent Kovalchuk. I mean, with the Rangers prices I guess I shouldn't care, but shit son.

I'm hoping, trust me!

[stormshaman]

Detroit can't sell tickets?

Well let's just contract that team RIGHT NOW then. /snarkasm

[pipinghell]

Oh, I know they're #1 on your list. My top 3 are still New Jersey, Nashville, and Florida.

[stormshaman]

Honestly, I don't want to see any teams contracted unless they just totally collapse financially--but I do find it very funny that Detroit apparently gets a pass on not selling out their playoff games, while teams south of the Mason-Dixon Line get regularly pilloried for the same thing.

[biorhythm]

Hartnell is known for dirty hits that aim at the knee. He's taken out the knee of at least four or five players now. 's the only thing he's good at.

As for Detroit's tickets, our economy is for shit right now what with all the auto companies imploding, and I think people are spooked; Detroit's been pushed out of the first round twice in the last three playoffs and the other time we got pushed out in the second. I think people are waiting to see if it's gonna be same old same old before they spend the money.

Forgive us if we think the playoffs are "old hat." We now have the longest consecutive playoff record in North American sports. Passed the Yankees :D

[pipinghell]

I know, he's a fuckface. I think I ranted about him when the Preds played the Pens and you again agreed that he was a fuckface.

True, and I can understand that. But can you even walk up to The Joe and get tickets for a regular season game with 19 of your friends? I was under the impression that Detroit was constantly sold out, maybe it's just Wings propoganda by you guys ;) I appreciate the economy being shot to shit - trust me, Pittsburgh knows alllll about that - but $68 isn't really that bad.

[biorhythm]

I really dunno. I don't think every single game is constantly sold out, but I think a lot of people get that impression because Detroit is such a hockey-intense city. I really think the only team that has a consistantly full house is Toronto. Those people are NUTS.

Plus, people are still riding the Tigers bandwagon from the world series last year and the season JUST opened up, plus the Pistons are in the playoffs as well. There's a lot of competition for tickets in Detroit right now, especially given our track record for the first round lately :/

[runerspad]

I love the pronger comments. It's so true, and there's been a lot in the papers here over the last month or so about the whole thing.

Also, there's never un-sold playoff tickets in E-town. Never.

[pipinghell]

I figured there wouldn't be. Calgary also sold out like crazy whoa, so at least you can't taunt them about that.

[dazedpuckbunny]

LOVE LOVE 28 Days Later. *le sigh*

Also that's hilarious! You summoned up the hockey gods! Do you weigh the same as a duck? *gets potential Medieval lynch mob ready* I still don't like the hit on Cheech but that's funny. *lovesyou*

[pipinghell]

It was great! I had some questions about it (why didn't The Infected attack each other?) but it was still awesome.

Yo, I'm not superstitious or anything, but the hockey gods are out there! Even my team is not exempt from them. Brooks Orpik broke Erik Cole once, and then the hockey gods broke Brooks. Karma, hockey gods, whatever, people almost always get what's coming to them...in hockey, anyway.