Poll: How many NHL games have you attended since the Whalers left?

[Deepster]

Offshoot of another thread. NHL only. No Wolf Pack. No UConn. Just NHL games.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I answered 2-5 but it may be zero. I honestly can't remember watching and NHL game since the Whale left Hartford but I have a tough time believing I haven't been to a game in 20+ years.

 

[upstater]

2 Bruins games, several Sabres games.

 

[Adios]

Been to my first NHL games since the Whalers this season. 1 @ Newark and 2 @ Barclays, 1 being a playoff game. I don't think we're missing much. College hockey suffices. So does the AHL.

 

[The Viking]

None I cant bring myself to do it. Hate Bruins and Rangers. Maybe I should start rooting for buffalo with tage there
But F Bettman.
Uconn hockey gives me enough of a fix now

 

[Marat]

I went to several Islanders games @ Barclays (for free). The Islanders had/have a scholastic program that provide 2 free tickets to a game when your child does well in school.

 

[whaler11]

I used to go to Islanders games when I lived in FFld Cty. Been to some Rangers games and if I’m someplace for work and there is a game I usually check it out.

 

[Waquoit]

Zero for me. And I don't think even free tickets and an open bar would do it.

 

[kibblesnbits]

1 and that was a freebie Islanders game. I’ve also only been to a handful of minor league games. 99% of my hockey $$ since 1997 have gone to college hockey. Both colleges I attended (RPI and Cornell) have hockey as the most popular sport on campus.

 

[UC1995]

Blue Jackets games have been fantastic last few years. Bigger then expected hockey presence in Columbus

 

[HCCForever]

Zero and I was a Whaler season ticket holder for several years. Indifferent to the Bruins. UConn hockey is all that I attend.

 

[the Q]

Zero.

I did go to two minor league hockey games in that time and the bean pot twice.

 

[Marbles90]

I went to Whalers games all the time. My brother had season tickets and I had a friend from college who worked in the ticket office and always set me up. I have been to to a few Rangers games at MSG but I believe they were all before the Whalers left so I answered 0. Since UConn joined Hockey East I have been to many UConn games at XL but I have not been to a Wolfpack game yet.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I left CT right around the same time the Whale did and I switches allegiances to the Rangers because of some local kid who played for them for a few years. So, been to maybe a dozen Rangers at MSG, some I bought, some from work. Also been to a few Bruins games for work when I lived in Boston before moving to NJ. Also been to games in Detroit (Joe Louis), Pittsburgh, Philly, Toronto and Montreal while visiting those cities for work.

 

[Robertelamin]

I’ve been to 2 Bruins games since the Whalers left. I was living in Boston at the time and my employer offered them to employees.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Blue Jackets games have been fantastic last few years. Bigger then expected hockey presence in Columbus

Do people refer to them as the BJs? Always wondered about that.

 

[Kemba429]

Ive only been to one NHL game in my entire life, it was a regular season Rangers game and they beat the Canadiens 3-1. It was exciting from what I could remember but that was probably 8 years ago.

 

[Robertelamin]

Do people refer to them as the BJs? Always wondered about that.

I don’t know but I didn’t realize they were a franchise until probably 5 or 6 years after they were established.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Mostly San Jose Sharks, when I lived 15 minutes from the Shark Tank via light rail. One Coyotes game during a bachelor party. A couple Bruins games.

 

[CCSUblue]

Been to several Florida Panthers games. BBT is a great arena because you can park for free across the street at Sawgrass!

 

[Deepster]

So far, 88 votes in and two-thirds of us have been to 0 or 1 game. I find that to be interesting, especially since the one game for many was a freebie or a work thing. That makes me even more curious about paying for tickets. Of the 44 people who have attended at least 1 game, I wonder how many paid for tickets.

 

[SoFla Steve]

Saw the Florida Panthers once at the BB&T Center or whatever it was called then. BankAtlantic Center?? My company had a box with bar and food service. I went mostly for the concerts -- Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz, Breaking Benjamins, Three Days Grace, etc.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Does this mean Whalers fans aren't or weren't really hockey fans? Or is it just logistics, it is a long way to either Boston or NY for a hockey game (yet obviously lots of people make this trek for Sox or NY teams).
What does youth hockey participation in the Hartford area look like now vs 25 years ago?

I think it does kind of speak to the fact that the Whalers weren't a no-brainer in a big hockey town. Canadian comparisons aren't fair, but Buffalo I think is a good comp and if they lost the Sabres I think hockey fandom there would remain large and find another outlet. Helps too that Buffalo has another pro sports franchise and can pull from lots of other upstate NY towns - whereas Hartford only has the greater Hartford area before it loses fans to NY & Boston.

 

[White Dwarf]

Hundreds

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Does this mean Whalers fans aren't or weren't really hockey fans? Or is it just logistics, it is a long way to either Boston or NY for a hockey game (yet obviously lots of people make this trek for Sox or NY teams).
What does youth hockey participation in the Hartford area look like now vs 25 years ago?

I think it does kind of speak to the fact that the Whalers weren't a no-brainer in a big hockey town. Canadian comparisons aren't fair, but Buffalo I think is a good comp and if they lost the Sabres I think hockey fandom there would remain large and find another outlet. Helps too that Buffalo has another pro sports franchise and can pull from lots of other upstate NY towns - whereas Hartford only has the greater Hartford area before it loses fans to NY & Boston.

Youth hockey numbers are lower than what they were in the '80's and '90's in Connecticut from what I have heard from a former HS classmate/Dad who I played a lot of pond hockey with. He does believe the two big factors are 1) cost and 2) lack of available ice time. Not many families can afford the expense of playing hockey nor the time it take to get the kids to a 5 AM practice at a rink an hour away from home. At the high school level, there are a lot of Co-Op's, which were rare back then. That said, I know there are a lot of Co-Op teams in Maine now, which seem to be driven by the state's declining/aging population overall. In jersey, high school numbers seem to be stable; but, the club level is dong very well. The local ice rink where I lived added a 3rd sheet two years ago and a second club team and the place is always packed.

At the pro level, except for summer Fridays, driving to/from Hartford to Boston or New York can be a much bigger hassel in the winter than the summer. Plus, the kids are still in school.