More than a hundred people made their way to city hall in early January to rally for an unusual cause. The passionate crowd frantically waved homemade signs and chanted at the top of their lungs. Mayor Jim Watson even made an appearance to address the group.
The rally was aimed at securing five nominated Ottawa Senators a position in the starting lineup in the upcoming National Hockey League All-Star game.
And much to the pleasure of Sens fans – and the dismay of Leafs Nation – the campaign worked. Four players were successfully voted into the starting lineup, propelling them past players from big market teams.
There is no denying that, despite the fact the city is considered a small hockey market with a notoriously weak fan base (go to a game when Leafs or Habs are in town and you’ll understand), Senators fans proved they clearly care that the All-Star game is coming to Ottawa.
So what is the reward for these loyal and passionate fans?
One would assume it is to experience the All-Star game first-hand. But the irony is that, while the event is supposed to be for the fans, it is virtually impossible for any to get tickets to see the game live.
The NHL controls the ticket format for the all-star extravaganza. Ticket priority is given to the NHL’s corporate sponsors and the Senator’s team sponsors, suite holders and season-ticket holders, giving little opportunity for the general public to snag tickets.
Full season, half-season and 40-game flex pack ticket holders were the only ones who could manage to get tickets to the game. Everyone else should have stopped holding their breath a long time ago – they never had a real shot at getting tickets in the first place.
The NHL All-Star game is an event that is allegedly held for the fans’ enjoyment when, in reality, fans are the ones being shut out from attending the game. The All-Star game is nothing but a corporate schmooze-fest, where sponsors are rewarded for keeping the league afloat.
But what the NHL needs to realize is that it’s not the sponsors that are making the league thrive – it’s the fans.
Without passionate fans, events such as the Winter Classic and the All-Star game would not be possible. Without enthusiastic fans, arenas around the League would stop selling out games. Without diehard fans, there would be no corporate sponsors. The NHL would cease to exist.
Maybe the NHL should take some lessons from an organization that is the most successful sports league in the world – the NFL. Leading up to the Super Bowl, the league will be hosting more than 50 local community outreach events in the host city of Indianapolis. These community events include several environmental initiatives, 60 youth football clinics featuring current and former NFL players, and a Kids’ Day, where 1,200 local children get the opportunity to spend the day with NFL players. The list goes on.
The All-Star extravaganza is the NHL’s biggest and most popular regular season event. How many local community outreach events have been held in Ottawa leading up to the game? Zero.
It’s time the NHL takes a look at its top-down organization and realizes that the game of hockey survives because of the fans and local community support – not because of corporate sponsors.