tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post525329269493881694..comments2023-08-26T10:21:07.251-04:00Comments on Japers' Rink: D.C., Hockey TownJPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144581988817631208noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-10464607406281672132008-08-24T02:43:00.000-04:002008-08-24T02:43:00.000-04:00Yes there are Wild fans in DC and I'm one of them....Yes there are Wild fans in DC and I'm one of them. Wild fan first, Caps fan second, hockey fan third. I've actually spent more money on the Caps than the Wild and I used to live right by the Xcel Center. It is so much easier to get tickets here. It's great.<BR/><BR/>What isn't great is that most of the people I've talked to out here don't even know that there is a DC team. Hardly anyone likes Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-57535959870253981962008-08-21T14:37:00.000-04:002008-08-21T14:37:00.000-04:00TG - You're absolutely right, no matter where it i...TG - You're absolutely right, no matter where it is, you'll have some one complain. And like I said, I love the Verizon Center and the area around it, especially Rocket Bar<BR/><BR/>Putting the Verizon Center downtown on a metro line makes it easier to get to for lots of people to make it down, and brings it closer to the NOVA suburbs. It just made it more difficult to MD suburb fans who may haveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-16019684798034747772008-08-21T10:25:00.000-04:002008-08-21T10:25:00.000-04:00I meet so many Caps fans who don't follow the NHL ...I meet so many Caps fans who don't follow the NHL at all outside of the Caps. The thought that there are droves Pens and Flyers fans begging the bartender to turn on the Center Ice package is absurd.<BR/><BR/>Just from attending sporting events in the area, at Wizards games it's incredibly common to hear people discussing what's going on around the league. I've been to at least 250 Caps games Rorschachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14739478154207377969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-22333572153023570412008-08-21T10:22:00.000-04:002008-08-21T10:22:00.000-04:00I agree with Sombrero Guy on the VC's location...I agree with <B>Sombrero Guy</B> on the VC's location. I'd like to get to more games than I do but living in Loudoun County makes getting downtown difficult with the exception of weekend games. Traffic is horrendous during the week and weekends are consumed with kids travel hockey. But I get to as many as I can and never missed ONE game on t.v. last year. We'll definitely see the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-66931550314675636372008-08-21T09:37:00.000-04:002008-08-21T09:37:00.000-04:00Greg should write a similar article about the devi...Greg should write a similar article about the devils. Was anyone cheering for them when they played the Rangers in the playoffs? The Devils fan is akin to snuffalufagus.<BR/><BR/>Caps fans started returning once they knew Ovie was staying in town. The change in attendance was very noticable post-deal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-90423193883099363952008-08-21T08:32:00.000-04:002008-08-21T08:32:00.000-04:00Sombrero Guy,I know that having the arena downtown...Sombrero Guy,<BR/><BR/>I know that having the arena downtown is a complaint for a lot of people, but no matter where you put it there's going to be complaining. Growing up in the city, I only made it to a couple games a year when the team played in Landover because it was so horrible to try to get there in rush hour traffic, and then I wouldn't get home before 11 or midnight. And you can bet Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-38860337735342289382008-08-21T07:24:00.000-04:002008-08-21T07:24:00.000-04:00Well said JP. As you point out, its obvious that n...Well said JP. As you point out, its obvious that not all hockey fans are Capitals fans. I took Wysh's comments literally and like you said, one is a subset of the other so naturally the number of "hockey fans" will exceed the number of "Capitals fans". <BR/><BR/>If his point was that there are more NON caps fans than caps fans, then I too will disagree. DC's transient nature may mean there are Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-88859728189270245342008-08-21T06:39:00.000-04:002008-08-21T06:39:00.000-04:00@ Hooks: My point is that most people can only go ...@ Hooks: My point is that most people can only go to so many hockey games a year, given the price of the games and everything else these days. These people don't necessarily pick the Pens games to go to - they select a Friday night that they can get a babysitter. They don't go to all the Sabres games, they'll go to a Sens game when their buddies are going.<BR/><BR/>It's very easy to show up and JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13144581988817631208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-27196991705341215202008-08-20T23:51:00.000-04:002008-08-20T23:51:00.000-04:00"I'd also be willing to bet that over the past cou..."I'd also be willing to bet that over the past couple of years, most D.C.-area resident who would call themselves Caps fans have not been to most of the Caps games at the Verizon Center."<BR/><BR/>What kind of fans would those be that can't drag themselves down to the rink when they have 41 chances a year?<BR/><BR/>No doubt DC has some very good hockey fans (look at the Caps blogosphere) and not Hooks Orpikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04043702689071051472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-17567204629522812642008-08-20T23:15:00.000-04:002008-08-20T23:15:00.000-04:00I also read it as simply not all of the hockey fan...I also read it as simply not all of the hockey fans in Caps Country are Caps fans. Obviously this is true anywhere but I do think DC is one of those special exceptions because so many people that live here are from other places and bring their allegiances with them. I mean, how many people actually move TO Pittsburgh or Buffalo for example? The only thing I didn't buy was the bandwagon aspect Stokley Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05581565211082579802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-55112079588842405592008-08-20T21:45:00.000-04:002008-08-20T21:45:00.000-04:00Well, I couldn't agree more if that's his point......Well, I couldn't agree more if that's his point... but if that's his point, it's an obvious one (though most likely exaggerated in D.C.). <BR/><BR/>It seems to me he's saying that Caps fans make up a relatively small subset of D.C.-area hockey fans, which I'm not sure I necessarily believe, for the reasons I noted.JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13144581988817631208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14427229.post-46699562895201984552008-08-20T21:40:00.000-04:002008-08-20T21:40:00.000-04:00I don't think that's what Greg's first suggestion ...I don't think that's what Greg's first suggestion means. I think, rather, that he means there's a pool of hockey fans, only part of which is composed by Caps fans. This of course is the case everywhere, but Greg has a point that many Washingtonians are not from the area and only stay in the region for a few years before moving on. Thus there are many who maybe like hockey in the abstract, or rootAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com