How many NHL fans do we have here? (5 Viewers)

[timinater]

Regina hosted the Memorial Cup in 2018 and that is always some amazing hockey to watch in person. Regina Pats 2017 Playoff run was some of the most enjoyable hockey I've seen in my life and @ $40 a ticket in the later rounds of the playoffs was an absolute bargain. 32oz beer for $10 made for some rowdy crowds.

I still play every Friday at noon, and played beer leagues for about 10 years before kids. Paying $700+ a year with a ton of 11:45pm ice times, plus the usual beer league BS got old real fast once kids were in the picture.

 

[Dix]

Well.... I THINK Maine still counts as the USA (not so sure about Vermont) & up here you come out of the womb on skates or skis.

While we're not big enough for an NHL team of our own, we're all Bruins fans up here. I can't remember the last time I saw a Celtics jersey or bumper-sticker. Might have been back in the 70s. But, you'll see people wearing Bruins gear even in the middle of summer. & about every other SUV has a black & gold "B" logo on the rear window.

Portland was the home of the AHL's Portland Pirates from 1993-2016, & the Maine Mariners before that going back to 1977. When the Quebec Nordiques were a part of the WHA, their farm club was the Maine Nordiques, who called Lewiston home until the AHL joined the NHL. When I was playing HS hockey it was kinda' cool to see the Nordiques logo under your feet.

We consider basketball the winter sport for girls.... seriously, no joke.... no exaggeration.

The home ice for my old High School hockey team (currently known as Androscoggin Bank Colisée - Lewiston, ME) is a 4,000 seat arena. & routinely sells out.... for HIGH SCHOOL hockey. Going all the way back to my tenure with LHS.... 1977-1980, & that continues to this day.

The girls basketball team can occasionally fill the 1600 seat gym if playing cross-river rivals Edward Little HS, or cross-town rivals St. Dominic's. But the boy's team can't draw flies.

That same arena was the home of a QMJHL team for 8 years.... The Lewiston Maineiacs.... yea, I had season tickets.

Some NHLers I watched playing Junior Hockey for the Maineiacs....

Jonathan Bernier - LA Kings, Toronto, Anaheim, Colorado, Detroit. (1st round pick for LA in 2006, got his name on the Stanley Cup in 2012)
David Perron - St.Louis, Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Vegas. (1st round pick for St.Louis in 2007, also got his name on the Cup in 2019)
Marc-André Cliche - LA Kings, Colorado.
(All of the above were a part of the 2007 QMJHL President's Cup team)

Éric Gélinas - NJ Devils, Colorado
Michael Chaput - Columbus, Vancouver, Montreal, Arizona.

Oh, & while we hated his guts here in Maine when he played for the Moncton Wildcats, Val-d'Or Foreurs, & the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, we've kind of found a new fondness for Brad Marchand.... funny how a change of uniform can have that effect.

Personally, I think he wants the record as the "most fined player in NHL history".

I can also claim the bragging rights to have been there for the final game at the old Boston Garden (still miss that joint) & the very 1st game at the new "TD Garden" (Yea, it may be a better building, but it ain't the same).

The NHL & NASCAR are the only two major sports I even bother watching anymore.

These days it seems the NBA is nothing but a glorified version of the same crap you can watch on any inner-city playground court. The last class-act talent checked out of that league decades ago. H*ll, I'd be willing to bet that FIS World Cup skiing has more fans than the NBA up in these parts.

Thankfully, I was there when Yaz took his farewell lap around Fenway. Later, as baseball became more about who could pump themselves full of the most steroids & get the home run record, I kind of lost interest.

Now, what you might NOT expect is, that I was never a Patriot's fan. When I was a kid, quite frankly, they sucked. The 1st football game my grandfather took me to was the Patriots vs the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hey, the uniforms are black & gold.... I know those colors.

I still to this day know the names of the "Steel Curtain". Yea, I LIKE Terry Bradshaw. Favorite linebacker of all time... Jack Lambert. I remember the "immaculate reception" & "The Italian Army", the "terrible towel", & when "The Bus" got a Super Bowl ring, it was a good day.

However, since the whole "take a knee" Kaepernick crap I haven't watched a single NFL game. & from the sounds of things, I'm not likely to start again either.

Here's what hockey thinks of "taking a knee"...

 

[Mike Wells]

Go B's

 

[Dix]

Oh, BTW..... before we get too worked up about the comments of some ignoramus that seems to be the norm that passes for on-air talent at ESPN these days, maybe we should consider the source.... I wonder what ESPN's subscriber base looks like these days?.....

Oh yea, now I remember.... it's been on a serious back-slide for quite a while....

​

... & part of the reason for that IMO is partly because of the brain power (or lack thereof) that they put in front of the cameras down in Bristol.

In another example of my ongoing quest to answer the question, "Have we really gotten this stupid?", let's unpack the "genius" that is Max Kellerman shall we?...

The term "four major team sports" has been around as long as I have (yea... THAT long) & everybody pretty much knows what it means. Or at least they did.

OK... so what are they?

Major League Baseball - When I was growing up, it was number one, & it wasn't even close. Today, MLB has slipped to #2.

National Football League - The new #1 since the mid-late 1970s. The NFL/AFL merger wasn't such a bad idea after all.

National Basketball Association - Had been flirting with dropping to #4 for a while. Especially since the latest round of NHL expansion, NBC took over NHL coverage, & ESPN has basically all but become "The NBA Network" for all intents & purposes. Funny how that timing happened.

OK, so there's 3 of the 4.... and # 4 is???????

I suppose in the warped politically-correct worldview of Kellerman & ESPN they'd LOVE to say.... "why, Major League Soccer of course."

& few other delusional drones have offered up "the stats" that pathetically try & prove that case. The biggest of which is citing that the average MLS game packs a whopping 25 thousand fans in to a game while the NHL manages a meager 17.5K average.

Knowledgeable hockey fans counter that with seasonal overall attendance... For the NHL that comes in at around 22 Million, give or take. Which dwarfs MLS's 8-1/2 by more than a bit.

But, reality is, neither of those are the real story. Let's take a closer look, shall we?....

Neither of those numbers means much when you consider that an MLS team only plays about 20 games a season, vs the NHL team's 80-100 depending on playoffs survival. Also, add to that the smallest of MLS stadiums hold more than the majority of NHL arenas, & half of them more than double the capacity of the largest buildings in the NHL.

Nope.... neither of those numbers "prove" anything, in reality. Although, with the above figures in mind if I told you the average venue capacity of the NHL was roughly 17,500 would that be a hint?

Yea, average NHL game attendance & average building size are THAT close. (but, I STILL miss the old Boston Garden )

Here's a couple "real world" numbers.....

Average television audience.... (best official estimates I could find)
2017-18 NHL Season: 460,000
2016-17 MLS Season: 250,000

Half the NHL audience.... barely.

Here's the best one.... & IMO the best gauge.... Average Seasonal Revenue Per Team. That's the best gauge of how many fans you've got. If you don't have fans, you don't generate income.... period. & the more of 'em you've got, the more you generate... simple economics boys & girls.... & this isn't total revenues, it's average PER TEAM... so it's an apples to apples comparison. (scale in millions of $)

​

Yea.... #4 is obviously, The National Hockey League. & it's not even a close call. In fact, all of the top 4 team sports, hard as that may be to believe, have been enjoying a bit of a rise over the last decade. While MLS is pretty much flat-lined in a very distant 5th.

When all is said & done, major league sports is still a business. & like any other business your success or failure is always measured in money. No money, no business, no league. period.

Bottom line, the "top 4 team sports" are still the same "top 4" they've been even since I 1st laced up a pair of skates & the NHL was only 6 teams.

& Max Kellerman, quite frankly, is an idiot for whom, if active Gray Matter were gunpowder, couldn't generate enough force to blow his nose.

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

Speaking of Brad Marchand, this was one year ago today! It's only 1 minute long, so I recommend watching it on a loop over and over.

 

[Mike Wells]

However, since the whole "take a knee" Kaepernick crap I haven't watched a single NFL game. & from the sounds of things, I'm not likely to start again either.

Here's what hockey thinks of "taking a knee"...

Nice coach. Not so thinly veiled misogynism and racism. Glad he's not coaching my son.
Definitely NOT "what hockey thinks":
https://www.times-standard.com/2020...nce-turn-to-colin-kaepernick-to-fight-racism/

 

[Dix]

Not so thinly veiled misogynism and racism.

It's neither actually.... but thanks for chiming in with more evidence in the answer to my ongoing question.

Personally, I think we need more coaches exactly like him in all forms of sports at all levels, which exactly this level of brains & this brand of guts.

Throwing the misogyny label in the toilet because that one is totally out of context and/or just plain dumb to try and apply it here...

What EXACTLY is racist about it?.... I'd LOVE to hear that explanation.

 

[WedgeRock]

This is getting dangerously close to Politics. I 100% support respecting the flag. But I also respect freedom of speech. As a coach, I'm not going to force anyone else to respect the flag and I'm not going to punishing them for not respecting it. I wont like you disrespecting the flag, but I'm not going to force you to stand against your will. That is just going to widen the divide.

 

[Dix]

Everything is political... right down to the toilet paper you wipe your *ss with.... if you don't believe that, ask someone involved in the timber/paper business.

I'm in Maine.... we're known for 4 things.... timber, potatoes, lobster, & blueberries. Politics is all over all 4.

You don't want to stand for the anthem.... fine.... as the coach said, "grab your gear get & get the **** out."

That doesn't stop you from saying anything... you can not stand for the anthem anytime you wish..... ON YOUR OWN TIME!!!!

You put on someone else's uniform, in THEIR building, you represent that organization... you're on THEIR dime. It's their name on the paycheck you're getting.

 

[charitycase]

Oh, & while we hated his guts here in Maine when he played for the Moncton Wildcats, Val-d'Or Foreurs, & the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, we've kind of found a new fondness for Brad Marchand.... funny how a change of uniform can have that effect.

Still 'too soon' for me to warm-up to Marchand..

 

[FordPickup92]

Guys can we try to keep this friendly - I dont need the thread being shunned to the political forum. Hockey talk is cool and I know theres lots of ego in it, I'm all for USA yada yada, just try to keep it reasonable/respectable please. Mods dont need more cleaning up to do around here

 

[WedgeRock]

Everything is political... right down to the toilet paper you wipe your *ss with.... if you don't believe that, ask someone involved in the timber/paper business.

I'm in Maine.... we're known for 4 things.... timber, potatoes, lobster, & blueberries. Politics is all over all 4.

Agreed.

You don't want to stand for the anthem.... fine.... as the coach said, "grab your gear get & get the **** out."

That doesn't stop you from saying anything... you can not stand for the anthem anytime you wish..... ON YOUR OWN TIME!!!!

You put on someone else's uniform, in THEIR building, you represent that organization... you're on THEIR dime. It's their name on the paycheck you're getting.

I sorta agree. As an employee (player, whatever), you have a responsibility to your employer (team, whatever) to promote their success... And as a side benefit, ideally you promote your own success.

I don't agree that an employer (team, whatever) can force their ideology on you. I will stand for the flag. The flag that represents freedom of speech, religion, idea, etc.

I think we all agree that an employer cannot force you to [insert accepted constitutional protection here -- like go to church on Sundays]. But an employer *can* force you to wear their work uniform. This falls somewhere in between those two extremes. I respect your opinion (and the coach's position in this video), but for me, forcing players not to kneel for the national anthem falls on the unacceptable side of that spectrum.

My God...did I just agree with Colin Kapernick?!

On that point, I don't agree with what Colin Kapernick did... but I agree he has the right to do it. And I have the right to think he's an asshat for doing it.

 

[Dix]

Still 'too soon' for me to warm-up to Marchand..
View attachment 475092

That's why we hated him up here when he was in the QMJHL & playing for someone else.

Look up the word "instigator" in a dictionary.... you might find his picture as the definition. Of course, there has (and is) been much more colorful verbiage used to describe him.

 

[WedgeRock]

That's why we hated him up here when he was in the QMJHL & playing for someone else.

Are you Broons fans up in Maine, then?

I never understood that... rooting for a team in another state... I understand that someone rooting for their own team for whatever reason, but not a whole region rooting for a team in another state... I've always rooted for the Yankees, but I still root for my local Tigers, perhaps even more now. Maybe the Patriots got it right by indicating they are from "New England" and not "Boston" or even "Massachusetts."

When I lived in Illinois, those in the far northern suburbs of Chicago (like so far north that it might not even be fair calling them suburbs -- but still in Illinois) were unapologetically Packers fans.

 

[Dix]

I think we all agree that an employer cannot force you to [insert accepted constitutional protection here -- like go to church on Sundays].

....forcing players not to kneel for the national anthem falls on the unacceptable side of that spectrum.

Not unacceptable at all....

Nobody is forcing you to believe or not believe anything... personally speaking.

But if I'm going to pay you, you understand that while you wear that uniform you represent my organization. & it will be the position of this organization that we stand for the anthem out of respect for what that means, and most importantly, those who gave their lives so you could enjoy the very freedom than allows you to make that kind of money playing a game in the land where you enjoy that opportunity.

& in the case of hockey (& other sports in these parts), we're extending that courtesy to the other team as well. (Hell, at this point I know all the words to "O Canada"... in both languages, and I don't speak french.)

& if you can't agree to that... there's the door.... you're free to go try playing for someone and/or somewhere else.

 

[WedgeRock]

You and I are on the same page, for the most part. But there are some decisions that are personal and can't be forced on an employee/player, IMO.

But if I'm going to pay you, you understand that while you wear that uniform you represent my organization. & it will be the position of this organization that we stand for the anthem out of respect for what that means, and most importantly, those who gave their lives so you could enjoy the very freedom than allows you to make that kind of money playing a game in the land where you enjoy that opportunity.

& in the case of hockey (& other sports in these parts), we're extending that courtesy to the other team as well. (Hell, at this point I know all the words to "O Canada"... in both languages, and I don't speak french.)

& if you can't agree to that... there's the door.... you're free to go try playing for someone and/or somewhere else.

That's not outrageous. For most of us.

What if your employee/player is Native American. And his/her grandfather told him/her stories of oppression at the hands of the US Army in the 1700s and 1800s and even as recently as the early 1900s. Are you going to force me to go against my ideologies because others gave their lives so you could enjoy your freedom? To me, this crosses the line.

To continue with the 80's movie clips to illustrate my point, start at 0:49:

 

[Dix]

Are you Broons fans up in Maine, then?

I never understood that... rooting for a team in another state... I understand that someone rooting for their own team for whatever reason, but not a whole region rooting for a team in another state... I've always rooted for the Yankees, but I still root for my local Tigers, perhaps even more now. Maybe the Patriots got it right by indicating they are from "New England" and not "Boston" or even "Massachusetts."

When I lived in Illinois, those in the far northern suburbs of Chicago (like so far north that it might not even be fair calling them suburbs -- but still in Illinois) were unapologetically Packers fans.

Well.... you COULD get all historical about it & remember that Maine, prior to 1820, was Massachusetts. Although, don't try to tell that to certain natives up here... that could be a somewhat risky proposition... the word "Masshole" is a part of the vocabulary of some in these parts.

The geography is what it is, & since there is no NHL team north of Boston, if you're a hockey fan in Maine (& there are a sizable majority of them up here) the Bruins are it. Prior to them leaving Quebec, you could find a few old holdover Nordiques fans around the Lewiston area. From back in the day when Quebec's farm club played there.

If you're in the southern part of the state (as the majority of the population is) the Garden is only a couple hours give or take down I-95. You'd be surprised how many up here attend games regularly.

Bruins fans are just as abundant as Red Sox & Patriots fans up here. Celtics fans are a different story, but then as I mentioned, basketball runs a very distant 4th in these parts. D*mn near microscopic in comparison. At the High School level, hockey is just as popular as football.

As for the northern Illinois Packers fans.... once you get close to the state line, Chicago & Milwaukee are close enough to a coin-flip distance-wise.

 

[BarrieJ3]

You put on someone else's uniform, in THEIR building, you represent that organization... you're on THEIR dime. It's their name on the paycheck you're getting.

A local law enforcement officer, and an assistant coach. From his language ("my ice" & "my team"), definitely thought he was owner/proprietor, or at the very least head coach. And while many might disagree with you, can't fault you here! If you are an employee of mine or my company, you represent me.

Now that being said, if I have any employee that unilaterally makes sweeping decisions, especially regarding divisive current events, that employee would be immediately reprimanded, whether I agreed with his stance and position or not. Ownership was unaware this was going to happen, and supported him in the aftermath. That does not change the fact that this man, purely from a business and professional standpoint (no politics), was 100% completely out of line. What if he had not asked anyone and done the exact opposite, pushing the team to support the other leagues? Still would have been out of line business and professional wise.

I wouldn't allow anyone in my company to think that they hold this type of decision making power, and the fact that it was someone in a position of power over others (in both occupations), would make me question their role in my organization even more (regardless of politics).

 

[Dix]

You and I are on the same page, for the most part. But there are some decisions that are personal and can't be forced on an employee/player, IMO.

Yes they can... If I'm the one paying the freight, & while you're on my dime. It's that simple.

You can have and express whatever personal view you have.... on your time, not mine.

What if your employee/player is Native American. And his/her grandfather told him/her stories of oppression at the hands of the US Army in the 1700s and 1800s and even as recently as the early 1900s. Are you going to force me to go against my ideologies because others gave their lives so you could enjoy your freedom? To me, this crosses the line.

Don't use movie clips... I don't even watch 'em.... Hollywood is a p*ss-poor way to prove anything. Micheal Moore makes movies about crap too. & he's just as wrong as the rest of 'em. How many of the predictions AlGore made in his have panned out?

& getting all Indian about it isn't going to work very well either.... my mother's half Cree.

(Take a gander at an old picture I put up in the thread about guitars & ask yourself where I got that particular head of hair from. )

So you're going to get about as far with that as you would trying to use the phony "oppression" argument for Black Lives Matter with former Milwaukee County Sheriff, David Clarke...

In case you missed it... Clarke labeled 'em "Black Lies Matter". Which IMO is more accurate.

(Prop Bet: How many snowflakes would love to jump in my Cheerios right now to call me a racist?... for quoting a black man. )

But, with the specific regard to your question.... I reject completely & utterly, here in the 21st frickin' century, the entire "grievance" industry.

Here, in the year 2020, show me EXACTLY how YOU have been oppressed. The number of people who could do that, as we stand today, red or black, if you got them all together in one place, you could fit 'em all in your average hockey rink. 'Cause you sure as h*ll ain't talking about very many born after about 1960. & once you get to 1980, that number is closer to zero than any other integer.

If that were not the case, how the h*ll did Obama get elected? How did Clarence Thomas get appointed to the Supreme Court (by a racist republican no less). or even better....how in h*ll, in a "racist" society, does a dirt-poor black kid from Detroit come from less than nothing to become one of the very top pediatric neurosurgeons on the entire planet?

None of that happens if the USA is indeed actually "systemically racist" and "oppressive" to minorities.

All of that crap, every single minuscule bit of it... lock, stock, & barrel.... is bullsh*t.... in the 21st century.

Personally, I haven't blamed "you white people" for a single d*mn thing... ever. Neither, by the way, has my mother. As for her parents/relatives.... well... they could get drunk some night & decide to turn off the lights in Quebec... just for a laugh.

Now, I'm not saying there aren't individual racists in this (or any other) country. There are, and unless you want to get into genetic engineering, there always will be. But the "prevalence" of them, in the year 2020, is microscopic in relative terms. If you held a convention of "White Supremacists" you could fit it in your average gymnasium... with room left over for a heckling gallery... plus concessions.

The entire "Grievance Industry"... & make no mistake, that's exactly what it is... remains alive for one reason & one reason only.... to continue to empower the particular brand of race-baiting racist snakes running it. Period.

Want to see an actual racist.... find the guy that managed to work racism into an election between a rich white guy & a corrupt white woman. There's your racist.

Now... in getting back to the point. My point still stands.... Who's paying the bills? Who's name is on your paycheck? That's who makes the rules. End of story.

If you have some principled opposition to that such that you can't abide by those rules, you are free to leave & peddle your wares elsewhere. It's a free country.

Your freedoms stop when you want to impose your statements & beliefs on MY time (& dime). You are perfectly free to say and do as you wish. However, that does NOT mean that I am obligated to listen, have anything to do with it, or to provide you with a platform. Which is what your position does.

 

[Dix]

That does not change the fact that this man, purely from a business and professional standpoint (no politics), was 100% completely out of line.

What the laws are in France, I have no idea..... But, here in the USA, he is/was 100% within his right with regard to the organization.

This assumes of course, ownership/upper management was in agreement... which, they apparently were since there was never any fallout, & the guy was just given an award by the league.

https://www.danburyhattricks.com/news/asst-coach-john-krupinsky-given-fphl-founder-s-awa​

In exactly the same way the 49ers had every right to dump Kaepernick & no other team was obligated to hire him.

 

[BarrieJ3]

What the laws are in France, I have no idea..... But, here in the USA, he is/was 100% within his right with regard to the organization (assuming of course, ownership/upper management was in agreement... which, they apparently were since there was never any fallout).

In exactly the same way the 49ers had every right to dump Kaepernick & no other team was obligated to hire him.

I’m from the US. No idea why you’re mentioning the legality of his action or making that the new point, as that is found nowhere in my response.

Your freedoms stop when you want to impose your statements & beliefs on MY time (& dime).

It’s not his dime. He is an employee like any other under ownership. As he represents them, at no point should he be unilaterally making decisions such as this, or sharing them from a professional pulpit. Without any word from management or ownership, he should not have imposed his personal statements, beliefs, and vision upon the team and it’s players, and then released that publicly. The happenstance that they agreed and supported him after the fact has no bearing on what I initially said, his actione “purely from a business and professional standpoint (no politics), was 100% completely out of line“.

That is literally pretty much quoting what you’ve said over and over, if you want to disagree with yourself, feel free. Also, this isn’t politics, this is kind of general business common sense, but given your previous response to wedgerock, might I welcome everyone to the politics forum?

 

[BarrieJ3]

@David O sorry for the headache, going up one or two responses it’s heavily political.

OP and others asked users to try and abstain from politics so they wouldn’t lose the whole thread. Figured I’d @ you before an admin might move the whole thread over, any chance you could just move over that one or two comments and leave the rest?

 

[Numerobis]

Die hard Habs fan here, I lived in Mtl many years in the 80s and 90s and was lucky to see the superstars of then: Gretzky, Lemieux, Roy, Hull, Sakic, ...
I lived across the street from the Forum and used to buy cheap tickets from scalpers just when the game started. The cup of 93, and the rivalry with the Cam Neely and the Bruins Good memories

For me, NHL hockey (not international one however) is the pinnacle of team sports: fast, technical, rough, subtle, smart.

 

[Dix]

I’m from the US. No idea why you’re mentioning the legality of his action or making that the new point, as that is found nowhere in my response.\

Look to the left..... that's the flag of France under your name. & Azkaban is a fictional British joint... so where should anyone assume you're from given those clues?

As for your consternation with it.... those who's dimes it is obviously have/had zero problem with it. Meaning, if they're OK with it, he's got every right to say it & act on it.... which again, they obviously were.

Krupinsky, a sergeant for Danbury Police by day, has been an assistant coach for Danbury in the FPHL dating back to the days of the Danbury Whalers. His continued perseverance and devotion to hockey in the Hat City is an inspiration, and his contributions are invaluable to the Hat Tricks' organization.

- March 17, 2020

Making your entire argument pointless.

 

[Dix]

the rivalry with the Cam Neely and the Bruins Good memories

Now, yur talkin' my language.

That building of yours was 'effing cursed...... frickin' Forum.

When Lewiston had the QMJHL team, Roy was the coach of the Quebec Ramparts... & his kid played for him too.

 

[BarrieJ3]

Look to the left..... that's the flag of France under your name. & Azkaban is a fictional British joint... so where should anyone assume you're from given those clues?

As for your consternation with it.... those who's dimes it is obviously have/had zero problem with it. Meaning, if they're OK with it, he's got every right to say it & act on it.... which again, they obviously were.

Making your entire argument pointless.

I was agreeing with you and without moving the goalposts or editing, using your quotes verbatim. I give up. You’re right, we were wrong.

 

[WedgeRock]

All of that crap, every single minuscule bit of it... lock, stock, & barrel.... is bullsh*t.... in the 21st century.

Any statement that is that absolute is almost always wrong. Do you really believe that there is zero instances of systemic racism in the country right now?

Now, I'm not saying there aren't individual racists in this (or any other) country. There are, and unless you want to get into genetic engineering, there always will be.

We agree here.

But the "prevalence" of them, in the year 2020, is microscopic in relative terms.

And I hope you are right here. But my son works for a local hardware store. A well groomed, well-spoken and intelligent black kid came in to apply for a job. He did well on the math exam. When he left, the manager said, "There is no way [the owner] will hire that kid. He's black."

I never said you were wrong, and I respect your opinion. You seem like a respectful and patriotic person. Let me ask you this. Do you agree an employer/owner is well within its rights to require its employees/players to take a knee during the National Anthem (or some other form of disrespect for the nation)?

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

Can we get this thread back on topic and agree that Brad Marchand is a douchebag?

 

[David O]

I’m from the US. No idea why you’re mentioning the legality of his action or making that the new point, as that is found nowhere in my response.


It’s not his dime. He is an employee like any other under ownership. As he represents them, at no point should he be unilaterally making decisions such as this, or sharing them from a professional pulpit. Without any word from management or ownership, he should not have imposed his personal statements, beliefs, and vision upon the team and it’s players, and then released that publicly. The happenstance that they agreed and supported him after the fact has no bearing on what I initially said, his actione “purely from a business and professional standpoint (no politics), was 100% completely out of line“.

That is literally pretty much quoting what you’ve said over and over, if you want to disagree with yourself, feel free. Also, this isn’t politics, this is kind of general business common sense, but given your previous response to wedgerock, might I welcome everyone to the politics forum?

You all play nice, follow the site rules and we won't have to move it!

 

[Mike Wells]

So 100% true story:
One of my best friends in college was from Farmington Maine. Shortly after he moved here we drove downtown from Oxford to watch a Reds game. I wanted him to see some different parts of the city, so I drove through West End, which was largely project housing. Poor. All black. It was summer, so everyone was out on their stoops. He almost had a heart attack. Started yelling at me to roll my windows up, and to get the F out of there. He was in his 20s and had never been in a black neighborhood. He said he had never even seen more than one black person at a time. He's not racist at all, by the way. But he was truly afraid he was gonna die that day.
.
As an aside...I like the Black Bears a lot. I was fortunate to see the great Paul Kariya play for them in 93. He was on his way to becoming the first freshman ever to win the Hobey!
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I definitely like hockey more than politics. I'll just say this: Colin Kap is a hero to the black community, and that's how history is gonna remember him. The people who tried to silence him will not fare so well. Doesn't really matter whether they had the right to or not. It warms my heart that the NHL and the Sharks leadership have put their full support behind Evander Kane and the black players' alliance. Go Sharks!
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I'm also a Bruins fan. I used to work at a hockey camp owned by Wayne Cashman. He would come in by limo once a week sign autographs, and leave.
But If there is anything we can all agree on...no matter what our politics...

...it's that Marchand is a little bitch.

(edit) and Jack Edwards is the greatest announcer in the game. Change my mind.