|
|
Member Updates – 10/22/01
NHLFA Members Update
|
Hi to the 17,626 members of the NHL Fans' Association.
The results of our fourth annual Fan Report poll have been tabulated.
The Fan Report asked NHLFA members to respond to a broad range of
questions on the game, ranging from ticket prices, to ice quality,
expansion and officiating.
The Fan Report shows several issues continue to rate high on the list of
your concerns, including poor ice quality around the League, the high
cost of attending NHL games and an apparent transformation in
officiating from the regular season to the playoffs.
Following, are some of the highlights from the 2001 NHLFA Fan Report
poll.
- 81% feel there should be some form of team/player salary cap in the NHL;
- 74% believe the NHL should adopt a broad revenue sharing program to encompass all teams;
- 87% of respondents say the NHL must implement a policy to ensure greater flexibility of rink board glass to help reduce player injuries;
- nearly 89% say the NHL has to do something to improve ice quality around the league;
- 86% feel ticket prices for NHL games are too high;
- 90% of respondents believe fighting is part of hockey and do not want to see it banned from the NHL;
- almost 94% of respondents say the officiating is different in the playoffs than it is in the regular season (there is no other professional sport where this happens).
The full results of the Fan Report poll can be viewed on-line at
http://www.nhlfa.com/fanreport/2001.asp
The 2001 Fan Report results will be sent to the NHL, the NHL Players'
Association (including every NHL player), general managers of NHL clubs
and sports media.
We have also reached an agreement with the NHL granting the NHLFA a
license to use the name and initials of the 'National Hockey League' as
part of the NHLFA's name and initials.
In a nutshell, the deal means the NHLFA can continue to use the name
'NHLFA' and 'National Hockey League Fans' Association' at no cost, and
can also pursue corporate sponsorship opportunities, which were
unavailable before. We will aggressively seek out sponsors in the
coming weeks to help fund the organization. Most importantly, we will
continue to perform the same advocacy role on behalf of hockey fans that
we always have, only now we hope to be able to expand more rapidly.
Thanks to everyone who subscribed to The Hockey News as part of our
NHLFA promotion (to learn more about the promotion click this link
http://www.nhlfa.com/news/nr06_16_01.asp). Close to 100 NHLFA members
will now receive the 'Bible of Hockey'. This is your last chance to
help the NHLFA promote itself in THN. Please visit
http://www.nhlfa.com/thn and subscribe now.
Finally, please continue to encourage your friends and family to join
the NHLFA by visiting our Web site at http://www.nhlfa.com/
Jim Boone
boone@nhlfa.com
Jim Spendlove
spendlove@nhlfa.com
|
|
