(Sent to all NHL players October 2000)
Another hockey season is upon us and NHL hockey fans, as usual, are looking forward to it with much anticipation.
In case you are not familiar with our organization, we would like to take this opportunity to acquaint you with the National Hockey League Fans’ Association (NHLFA.com). The NHL and team owners have Gary Bettman to represent them. As players, you have your individual agents and Bob Goodenow and the NHLPA in your corner. Until recently, the fans have had no one to represent them. They now have that representation in their own Association: the NHLFA. The NHLFA was created in 1998 to provide an advocacy role on behalf of NHL fans. We charge no fee for membership and currently have more than 16,000 members, who registered via our Web site at www.NHLFA.com
Last year we presented our first NHLFA Members’ Choice Awards for NHL players, allowing members to make their choice in three categories: Best Bang for the Buck, Best Role Model and Most Valuable Player. We thought it was time the fans had the opportunity to select players who are worthy of recognition and we see this expanding greatly in the years to come. For your information, the 1999 winners were Fred Brathwaite (Best Bang for the Buck), Steve Yzerman (Best Role Model) and Jaromir Jagr (Most Valuable Player).
Another way we work to provide the fans with a voice is through our NHLFA Fan Report polls, in which we ask members to give their opinions on a wide range of NHL issues from officiating, rules, salaries, rink sizes, cost of attending games, etc. We provide the results of our polls to our members, the NHL, the NHLPA, the media and now to the players. Enclosed with this letter are the results from our 2000 Fan Report. We believe the Fan Report will give you a feeling for where the fans stand on issues affecting the game.
We wish you good health, a productive 2000-01 season, and hope that through mutual cooperation, we can improve the game for everyone.
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