October 22, 2001
For immediate release
(OTTAWA) - The National Hockey League Fans' Association (NHLFA) has released the results of its fourth annual Fan Report poll. The Fan Report asks 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 fans' concerns, including the high cost of attending NHL games, poor ice quality around the League 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 fanreport/2001.asp
The NHLFA provides the full poll results to its members, the NHL, NHL Players' Association (including every NHL player) and general managers of NHL clubs.
The NHLFA has also reached an agreement with NHL ENTERPRISES, L.P. 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.
"We will continue to perform the same advocacy role on behalf of fans that we always have, only now we hope to be able to expand more rapidly," said Jim Boone, co-founder of the Association.
Two Ottawa men, Jim Boone and Jim Spendlove, began the NHLFA in April 1998 to give fans a voice in NHL hockey. There are currently 17,600 members of the NHLFA.
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