Climate Change At The Bell ?

[PB]

Bertrand in le Journal de Montreal is wondering about what might have caused the shift in the CH's

fans mood lately at the Bell.

The booing he's heard lately seems, according to him,...too emotionnally based and inconsistent with

sound hockey knowledge overall.

He points out the Bell as not being probably a very good place for players to be performing in......

and certainly not what playing in Montreal used to be.

He wonder why the legends of the past seems to always generate much veneration from the

cheerfull fans all the while conditionnal cheers might be the best a player will ever get here

nowdays,.....conditionnal to his last few games,..even to his last shifts on the ice.

He wonders if today's players deviations from the total commitment of players'past have not in itsef promoted the fan's suspiciousness towards them.

He wonders if the lock-out has something to do with it,.....or the hight salarys,.....or the ungoing lack

of successes,........or the ever increasing prices associated with having a good night at the Bell.....he

wonders about what could be behind this degenerating climate at the Bell Centre which he finds

somewhat innapropriate, irritating and distasfull. ( my interpretation ).

I wonder about the situation, and because I dont attend myself ( I cant stand sittind there while the game is artificially interrupted 3 times in each period ) and because I have been away from Montreal for quite some

years lately......I wonder what you guys think about any of that ?

Edited March 21, 2006 by PB

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Passion and a desire to win. Even more than that.....The greatest franchise in sports history carries high expectations. The fans are restless, they remember the wins, the Stanley cups. Drinking from the cup quenches the thirst but alas my throat is dry again!

Demand for excellence, the calling card of a successful company. Donald Trump does not accept anything less than excellence-YOUR FIRED.

13 years of crap from this team. The bad GMs, the bad players....13 years is a long time. Classy or not the fans have a right to be restless, to compain, to boo.

No more excuses, we want a cup Bob.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Interesting (although subjecting specific players to merciless ongoing booing is not unique to this generation of Habs fans; JC Tremblay faced the same thing in the 1960s, and others probably have too).

I think the explanation may lie partly in the soulless blandness of the team in recent years:

http://forums.habsworld.net/index.php?showtopic=6052

[GreggieMcHabfan]

I think this year's fan base is simply confused.

At several times during the season the Canadiens look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contendor, while at other times they resemble a team destined for last place. The booing at the Phone Booth (AKA Bell Centre), this season, is probably born of the frustrations that surround an inconsistent team.

I am overly positive about this team, but even I was tempted to boo during their 2-1 home ice loss to Tampa last week. Instead, I cursed out loud at a group of fans trying to make it back to their seats while the play was going on. I took my frustrations out on them.

[kaos]

I'd think most of those things you mentioned plus some of the other posts as well.

I'd say the lockout had a big effect. Players salaries definitley. A lack of effort, which is exaccerbated by the lockout and inflated salaries, and a poor quality product. This city is used to parades every 7 years on average, and its been 12 years since we've seen one and in all our heart of hearts this team is no where near close to winning a championship any time soon....and thats very frustrating.