Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
That's the point unconditional support is...UNCONDITIONAL! Real fans shouldn't need their team to do anything to "earn" support. Do you quit being a fan when they're bad?

Voting with the wallet in Canada for hockey doesn't mean as much as it might in other sports, say...baseball. Canada's a different animal when it comes to hockey, and city like Montreal that has something like 3.5 million people in the area should never be anything less than sold forever, regardless of team success. Small cities like Edmonton and Ottawa sell out more often than not on less than 1/3 the population of that city. In a far larger center, it's just simple math, 3 times the population, we'd expect 3 times the fanbase, even in bad years. Far beyond the arena capacity. There's tons of per capita support across the country. There's certain big percentage of people in Canada that are big time hockey fans. Some cities are just lucky enough to be bigger than others, and thus benefit from having more core fans buying tickets all the time. So, the fact the Bell Centre is sold out really doesn't speak to the level of support the fans give them.

I'm not knocking the guys who've had season tickets 30 years. I'm knocking the "all of a suddent I'm a Habs fan again" fans. Having spent considerable time in different US and Canadian hockey markets, I can assure you Canada has a lot more of these kind of fans. Loyal to a team only when they're winning. For whatever reason, I've experienced that more with Habs fans than any other team.
I guess I don't really understand your point because its a concept that's foreign to me. Are true fans alowed to boo their team? Are they alowed to call some players over-paid bums if their playing bad? At what point does a fan become a bandwagon fan?

I'm a Habs fan. I was when I was 10, I was when I moved to Winnipeg, I was when I moved to Ottawa, and when I moved back to montreal. I was when they were winning cups and I was when they were missing the playoffs. If they miss the playoffs for 20 straight years - I'll styill be a fan in year 21. And if in year 21 they win the Stanley Cup I will probably be somewhat more enthusiastic than I was in the previous 20 years. I always was and always will be. Am I more enthusiastic today than I was last year? Yes. Am I talking more about the team? Yes. Are their some people around town who don't normally follow hockey who seem to be showing an interest. Yes. This is a natural occurence isn't it? Would this same thing not happen in Toronto.

I;m also a Minnesota Vikings Fan. Always have been, always will be. Never cheered for any other NFL team, never will. If the Vikes are a dominant team next year, do you think I'll show more interest in their week 16 game than I did last year - Yes I will? Does this make me a bandwagon fan?

Do you think the last decade hasn't seen a resurgensce in the enthusiasm of fans in Boston for the Patriots and the Red Sox? And even turned some people into fans of those teams? I think so.

I lived in Ottawa for the past 15 years and believe me Ottawa is different this year than it was last year...are they all bandwagon fans because you don't see as many car flags as you did last year? Don't be rediculous.

Are you a Leaf fan Kexodusc? What is it really, that makes a leaf fan better than a Habs fan? Because that's what you're saying. I really do want to understand. Let's take last year, both teams missed the playoffs. How did this unconditional devotion to their team manifest itself in Toronto differently than in Montreal? Please explainf it to me.

What I think is that this is just a cop out that fans of unsuccessful teams use to dump on successful teams - because ultimately they can't criticize the team so they take cheap shots at their fans, because they are an easy target. Fans are fans. They all ***** and complain when their team sucks - and the interest in the team is greater, when the team is doing well. That's sports.

Sorry to vent like this, but someone has stick-up for Montreal fans against all these hollier-than-thou fans from TO.

We're Toronto fans so we're better...BULL****E!