Lack of atmosphere

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#41
Not being funny, but if you don’t find this team entertaining, I suggest you check your pulse. We brought back superb players from last season, and added 100% pure class. I really look forward to our games, and watching this team, some of the moves are a pure joy to watch. If we never lost Faryna for a few weeks then our mixture looks pretty neat. This post isn’t directed at anyone by the way, it’s just my opinion.
 

august04

Well-Known Member
#42
I never said I don’t find this team entertaining. Some of their play is quite brilliant at times. But we’re talking about lack of atmosphere and what can be done to rectify that and the one component that I feel this team is missing, can only improve the atmosphere of games in my opinion.
 

Kevlar68

Well-Known Member
#43
But again its all in a perfect world. I get what everyone is saying on both sides but it will also depend on the refs thoughts on the hit. We hear it time after time where hits which seemed OK have been penalised and ones that aren't OK get missed. I've seen it on here after a game about decisions.
 

pjj365

Well-Known Member
#44
I understand the boredom bit - I feel like that sometimes.

That though is nothing to do with lack of grit etc. It's more to do with the mismatch of skill level and "easy" wins.

But I love the team performance, the understandings they have, the slick passing etc. etc. A stunned silence after a particular play is a tribute to the players.

Let's just enjoy - other coaches will suss us out and competition, closer result etc. will come. Whether those coaches have the players to implement any ideas is another issue.

So let's enjoys the present while we can and not hark back to a different time
 

DevilDom

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #45
I think this thread has gone off on a bit of a tangent with all the talk of physical play.

I don’t think that is the only reason behind the poor atmosphere and my original post was more about what we can do to improve it. As we don’t sign the players I think we need to be a bit more inventive!
 

Kevlar68

Well-Known Member
#46
I don't think there is a way to fix it as people are people, some watch intently for the game, others want to see entertaining play and really get involved. a few are just there and not bothered either way. Everyone is different.
 

pjj365

Well-Known Member
#47
I think this thread has gone off on a bit of a tangent with all the talk of physical play.

I don’t think that is the only reason behind the poor atmosphere and my original post was more about what we can do to improve it. As we don’t sign the players I think we need to be a bit more inventive!
In a rather tangential way my post was on topic
Whether the players hear it - ohs and ahs for good play - is an atmosphere - low volume but nevertheless valid
The current style of play is not going to get people out of their seats and I don't know what will if we carry on playing clinical hockey
Who are we anyway to say what works for the team - only the players know this. Maybe the odd (frequent?) oh and ah (and an Ole) works for them
Maybe we need a more vocal expression of what we are seeing but what that might be I don't know
 

hip check

Well-Known Member
#48
No it isn’t. We never had too many chants at WNIR and the BBT and never had any issues with atmosphere. In my experience, you can’t force a false atmosphere, it just happens, usually when the game is eagerly anticipated, close, exciting or physical. We just haven’t had too many games like that this year apart from the CHL games when the atmospheres were generally great, from smaller crowds. IAW still feels a little soulless unfortunately for the most part, which doesn’t help either.
The atmosphere in the WNIR and BBT was certainly a cut above what's generated at the IAW, significantly imo the hockey was also played differently, we now play what I consider a European style hockey as opposed to North American which is what we had at the aforementioned rinks.
Debates have raged since the start of this season and before about people's preferences, some like the highly skilled European style others prefer the more physical style of North America.
Does the style of hockey have an effect on the atmosphere generated by devil's fans? personally I believe it does, the more physical aggressive style I believe is more likely to get fans on their feet and shouting, others will no doubt disagree with me as is their perogative.
Voth spent a lot of time in the box but he was a fan favourite because of the way he played, could we carry a similar player on our current roster? would he lose us points/games and would he bring fans to their feet with some banging hits and the occasional ding ding with the other teams bad guy?
To my mind this type of player would complement our current squad of skilled players and give the silent fans something to get worked up about, not talking super goon but a big no nonsense physical guy that takes no prisoners, we have the skill we need some grunt the fans will rise to that I believe.
 
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kingmo19.1

Well-Known Member
#49
I think part of the reason is the IAW is an all seater arena. The clientele also appears to be more family orientated - as we know, last season it could have doubled up as a crèche! The general layout - almost hospital like clinical decor doesn’t help either. The building lacks some soul.

Couple the aforementioned with some clinical Euro style game play and there is little to get exited about unless you like watching one sided drubbings!

WNIR and BBT both allowed standing and there is no better place to be apart from behind the plexi to really see and hear what’s going on. You can’t replicate the feeling in an all seater arena.
 

DevilDom

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #50
I think part of the reason is the IAW is an all seater arena. The clientele also appears to be more family orientated - as we know, last season it could have doubled up as a crèche! The general layout - almost hospital like clinical decor doesn’t help either. The building lacks some soul.

Couple the aforementioned with some clinical Euro style game play and there is little to get exited about unless you like watching one sided drubbings!

WNIR and BBT both allowed standing and there is no better place to be apart from behind the plexi to really see and hear what’s going on. You can’t replicate the feeling in an all seater arena.
Ok, but this is something that could possibly be fixed (albeit a bit of a long shot) with a standing area. I’m not sure how feasible it would be, but it doesn’t seem completely impossible. Maybe we as fans should be lobbying for that? An ideal place would be block 4 in front of the drummers and behind the goal we attack twice.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#51
So if people stand they get more excited, if your closer to the plexi you get more excited. Surely the atmosphere at the WNIR/BBT was due to the different game we were watching then, think blocks 1/2/3 which were seated was as noisy as any anywhere. Many blocks in the WNIR were rocking most nights, even the posh seats by the bar would get involved. Myself I don’t think it’s about the colour of the place, whether your standing or not, surely it’s about the product in front of your eyes. Personally I don’t have a problem with any of it, we had some crap games in both the aforementioned venues, as well as some belters.
 

Kevlar68

Well-Known Member
#52
I worked at WNIR, never went to BBT and now have been going to most home games at IAW. My observation from the fake organ pipes above the crowd was that at the WNIR the arena itself created a atmosphere. It seemed more homely and not so sterile, the fan base then came to watch the game but also for a party atmosphere, it was a different time all together.
These days sitting in Block 4 and looking around i think its become more about the game itself and people are more serious about the game. People are just in to the game not worried about the good times and i'll be honest i'm with the people who are there to watch the game for myself.
 

Gazza272

Well-Known Member
#53
I also think we are in danger of Nostalgia glasses when it comes to the WNIR and the BBT, in fact I'm pretty sure you could still find threads on here about how flat the BBT atmosphere was compared to the WNIR.

But it's not like those two buildings were a wall of noise game in game out, the Atmosphere of some of the CHL games, the Steelers CC games i'd put up against anything in the other buildings, the noise when Kurka scored an OT winner against Belfast is as noisy as any building i've seen it.

It's early season where we have won a few games comfortably, give us a few tight games post christmas in the business end of a title challenge, and the place does a 360 in terms of noise levels.
 

ASHIPP

Well-Known Member
#54
Over recent seasons, the style of the UK game has started to change and many of the rules have altered too. Now it's more skills and speed based rather than overt physicality (although there is definitely still a policing/toughness role needed on the rosters). There are still emotional crowd reactions to events during games at the IAW this season - whether it be appreciation of a great individual shift, a hit, a classy move or save, a controversial call. And some very close games have generated amazing atmosphere e.g. CC ' comeback'game against Steelers last season, CC Final the year before, Kurka's goal against against Belfast, Bordy's turnaround game against Blaze, CHL games against Lakers and Davos.

The building is not conducive to the 'pressure cooker' atmosphere of the BBT. That place was small, the crowd were so close to the ice, the hard-core fans were corralled into 3 noisy blocks. That all changed with the move to the IAW because of the distance from the ice and the season ticket holders chose new seats.

Think it's a case of realising that the game has moved on, and there atmosphere is different because of that. It's accepting it and adapting to it. I personally don't focus too much on anything other than the actual on-ice action on game night.
 

kingmo19.1

Well-Known Member
#55
We've had a few rink 'atmosphere' comparisons in this thread - WNIR v BBT v IAW.

Let's not forget that IAW holds 700 more than BBT and 500 more than WNIR and the atmosphere still isn't as good!

You'd think that the additional 700 or 500 fans would add to the atmosphere, so why is it sooooooooooo flat ???

Building / Clientelle / Style of Play ? Delete as appropriate. (Must be at least one of them!).
 

pjj365

Well-Known Member
#56
I would include all of them

1) building - it's soulless and not at all welcoming
2) Clientele - there is bound to be a number who come because it's a successful team and/or (let's be honest) a good night out
3) Style of play - now I love but it does not fire the blood like "old style hockey" did

Classy play and good "easy" wins will never raise the crowd but just wait. When there is a close game against a close rival (and we all know there will be) then the atmosphere will be electric

In the meantime let's just enjoy good hockey and trust the diehard fans to rise to the occasion when needed
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#57
1. Our building is not souless and unwelcoming
2. Clientele how can it be a good night out if it’s souless and not welcoming
3. Style of play it’s now what it is, myself I love it, not what it was but still entertaining, and certainly not souless.
Got a sneaky feeling our owners don’t think it’s souless, what you reckon Steve.
 

kingmo19.1

Well-Known Member
#58
1. Our building is not souless and unwelcoming
2. Clientele how can it be a good night out if it’s souless and not welcoming
3. Style of play it’s now what it is, myself I love it, not what it was but still entertaining, and certainly not souless.
Got a sneaky feeling our owners don’t think it’s souless, what you reckon Steve.
So care to enlighten us why it's soooooo flat ??????
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#59
How can I do that when I don’t believe it is flat !!!!!!! You do and that’s fair comment, I don’t and that’s as valid as your belief.
 

kingmo19.1

Well-Known Member
#60
Oh please Wannabe2. I have much admired your postings and super positivity over the years but deep within your 1,000,000,000,000% positive anything Devils related heart, you must acknowledge (even if it's a insy winy tiny bit) that the atmosphere is lacking somewhat this season ?
 
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