Article: Why Didn't the Wild Do More To Celebrate PWHL Minnesota's Championship?

[Jon]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Jon, would you happen to have any idea how the attendance at games and on tv went? I honestly don't know either. 

Usually, when the team honors the Twins, Vikings or Timberwolves, isn't it usually during a game, like with the Let's Play Hockey chant, or during an intermission or tv timeout. Something we don't usually see fully on tv. We will likely have to wait until next season to get such a thing. But I would look at the PWHL club getting some recognition. 

I think it is more upon the State of Hockey in general though, to have the celebration. Was it a big enough thing for a parade? I don't know.

I'm not sure I'm understanding this part. Didn't the WNBA team win a couple of championships a short time ago? What did the area do for them? One would think that the interest in hockey would trump the interest in basketball and whatever they did for the WNBA team, would be exceeded. But, that is not on the Wild, that is on the area. 

At this point I have no idea. Russo, the Wild writer for the Athletic, put the league on blast for the handling of the Darwitz situation. Imo, the league has handled the whole thing beyond poorly, so I don’t really trust anything they say, including what the numbers are for attendance and views. 

I get what you’re saying. Honestly, I don’t think I can say anything at this point. Because if the team was to be celebrated, there’s probably gonna be some polarization. Just watching this draft unfold for Minnesota was rife with some bad connotations. Unsure of what to think of the organization/league as of right now.

 

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I'm not sure I'm understanding this part. Didn't the WNBA team win a couple of championships a short time ago? What did the area do for them? One would think that the interest in hockey would trump the interest in basketball and whatever they did for the WNBA team, would be exceeded. But, that is not on the Wild, that is on the area. 

That’s what I meant about the women winning national championships, referring to the Lynx and one PWHL trophy. 
 

Lynx got parades and a bunch of events with the state officials I believe. Thats all I can’t remember so I can say for sure what more.

Edited June 11 by Jon

[raithis]

I watched about half the games.  They were televised on Bally.  

Attendance always seemed to average around 9,000-10,000 when announcers made note of it, though there were times when it was more than that more than less. 

That said, the other teams in the league play in smaller arenas while Minnesota uses Xcel.  That said, attendance seemed fairly consistent for all 6 teams, though some seemed to pull a little lower than 9,000.

The league was woefully unprepared for apparel sales.  The demand was much higher than the supply at times.

My main gripes are a) the league didn't create team names for any of the 6 teams, b) the officiating was all over the place, c) the entire league is owned by one guy, making each team seem less autonomous, and d) the guy who owns the league put his mitts all over the trophy before the players did.  In the NHL, they handle the trophy with gloves because it's for the people who earn the right to hold it, but he grabbed it like he owned it - which of course he did.  Okay one more gripe... can't the trophy have been named after a remarkable female hockey player rather than the owner of the league (yes, I know where the Stanley name comes from)?  The Walters may own the league and make money off it, but it's not really theirs.

[mnfaninnc]

19 hours ago, Jon said:

Lynx got parades and a bunch of events with the state officials I believe. Thats all I can’t remember so I can say for sure what more.

And this is what I would have expected from the state officials, specifically because they won it playing in St. Paul. And, this was sort of my main point: It's not on the Wild to do this, it is on the State/City to do this. 

I'm with you on the attendance stuff. I was hoping someone who attended regularly could speak to that because actual attendance and announced attendance are 2 different things. 

The one thing I don't like about women's hockey is the lack of contact. Of course, in the men's game, the contact has been getting less and less until it's playoffs. I don't like that either.

[mnfaninnc]

4 hours ago, raithis said:

I watched about half the games.  They were televised on Bally.  

Attendance always seemed to average around 9,000-10,000 when announcers made note of it, though there were times when it was more than that more than less. 

That said, the other teams in the league play in smaller arenas while Minnesota uses Xcel.  That said, attendance seemed fairly consistent for all 6 teams, though some seemed to pull a little lower than 9,000.

The league was woefully unprepared for apparel sales.  The demand was much higher than the supply at times.

My main gripes are a) the league didn't create team names for any of the 6 teams, b) the officiating was all over the place, c) the entire league is owned by one guy, making each team seem less autonomous, and d) the guy who owns the league put his mitts all over the trophy before the players did.  In the NHL, they handle the trophy with gloves because it's for the people who earn the right to hold it, but he grabbed it like he owned it - which of course he did.  Okay one more gripe... can't the trophy have been named after a remarkable female hockey player rather than the owner of the league (yes, I know where the Stanley name comes from)?  The Walters may own the league and make money off it, but it's not really theirs.

GREAT SCOUTING REPORT RAITHIS!

My bet is that if the league actually is a success, that in a few years the trophy will be renamed. It is odd that the league owner also owns every team. I would have thought they would have looked for some NHL alumni to put out front and center with ownership. 

[Beast]

First off, the league itself is a joke.  Before the SJW’s get up in arms, I’m talking about the administration and execution.  I’m all about a professional women’s hockey league.  My daughter is youth hockey player and it was appointment TV for us.

It’s fairly well documented how poorly it was run.  The league forced out the first GM to win a championship within days.  They threw something together and paraded out teams without mascots, likely due to time constraints and unwillingness to pony up for all of the related marketing materials and merch.  They didn’t do themselves any favors there.  They dug the hole,  not the Wild.

This reflects all of this SJW Culture right now, where everyone with a smart phone parades their opinions, overreacts and condemns and wants someone else to do the work because of [insert a long line of excuses, like the those used by the admin above].  It’s nothing but pure, unadulterated virtue signaling.  Most don’t care about the cause, they want people to think they do.  It’s vanity.  Social media dopamine hit addicts.

Its absolutely absurd to drag the Wild.  Asinine.  You’re mad because they didn’t make enough social media posts?  But, they provided them a practice facility, had players in for the puck drop, etc.  You know, something actually meaningful instead of just lip service.  Hockey Wilderness writes one or two damn articles all year, and thinks they have right to criticize the Wild?

It’s not their responsibility to market a women’s hockey league.  The league can do it on their own merit.  They’re equally capable.  Insinuating they are at some deficit if they don’t get outside help is in itself discriminatory.

Lastly, you think they didn’t meet your threshold for number of social media posts to be adequately woke because they were jealous they won a championship?  Seriously, that’s absolute garbage.  Absolute garbage.