Hogan & Daughter inspire Lightning to Victory!!

Hulkamania ran wild tonight in Tampa, Florida as Hulk Hogan took the mike at the St.Pete Times Forum to inspire the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in the first game of the Stanley Cup Playoff series.

Hogan's daugher (she is hot!) sang the national anthem as Hogan looked in admiration. Then Hogan grabbed the mike and really worked the crowd into a frenzy. The Tampa Bay Lightning plan to make Hogan an honorary captain in their quest for the Stanley Cup! :yo:

Personally, I thought the hulk hogan bit before the game was cheezy beyond nothing else, but hey, we won. Stranger things have been done in the playoffs having the hulk as our honarary mascot isn't out of the question.

Oh, it was cheesy. Tacky and ridiculous, too. But so what? As long as we're winning, don't change a thing.

This crap is being used against us a tad too much:

Link (http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=e2b79aa5-da8a-427a-a125-26cce076fa42)
This is being generous, but perhaps the Canadiens couldn't get it going in an atmosphere that was more WWE than NHL: Hulk Hogan trying to pump up the crowd before the game, the Hulkster's daughter trying to warble the anthems, a few thousand post-lobotomy cases banging thundersticks (yes, thundersticks - at a playoff hockey game) frantically while barely paying attention to what happened on the ice.
...
When it comes to hockey atmosphere, a peewee game in Ile Bizard has more sizzle than the St. Pete Times Forum at playoff time.
Thoroughly disgusting and totally unprofessional. Can't say anything bad about our team, so he trashes the fans? Must say, this is the ONLY writer I've ever seen who says we have a "bad atmosphere" at the games.

His e-mail address is jtodd@thegazette.canwest.com

Oh, it was cheesy. Tacky and ridiculous, too. But so what? As long as we're winning, don't change a thing.

Absolutely agree! It worked for Game 5 vs the Isles and now game 1 vs Montreal....you gotta stick with it! :thumbu:

Thoroughly disgusting and totally unprofessional. Can't say anything bad about our team, so he trashes the fans? Must say, this is the ONLY writer I've ever seen who says we have a "bad atmosphere" at the games.

It might be unprofessional, but I think it generally reflects the consensus among Canadian hockey fans, at least the ones I know. You guys played a great, exciting game, but I don't think he was too far off in his assessment of the marketing ploy.

It might be unprofessional, but I think it generally reflects the consensus among Canadian hockey fans, at least the ones I know. You guys played a great, exciting game, but I don't think he was too far off in his assessment of the marketing ploy.
I don't much care if he didn't like it, or if anyone else didn't like it. What I object to is this:
a few thousand post-lobotomy cases banging thundersticks (yes, thundersticks - at a playoff hockey game) frantically while barely paying attention to what happened on the ice.
That's thoroughly disgusting, as is saying we have "bad atmosphere". They can't pick on anything about our team, so this man attacks the fans? That elitist attitude pisses me off. But what do I know? I'm just an ignoramus who doesn't pay attention to the game. :shakehead

I don't much care if he didn't like it, or if anyone else didn't like it.

I agree his pot-shot generalisations about lobotomised fans is low, but that's Todd. He gets abused regularly up here too, so don't worry too much.
But try to understand that certain unnecessary changes rankle some people, myself included, the wrong way. It starts off with those idiotic 'ice girls' and cheerleaders in Long Island but goes all the way back to playing lame music during breaks. Add to this the afternoon games to appease TV contracts and you're going to have people making generalisations and judgements about what your fans like and don't like. People may live in the past too much to a certain degree, but some of these marketing ploys boggle minds. It's just an opinion.

That article was absolutely sickening. What kind of pathetic scum makes fun of a teenage girl singing the national anthem? Note to the Montreal media: remove your heads from your ***** before writing your articles.

Classless.

I could care less about the Hulk thing. They've had Macho Man there before, too. Big deal. Some fans like it, many don't think too much of it.

post-lobotomy cases?

Purely classless.

I agree his pot-shot generalisations about lobotomised fans is low, but that's Todd. He gets abused regularly up here too, so don't worry too much.
Thanks, I was wondering what kind of rep this person had up there, because to me, a professional writer should not be making blatant generalizations about a group of dedicated people who paid good money to cheer on their team. He makes himself look very petty.
But try to understand that certain unnecessary changes rankle some people, myself included, the wrong way. It starts off with those idiotic 'ice girls' and cheerleaders in Long Island but goes all the way back to playing lame music during breaks. Add to this the afternoon games to appease TV contracts and you're going to have people making generalisations and judgements about what your fans like and don't like. People may live in the past too much to a certain degree, but some of these marketing ploys boggle minds. It's just an opinion.
We shouldn't be blamed for what our marketing department does, period. Last I checked, I have no say in the pre-game entertainment. Whatever it takes to bolster some people's feelings of superiority, I guess.

I was glad to see from TSN's video reviews of the game that at least someone up there is focusing on the GAME, which is what it's all about.

Thanks, I was wondering what kind of rep this person had up there
Not much of one as I said, but like Dupes in Boston, he's in the business of selling papers and he writes his opinion, especially if it's sassy or controversial. I should add that he's a columnist, not a journalist.

We shouldn't be blamed for what our marketing department does, period. Last I checked, I have no say in the pre-game entertainment. Whatever it takes to bolster some people's feelings of superiority, I guess.

Here I disagree. Marketers focus on their market, and what the market desires, the market gets. If TB's marketing division doesn't think the fans will like "ploy X" they will not attempt it as it would be bad for business. So, in effect, you do, as a fan, have a say in pre-game entertainment. Poor in game marketing is one of the reasons that Vancouver sports fans did not warm to the NBA product, which included cheerleaders after almost every play, not stop music during the game :dunno: and a myriad of other non-sensical visuals intending to keep the viewer's interest.

I was glad to see from TSN's video reviews of the game that at least someone up there is focusing on the GAME, which is what it's all about.
I actually thought HNIC did a very good job, as usual. Now with Cuthbert it's even better. TSN often does a good job, as long as they limit McGuire's dialogue to the lower decibels ;)

Someone should let Jack Todd know that Calgary was the first team handing out thundersticks during playoff games this year.

Jack Todd is just a small-minded little man who takes shots at people who can't answer back. Send him an e mail and he'll mention in his coloumn about some TB 'mouth breathers' harassing him. A Mtl. radio guy does a bit making fun of him, referring to him as Jack Fraud. He's the type of guy who uses his column to take shots at volunteer pee wee football coaches. So take it for what it's worth.

Newsflash, TB doesn't have Mtl.'s hockey history, so what ? I was at the Expos home opener last night and they introduced the players to some sort of Survivor based theme. Un peu de fromage aussi. I'm usually pretty even tempered, funny how a second rate writer gets under my skin. I guess it's because I think our one English daily, owes us better.

Jack Todd is our Don Cherry...so ignore him, he barely remember in wich year we are ;)

I was at the Expos home opener last night and they introduced the players to some sort of Survivor based theme. Un peu de fromage aussi.

Bwaaahahahaha!! That's beautiful. Thanks.

Bwaaahahahaha!! That's beautiful. Thanks.
Yup, good story! :)

Well, I'm glad to hear this person has a reputation for being nasty. He mustn't have liked the Press Box food or something, I've never seen ANY other writer or broadcaster dissing us for our "atmosphere", especially not at a playoff game.

Thanks for all the comments, guys. As you can tell, this REALLY ticked me off. ;)

The whole thrust of marketing is to attract those fans who may be casual observers or have never seen a hockey game before. Hulk hogan is a local guy who does a variety of things in our community and is a favorite of many people in this area. I am sure that you have people like that in Montreal, who are brought into the game to boost the crowd prior to a game. If not, well then good for you. But this market continues to grow and last season we averaged over 17,000 fans per game and thus i would give kudos to our marketing department for bringing out new fans and getting them to love hockey. We went to 15 games this year and at almost every game we met new fans, people new to the game who were trying hard to learn the game and have fun. What impressed me most were the number of family's that were at the game and how thier kids, like mine, were reacting to the game. Give us a few more years and noone will be surprised that we hold the attendance record for a regular season hockey game and that until this year we held the attendance record for a playoff game.

until this year we held the attendance record for a playoff game.

Didn't we get 27,000+ for our playoff games in '96? Hard to imagine someone has beaten that figure this season.

I know the outdoor game beat our record for a regular season game, however.

-Sharon

Sorry Sharon, you got it right, i just made a mistake and turned them around, largest crowd for a playof game and now second largest for a regular season game. Thanks for the correction.

Sorry Sharon, you got it right,

Don't worry, that doesn't happen very often!! ;)

-Sharon

Newsflash, TB doesn't have Mtl.'s hockey history, so what ? I was at the Expos home opener last night and they introduced the players to some sort of Survivor based theme. Un peu de fromage aussi. I'm usually pretty even tempered, funny how a second rate writer gets under my skin. I guess it's because I think our one English daily, owes us better.

I seem to remember being at an Expos home opener when the starters took the field by rappelling down from the lip of the Big 'O' roof or something. And that was... decades ago!

Anyway, I don't think Todd is being entirely unfair with his generalisations. He did say a few thousand, right? Out of roughly twenty thousand? Well, there are easily a few thousand post-lobotomy cases in every rink in the league, Montreal being hardly exempt from that. And if some fans in any rink are there just for the dancing girls and loud music and don't know pucks from pigskins, it's *still* better than the lower greens of the Air Canada Centre in Toronto... those are all just corporate schmooze-seats, and the suits who hold tickets to those seats aren't there for the game at all, just for the notoriety of being able to *say* they were at the game, and thereby impress their equally uninterested fellow suits. And the seats sit empty for the first 5 minutes of every period and beyond. To me, that's the bigger disgrace.
:mad:

Jack Todd is our Don Cherry...so ignore him, he barely remember in wich year we are ;)

A lobotomized Don Cherry at that.

I seem to remember being at an Expos home opener when the starters took the field by rappelling down from the lip of the Big 'O' roof or something. And that was... decades ago!

Anyway, I don't think Todd is being entirely unfair with his generalisations. He did say a few thousand, right? Out of roughly twenty thousand? Well, there are easily a few thousand post-lobotomy cases in every rink in the league, Montreal being hardly exempt from that. And if some fans in any rink are there just for the dancing girls and loud music and don't know pucks from pigskins, it's *still* better than the lower greens of the Air Canada Centre in Toronto... those are all just corporate schmooze-seats, and the suits who hold tickets to those seats aren't there for the game at all, just for the notoriety of being able to *say* they were at the game, and thereby impress their equally uninterested fellow suits. And the seats sit empty for the first 5 minutes of every period and beyond. To me, that's the bigger disgrace.
:mad: I like being at events with sports fans. At a ball game, I like to turn to the guy next to me and ask him if he would send the runner. At a hockey game, I don't need the sizzle with my steak. I think every city has a high percentage of event fans rather than sports fans. I'd be interested to know the percentage of corporate seats as opposed to fans buying seats from city to city.

i thought the hulk hogan thing was retared but taking cheap shots at the fan, at least tampa bays not singing soccer songs, i like those tunder stick things, Toronto the centre of the hockey universe had them a few games ago and i hope they get them again,


Note to t.b fans see you in the con finials

i thought the hulk hogan thing was retared but taking cheap shots at the fan, at least tampa bays not singing soccer songs, i like those tunder stick things, Toronto the centre of the hockey universe had them a few games ago and i hope they get them again,


Note to t.b fans see you in the con finials

Please forget your stuff about the centre of the hockey universe it's more like a loss hole than anything else.

Tampa is 11 years without a cup. You havent won since the man walk on the moon.

Wake Up !

Please forget your stuff about the centre of the hockey universe it's more like a loss hole than anything else.

Tampa is 11 years without a cup. You havent won since the man walk on the moon.

Wake Up !


Well, I guess in theory we haven't won a cup since dinosaurs were around, but then again we've only had 11 shots at it.

i thought the hulk hogan thing was retared but taking cheap shots at the fan, at least tampa bays not singing soccer songs, i like those tunder stick things, Toronto the centre of the hockey universe had them a few games ago and i hope they get them again,


Note to t.b fans see you in the con finials
Toronto will never get past Philly so you can forget about it. :p:

Like I told you all regarding fighting with Boston fans here, you can fight with the Leafs fans elsewhere too.

At a hockey game, I don't need the sizzle with my steak. I think every city has a high percentage of event fans rather than sports fans.

I'm with you on that, 100%. I was living in Nashville in their inaugural year and they tried all sorts of stupid stuff to "sell" the EVENT. One side if the ice would yell "Get!" and the other "Bit!" (marketing slogan) and fortunately that only lasted 2-3 games. The fang fingers during the PP announcement are still going, though it doesn't have the umph behind it it once had. And, as Nashville resident and TB fan Exterminator-X will attest, there's a section of fans in Nashville (311 or something like that) that has cheesy chants every 3 minutes - which pretty much does nothing except make fools out of themselves.

I don't like being told to "stand and cheer" for a team, either, but it's just something you accept going into certain arenas.

As for Thunderstix, I think everyone jumped on the Anaheim Angels bandwagon with that one. That became a staple of their's, then suddenly everyone's got them.