Just a Reminder Why Fans Make a Diffrence.

On the Marlies message boards, there has been a bunch a topics about how fans should or should not be. Tonight i have had the pleaure of reading a post that seems to get the point across about the people that look at you funny when you cheer on your team.

Posted by Leafs Chat member 1927

" It can easily be said that suits are the number one reason why the Air Canada Centre is one of the worst places to go watch a hockey game in North America. They like to come into the ACC with their friends, colleagues and co-workers as you pointed out. The problem with this situation is the fact you go to the Ricoh to watch the game LIVE and SUPPORT your team. If a person wanted to just sit around and socialize, you might as well watch the game at the bar with all the people you interact with on a daily basis. I am not advocating for people NOT to attend the games, far from it. My only point is that if you are going to watch a live game, the crowd atmosphere is part of the experience. If anyone has ever went to watch the Toronto FC, you would see huge banners, drums, flags and chanting going on throughout the entire game. Ever wonder why soccer (football) is the number one sport in the world? Soccer has the strongest supporters group as a sport in the entire world, and it is so popular that patrons at the stadium view their teams as almost a religious experience to watch them play live.Hockey as a sport needs to transcend from the typical North American attitude of cheering or clapping when the team forces their fans to cheer by prompting them on the scoreboard. It looks ridiculous when teams have to "condition" their fans to help their players out by putting cheer icons and music on the scoreboard to get the crowd going. I can tell you this right now. The Maple Leafs would have won at least one Stanley Cup since 1967 if we had the best fans in the entire NHL. The players would have been more pumped up at home games to win the Cup. Look at the 1991-1993 teams when the Leafs were in the playoffs. I remember hearing the fans on TV chanting their hearts out and we almost went to the Stanley Cup finals because of the support of the fans and talent from the team. The Marlies did exceptionally well last year and you can see the difference when cheering was going on. Is it a coincidence that the Marlies played better when more cheering occurred last year? Let us look at the Marlines record before Duke's Dog Pound cheered on the team.Season Games Points Goals for Goals against Standing 2005–06 80 92 270 263 4th, North 2006–07 80 75 220 270 6th, North Before the cheering occurred the atmosphere was dead and dull in the Ricoh Coliseum. I went to my first Marlies game last year after the final home game of the Toronto FC. It was like coming from a big wedding at the Toronto FC, to a Funeral at the Marlies game. It was very depressing to come from such a high spirited game to a low spirited game. This is something that the Marlies needed to change fast, or have the same situation happen like the Roadrunners, where they left Toronto.Now if you look at the first season of active cheering from all sections, you see a significant improvement:Season Games Points Goals for Goals against Standing2007–08 80 109 246 203 1st, North The team as a whole improved greatly with the help of the coaching staff, solid goaltending, and fans who supported the team the entire season. When players hear the fans chanting, it pumps them up to play better and in turn makes the game more enjoyable to watch. The playoffs were a perfect example last year where the fans were getting more involved and the atmosphere was the best in years. You cannot deny the fact the atmosphere at the Ricoh improved significantly, along with the team’s fortunes. I understand that not everyone likes to hear loud boisterous fans chanting throughout the game. Just as you stated, you can move to a section where you like peace and quiet. However, you will start to see an increase in fan participation throughout the Ricoh in the next few years, and I am sure the experience will be 100 times better then what it has been in the last three years. It would be nice to see hockey in the Toronto market grow outside of the Maple Leafs grasp at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto needs a different team to support that is fresh, different, and more engaging to the average fan then what the Toronto Maple Leafs offer. We already have people socializing at the Air Canada Centre with their colleagues, friends, co-workers, etc. Toronto needs a different atmosphere for the average fan to enjoy and the Toronto Marlies offer this experience. The fans who cheer offer this experience. This is why fans need to see the Toronto Marlies play live for the excellent hockey action, and fan participation that is different then anything you see at the stifling Air Canada Centre. Everyone who reads this should get tickets to the Marlies and experience first hand with what I have written. "

if anything i think this captures what the meaning of fan is!