Season Ticket Holders: What Are You Really Buying?

[Carla Muller]

In the time I have come to know some of the mood swings of letsgokings.com, one of the head scratchers for me is the level of dismay about what does and does not come with a season ticket purchase. For starters, I expect considerable flaming so I have my ducking shoes on…. Egad!

In fairness, perhaps my take comes in part from the fact that for the first time in my life I can both afford a season seat and I now live in a NHL town. Nonetheless, I must say that my sole expectation has never been more than the right to see NHL hockey. No more and no less. I really treasure every fall’s hockey version of the “Fever Pitch” moment when my season tickets arrive. Of course, a Kings’ seat doesn’t bring most grown people to dance, barter and beg like a Red Sox ticket does. Heck, some say you cannot give a Kings’ ticket away…. Oh those poor fools who saved themselves from the tradition of losing the Los Angeles organization brings…. to the beleaguered fans who follow them...

Let’s have a get real moment. The ire fans feel and I have felt has more to do with wanting something extra for the cost in exchange for the little piece of ourselves we never get back when it feels like we as fans care more than the players. Call it pain and suffering damages for watching the losses play out on the ice. If this team won, then I suspect the threads decrying the lack of perks, the poor quality of the perks, or when can they offer me another lousy perk would go down if not be eliminated outright.

The bottom line is Kings’ fans to date are conditioned for mediocrity. Since miserly loves company, and since we do not have near enough company, then give me something for this hole in my heart that rarely gets filled enough by my team. Think of that scene in “Fever Pitch” where Jimmy Fallon and his friends are sitting in some bar, drinking their hearts out dying over the debacle the Sox left on the field. Then, horror of horrors, there is Johnny Damon and company having a nice after game meal. How is that possible, Fallon and friends decry, that they could eat of all things, smile of all things, after the pain they should be experiencing? Right, isn’t that what this all comes down to…

Fans want to see the Kings die, and visibly die, when we die watching some of those ugly games play out. Heck, if they do not win, at least leave your best game on the ice. That is what the angriest Kings’ fans think. Come clean and admit if you got that, all you would ever want for dollars is that.

I have no earthly idea when Los Angeles becomes credible. I will watch this play out like everyone else as the growing pains continue. The thing for me is that I am not looking for the Kings to pay me back for my loyalty, not in a literal or monetary way. What I want is something more intangible while I wait to see wins.

I never want to sit in a room again and hear Hextall do his best political imitation when he dodges and weaves legitimate questions. This organization owes its fans some ownership in helping this team and these players succeed. It better be on somebody’s job duty list to help these players know where they fit, what there roles are and some living breathing examples and instruction on how to succeed or make progress to fulfill those roles.

I have zero doubt that this is an unreasonable expectation. In my life, I learned that there are two things I can control:

• What I do;
• How I respond to what everyone else does.

These are the only things in my control, and I saved a lot of wasted energy once I figured that out. I now only take on things I can accomplish and I direct myself in accepting the things I cannot control. Not the sexiest of life plans but one that has nonetheless worked wonders for me.

Here is my proposal for the Kings and their fans when it comes to where fans spend their dollars and what this organization needs to do better:

Fans:

Stop expecting anything more than a ticket once you invest your green, or not in this team. First, that is the only expectation I know the Kings can satisfy. Second, then when some perk arrives to reward you for your investment in this team, no matter how big or small it is, you might like it then be angry about why it is not better.

Now, with fans wanting something to compensate them for the pain and suffering of losing that is a hole that this team could never fill. Own that, accept that and perhaps then every fans relationship with this team might get far healthier. Or not…. But either way, it might trigger less anger.

Kings:

Find some answers and start with greater accountability. Period. There is no excuse for Lombardi not showing up to see fans at Select-a-Seat this year. There is even less of an excuse for the fact I had to write my season ticket representative multiple times to find out who was coming, when and then learn, people waited to see Lombardi and he never showed. That is a disconnect and a level of disrespect I do not get and no longer want to accept.

The new inexperienced coach, the one who knows how to teach, make sure this mortal being has a clue how to make 23 people 1 team. I plain can live with the progress. I do not want to spend next season writing blogs apologizing for lack of effort, start searches for the Kings’ alleged and MIA hearts and searching for answers since no one employed by the Kings seem to be offering any. I am quite sure that should no longer be my job.

Carla Muller

Carla.hockeygal@att.net

[nosoupforyou]

I'm buying seats to give to my clients. poor bastards.

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by nosoupforyou

I'm buying seats to give to my clients. poor bastards.

..... thanks for that laugh!!

[Tre West]

I don't care about freebies. I only care about this team winning. I have an addiction for this team. It is worse than heroin.......heroin gives you something in return. All this team gives me is pain.

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by Tre West

I have an addiction for this team. It is worse than heroin.......heroin gives you something in return. All this team gives me is pain.

It is possible true that I share your addiction. (definitely, who am I kidding...) Something tells me that the Kings and heroin have something in common. With heroin, you know when you get your rush. With the Kings, you pay and it is a total crapshoot when you will get the rush and how long the rush will last. It is the randomness that is so crazy-making. *sigh*

[davidc1968]

thank you for your opinion Carla. I look forward to reading the things that you post on LGK. I believe that the true LA KING sth and hockey fan, does not expect perks, but that we want what we have paid for. That is a competitive team that plays it's heart out from the moment the puck is dropped, to the final horn sounds. DL does owe all the sth an apology for not showing up. Call me optimistic, no hockey sense, or just plain ol' smoked out, but I believe we are closer to that than everyone is giving us credit for. (the competitive hockey team that plays its heart out.)

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by davidc1968

I believe we are closer to that than everyone is giving us credit for. (the competitive hockey team that plays its heart out.)

I agree with you. The one thing I learned from participating on Hockey Buzz AND here is that some Kings' fans (especially at the Town Hall Meetings) have a far different take on the Kings than fans of other teams who are pretty green with envy about the young talent being brought in. Whereas I think for Kings' fans who have followed this team for years, decades or both, it makes you kind of suspicious of the claims of DL and his minionsn b/c so many people before them have said the same thing and failed to deliver.

This to me is kind of akin to a relationship where your partner cheats on you. No matter what this person says next, no matter how tempting their words/actions might seem, it is impossible to take what is said or done at face value based upon the broken promises of the past.

[KingFanMGM]

I agree 100% that when it comes right down to it... all I want is to see my team "compete" every single night, leave it all out on the ice.

All I know is, we used to be a lot more "credible" with Andy Murray as a coach at least, because he demanded that his players show up every night. He got more out of that bunch, and having to plug in holes left and right because of injuries than Marc Crawford ever did in a single night. I used to love seeing Palffy or Demitra lay out at the point to try and block a shot. We never see that from guys not named Brown, O'Sullivan, Giuliano, or Ellis.

I just want a team with a lot more heart than the on-ice pile of crap I've seen the last 2 years.

[framer31]

Who cares about Lombardi attending select a seat All I know is I just want to thank who ever kicked him in the head hard enough to finally let Crow go. Now if he has some success with his difficult coaching decision I think a lot of people will be surprised at what this young team is capable of.

[24diving]

Originally Posted by CarlaMuller

... There is no excuse for Lombardi not showing up to see fans at Select-a-Seat this year. There is even less of an excuse for the fact I had to write my season ticket representative multiple times to find out who was coming, when and then learn, people waited to see Lombardi and he never showed. That is a disconnect and a level of disrespect I do not get and no longer want to accept.

We found that out almost two years ago when we decided that the expenditure of the money for seasons tickets, et. al., would be better saved for the addition we want to put on our house rather than on a team that would just be a huge disappointment so many nights. Because we were not renewing we were invited to a metting with Lombardi to discuss our reasons for not renewing. It turned out that that exact night was apparently the only date that the moving company had avilable to move the Lombardi household to the LA area. There was apparently no other day in the entire time from April, when he was signed, until then or any ensuing day after the one night where he was scheduled to talk to those of us not renewing seats. Instead we got Hextall giving us the company line. Right there Lombardi lost a lot of credibility and conveyed to us a disrespect for the people for whom a works, not gets a paycheck from, the fans.

Actually, my level of respect wasn't too high already after basically having him try to brush me off at the first day of his first prospect camp when I brazenly dared to ask him a question about something related to the team. He told me that was Hextall's pervue and was visably taken aback when I had the knowledge to call him on what he said. You could almost hear his mind saying, "Holy ****, this female LA fan knows something about hockey!" This was something I had never felt when I asked Dave Taylor a question.

Welcome to the disallusioned.

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by 24diving

Actually, my level of respect wasn't too high already after basically having him try to brush me off at the first day of his first prospect camp when I brazenly dared to ask him a question about something related to the team. He told me that was Hextall's pervue and was visably taken aback when I had the knowledge to call him on what he said. You could almost hear his mind saying, "Holy ****, this female LA fan knows something about hockey!"

I guess we are a member of the same club... females who know a lot about hockey and aren't afraid to show it. My character flaw is that without a house to add to, or who am I kidding even if I had a house.... I plain need my fix of seeing live hockey. The one avenue I have admittedly is a bigger pulpit to say (in my best virtual Peter Finch in "Network" voice) "I am mad as hell and I am not going to take this anymore" ..... only... I probably will take it....