Like most hockey fans throughout this area, my new year started out on a negative note. It started with the realization that the dispute between the two of you would not come to an immediate end and may in fact result in hockey fans missing games. The fact that the both of you see this as being acceptable is quite frankly despicable, and shines a glaring light on what we all should have figured in the first place: Neither of you give a damn about your customers…The Fans.
It’s easy to lay all the blame on Time Warner, mostly because they get into disputes with station blocks every single year. If it’s not Fox then it’s Viacom or Disney/ABC. The more I think about this situation, it seems to me that it is Lex Luthor fighting against The Joker. Two greedy villains slugging it out while the innocent people of Metropolis and Gotham suffer. Who then, will be our hero? It is my sincere hope that Mr. Pegula and Mr. Black are working on potential solution, as I believe that this sport is as important to them as it is to us.
This area has a very proud tradition of hockey. We have two of our finest serving as Captains of two of the Original Six teams. Lake Placid is the site of perhaps the greatest miracle in the history of the sport. The original Winter Classic is considered to be one of the greatest spectacles in the modern age of the hockey. These things may not mean much to the two of you, but damn it, they mean the world to us.
Personally, this sport is in my blood. My Grandfather played and coached. Right before he died, my Father was the head of initiation for Rochester Youth Hockey and was set to teach kids the fundamentals of the game. My brother played, and is currently an assistant coach for the JV team at a local high school. And while my family were participating in the sport, we were also fans. Many a night we’ve huddled around a TV to watch the Buffalo Sabres play. We have seen the highs and suffered the lows. This is our team, and your collective greed and indifference threatens to take them from us. For that, you should both be ashamed of yourselves.
I have the distinct feeling that neither of you take hockey fans seriously. Perhaps we are just a niche audience, and you figure us to be expendable. Well mark my words the both of you: hockey fans WILL find a way to watch our team. If you don’t find a way to meet our demand, then it will be you who is left out in the cold.
Fix this NOW,
Mike Minch
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