All-Star
I agree that the Chilliwack comparisons are ridiculous. People in Vancouver/Burnaby still think of Langley as being 'out in the sticks'. In fact, it still surprises people that Surrey is now well over 500,000 people and is the 12th largest city in Canada. There's plenty of people out here who will go to Giants games in they are entertained, but whether the Giants/WHL can provide this is the big question for me.Originally Posted by Giantsfan
WE ARE ALL GIANTS.
Rookie
I know that none of the people who sat near me at the Coliseum are following the team to Langley... I thought I would give the LEC a try for one season & go from there. I think it's likely going to be another tough year, so we'll see how the new fan base responds. To them it's the first year. To me, it's year seven of a three year rebuild.
Super Moderator
I mentioned Chilliwack as a franchise that was part of the lower mainland and that had early support and then suffered badly when they failed to put entertaining product on the ice and were moved to Victoria. I don't believe the Langley comparison is out of that realm. I am aware of the size and demographic and location of Langley and Surrey and still maintain that if the product does not improve the small respite they have bought themselves with this move will be short-lived.
Agreed Uncle Winty (and welcome to the boards btw) - the rebuild which should have happened properly years ago has stalled and has been obstructed by overly optimistic management not using their assets to best result. In denial and artificially pumping the team's tires when they should have been really pressing for significant change and dealing assets for a much improved future, the team has wallowed and even when they did squeak into the playoffs they were in no way competitive.
Part of me still hopes the team manages to find some of their former glory, ideally not under the auspices Toigo (but I suppose that's a hollow wish at this point in time.). A start would be to adopt a real honest assessment of their actual strengths and weaknesses. To not allow their owner to make hockey decisions and to actively improve their scouting contacts and quality and to once again learn how to develop skilled players and not squander potential as they have done for close to 7 years.
The way the WHL as a league is heading saddens me, but quality/skilled players who are hungry and willing to sacrifice for their teammates will always bring up the entertainment level and possibly get some nice wins in the process.
Rookie
It looks like only a small handful of Giants fans visit this page? That's fine by me, as it appears that there are some really passionate & informed opinions in these posts.
Former known as Kassian
Compared to the rest of the website this specific forum is rocking! Sadly only a few specific team forums on this website are somewhat active.
All-Star
Sadly, the entire league is only somewhat active. Little by little, the passion for Dub hockey has died off.
WE ARE ALL GIANTS.
Former known as Kassian
No doubt about that. But don't tell the masses. The game is better than it's ever been right???
Rookie
I think the skill level is basically on par with what it's been in the past, but the WHL has lost many of the features that made it a unique brand in the hockey world. The Dub used to be its own thing, a scrappy league with more hitting, fighting & scoring than its proffessional counterparts. It offered a rougher, tougher option to hockey fans who were willing to trade the high end skill of the NHL for the passion & chaos of the WHL. Now, the similarities between the playing styles of the NHL & Major Junior have resulted in the WHL becoming nothing more than a pro style league with less skilled players.... A kind of "NHL Lite". It's lost a lot of what made it a great product.
Former known as Kassian
Believe me I agree entirely. I was being sarcastic with my prior comment. So many idiots jump on board with the whole "the game is more entertaining than ever" nonsense it's asinine. The game has never been more bland and boring as far as I'm concerned. And you can spare me with the whole 90's "dead puck era". At least there was physicality and emotion during that time. There are still no goals and little offense now, but without the physicality and intensity. So that makes today's game much more awful to watch. There is literally nothing to look forward to. No scoring, no scoring chances, no hitting, no fighting, nada. Soccer on ice. But sadly this was inevitable with the way society has changed and ultimately the NHL.
3rd Liner
When walking out of the rink the first couple years with a team destined for nowhere I still remember the smiles on our faces because the kids on the ice were playing for something and were playing with energy and spunk, even when we knew going in it was very unlikely to see a win. In the last 3 or 4 season you can probably count the looses on 1/2 of one hand how many times you left the rink following a loss with a smile on your face because of what you witnessed on the ice in terms of try, commitment and team effort, and not because you were proud of the fact that you were actually awake enough to know it was the end of the game and you were allowed to leave. In terms of skill set I think the league still has a similar make up it is just implemented wayyy worse.
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