Will the Fans Come Back?

Most fans like myself are ready for the season, but how will the others react?

The day after the news that the lockout is over  Forbes writes an interesting piece similar to what Gresh and Zo were saying on 98.5 the Sports Hub this afternoon. With hockey back will the fans actually come back?

Forbes talks about how after the 2004-2005 lockout most teams saw a spike in fan support, but it was 8 teams whose attendance fell short.  I feel that it can go either way. Sure fans are aggravated that the season is shortened, but on the other hand we look at the positives that we do have hockey. The one thing Gresh and Zo were talking about is Jeremy Jacobs, one of the leading men in making the lockout possible. Will Boston fans buy tickets to support a greedy "bastard?"

Again I believe they will, here in Boston we are passionate sports fans and with the Bruins back on the ice I expect to see a packed garden every game. However, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if us fans stick it to Jacobs and boycott some of the games. I believe boycotting the first few games would speak a lot from the fans, but again it is highly unlikely to happen. Also it would lower prices so I can actually afford going to a game.

We will see in the coming weeks how the fans react to the shortened season, in the mean time weigh in on your opinion; will the NHL see a spike in fans or a decline in fans? and most importantly, how will B's fans react to owner Jeremy Jacobs?

In other news 8 Bruins were practicing at Boston University's Agganis Arena this morning, among them were Tyler Seguin, Tuukka Rask, Brad Marchand, and Milan Lucic. It's nice to see these guys taking their jobs seriously and putting in the extra practice before training camp opens.