Taking a look at 2013 Calder candidates

As the season winds down, a popular topic for discussion is always the Calder race. Who is the best rookie of the year?

In this lockout-shortened season, the rookies will have had less time to show off their abilities. So who has made big impressions with their teams as the season heads into the home stretch?
 
Currently ranked 1, 2, and 3 for rookie scorers are Jonathan Huberdeau (27, FLA), Cory Conacher (25, TBL/OTT), and Brandon Saad (23, CHI).  Sixth among scorers, but leading rookie defensemen is Justin Schultz (20, EDM). Nail Yakupov (EDM) and Vladimir Tarasenko (STL), but their early goal production has turned more to assists. Let's look at what else should be considered beyond scoring.

The three charts below are:

1) Rookie point production, graphed over the season;

2) Which teams the top rookies have been scoring goals against;

3) Overall stats for top rookies (TOI, etc).

 
Click on any of the graphics to go to larger sizes for easier viewing.

 

Click on any of the graphics to go to larger sizes for easier viewing.

Let's take a look at some of the players who might be in top contention for the Calder:

Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA) leads all rookies with 27 points. However, the majority of his goals have come against teams not in playoff contention, and a third of his points came on the power play. He still leads rookies in even-strength goals, with 11. Huberdeau is the only forward with at least 5 games played in top 20 TOI for rookies; the rest are defensemen. He has some of the top power play time among rookies, averaging 2:30/game, but get no short-handed TOI. Huberdeau also among the worst among top rookies for +/- at -10; and his giveaways lead all rookies forwards at 23 (5th overall), and are nearly double his takeaways. Still, Florida has relied heavily upon him for production, and in a year when his team is among the worst in the league, he leads his team for production. Huberdeau is the most likely candidate for the Calder.

Cory Conacher (TBL/OTT) was very productive for Tampa Bay early. As the season rolled on, his production came in streaks, and he was eventually traded to Ottawa, where he is expected to get more TOI again. Conacher was drafted as a center, but has played as a wing this season. Most of his goals have been even-handed, but the majority of his goals have come against the Southeast division. Conacher has one of the best shooting %s among rookies, and should be expected to evolve into a top scorer. Conacher is also one of the older rookies among league leaders, at 23.

Brandon Saad (CHI) has spent the majority of his time on the top line of the Blackhawks. But it took several games before his production kicked in. Among rookies, he has had one of the most dominant late-season performances, scoring 20 points in 14 of the past 19 games. He is also seeing a lot of time on the ice short-handed; he is one of just 3 rookies to score a short-handed goal this year. Saad not only was placed directly on the top line of one of the best teams in the NHL, but he has played 16:09/game, which is among the best for rookie forwards. The Blackhawks emphasize puck possession, and Saad has excelled there as well - he is second among rookies for takeaways with 23; only Carolina's Riley Nash has more (27). Saad's +/- of +14 is second among rookies behind defenseman Jake Muzzin (LAK).

Brendan Gallagher (MTL) has had some of the most consistent production all season, currently at 4th among rookie scoring. It becomes more impressive when you realize he averages under 14 minutes/game. Gallagher, like Saad, sees time on both the power play and short-handed; and ranks 19th among rookies for blocks.

Gallagher, Saad, and Mika Zibanejad (OTT) are the few rookies who've scored 5 or more goals against teams that are currently in playoff contention. All six of Zibanejad's goals have come against playoff contenders. Saad's two goals that weren't against playoff teams were against Nashville.

Justin Schultz (EDM) has led among rookie defensemen, but 70% of his scoring (14 of 20 points) has been on the power play. Schultz has the second-highest TOI on the Oilers (only Jeff Petry plays more), but among top rookie defensemen, Schultz is tied for the worst +/-. His outstanding production is just too heavily outweighed by these defensive liability factors to give him the same consideration as the two defensemen listed below.

Jake Muzzin (LAK) had impressive production in March, enough to vault him into 13th overall among rookies. Muzzin, 24, is one of the oldest among top rookies. Muzzin leads rookies for +/- at +15, while playing 18:13/game and averaging 1:24/game shorthanded. Perhaps Muzzin's one drawback is his time spent in the penalty box 33 PIM in 35 games so far.

Most impressive among rookie defensemen has been Jonas Brodin (MN). Though his points production has been low - just 2 goals and 7 assists - he leads all rookies with 22:52 TOI/game - 1:16 more TOI than the next closest rookie (Schultz). He has spent considerable time on the Wild's top defensive pairing with Ryan Suter, and his 49 blocks account for 21.3% of the Wild's blocks thus far. He's averaging 2:16 shorthanded/game and 1:26/game on the power play. Brodin's contributions as a rookie defenseman on the Wild - who will be seeing the playoffs for the first time in several years this spring - cannot be overlooked.


Huberdeau could be a standout this season due to his high production on one of the worst teams in the league, but there are definitely choices among other high-performing rookies. Who does your vote go to? 
 

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks, 14-0-3

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks, who set a new NHL record by opening their season 14-0-3 (31 points). It is the first time in league history that a team has taken points in each of the first 17 games of the season.

In addition, the Blackhawks have not lost a regular-season game in regulation since 3/25/12. They ended last season 3-0-3; so they're 17-0-6 in the past 23 regular season games, tying for third place among league records for going without a regulation loss. (Of related interest, in the playoffs last year, the Blackhawks took 5 of the 6 games they played to overtime.) 

The Blackhawks will face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday 2/24 and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday 2/25 for their next two games. Both matches are at the United Center.

How has a shortened season been affected by travel schedules?

Discussion about miles logged during the hockey season are nothing new. It's a topic of interest every year, and it's often expressed that Eastern teams should have an advantage come the playoffs, as their travel demands tend to be far less grueling than their Western counterparts.

With the Atlanta Thrashers transformed and turned into a western Canadian team (Winnipeg Jets), realignment remains a current topic that needs to be resolved prior to the 2013-2014 season.

If the league retains a six-division format, the most sensible scenario is a simple swap of teams: the Jets go into the Central, and one of the Central teams - Nashville or Columbus being the obvious choices - switching out to the Southeast. This would benefit the league further by putting a Canadian team into the highly competitive Central, and a smaller-market team like the Preds or Blue Jackets would benefit by heavy Eastern (read: hockey-media-heavy) coverage.

Detroit has long lobbied for an opportunity to move to the East; they've cited TV ratings (being one of two Western teams in the Eastern time frame) and travel demands as detrimental to their team. However, it is difficult to accept that Western Conference travel demands have been holding Detroit back from success when they have won four Stanley Cups, six Conference championships (plus twelve Division banners), and six Presidents' Trophies since the 1994-1995 season.

With a shortened season of just 48 games, it is obvious that teams needed to get out to a good start early; no team wants to be desperately chasing points with fewer games to make up ground.

Teams have now played between 14 (Bruins) and 19 games (Flyers), which puts us roughly 1/3 through the season. Where do teams stand in relation to pre-season expectations, and has travel impacted teams more than usual?

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Overall, the Western Conference had the tougher opening quarter. Four WC teams played eight or more games on the road in the first dozen games (CHI, NSH, LAK, CBJ); only two Eastern teams did (CAR & PIT).

The team with the best record in the NHL is the Chicago Blackhawks, who tied the record for the best start in league history with a hot 13-0-3 (29 points) start. Chicago looks to make history on Friday night when they drop the puck against the struggling San Jose Sharks, who are 3-4-3 over their past 10 games.

You wouldn't know it to look at the Blackhawks, but they had the toughest opening schedule in the NHL: their first dozen games saw them at home just twice due to an annual ice show at the United Center, and the team logged over 10,000 miles in that time frame.

It could be that the Blackhawks, with just two new faces in the roster this year, have reached that point in team chemistry where they've been playing together a few years and things naturally settle into place. However, it's also worth noting that Chicago had a large share of players who got playing time in the AHL or abroad during the lockout. Brandon Bollig, Marcus Kruger, Brandon Saad, Andrew Shaw, and Nick Leddy played for AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs; Bryan Bickell, Michael Frolik, Patrick Kane, Viktor Stalberg, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Michael Rozsival played in Europe; and Johnny Oduya found team time in Thailand, of all places.

Opening the season mostly on the road also helps with team bonding, some of the Blackhawks have noted. The team gets into the mid-season mentality right away, and when a team is on the road, their primary focus is hockey. Depending on the Blackhawks' record for the season, other teams might start jockeying to get more road time early in the season in years to come.

As for the other teams (NSH, LAK, CBJ) in the West that had eight of the first dozen games on the road: the Predators are 4th (21 pts), despite having just the 5th-lowest goals-for total in the league. In Nashville's case, they're benefiting from the usual stellar play of their top goalie, Pekka Rinne. 

It was thought that the defending Stanley Cup champs, the LA Kings, wouldn't have the same "Stanley Cup hangover" that's plagued other teams -- they had far more time to rest and recover from their Cup run than teams usually do. Perhaps it didn't sink in immediately for the Kings that every single team, every single night, teams bring their "A" games versus the Cup defenders; they've gotten off to a rocky 7-6-2 start, which is only good enough for 10th right now.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, at only 12 pts (5-10-2), have already fired their GM, and hired Jarmo Kekäläinen as the new one. Columbus will also have one of the toughest final stretches as the season ends, playing four of their five final games on the road before finishing out the season on home ice.

Among the most interesting cases this year is Detroit - usually one of the powerhouses of the league. The Red Wings are bouncing around the bubble, currently hanging at 9th in the West. It is interesting to note that Detroit not only played eight of their first dozen games at home, but they had one of the easiest opening road schedules: all four road games were against Central division rivals, and none of the road trips lasted more than one game. The team has had as "easy" a schedule as a team could dream of to start the season, but they're struggling to stay within the Western bubble.

Detroit also continues to be plagued with injuries, including team veterans Todd Bertuzzi and Johan Franzen, and both top goalies have missed playing time. Could this be the first time in more than 20 years that the Red Wings miss the playoffs? The loss of Nicklas Lidström has been seen and felt immediately and perhaps more so than people predicted; this may become simply a rebuilding year for the Motor City.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Eastern teams haven't had to travel as far as their Western counterparts, but many of the EC powerhouse teams have been hit hard with injuries. The two Eastern teams who had the toughest opening schedules (4 home; 8 away) were Pittsburgh and Carolina.

Carolina made a pair of major signings this summer: Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin. They lost Tuomo Ruutu to hip surgery recovery; have a couple regular players on IR, and just lost Jeff Skinner to a concussion. A sizable chunk of their roster spent the lockout in the AHL. Yet the Hurricanes are getting it done -- sitting solidly in a playoff contention spot, currently 3rd in the East.

The Penguins have gone 11-6-0 (22 pts/5th), and have what every other team in the league would like to have: a healthy roster. During their opening stretch, Pittsburgh has had just two one-goal games: the January 27 shootout win against the Senators, and last night's 6-5 loss to the Flyers. Their others losses have come against the Islanders, Jets, Leafs, and Devils.

Only one eastern team had eight games at home to start the season: Montréal, who holds onto the top spot in the East over the Devils thanks to tie breakers (specifically: goal differential). Last season, the Canadiens ended their season dead last in the East, and 28th overall. It has been a huge bounce-back year for them.

There have been three big surprises in the East: the Flyers have been hit with a series of injuries, and the impact of these players showed as Philadelphia wallowed near the bottom of the Eastern standings. However, the Flyers have begun to pull it together, and have moved up in the standings to 10th (17 pts).

Florida has also slumped this season. While the Panthers have seen several players on their injured list, including new Captain Ed Jovanovski, they just haven't been very good this year, getting out to a 5-7-4 (14 pts) start, which puts them in 13th place.

There is no bigger surprise in the East - or really, the whole league - than the Washington Capitals, who have plummeted to last place in the East with a 5-10-1 record and just 11 points. Has Alex Ovechkin cooled off? Did Alexander Semin have that big of an impact for the Caps? Whatever the reason, it's clear that it went beyond ousted coach Bruce Boudreau -- who has taken his replacement team, the Anaheim Ducks, to 2nd place in the West.

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE HOME STRETCH

Based on standings as of today, the only team currently in playoff contention with a rough final stretch is Anaheim, who will play four of their final five games on the road through western Canada before coming home to face the Coyotes at home.

Ottawa and St. Louis both will enjoy four of their five last games at home, a luxury that only three teams will see. (Edmonton is the third.) If the Senators can survive the string of injuries that have taken out several of their best players (Erik Karlsson's Achilles surgery; number one goalie Craig Anderson being injured tonight; Jason Spezza needing back surgery; Milan Michalek's sprained knee), a good home stretch can help them going into the playoffs.

No teams are mathematically eliminated yet -- no, not even Columbus or Washington -- although either team would have to go somewhere between 0.645-0.680 for the rest of their seasons in order to edge into the playoffs.

Teams will likely need 54-56 points (depending on conference) to make the playoffs this season. The Blackhawks have already earned 52% of the points they need with just 33% of games played; they are on track for 87 points -- which in some normal 82-game seasons would be enough points to get some Eastern teams into the playoffs!

It is interesting to note that the top 8 teams in the East - aside from those teams in the Southeastern division - are starting to form a clear break in the points standings. Six of the top eight in the East already have at least 22 points.

In the ultra-competitive West, it is not surprising to see the points more evenly spread out; just three teams have hit the 22 point mark so far (Chicago 29; Anaheim 25; Vancouver 22).

The shortened season may give some interesting insight into future alignment arrangements and playoff scenarios. When there is less inter-conference play -- and thus fewer "freebie" points to be taken from the other conference -- it shows off the weaker teams in each conference more readily.

How might standings look if the entire 82 game season was played within conferences? What about a schedule that ensures every team plays home and away against every season, making up the remaining games primarily within a team's division?



It's an interesting season, for many reasons.

In the meantime, in Chicago, the Blackhawks are poised to make league history on Friday night, and the Sharks are circling in the waters to stop them.

Welcome back, NHL. 24 hours to go.

 

Welcome back, NHL hockey. We've missed you.

24 hours til puck drop.

 See you at the rink.

#hockeyisback ad (more correctly, #NHLhockeyisback)

The commercial below is from 2010, but still rings true. In fact, the opening line "Opening Night is a chance to erase the past and begin a new chapter" - resonates through the league right now. The NHL has a lot to do to prove themselves to fans that it was worth the wait.

#NHLhockeyisback ... other leagues never left.

Should the NHL take their fans' loyalty for granted?

As the NHL lockout nears the three month mark, hockey fans’ attention and dollars have been turning elsewhere. NFL and NBA – the two sports that are playing – are drawing increased attention, while hockey fans’ apathy has been rising towards the league.

Yet the NHL doesn’t seem concerned. Gary Bettman has repeatedly called hockey fans “the best fans in the world” and the league’s opinion clearly seems to be that no matter how badly the fans get mistreated, they’ll come crawling back, eager to throw their money at the league once more.

Should the NHL instead be … worried?

In a fan survey conducted by HockeyBroad.com at the start of the lockout and again last week, results indicated:

• 78.5% of the respondents said they had been hockey fans at least 5 years; 58% said they had been fans for 16 years or more;
• 86.2% of the respondents go to 2 or more NHL games per year;
• 65.7% of the respondents spend $26 or more per NHL game in addition to ticket costs.

Despite these figures, 50.3% of all respondents said they currently have zero money currently tied up in the NHL, and the number of fans proactively cancelling single game or season tickets is on the rise. The number of fans who feel they’ll keep attending NHL games “no matter what” is dropping; and the longer the lockout runs, the more likely fans are to start cancelling existing tickets/ticket plans and to spend less and less money on merchandise.

One of the old school rules of marketing is the “80/20 rule", otherwise known as the Pareto Principle. What it means for business is that 80% of your sales or repeat business comes from 20% of your customers: the fans, the die-hards, the people who are dedicated to and invested in your brand. If you alienate that 20%, you need to court new customers and build new relationships to replace them: a costly, time-consuming part of business.

A lot of fans have begun attending games for junior leagues and finding they can get their “hockey fix” there, and much less expensively than the NHL. At the AHL level, you can buy a pair of on- or near-glass seats, plus parking and even some beer, for the same cost as a single seat in the 300s at the NHL level. You can attend a game in many of the junior leagues than it costs to attend a movie.

The most telling number as we head into the holiday season is that NHL fans are increasingly less willing to spend money on the NHL – the easiest and most impactful way to get the attention of the league, by hitting the bottom line.

Half the fans aren’t putting any money into tickets, but over 70% also aren’t spending money on jerseys and other league memorabilia, choosing to lock the league out of their wallets. In today's rough economy, fans are even welcoming the fact they're not spending the money on hockey, allowing them to have a little more in the bank for bills or holiday spending.

All of this will ultimately impact the NHL’s bottom line when they resume play – and it follows that the salary cap will be directly impacted, no matter how the new CBA is crafted.

Remember how the Blackhawks had to dismantle their Cup-winning team immediately after their Cup win? The cap is currently set at $70.2M for 2012-13; six teams have under $5M of cap space currently. (Over half the league has $9.2M or less cap space.) With reduced revenues this year – even if they’re prorated for a full season, and an adjustment period is built into the new CBA – means that teams like the Bruins, Wild, and Canucks – all within $2.5M of the current cap – could possibly be scrambling to rebuild their rosters in 2013-14.

It gives one of Shop.NHL.com’s ads from last year an interesting new perspective:

In the ad, a Red Wings chair is repeatedly turned away from NHL fan homes, until it finds the home that’s “just right”. In the middle of the lockout, the ad could be viewed as the league trying to still appeal to fans, but getting turned away.

Have you ever wondered why corporate juggernauts like McDonald’s, Coke, Pepsi, L’Oreal, etc., spend so much on advertising, when they are already well-established brands leading their industries? It’s because customers are fickle and easily forget – yes, even the big brands.

Perhaps you haven’t consciously thought about it, but when a product is constantly in front of you, you think about that product, and you want it, you crave it. An ad comes on your TV and suddenly you have an urge to run to the store.

Right now, the NHL isn’t really in front of anybody. It has become a fleeting footnote on newscasts across North America, because there is rarely anything fresh to report. No game scores. No hot rivalries in town. No trades, no injury reports, nothing.

Every so often, it pulls at our interest, with discussion of talks that raise fans’ hopes fleetingly, before allowing them to crash back into apathy and increasing disinterest.

Instead of building on the excitement and glory of the 2011-2012 season, the league has instead chosen to make it clear that the relationship wasn’t good enough; they want more. The NHL took all the momentum of the past five years and punched it in the face like a team enforcer, but not for reasons that the fans can cheer onward.

They’re counting on the fans to come surging back – after a reasonable period of post-lockout pouting, of course.

The truth is that the NHL will be facing an uphill battle, no matter how soon they return.

If they make a deal this week, it could mean that the season could start before Christmas. The love and good cheer of the season might help salve fans’ feelings towards the NHL – but the league shouldn’t bank on it. The longer the lockout drags on, the more fan apathy builds, and the easier it is for fans to take their time and money and look elsewhere for their entertainment.

* * * * *

 NHL Lockout - Fan Survey Responses

A total of 190 responses were evenly split between the first survey when the lockout started, and the second survey, 10 weeks later. For statistical purposes, the demographic stats have less than 4% variance between the two surveys.

STH = Season Ticket Holder (may refer to quarter, half, or full season packages


1. How long have you been a hockey fan? (Including leagues other than the NHL)

Less than 1 year	1.1%
1-3 years	9.9%
3-5 years	10.5%
5-10 years	10.5%
10-15 years	9.9%
16+ years	58.0%

2. How many NHL games do you normally attend per year? (NON-playoffs)

0-1 games	13.8%
2-3 games	25.4%
4-6 games	19.3%
7-8 games	6.6%
9-11 - single game tickets purchased	8.3%
9-11 - quarter season STH	3.3%
12-21 - single game tickets purchased	5.0%
12-21 - quarter season STH + single game tickets	5.0%
12-21 - half season STH	1.7%
22-41 - single game tickets purchased	0.0%
22-41 - half or quarter season STH + single game tickets	1.7%
22-41 - full season STH	3.3%
41+ - attend not only home games but road games as well	6.6%

3. Not including your ticket costs --- how much *on average* would you say you spend per game attended? (Parking/transit; food/drink; game programs; 50-50s; souvenirs)

Under $5	3.3%
$6-15	9.4%
$16-25	21.5%
$26-50	30.9%
$51+	34.8%

4. How much money do you currently have tied up in NHL tickets and related expenses? (including single tickets, ticket plans, and spent events such as the Winter Classic and All-Star Game; plus parking passes, hotel & flight reservations, etc.)

None	50.3%
Under $100	5.0%
$101-250	6.6%
$251-500	6.1%
$501-750	6.1%
$751-1,000	2.8%
$1,001-1,500	6.6%
$1,501-$3,000	7.7%
$3,001-$5,000	3.9%
$5,001+	4.4%

5. What percentage of your post-tax income/take-home pay is either currently tied up in NHL tickets & related expenses (hockey-related travel reservations, parking passes, etc) -- OR -- do you normally spend per year to watch NHL hockey live? (whichever is higher) Answer for your annual income bracket (row) only; round up or down to nearest full %. (Easiest way to compute this is to take the amount you spend on hockey & divide it by your annual take-home pay; the result is your percent. e.g., if you spend $500/yr on hockey and take home $20K: the result is 0.025, 2.5%)

	<1%	1-3%	4-6%	7-9%	10-12%	13-15%	16-20%	21%+
$19K or less	14.4%	10.5%	1.1%	0.6%	3.3%	0.6%	0.6%	0.6%
$20-25K	5.0%	3.3%	1.7%	0.6%	2.2%	--	--	--
$26-35K	6.6%	3.3%	1.1%	0.6%	0.6%	--	--	--
$36-45K	3.9%	2.8%	2.2%	1.1%	1.1%	--	--	--
$46-60K	4.4%	3.3%	3.3%	--	--	--	--	--
$61K+	15.5%	8.3%	2.8%	4.4%	0.6%	--	--	--

6. For your money currently tied up in NHL single-game tickets and/or ticket plans, what is your current plan of action as the lockout rolls on?

Keep money in acct/apply to future purchases	9/15	12/1
Single games	14	12
Quarter/half/full season ticket holders	16	12
Winter Classic	5	2
All-Star Game	4	2
Refunds on game-by-game basis as cancelled *
Single games	28	26
Quarter/half/full season ticket holders	11	8
Winter Classic	7	4
All-Star Game * Note: ASG tickets were refunded once the game was cancelled.	6	4
Cancelling/have cancelled tickets/STHs
Single games	1	10
Quarter/half/full season ticket holders	2	5
Winter Classic	-	4
All-Star Game	-	2

7. How much of the season would the NHL have to cancel for you to be "done" with the league?

	9/11	12/1
I will keep buying tickets no matter what	27.6%	21.3%
Pre-season lockout was enough for me to be done	2.3%	3.2%
25% - cancelling STHs but will buy single games	-	-
25% - not buying more	6.9%	6.4%
50% - cancelling STHs but will buy single games	2.3%	4.3%
50% - not buying more	3.4%	9.6%
75% - cancelling STHs but will buy single games	-	2.1%
75% - not buying more	1.1%	1.1%
Full season - cancelling STHs but will buy single games	-	3.2%
Full season - not buying more	4.6%	10.6%
Uncertain at this time	51.7%	38.3%

8. Whether or not you attend NHL games, do you attend any other hockey games?

	9/11	12/1
No / attend NHL only	17.2%	11.7%
AHL - single game tickets	55.2%	54.3%
AHL - partial season ticket plan holder	2.3%	6.4%
AHL - full season plan holder	2.3%	2.1%
ECHL - single game tickets	23.0%	14.9%
ECHL - partial season ticket plan holder	1.1%	1.1%
ECHL - full season plan holder	1.1%	1.1%
OHL / WHL / QMJHL - single game tickets	10.3%	14.9%
OHL / WHL / QMJHL - partial season ticket plan holder	-	-
OHL / WHL / QMJHL - full season plan holder	1.1%	-
USHL / CHL - single game tickets	11.5%	8.5%
USHL / CHL - partial season ticket plan holder	-	-
USHL / CHL - full season plan holder	-	-
Other league - single-game tickets *	-	23.4%
Other league - partial season ticket plan *	-	1.1%
Other league - full season plan holder *	-	4.3%

* "Other league" choices were not on Sept survey. Added to 12/1 survey by respondent requests

9. Aside from currently not being able to attend games, are you personally otherwise affected by the lockout for any of the following reasons?

Work at a hockey arena and have had hours cut	2
Work near a hockey arena and have had hours or income affected (parking, waitstaff, bartender, souvenir shop, etc)	3
Work near a hockey arena and have been laid off / not yet re-hired for season (parking, waitstaff, bartender, souvenir shop, etc)	1

10. I am protesting the NHL lockout by ....

	9/11	12/1
Not buying any NHL merchandise until play resumes	59.8%	71.3%
Not buying any tickets until play resumes	50.6%	46.8%
Boycotting other products/companies owned by NHL owners	29.9%	21.3%
Unfollowed the NHL on Twitter, Facebook, etc	21.8%	35.1%
Emailed a complaint to the NHL or filed one via NHL.com	19.5%	14.9%
Cancelling single-game tickets	17.2%	17.0%
Contacted local / favorite team to file a complaint	5.7%	8.5%
Phoned the NHL offices to file a complaint	4.6%	4.3%
Cancelling quarter/partial season tickets	2.3%	4.3%
Cancelling half-season tickets	1.1%	1.2%
Cancelling full season ticket package	1.1%	-
Cancelling my Winter Classic tickets	-	4.3%
Cancelling my All-Star Game tickets	-	1.2%