[Article] Canucks: Team shuts down popular website fan forums, fans lament the loss

[kilgore]

Wow D and D just read my email on air!

[nuckin_futz]

3 minutes ago, kilgore said:

Wow D and D just read my email on air!

Good on you for sending that in. Sounds like the forum is shutting down because they don't like the criticism.

If that's the case then F them.

[kilgore]

I just wrote it up quick when I heard they were going to discuss how the Canucks were controlling the message in the next hour. They probably had already planned to discuss it, but my email gave them an opener.  My whole email:

Hi Donnie, Dhali, and Ryan

Love your show!

I just wanted to inform you that the official Canucks.com site has given notice that they are shutting down their fan message board, just as the season was gearing up and fans are getting excited.  This board is the largest in the NHL. We have thousands of members. I always wanted to ask if any of you ever looked at it. But that’s moot now. 

Many members have been there for 20+ years.  I have been since 2007.  Known as CDC (Canucks Dot Com) this was the main board in town to discuss all things Canucks. It was a large family of loyal dedicated Canuck fans. 

Patrick Johnson wrote an article for The Province on it  
https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-team-shuts-down-popular-website-fan-forums-fans-lament-the-loss

This is an example of complete blindness by Canucks management in dismissing their fans. Their most ardent fans. 

Please do a segment on this.  Maybe get on Patrick Johnson.  

What many of us would like to know is ….WHY???????  


One of the soon to be former administrators have started a new independent site where hopefully we can continue, but its a massive kick in the  nuts to Canuck fans.  From all over the world. We had members from not only Vancouver. 

We just want answers. 

Thank You.

Kilgore  (CDC handle)

[nuckin_futz]

3 minutes ago, kilgore said:

 

This is an example of complete blindness by Canucks management in dismissing their fans. Their most ardent fans. 

 

I seriously doubt this is management. This reeks of Francesco's involvement. Probably wasn't thrilled with the thread about the court case involving his kids.

Hey Franky, this isn't your team it's OUR'S, you're just the custodian.

[Provost]

10 minutes ago, kilgore said:

Wow D and D just read my email on air!

Ya, good on you for having it out there.

I suspected the reasoning was to control the messaging, all their other moves with only having internal reporters and such seemed to be telegraphing that sort of thinking.

It is frankly just plain crazy.  Criticism is going to go away because they don't host a discussion forum?  Haven't they heard of the internet?  You don't want criticism, then put a better product on the ice.

The team and the NHL in general just doesn't seem to get how to engage fans.  It isn't just the game on the ice from puck drop to final whistle.  Fans get engaged to the stories around the team and players.  Trade deadlines, July 1st, training camp, etc.... those are all times that engage fans.

Frankly, there are often mid season games where the hockey itself is just terrible and unwatchable.  Players are tired, conserving energy, injuries have taken their toll, etc.  There has to be other things around the team to watch and talk about.

[Rusty Shackleford]

1 hour ago, Coconuts said:

I don't think forums are dying, they've just changed, sports fans and other kinds of fanbases will always look for somewhere to gather 

They've just evolved and changes from what they were in the 90's, 2000's, 2010's

Discord, Facebook groups, other socials, they have a place now as well though, no question 

There's room for different models too, CDC is more personalized than the reddit model for example 

 

 

100% agreed.  I do not like the Reddit model at all.  Zero organization and it seems more like; who can make the hottest topic, then the threads die never to be seen again.  

Our home is more like a community center.  There's signs, directions, different rooms for different activities, indoor space and outdoor space with lots of land to grow on.

I won't even get into HFboards, we all know.

[BCNeil]

When companies try to shut people up, it always backfires.

90% of the active users will come here.  Where we can now talk how we like.

Even discuss things like the current war.  

[VegasCanuck]

1 hour ago, Coconuts said:

If they'd engaged they'd have made CDC the go-to for Canucks fans

Not HF, not reddit, their own board

The other places would still exist but the search of news or engagement would have driven more CDC traffic 

Agree completely! This business decision baffles me beyond belief. I believe that the logic that they are looking at is reduce the cost of the team by removing this line item from their accounting from a costs standpoint, but they are not calculating increased valuation from an engaged and active fan community.

It's actually a common misconception for upper management within corporate North America, very few companies really understand how to actively engage what should be their closest allies. The forum should be the lifeblood of the team, but they don't engage or integrate it at a higher level of their marketing platform.

They have the Canucks App, which quite frankly, SUCKS! The NHL took team websites and turned them into an app with no real additional fan engagement factor. Since there isn't an advantage, I don't have it installed. I just use bookmarks in Chrome, it takes up less storage space on my phone!

There is SOOOO much that they could be doing the the forum, and I really hit a nerve with my email Saturday night. Their President of Canucks Business  Operations not only replied to me within 20 minutes, because he wasn't available to directly speak with me today, he got on the phone at 9:30PM Saturday night and lined up their Chief Revenue Officer to speak with me this afternoon. I'd assume from that speed of response that they take my email and the message seriously, we'll know in a few hours, exactly how seriously.

I'm hoping that I can work with and through them to create a much more active level of access and engagement for every member of the Canucks Forum and not just have our fan base sitting idly on the sidelines, but empowered to add more fans and users to the forum, not only within the Canucks Forum, but also within all fan forums, official or otherwise, across the NHL.

The CBA made the players partners with the owners by establishing a 50 / 50 revenue sharing system, but they have never done anything to really bring the people who make the league POSSIBLE, into the equation. Let's see if we can find a way to address and fix that!

 

Stay tuned, going to be an interesting afternoon....,

[VegasCanuck]

3 hours ago, Integra250 said:

Contemplating bringing a "Save CDC" sign to the Canucks training camp 

All of what's being said in the groups is what I'm going to be conveying in the call this afternoon. They are engaged right now, I'm going to see how far down the rabbit hole I can drive the bus on this....

[NucksNation]

Well the positive thing about main board shutting down is….. I’m back with a new name

[Provost]

Just now, NucksNation said:

Well the positive thing about main board shutting down is….. I’m back with a new name

I thought about changing my user name to Vintage or Oldnews... 

 

[Rip The Mesh]

2 minutes ago, Rusty Shackleford said:

100% agreed.  I do not like the Reddit model at all.  Zero organization and it seems more like; who can make the hottest topic, then the threads die never to be seen again.  

Our home is more like a community center.  There's signs, directions, different rooms for different activities, indoor space and outdoor space with lots of land to grow on.

I won't even get into HFboards, we all know.

I was just listening to the Donnie & Dhali show to see if they going to get another interview or chat more about Babcock and the were talking about what a blow it was

for Canuck fans that they have no forum to chat all things Canucks anymore. ... The boys need to keep up, me thinks......................

[kilgore]

2 minutes ago, VegasCanuck said:

All of what's being said in the groups is what I'm going to be conveying in the call this afternoon. They are engaged right now, I'm going to see how far down the rabbit hole I can drive the bus on this....

You had some very interesting ideas for them about their marketing being more engaged with the fans via the (now defunct) message board. Contests etc.. Should have happened long ago.

I just worry that its going to be too little too late.  I don't know how  many will have an appetite to come back to CDC.

[stawns]

28 minutes ago, nuckin_futz said:

I seriously doubt this is management. This reeks of Francesco's involvement. Probably wasn't thrilled with the thread about the court case involving his kids.

Hey Franky, this isn't your team it's OUR'S, you're just the custodian.

Cmon, lay off the conspiracy bs

[The Duke]

31 minutes ago, Provost said:

Ya, good on you for having it out there.

I suspected the reasoning was to control the messaging, all their other moves with only having internal reporters and such seemed to be telegraphing that sort of thinking.

It is frankly just plain crazy.  Criticism is going to go away because they don't host a discussion forum?  Haven't they heard of the internet?  You don't want criticism, then put a better product on the ice.

The team and the NHL in general just doesn't seem to get how to engage fans.  It isn't just the game on the ice from puck drop to final whistle.  Fans get engaged to the stories around the team and players.  Trade deadlines, July 1st, training camp, etc.... those are all times that engage fans.

Frankly, there are often mid season games where the hockey itself is just terrible and unwatchable.  Players are tired, conserving energy, injuries have taken their toll, etc.  There has to be other things around the team to watch and talk about.

Good point about the in house reporter… though I actually like that for the extra fluff pieces like getting to know the new players and stuff.

Kind of wild they’d shut down CDC though as it’s by far the most pro-Canuck discussion out there.  I know most of the more negative voices on Twitter / HF absolutely hate the place.  We’re definitely a more homer slant than most, even despite the decade of disaster.

[Provost]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

 

The Streisand effect is an unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or censor information, where the effort instead backfires by increasing awareness of that information. It is named after American singer and actress Barbra Streisand, whose attempt to suppress the California Coastal Records Project's photograph of her cliff-top residence in Malibu, California, taken to document California coastal erosion, inadvertently drew greater attention to the photograph in 2003.^[1]

Attempts to suppress information are often made through cease-and-desist letters, but instead of being suppressed, the information sometimes receives extensive publicity, as well as the creation of media such as videos and spoof songs, which can be mirrored on the Internet or distributed on file-sharing networks.^[2][3] In addition, seeking or obtaining an injunction to prohibit something from being published or to remove something that is already published can lead to increased publicity of the published work.

The Streisand effect is an example of psychological reactance, wherein once people are aware that some information is being kept from them, they are significantly more motivated to get and spread it.^[4]

 

[The Duke]

5 minutes ago, stawns said:

Cmon, lay off the conspiracy bs

Yeah, I’d still wager it’s likely a numbers thing.  Wonder if an explanation will ever surface.

[Goalie Interference]

On 9/16/2023 at 11:41 PM, RWJC said:

Now that we have this I’m not looking back. If there wasn’t a strong enough pushback within the org to support their own fanbase as a vocal collective, then to hell with them

Damn straight! 

While we're at it, can we start our own team? How much does one of those franchise-thingies cost? 

[Provost]

7 minutes ago, stawns said:

Cmon, lay off the conspiracy bs

They literally have people on the inside saying it is because they haven't liked the criticism they see on the board. 

Not much of a stretch to think the big decision maker and one being criticized a lot is one of the guys who has been a voice to shut it down.

[Seabass21]

Hey all, 

Good to see the board as strong as ever. love how dedicated and committed our fans have been over the years. Haven't been active in a long time. it's nice to see everyone together on this.

cheers

 

[Coconuts]

30 minutes ago, VegasCanuck said:

Agree completely! This business decision baffles me beyond belief. I believe that the logic that they are looking at is reduce the cost of the team by removing this line item from their accounting from a costs standpoint, but they are not calculating increased valuation from an engaged and active fan community.

It's actually a common misconception for upper management within corporate North America, very few companies really understand how to actively engage what should be their closest allies. The forum should be the lifeblood of the team, but they don't engage or integrate it at a higher level of their marketing platform.

They have the Canucks App, which quite frankly, SUCKS! The NHL took team websites and turned them into an app with no real additional fan engagement factor. Since there isn't an advantage, I don't have it installed. I just use bookmarks in Chrome, it takes up less storage space on my phone!

There is SOOOO much that they could be doing the the forum, and I really hit a nerve with my email Saturday night. Their President of Canucks Business  Operations not only replied to me within 20 minutes, because he wasn't available to directly speak with me today, he got on the phone at 9:30PM Saturday night and lined up their Chief Revenue Officer to speak with me this afternoon. I'd assume from that speed of response that they take my email and the message seriously, we'll know in a few hours, exactly how seriously.

I'm hoping that I can work with and through them to create a much more active level of access and engagement for every member of the Canucks Forum and not just have our fan base sitting idly on the sidelines, but empowered to add more fans and users to the forum, not only within the Canucks Forum, but also within all fan forums, official or otherwise, across the NHL.

The CBA made the players partners with the owners by establishing a 50 / 50 revenue sharing system, but they have never done anything to really bring the people who make the league POSSIBLE, into the equation. Let's see if we can find a way to address and fix that!

 

Stay tuned, going to be an interesting afternoon....,

NHL franchises would do well to involve individuals who consume sports related media in their marketing, and to be involved with the fanbase. 

There are some brilliant marketing minds out there, some with years of experience, others who are from younger generations and who intuitively understand their generations better. I've been on forums since I was probably twelve years old, I'm thirty three now. A lot of us grew up with this stuff. The social media, the proliferation of it all, the gradual change of the internet itself. You see it on other socials, brands reaching out and engaging with said generations. It seems a lot of management folks simply do not get it, they'd do well to involve people who do and give them some autonomy.

It matters. The folks who've been watching forever will likely continue to watch forever, but it's younger folks and folks who aren't engaged with hockey at all they need to reach as well, that's what will grow revenues and their businesses. Immigrants, fans of other sports, those who don't engage with sports. 

The buzz around the game matters, it draws people in. The NBA is a spectacle, athletes also make more on one contract than many NHL'ers do over their careers. The buzz around athletes, the drama, all of it, people consume it.

Even if they don't like the criticism on boards or socials like Twitter, podcasts, wherever, it's still engagement and you're never going to be able to fully stifle criticism. It comes with the spotlight, with being in the limelight, with any fandom.

The NHL doesn't get it, the Canucks don't seem to either. I understand players, management, ownership and the like not enjoying being criticized, most people don't enjoy it. But it's part of the package that comes with being a public figure, people will be watching and scrutinizing. It's part of how sports consumption works, and if there money in it folks are going to make a living off that scrutinizing and news reporting.

The Canucks shouldn't fall for the illusion that is their ability to control the message. You can only control what gets out so much, but if something is out there fanbases have proven time and time again that they'll find it.

The NHL, the Canucks, they underestimate what their fans know and understand. They underestimate our analysis, how quickly we'll find out. We are not dumb sheep and we will not be fooled, or at least not for long. We are a force to be reckoned with, the backlash of how they handled Boudreau is evidence of this.

Edited September 18, 2023 by Coconuts

[QuantumBunk]

Maybe Rachel Dorrier had something to do with the forums demise. The company probably just doesn't want any libel or legal issues that could arise from owning a forum 

[Ribs]

1 minute ago, QuantumBunk said:

Maybe Rachel Dorrier had something to do with the forums demise. The company probably just doesn't want any libel or legal issues that could arise from owning a forum 

Nah, just not it.

[QuantumBunk]

2 minutes ago, Ribs said:

Nah, just not it.

I think it was. But you're entitled to disagree.

[NucksNation]

13 minutes ago, Provost said:

They literally have people on the inside saying it is because they haven't liked the criticism they see on the board. 

Not much of a stretch to think the big decision maker and one being criticized a lot is one of the guys who has been a voice to shut it down.

Don’t bother, Stawns and half of this board are clueless with things like this. Guy is probably still getting booster shots.