Comments on: White netting at Verizon Center causes issues for some fans (Update)

By: t9tookey

t9tookey — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:02:02 +0000

They had white netting in Hershey. I sat behind it once because it was the home opener and that was the seats we could get. I went home with a massive headache and almost got sick. After that, I will never sit behind a netting like that again. If I can’t get tickets on the sides (which is where I like to sit anyway) I’ll sick at home, hook my laptop up to my tv and pay less to watch a game online.

And the reason why the netting is there in the first place is absolutely stupid. First off, if you’re at a hockey game and you’re not watching the puck you deserve to get hit just for being stupid. I know, it has to be safe so they can draw in the families and “casual” fans (ie those idiots that don’t know squat about hockey and only show up with the team is winning, claiming to be life long fans, and end up on their smart phones more than watch the game…but hey, at least they paid money, right Gary…)

And as far as the accident goes, if the doctors had done their job, the kid would be alive.

By: donttouchthedirtypenny

donttouchthedirtypenny — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:15:33 +0000

Get rid of the netting. Or at least make it clear.

By: stakex

stakex — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:28:59 +0000

Yup. Imagine all the pucks that went into the crowd over the years before they added the netting, and then figure that only ONE person was ever killed by them. The odds of anyone being killed by a puck are extremely small.

The funny part of the whole thing is the area behind the net is not the most dangerous place for pucks leaving the ice. Pretty much every puck that goes over the end glass is deflected in one way or another, meaning they have very little zip on them going into the crowd. However, pucks fired over the short glass on the side of the rink have a tendency to go strait into the corwd at full speed…. meaning the netting doesn’t even cover the most dangerous areas of the crowd.

By: lewdood

lewdood — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:42:50 +0000

^^^^THIS^^^^ One terrible accident, in over 100 years of hockey, and the league throws up an incredibly distracting net. How many pucks go full-speed from shots over the boards in the NHL??? The odds of a fan being seriously injured (or god forbid, worse) have to be infinitessimily (sp?) small. Just take the stupid things down already.

By: wingsdjy

wingsdjy — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:02:46 +0000

Based on the embedded picture, I agree that it’s hazy. I’m kind of curious if it affected the TV experience (I’m thinking it’d mostly factor into PP situations where they move to a camera behind the net).

By: 1943mrmojorisin1971

1943mrmojorisin1971 — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:52:04 +0000

This “protective” netting in general is ridiculous. Every game I go to I wish they would just take it down (knowing full well that will never happen). The event that prompted the use of this netting was a freak accident and the response was a complete overreaction on the part of the league