Should NHL give refunds for the Stadium Series fiasco at Falcon Stadium?
Kiz: Although Nathan MacKinnon and the gang keep winning games, the Avalanche can’t seem to stop alienating fans. This legit contender is hard to see, because the team-owned television network is unable to deliver games to many Colorado viewers. And what should have been one of the happiest nights of the regular season turned into one of the worst debacles in team history, when traffic snarls, concession-line snafus and a postgame death marred the Avs’ outdoor game at the Air Force Academy.
Chambers: Saturday was the Avalanche’s only game on NBC, the big channel, unless the team advances far enough in the playoffs to get a weekend spot. And you’re right — it’s been a tough season outside the win/loss/tie column. The in-house television dispute with Comcast and Dish has no end in sight, and the 2020 NHL Stadium Series will forever go down as a mistake. The Avs lost the game, and throngs of fans want their money back for a poorly hosted event. Hey, everyone knew they were going to a military academy and there wouldn’t be a Starbucks next door. But the lack of basic staffing from the parking lots to the hot-dog stand and inability for fans to connect with an Uber/Lyft for a ride home ruined an already challenging event.
Kiz: The NHL led unsuspecting fans into a trap. The Air Force Academy makes for a beautiful television backdrop for an athletic event, but as anybody from Denver who has tried to attend a Falcons’ football game well knows, it can be a travel nightmare. The warnings to arrive early were far from adequate. Between construction on Interstate 25 and strict military security, access to the academy grounds can be challenging on a beautiful autumn day for more than 40,000 spectators, much less the dead of winter. What was the NHL thinking? The league, the AFA, Colorado Springs and the Avs should be embarrassed.
Chambers: I left the stadium press box at 11:30 p.m. when the traffic eased up and passed a bunch of fans hitchhiking from the side of the road as there were no sidewalks. Man, I regret doing that. I thought they were drunk and stupid, not stranded and staring at a 2- to 3-mile walk to the North Gate in 25-degree weather. If the NHL, AFA and Avs are promoting the ride-share program, they should warn folks that cell service — the essential part of ride-share — is extremely sketchy on academy grounds. And the very best Uber/Lyft drivers won’t be chomping at the bit to enter the grounds with that kind of traffic.
Kiz: We all know television pays the freight for big-time college athletics and pro sports leagues. But as a result, the in-house experience for spectators who pay their hard-earned money to buy tickets suffers far too often. The people at sporting events should be treated as more than props to scream their fool heads off for TV shots between plays. I’m not blaming Avs management for the fiasco at the Air Force Academy. But if the team cares at all about its fans, Avs management should be leading the charge to obtain refunds for ticket buyers who were taken for granted and done wrong by the NHL.
Chambers: I worked the story to exhaustion Sunday. Put out requests for comment to the NHL, AFA and Avs, the latter of whom simply said “it was a league event,” and I read hundreds of emails from irate fans — the very ones who can’t (legally) watch Monday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning if they have Dish or Comcast. Bottom line: It was an Avalanche home game, and the home team has to take responsibility. But good luck getting refunds from the team, because the team owner doesn’t bend easily. If the team owner really cared about the fans, he would make all Avalanche games available on his teamowned television channel.