Which UHL team do you think is the Komets' arch-rival now, and why? I'd be real interested in your choices. What to you makes a rivalry? How important is a rivalry to you?
It used to be we never had to think about this question because it was Toledo for the longest time and then Indianapolis. Oldtimers will tell you that Toledo was the roughest, and they might be right according to what the FANS went through. I think the Indianapolis rivalry might have been more fun because the Komets dominated it. Both have their merits.
Oh, and for those interested in what former Komets are doing now, I plan to re-run those in next week's At a glance, probably starting Tuesday.
Comments
In a statistical stand point it has to be QC. For the longest time now the Komets can't get over the three point hump and take the second place standing. At game point of view it would be Rockford. Things seem to fire up more when the Icehogs are in town. Then again, we haven't even played the K-zoo at all at home yet so it's too early to say who the Komets' rival is this year thus far.
I honestly have no idea who the Komets biggest rival is, the UHL pretty much killed the Kzoo rivalry because they are in diffrent divisions and we havent even seen Kzoo at home yet and its almost Feburary.
i think the fury, i can't stand them. and any team Jimmy Duhart plays for.you no it's alot more fun when he is in the line up.
There really are no real rivalries anymore with the K's Constant changing of division alignments and teams moving kills the rivalries. And players don't play with the same team or in this league for long enough anymore. The vet rule and the rookie rule has killed it. It's crazy that Kzoo hasn't been here yet, that Indy is in another league, that Cincy and doesn't have a team, that Dayton, Toledo, Peoria and on and on are in other leagues. In some ways this is a reminder of the late 90's IHL (not quite that extreme) I think our biggest rival this year is Rockford (stems from the playoffs last year). But, with the new teams next year that can change real quick again.
Fury. Can't stand their TEAM or their FANS. After last year's playoff round..when we went there (on the bus trip) the fans were nasty. Bad Bad Bad...can't stand the Fury.
I wonder how the fans from other teams felt when they would come to Ft Wayne in the days of the "jungle"...... Sounds to me that maybe the "jungle" has moved to Fury country and we dont like that too much. I believe that Rockford is our best rivalry right now due to the fact that we play them more often and they have gotten the best of us all year...
I've not seen any real rivalries yet this year. If I had to pick one, it would be Rockford based on last year's playoffs. Nothing today compares to the old Toledo rivalry! Those were the days...
JR- There is a difference between holding up a sign that says "Komets Suck".. and picking physical fights with the fans from the other team. It was so bad there was a lady that wrote in to the newspaper (somewhere in the sports section) that said because of the violence towards her family from some of their friends..her little boy was scared to sleep at night. That's what I'm talking about!
Opps.. I meant ' FANS ' ..not friends!
Rival? I would say none. Rockford or Muskegon probably comes the closest. They should also be our carrot.
Whomever said the Komets changing divisions each year was dead on.
Nanci, I remember reading that article in the newspaper about the little boy. It was last year during the playoffs, when some lady's husband got into a physical fight with a crowd of Muskegon fans at a Komets away game, while the little boy watched. However, I had to question that story because there's *always* two sides to every story. But, hey, whatever, I know first-hand that the Muskegon fans can be nasty. Either way, I'm sure it wasn't pleasant for that little boy, and I feel bad for the family. It just seemed like a very biased, pointing-fingers type of letter, since it was written from the wife's point of view. Anyway, moving on...
To answer the UHL rivalry question, I'd say Rockford, because of the playoffs last season.
Rockford seems to be the consensus and I'm going with it. There have been some good games between them this year. When I think of rivalry I think of location, but as Joseph said earlier, the divisons now tend to mess that up. I would love to see Indy back and maybe get another team or two in Ohio (cause that's where I live). Oh well
I would say Rockford this year.
The Komets have generally been in the same conference most of their time on the UHL, with the exception of the year they were in the East and won the Cup. I say generally, since I think we were in the Central division a year or two, but we seem to always be aligned with QC, Missouri, Rockford, and I believe, Kzoo and Muskegon in the past as well. I don't think they started that Michigan division until Motor City came along. Flint and Port Huron were in the East for a while.
In any case, I really don't think that the changing of divisions has hurt any rivalries. I just think that teams have changed. The Mallards are not like they were in the old days, Kzoo (in the past couple of years) is getting a really hot as well as Rockford. It the past the Komets dominated those two teams, but now seems to be struggling against them. So I really think that a rivalry could be with any team each year. It just really depends on which team is hot and really gets under the skin of the Komets.
Oh, I nearly forgot. Great article with Michael Franke, Blake. I don't think people realize what it takes to run a francise.
i wish we could get back into the michigan division and get back the flint and k-zoo rivalries, i just dont care for being in the western conf.
although i do enjoy watching the ks and rockford battles this year.
So what do you guys look for in a rivalry? Or what do you want to see in one?
teresa you must be old school like me if you still remember the old toledo goaldigger and komet wars, i remember one evening after a game several hundred fans were waiting out side for the diggers and they had to pull there bus in or by the coliseum basement so they could get the players on the bus safely and out of the fort.
I too have been to several games in Muskegon and my observations are based on the reception I got there, the language that was thrown in my direction, and the behavior of Fury fans towards us as we waited to get on the bus. I also grew up watching Komets fans exibiting the same sort of behavior towards opposing teams fans in the MC... Several times there were near brawls in the stands, komets fans going after players or coaches while they were on the bench, etc... I am not down playing the behavior of the Fury fans towards Komet fans; I'm just saying that its not all that different here sometimes. I sat near some of the Rockford fans last year in the playoffs and they took quite alot of abuse from K's fans. I dont like the fact that we really dont have the "jungle" atmosphere here anymore and am a little jealous that it may be somewhere else.......
P.S. Please dont get me wrong I dont want fighting in the stands between fans, I just miss the Jungle....
I look for a war in a rivalry to where the teams just DO NOT like each other at all. Whether its the coaches who can't stand each other or some incident that devloped some tension or something. Each game against that opponent is like a game 7 of the playoffs whether its Tuesday, Wednesday, or primetime Saturday night. Each teams opposing fans try to make the trip to every game against that team. Whatever. Every whistle there is some jossling or chirping. What also makes a good rivalry is balanced personnel. Each team can beat the other on any given night. Your team builds and makes moves to match up to what the other is doing if they feel it will diminish the advantage.
Right now, the teams being mentioned can pretty much spank us like babies.
I don't even hear much of the "Rock the Jungle" slogan anymore on commercials either.
Why don't the Komets skate out to that song every game? The crowd gets up for it when the tune gets dusted off and played. Was there some threats against playing that song too? Just curious.....
Blake I like the old days with the Golddiggers and then the Ice. You knew when you went to the game you would see a physical game with a little bit of everything, goals, hits, and fights oh how I miss those days. I would say Rockford is coming close to filling that void, but the more natural rival would be Kzoo but they consider their rival to be Muskegon.
If anyone, it's Rockford.
Funny thing is, we may have a chance to re-kindle the Kalamazoo rivalry because we will be moving to the Michigan division next year I can almost gurantee...
bruce , i think that was a k-zoo game, thats when some fans shot out the the bus windows.
Right now I would say Rockford, but is it really a rivalry when they usually kick our butts. I don't see a true "rival" out there for us currently.
Also, I agree with scoops, the only time you hear Welcome to Jungle anymore is at the start of the third period...I think it has become more of a petting zoo. All the stuff that made it fun to go to K's games are being put away. The "you suck" chant, again "Welcome to the Jungle", and what's more, our teams aggressive, physical style of play.
Toledo and Indianapolis in the "olden days." Although I think the Indy one got BORING when they got so bad the Komets dominated them.
Now? Who knows? With the constant movement of players each year, it seems like there really aren't any to speak of.
I'll answer it this way: The teams I LIKE to see come here: Rockford, Flint, Danbury, Muskegon. Games I SIT THRU: Missouri (zzzzzzzzzzzzzz), I am sure Roanoke will be one.
There are no rivalries in this league for the Komets. It is just like the CBA when it was here. There is way too much turnover in terms of teams and players. Fighting has been almost elimated and the Komets are the 4th least penalized team in the league.
The best rivalry in the league is between Adirondack and the Danbury Trashers. The league needs more teams like Danbury and fewer coaches like Puhalski!
The rivalries are todo more with with the players on any given team, then team it self, like what ever team Jim (I S--K Duhart)is on. that's why we hated flint last year. and robin (watch your back) from the fury.the fans in K-ZOO think chaulk is a dirty player.even in the old days.