Dear Mr. Bettman:
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a new association created to provide representation for National Hockey League fans across North America. The association – NHLFA.com (National Hockey League Fans' Association) – has been active for about three weeks and already has nearly 600 members. We have no doubt this number will continue to grow as word spreads. Currently, members register at no cost via our web site at
www.NHLFA.com. Once we have secured sponsorship, we will expand our membership base by reaching out to hockey fans who lack Internet access.
The prime purpose of NHLFA.com is to give the fans a voice in the NHL. We're confident you would agree that it's reasonable to expect that those who pay the freight should have some measure of involvement in a game which would not exist without them. It is the fans who maintain teams in 26 cities across the continent, it is the fans who pay a large portion of the salaries and it is fans who support the advertisers. And yet, this massive group of people has no organized voice when it comes to matters affecting the game.
NHLFA.com intends to provide that voice and offer a way for fans to make their opinions known.
To that end, we intend to produce a twice-yearly poll of our members to gauge their views on dozens of issues related to hockey today, for example, officiating, rules and rule changes, salaries, rink sizes, cost of attending games, etc. The poll results will be provided to the NHL, the NHLPA, the media and, of course, to our membership.
Also, Mr. Jack Bowerman, CA; CMA, of Nepean, Ontario, has agreed to oversee the accounting requirements of the association, particularly in conducting periodic audits of our membership list.
We look forward to a cooperative working relationship with the NHL, as well as the NHLPA, to ensure the views of fans are considered in decisions affecting the future of NHL hockey in North America. We believe that together, we can make the game better for all concerned.
Jim Spendlove
Ottawa, Ontario
spendlove@nhlfa.com Jim Boone
Ottawa, Ontario
boone@nhlfa.com