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Jim Slater, TSN poll provide evidence of fan rage

Colorado Avalanche v Winnipeg Jets

WINNIPEG, CANADA - FEBRUARY 19: Jim Slater #19 of the Winnipeg Jets carries the puck during their NHL game against the Colorado Avalanche at MTS Centre on February 19, 2012 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

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To little surprise, fans are expressing their lockout-related rage on various forums with opening night officially beyond saving.

One interesting venue is TSN’s main NHL page.

The network put up a simple poll asking if fans will return to NHL hockey once the work stoppage runs its course. While the majority said “Yes,” a stunning 44.4 percent of the 30,807 voters said they wouldn’t.

As people like Aaron Portzline point out, it’s unlikely that such a large segment of the potential NHL audience will truly be lost. Still, it gives Bill Daly & Co. good reason to worry about how much momentum could be lost.

Another interesting and more anecdotal bit of fan rage comes from Paul Friesen’s account of Jim Slater’s experiences with some upset people at a bar.

Slater admits he understands how fans are feeling.

“They’re mad at both sides. If I was a fan, I would be, too,” Slater said.

It looks like there’s a lot of angry fans, at that.