BLOOMINGTON, Ill – The holiday season is here and time to reflect on……………. My favorite reason given for allowing fighting in hockey is to ‘let the players police themselves.’ Silly as that is, I would be willing to accept that if they will allow the hockey fans ‘police themselves,’ too. I mean, after a few slashes there would be a lot more folks waiting until a stoppage in play before moving to/from their seats.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
Greg Rajan down in Corpus Christi, Texas, just finished up a great three-part series on ‘good old days’ (my words, not his) of the WPHL. This, along with “ Zamboni Rodeo ” by Jason Cohen, should be required reading for any potential minor league hockey owner. (I hope IHL Commissioner Dennis Hextall has read these.)
Every fan has opposing players they love to hate. That said, I know from experience how freaky it feels when Facebook suggests one of those players as a Facebook friend. It’s so weird. So, no offense to that enforcer from Toledo a decade ago, but, I don’t want to be your friend. You know the basic two-handed swing of the stick? You really don’t want to do that. Ever. I think most Mini-Mites learn that. You never know what you are going to hit. Am I right or am I right Mr. Ballard?
“The Hokey-Pokey” “Y-M-C-A” “If You’re Happy and You Know It” “The Cha-Cha Slide” All this convinces me that, when it comes to hockey, fans and dancing, people just want to be. With all the Christmas displays in the stores going up earlier and earlier every year and three holidays crammed together within a span of 5 short weeks, I am beginning to think the Canadians might have it right by celebrating Thanksgiving in October.
The worst thing to happen to you if you are marketing a minor league hockey team may be getting shut-out at home. No player is less appreciated (and more necessary) than a good stay-at-home blueliner. Their sweater may be the cheapest during the jersey auction, but those guys make the goalies look good and allow the forwards to do their thing in the offensive zone. When someone credits their team’s success on the ice to ‘team chemistry’ – look towards the defensemen. I am looking forward to Olympic hockey in a couple of months (as long as it isn’t tape-delayed). I actually enjoy the women’s hockey more than the men. You never see one of the women taking a shift off. I greatly anticipate the first cold-snap of the winter. Sure, the neighbors think I am crazy, and I am not saying they are wrong. However, nothing beats watching the kids during the first skate of the year on their very own outdoor rink. This year there will be lines in the ice – not painted, but LED lights under the ice. I experimented with this on our last rink and, simply put, the effect is AWESOME.
Also, last time we froze milk jugs ¾ full of water and we were Curling.
Contact shaun.bill@prohockeynews.com
Publisher’s Note: Zamboni Rodeo is perhaps the best effort on minor league hockey. Jason Cohen followed the Austin IceBats for a season and chronicled his travels with them. It is a must read. In the interest of full disclosure Jason is a friend, even on Facebook.
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