Mavericks not only winning games

INDEPENDENCE , Mo. – I recently had an epiphany. Maybe, just maybe, Kansas City needs the Mavericks more than the Mavericks need Kansas City.  
My father recently celebrated a birthday. Having followed the Mavericks through their inaugural season, I thought my parents would enjoy seeing a game in person.   They’ve heard me talk about the team all season, and they are old-school hockey fans.   They were both born and raised in Philadelphia.   They were there for the glory years of the Broad Street Bullies.   They were there for the back-to-back Stanley Cups of ’75 and ’76.   However, they haven’t been to a live hockey game in almost 20 years.   I knew that this would be a true test as to the ability of the Mavericks to attract fans of all realms.  
To make a long story short, the first thing that my mother said to me after the Mavericks’ 4-3 shootout victory over Mississippi was “That was awesome!”  
Here is where my epiphany comes into play.   I realized that the people of Kansas City have yearned for an organization like the Mavericks. After countless near 100-loss seasons from the Royals, as well as the recent turmoil of the beloved Chiefs, the fans in this area have needed a team that is willing to do whatever it takes to win.   Maybe the Royals and Chiefs should take some pointers from Mavericks organization, in particular, how they built their team.  
They brought in a great veteran player in Jeff Christian, who they knew would have control of that locker room (can you think of a player like that on the Chiefs or Royals?).   They surrounded Christian with great young talent, like Nick Sirota and Karl Sellan, so that Christian could provide the guidance and tutelage in order to get the most out of the younger guys.   Mix in a few moves during the season, like adding Jeff MacDermid, Mike Burgoyne, Gerry Festa, and Charlie Effinger, and you have a team that is poised to make the postseason in their first season of play.  
Let me repeat that:   a team from the Kansas City area is in position to make the postseason.   It almost seems surreal.  
The Front Office of the Mavericks has proven time and time again that they are always looking to upgrade their team, even if that means trading away fan favorites such as Chad Hinz and Andrew Davis.
Hockey has always been known as a blue-collar sport.   Fans have seen players break their ankles, noses, teeth, only to see those same players come back a period later to help in anyway they possibly could.  
Hockey is not like other sports, where athletes get as much as a hang nail and are sidelined for a period of time.   This is one of the major things that fans love about their hockey teams.   These players throw caution to the wind, throw their bodies all over the ice, and even lie down in front of a 90+ miles per hour shot, because this is the game that they love to play.   Fans love that, but more importantly, fans respect that.  
This is why a fan can go to a Mavericks game and see a thrilling shootout victory by the hometown squad, or a devastating blowout, like the 9-2 loss to Rapid City in December, but that doesn’t matter. While the Mavericks faithful would love to see the team win every game, it’s the effort shown on the ice that matters.   After that 9-2 beatdown from the Rush, fans stood up and cheered the Mavericks as they skated towards their locker room.   One of my friends then asked the question that I already knew was coming, but also already knew what my response would be.   He asked: “What are they cheering for?   That was the worst loss in team history.”   My response was:   “Because the fans know that this team just played their hearts out.”
***Fans are coming out in droves to support this team.   The Mavericks currently rank 3^rd in average attendance in the league, and that number is only going to rise.   Weekend games are consistently sold out, and the average attendance for weekday games has steadily increased over the past few months.  
Fans are reaching out to each other on the internet, via Facebook, Twitter, the CHL Forms, and the My Mavs section of the team’s website.   This fan base is growing by the second, which has a lot to do with the involvement of the organization in the community.   The players are getting out into the community and meeting the fans.   They are staying after long and grueling games to meet fans and sign autographs.   They are taking pictures with fans, giving away team merchandise, and meeting with season ticket holders.   I know that all professional sports team do these things, but the Mavericks players have done an amazing job at connecting with thier fans.   That connection can be heard, when fans refer to and cheer for their favorite players as if they were cheering for their son or daughter at a Little League game.
So, is it so insane to think that Kansas City needs this team more than the team needs us?   I don’t think so.   If there is one thing that I love and respect about the sports fans in Kansas City, it’s their undeniable loyalty to their teams.   I believe that the Mavericks are on the cusp of attaining that loyalty and love, but before they can do that, they have to earn the respect of the fans.   After seeing this team grow from day one, they’ve earned the respect of this insignificant writer.
Contact the author at joe.rozycki@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at les.stockton@prohockeynews.com