Revisiting a special night in Evansville

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – It was unlike any other Saturday in Evansville, Indiana. The unassuming calendar simply read “November 5, 2011.” But at least for one evening, a once-sleepy downtown area served as the hub of hockey in the state of Indiana.
The scene revolved around the new $127 million Ford Center, the focal point for revitalizing the heart of a city that has been long victimized by urban sprawl.
Its construction was not without controversy, and the naysayers are not small in number. They question the wisdom of building a new arena in a struggling economy. They claim the facility is too close to a dangerous and crime-riddled part of town. They argue that parking in the area is not sufficient. These are all debatable issues, and each has indeed been debated ad nauseam.

However, on this night, none of that mattered because the spotlight was firmly on the Central Hockey League’s Evansville IceMen, who were prepared to take on the Fort Wayne Komets in the first-ever hockey game at the sparkling new arena.
To the southwest, the sun sank in the afternoon sky, dipping toward the horseshoe bend in the Ohio River. Its fading rays shone between the city’s office buildings, which gradually transformed into nondescript silhouettes that further shifted the focus toward the Ford Center.
To the northeast, a sprawling parking lot rapidly filled up as scores of fans enjoyed burgers and beverages at a tailgate party that was organized and promoted online by supporters of both teams. There were blue-clad IceMen fans and there were orange-tinted Komets fans, a bit awkwardly, but still cordially sharing the same asphalt. With a few bold exceptions, it was like watching boys and girls at a middle-school dance. The teams’ fans generally stuck with their own, only occasionally mingling with the other side.
At the plaza in front of Ford Center, a team-sponsored street party gradually matured from a small gathering into a large assembly. A local radio station provided music as children gleefully flew through the air inside a bounce house. Fans of all ages exchanged stories and laughs, meandering from person to person in an effort to catch up with all of the familiar faces. It was essentially a family reunion after a seemingly endless off-season apart.
The tailgaters began to migrate to the plaza. A small group of Komets fans entered the fray and they were welcomed to the party accordingly. One IceMen fan yelled out “KOMETS!” The rest of the “IceMen Maniacs” knew the drill and respond in unison, “SU-UCK!”
A steady stream of fans traversed the paving bricks of Main Street to visit the recently-relocated IceMen team office, within whispering distance of the team’s hulking new on-ice home. Many spent some time in the office’s storefront gift shop, which was bustling with activity and the sounds of a cash register.
Blizzard, the polar-bear mascot of the IceMen, emerged from the team office and joined the street party. It had grown to include fans wearing virtually every IceMen sweater design that had ever existed, both game-worn and replica. There were standard black and white sweaters from each of the team’s prior three seasons, and a number of the new blue and white designs that had yet to see Ford Center ice.
There were also special game-worn and autographed jerseys won via auction on various theme nights, such as Heart Night and New Year’s Eve. Most of the players represented on the backs of the sweaters were no longer in Evansville; some having spent just a few games with the IceMen. Still, they’re all a part of what this family has become.
The volume was soon turned up – way up – when the Boom Squad joined the party. The collection of more than 100 inner-city youths displayed impressive percussive talent, energizing the plaza and sending drumbeats careening throughout downtown.
IceMen super-fan Brad Perkins, donning an inaugural-season jersey and his trademark face paint, procured a pair of drumsticks and joined the performance. Those who know Perkins enjoyed a good laugh. Those who didn’t know him chuckled as well.
The adult leading the Boom Squad addressed the throng of fans after a song concluded. He admitted that he didn’t know much about hockey, but he’d received a tip from a fan about something he should try. Not knowing what he was getting himself into, he bravely trusted the tipster and yelled out “KOMETS!” The resulting “SU-UCK!” rivaled the Boom Squad’s drums in acoustic intensity.
Thoroughly enjoying the reaction, he went back for more. “KOMETS!” he screamed. The fans responded again, this time with even more vigor. He loves it. A third time? Why not? The crowd completed the “SU-UCK!” hat trick. The Boom Squad leader laughed and gave his tipster a thumbs-up.
From dozens to hundreds to thousands, the party expanded in scope as the sky darkened from blue to black.
The IceMen franchise had never drawn even as many as 1,800 fans to a single game before that evening. If it had ever tried, the organization would have been in violation of an untold number of fire codes at the tiny Swonder Ice Arena, the 1,500-seat recreational rink that served as the team’s home for three seasons.
But Swonder, still the team’s primary practice facility, is dwarfed by Ford Center. The new arena’s seating capacity for hockey is around 9,000, and the IceMen needed the vast majority of those seats on this night.
As the temperature cooled into the 50’s, the building’s doors were finally opened. The first 1,500 fans that entered were given commemorative IceMen logo pucks. They were all gone in a flash.
Ticket bar codes were scanned at a frantic pace as the organization’s previous attendance record of 1,704 was quickly surpassed, then doubled, and then tripled. Quadrupled? You bet. Quintupled? Sure thing. The record-obliterating attendance is initially announced at 8,722, and later revised upward to 8,827 after final ticket sales totals were tallied.
Inside the arena, the thousands of fans – many attending their first hockey game – settled in and surveyed the scene. Most were getting their first look at this shiny new events center, which had to-date only hosted a few open houses, a couple of small private parties, and a trio of exhibition college basketball games.
An enormous state-of-the-art Jumbotron hangs from the ceiling with the scoreboard’s clock counting down as the excitement ramped up. The LED ribbon boards between seating levels rotated between sponsor plugs and various other promotional information. Music bellowed out from the numerous speakers throughout the building.
It looked and felt like a major-league event.
The crowd came to its feet and roared with approval as the IceMen took to the ice for the pre-game warm-ups. The Komets then entered to a chorus of boos. The buzz continued to build as the players prepared for the biggest game in Evansville’s brief hockey history.
After warm-ups, Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel took the Zamboni for a quick spin around the ice. He seemed to take pleasure in every second of his joyride as he looked around at the civic progress he helped make happen. He knew all along that building an arena downtown would bring out a vocal opposition and perhaps harm his political career, at least in the short-term. But on this night, that was of no concern to Weinzapfel. He savored the moment, the dream having become reality, and his vision for enhancing the city’s future having come to fruition.
Moments later, the lights went out and the crowd exploded again. A hype video appeared on the scoreboard’s huge, crystal-clear video screens, a far cry from the classroom-style projector-and-screen presentation that was occasionally employed at Swonder. The fans popped for various players and statements featured in the video, as the buzz approached its crescendo.
The video ended and the entire IceMen roster was then introduced. Every player was heartily applauded, from returning stars Brian Bicek and Nicklas Lindberg to marquee summer acquisitions Todd Robinson and Philippe Plante to popular enforcers Mark Cody and Mike Sgroi to unknown commodities Bryan Gillis and Malcolm Gwilliam. The message was clear: If you’re representing the IceMen, the Maniacs support you completely.
The lights came up in an instant, and it was time for the ceremonial puck drop. Mayor Weinzapfel was introduced to a smattering of boos. Tuxedoed IceMen Owner Ron Geary joined him, along with CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis. They dropped the puck, and the fans applauded once again.
After the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner, the moment finally arrived. Referee Peter Tarnaris skated to center-ice with puck in hand. Robinson represented the home team, while Colin Chaulk took the draw for the visitors.
The centers glided into the massive IceMen logo and lowered their sticks and Tarnaris snapped the rubber to the ice. Robinson won the face-off and the crowd cheered.
The game itself was a blur. Early in the first period, Sgroi fought Brent Henley to the delight of the crowd. Less than a minute later, Josh Beaulieu scored the first goal in Ford Center history, and the fans erupted.
The opening stanza led to the first intermission, featuring the hilarious ZOOperstars, who quickly won over those in attendance with their high-energy act. They were a special attraction on a unique night.
The Komets knotted the score early in the second period and briefly quieted some of the evening’s sizzle, but the crowd was immediately re-invigorated when Jordan Little dropped the gloves with Kaleigh Schrock. The home team rode the momentum and cashed in with another goal by Beaulieu, followed by a lamplighter by former Komet Sean O’Connor.
The ZOOperstars returned during the second intermission, which also featured the always-popular Chuck-A-Puck contest. A rainbow of foam pucks fluttered to the ice, and a handful of lucky fans earned themselves prizes from sponsors that did not exist a season earlier.
The final frame got chippy, with a pair of fights and shenanigans aplenty. A media-timeout karaoke contest led to the contestant and thousands of others singing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” – even though they never planned on stopping anyway. Neither team tickled the twine in the third period, and the IceMen prevailed 3-1 over the rival Komets.
Beaulieu was named the Star of the Game. His on-ice interview was interrupted by O’Connor, who delivered a face-full of shaving cream to his line mate. Beaulieu didn’t mind. The Ontario native continued the interview with a smile on his foam-framed face.
He’s wasn’t alone. The fans headed for the exits, with smiles on their faces as well – even some of the orange-and-black attendees.
Komets fan Don Brecht is among those who drove the five-plus hours south from Fort Wayne for the game. His attire included a helmet that featured an orange goal light, which he turns on whenever the Komets score. With the home team leading 3-1 late in the game, an IceMen fan noticed his headgear and playfully remarked, “Somebody’s going back to Fort Wayne with a fully-charged battery.”
Brecht took it in stride, having enjoyed his experience despite his team coming out on the short end of the scoreboard. “It had to be one of the best comments I have heard at a game in a long time,” Brecht said. “It was one of the best road games I have ever gone to. Everyone was nice and thanked us for coming down. Not ONE person made a comment that was rude, offensive to us, or could have been taken as anything except normal hockey teasing. I will be coming back to the Ford Center!”
It was truly a special night in Evansville; a celebration of Hoosier hockey and the dawning of a new era in the River City. There will be more hockey games at Ford Center, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of them. But there will only be one debut, one “first.”
For the thousands of IceMen fans who spilled out of Ford Center, the final score was just a bonus. The one-of-a-kind opening night memories, well, those are truly special.
Contact the writer/photographer at michael.shockley@prohockeynews.com