Soaring with the Eagles

LOVELAND, Colo. – While on a business trip in Winter Park, Colorado, I decided to brave the first winter storm of the year and take in a CHL hockey game in Loveland between the Colorado Eagles and the Tulsa Oilers.   I had no intention of doing any interviews or developing an article

for PHN; I just needed a hockey fix since the Austin Ice Bats are gone.   I got more than I bargained for.   From my initial contact with Eagles Director of Media Relations, JP Puma, to my post-game visit to the spacious locker room (“Don’t step on the Eagle,” I was warned), my experiences were nothing short of just plain special.   While most teams endeavor to provide visiting media with everything they need, the arena personnel and the team staffers went well above and beyond expectations to make me feel welcomed.   The entire experience was so positive that I felt moved to write about it.   I’ve traveled to a lot of hockey venues over the years as both a fan and a writer and I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that the fan’s game experience in the Budweiser Events Center is nothing short of electrifying.   Everything peripheral to the game is designed to give the fans an extraordinary hockey experience and make them feel welcomed as well.   It permiates right through you.   “We’re in the people business,” Colorado Eagles General Manager and former Head Coach Chris Stewart said.   “We’re lucky (the fans) are here. There’s no arrogance (here). And the players love the atmosphere (created by the fans).”   None of this is lost on the players.   “Players like playing in front of a full house,” Puma said.   “And they love having a chance to win a championship every year.”   Puma credited six time Stanley Cup winner Ralph Backstrom and founder of the Colorado Eagles for instilling the positive personality of the staff and the team from day one.   “Mr. Backstrom won six Stanley Cups with the Montréal Canadiens,” Puma said.   “He knows how an organization should be run.”   And well-run it is.   Not a minute goes by without something going on to keep the fan’s interested and involved.   It’s all tasteful and often humorous.   It’s easy to see why every game since the team’s inception has been sold out.   “We’ve been coming here since the start,” a fan told me. “(Our family) enjoys the games.   We like that the team is always near the top of the league.   And we especially like being treated like a customer; like the team and staff is here for us, not the other way around.”   There was so much going on that it’s impossible to mention everything.   However as a retired Air Force Viet Nam Veteran, I must say that what moved me the most was the introduction of the National Anthem. On all the screens in the arena, an Army Sergeant stationed in Iraq told the fans (by video) how much he and his troops would appreciate it if everyone would remove their hats and stand quietly through the playing of the Anthem.   As the anthem was sung, you could hear a pin drop in the arena. It was truly impressive.   Just in case you were wondering, there was a hockey game.   The last place Tulsa Oilers came back not once, not twice, but three times to top the first place Eagles 6-5.   The teams combined for 92 shots on goal, 11 goals and 70 penalty minutes in a very entertaining hockey game.   Oiler goalie Guy St. Vincent stopped 51 shots including a flurry of shots in the last minute. The fans didn’t seem to be too upset.       “It’s all good,” Stewart said.   “It’s good for us and it’s especially good for the fans.”   All said it was good for me as well. Thanks to the entire Eagles organization from top to bottom.   Contact the author at:   Mitch.Cooper@prohockeynews.com  Photos by Terry Sanford at terry.sanford@prohockeynews.com.