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The Non-Hockey Entertainment
by Alanah McGinley on 10/23/08 at 02:27 PM ET
Comments (2)
John Loomis is the manager of game presentation for the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center, and it’s his job to “entertain the fans between the whistles.” From Travis Brillowski of the Minnesota Wild (via NHL.com):
From pregame videos to between-periods entertainment, to anything that happens outside of the action on the ice, it falls on Loomis and his staff to keep things coordinated and organized, and most importantly, keep the building loud. Considering the Wild have sold out every game during their first seven seasons—and season No. 8 is tracking to be another full-season sell-out—he and his crew must be doing something right.
Here is what an average game day is like for Loomis, leading up to the drop of the puck at 7 p.m.
read on for ‘a day in the life’ of entertaining a hockey crowd
Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild, NHL Talk, NHL Business of Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: arenas, hockey+fans,
Comments
“Non-hockey entertainment” irritates me (music of the players’ choice during the warmups doesn’t count).
As a Montreal fan who’s spent quite a bit of time at the Bell Centre, I can do without the Coldplay and U2 songs played ad nauseum over the top of a poorly put-together intro video. Ads for the latest EA Sports offering or a Madonna concert? No thanks. A left-side vs. right-side cheering competition sponsored by Esso? I’ll pass. T-shirts covered in beer logos shot into the crowd with airguns? Yeah… great souvenir for the young fans…
Here’s what I like: Vignettes featuring the players. Highlights from around the league. Clips of historic games. A real organ (do those even exist anymore?).
...and thanks SYF for the words about Montreal - we’re proud to say that the cheers that show up on the Jumbotron only show up after the Canadiens fans have already started chanting them (and so in cases of things like “Na Na. Na na na na, hey hey, Goodbye” the timing is horrendous because it doesn’t match up with the crowd).
Posted by PRC. on 10/23/08 at 07:43 PM ET
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I’d love to have the atmosphere found in the European arenas (SC Berns. Check it out.). It would be insane to see something similar at the Joe.
The first time I saw a Canadiens home match on CBC in Detroit, it was the most raucous atmosphere I ever saw on TV. Even today’s crowd isn’t anywhere near the fervor it was back then.
But I’m getting a little tired of the contrived persistence in getting us constantly fired up for the next faceoff in the neutral zone. However, from the past couple of pre-season games I’ve seen at the Orleans Arena here in Las Vegas, it’s been a pleasure to be able to talk hockey without yelling at each other.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 10/23/08 at 01:52 PM ET