Last pre-season I was introduced to the fabulous world of hockey by my boyfriend. He's originally from the bay area and has been following the Sharks franchise since they started years ago. He took me to the Rookie Exhinition game between the Sharks and the Ducks at the Anahiem Ice training facility. Being in such an intimate environment really sparked something in me, and since then I've attended about 10 NHL games this past season, and have put down a deposit for season tickets for next. Also, his passion and love for the game has rubbed off on me quite a bit, and have began to consider myself quite the die-hard hockey fan.
Now, hockey consumes my life to an extent. I talk about it everywhere I go, work, school, the local dive bar...you get the idea. I even got one of my girlfriends into it by making her watch a game with me one night. She was so impressed by my enthusiasm for the game, that it got her excited about it too. This got me thinking about who else I could convert into a hockey fan. So I already have plans for getting a large group of people together to take with me to a game next season. They may think I'm crazy by the time it's over (I get kind of loud), but I hope by the end of the game, they'll love the sport a little bit more, and continue to go to games, which brings me to my point.
I have a vision....
As passionate as hockey fans are about the game, I think we can use this to our advantage. If every hockey fan out there is able to convert at least one person into a die-hard like I've become, and have been able to do with my friend, then the fan base will grow. The chain reaction will start, and maybe the NHL will get the recognition it deserves in the U.S..
HOCKEY FANS UNITE!!!
i did, my daughter is an avid fan...and she's only 9 years old
That's great!! The younger they're hooked, the better. I love seeing little kids at games in their jerseys. I have to watch my language around them, but they're so cute! Part of the reason I was inspired to write this is with all the speculation about teams having to leave certains areas, or will leave them in the future. Being a business major, it's all about drawing people into the place, once you get them there they will see the magnifigance (is that a word?) of it. But getting them there is the trick. Fans bringing people is only the start. The NHL and the respective teams need to reconsider their current marketing campaigns and come up with new, more effective ones. For instance: The Kings currently use "I play for LA" which, being said in Canadian and European accents is completely ineffective in Southern California. How about trying "Be part of the Dynasty" playing off of the regalness of what being a King means.
I'm gonna need your help getting Mike Ricci,Mike Richter,Sean Avery Etc on "So you think you can Dance" this way my girlfriend blends my world with hers.
And here I thought you saw a 900 foot Jesus in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I have been converting folks for years, or at least trying to.
Wouldn't having Ricci on there make it "Dancing with the Scarred"?
Happy to hear you are buying Ducks Season tickets. That is excellent news. The drive from San Bernardino (you can thank me later for correcting your mis-spelling) will be very easy, but a bit taxing at $4.20 per gallon.
Thanks for the heads up on my mistake! :) And who said I was buying them for the Ducks. If you had noticed in my profile, I dislike the Ducks. I'm actually becoming a ticket holder for the Kings. I think they're real close to becoming contenders, once they get a few kinks worked out. But they're definitely on their way!
Best youtube footage is the LA Kings-Redwings run from a few years back. Deadmarsh,Potvin,Etc...The Best goal scoring song every. " ILOVE LA>>>>" WE LOVE IT!
Yeah...they still use it, then switch to some techno crap. I think that's another thing they may want to consider changing. I like the one the Ducks and some other teams use, I believe it's Pennywise, but then people would say they are copying the Ducks and we wouldn't want that.
No Way So Cal...The Rangers use their own song,so should every team the HABS bump U2....The Kings need to keep it old school.. I love LA
I was actually refering to the techno crap moreso. It just doesn't work going from "I Love LA" to some random techno song. And there are other songs that refer to LA that could be used too. I just think that as the audience is getting younger, that they need to stay current with the times. But I agree that they need to find something they can call their own.