“My Last Words”

“It’s the final sign,
It’s the only solution,
I’d rather leave on a high,
Not destroy the illusion”

“The Day I Walked Away” – Death Angel

All good things, as the saying goes, must come to an end, and so it is with a great deal of regret that due to a change in personal circumstances, I’ve made the difficult decision to hang up the drumsticks

As I won’t be able to make every game this season, bashing the skins at the back of Block 113 isn’t something that I’ll be able to dedicate myself 100% to, so feel it would be unfair of me to continue

I guess I should apologise to those that have taken up residence in Block 113 to be near the drums, although there is absolutely nothing to stop someone else taking things up from where I’m leaving them. There are plenty of hints and tips to be found in these pages and I’ll be more than happy to help out at the games I can get to if required

I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has offered encouragement, advice, compliments, criticism (that’s been very important too!), ideas, song suggestions,  lyrics and generally any type of feedback, be it in person or via social media.  There’s far too many names to list here (and I’d no doubt forget one or two people), but I can assure you that it has all been taken on board and very much appreciated

I’d also like to thank everyone that has drummed, sung, clapped or shouted along with us at the back of the block over the past four seasons.  It has been an absolute blast and a fantastic experience with a huge number of special memories (some of which have been listed in these pages).  We’ve all really created something special on game nights and as I’ve stated many times, it has been and will continue to be a team effort.  Every voice makes a difference

I will still be at games in some capacity where possible, and I dare say that even though I’ll be sans drums, I’ve no doubt that my voice will still be heard (and to be honest, it’ll be nice to be able to visit the rink without having to carry a huge Hockey bag full of drums, banners and other assorted paraphernalia!)

Obviously, at the time of writing it also makes sense to make this my last post, at least for the time being (hard to write a blog when you no longer take part in the main topic) so thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read my opinionated ramblings over the past couple of years

So, signing off, I guess there’s only one thing left to say.  Everyone join in – “Oh when the Storm….!”

 

 

 

“Damned In Any Language (A Plague On Words)”

“To place truth on the page
Is the food I chose to digest
To share my thoughts and cares
And inquire into what’s best”

“Creative Restraint” – Acid Reign

 

One thing that I’ve found interesting during my years of watching the game is different perspectives.  I’ve had pretty much the same seat (although technically I seldom use the actual “seat”  to be honest – I prefer to stand in front of a girder that’s situated next to it, and obviously there was also “The 106 Experiment” that I’ve written about in great length elsewhere) at Altrincham since the second season it opened.  By coincidence, my original season ticket was for the back of what is now 109, but I left as it was too quiet and I got tired of “funny looks” when I started singing and shouting, which is something that will probably resonate with a number of people.  As daft as it sounds, I’ve found that even so much as moving one seat space over can effect my view of the game.  This is something that I have at the back of my mind when I suggest to people that are unhappy with the atmosphere where they sit that they may want to move to a “noisier area” (although it’s something that you get used to over time)

I also found that where you sit can also effect how you see the game.  I mention elsewhere how at an early Storm game, as an experiment we moved the drums from 113 to the back Block 109 for a match.  One thing that struck me was how when you watch players skating towards and away from your field of vision rather that across it you tend to lose a lot of the concept of speed (another thing that still frustrates me in hindsight about that particular game was that it was broadcast on Sky.  Had we had the drums in 113 that night you’d have heard them a lot better on television as well as around the rink, creating a much better idea of what the atmosphere is like on a normal game night)

There are of course other aspects to perspective and how we all see things differently.  I remember a game against Bracknell in the arena days and whereas I found it to be a bit dull, from reading comments later on social media, others had really enjoyed it.  I guess the fact that we lost said game may have had some slight bearing on my opinion too, but I’ve seen some dull wins during my time

Having said all that, I think my favourite comparison of viewpoints is seeing the game through the eyes of those that are new to the sport.  As mentioned in previous posts, having watched the game for a number of years, it’s all too easy to get jaded and cynical with things, so talking to people with a more “innocent” view can sometimes not only remind you of how you fell in love with watching the game in the first place, but also point out small things that you may have missed.  Speaking as someone that got into watching when the internet was pretty much in it’s infancy, a lot of my early memories of the game have sadly been lost over the years (no Facebook, Twitter, Timehop, etc in those days, although I do fondly remember the post game ritual of grabbing a kebab from a local takeaway before returning to a mates house to check out the other scores on Teletext – no “Flashscores” or even mobile phones with internet connections to keep us updated back then) so seeing how people pick up the fundamentals can offer a forgotten insight

With that kind of inspiration and having met newer fans of the sport over the past couple of seasons, some may have noticed that sometimes my blog writing has slowly and subconsciously morphed slightly more into a “guide for newcomers” type of style rather than a “trip down memory lane” alongside the usual opinionated ramblings and ideas about how to write songs, get them going, etc.

However, the point I’m trying to get to is just because I’m something of a veteran of the game, there’s still more than enough room for the viewpoints of those at the opposite of the spectrum.  In fact, I’d dare say that it’s a void that could be filled by someone in that position wanting to take the blog writing plunge.  Whilst I almost certainly have the attitude that every opinion matters, I tend to find that Facebook can be a bit like being in a room where everyone is shouting all at once so tend to go through phases of either reading it or avoiding it, especially on or after game nights.  There’s also the way that posts tend to drop quickly down the page – the old adage about newspapers being “tomorrows chip wrappers” being very fitting simile as opinions are soon lost and forgotten about.  Alternatively, as much as I love Twitter, there really isn’t enough room to go into depth over a particular issue (funny how when the Twitter “tweet character count” was increased a year or so back, I was one of their biggest critics and now can’t understand how I got any of my tweets to fit within that limit!  Funny how things change)

When starting to write, I guess the most important rule of all is to do it primarily for your own personal amusement.  It shouldn’t feel like a chore.  A couple of reasons I started to write a blog was to see if I actually could and to scratch the “creative itch” that I have every now and again. This means that I don’t tend to push my blog too hard in the public domain – just a case of a quick tweet or post on my Facebook page when I post an entry and that’s about it.  I’ve also got the link in my Twitter bio and when I started writing, as an experiment,  I just posted my entries without telling anyone and see if anyone found it from stumbling upon said link. Needless to say that nobody did. Some of that could also be a put down to a confidence thing too, which is another reason why I do it for myself and if others like it, I see that as a bonus

Secondly, when I started writing a blog I set myself a target of a post a month. That way there would be a point where I’d have to stop my constant loop of editing, re-writing, etc (a procedure that I go through at some point for every entry) and just hit “submit”, otherwise I’d be stuck in a never-ending loop of editing, re-writing etc resulting in never posting anything, especially as I find it all too easy to over-analyse (I think it was George Lucas that said that “films are never completed, just abandoned”, and I can almost certainly see what he means).  As a result, there are some posts that I feel work better than others but I can almost guarantee that the ones I’m not as happy with are the ones that people like the most.  I also see that in another way.  As a huge music fan, I can’t think of a band the with a big enough back catalogue hasn’t released a “clunker” at some point. I don’t think any band or artist has a collection that consists of nothing but “classics” and that’s how I feel about some of my posts. Some are going to resonate better than others

Also, looking back, it’s also interesting to see how the writing style has developed. One of my many influences is the Scottish crime author Ian Rankin.  I recently completed reading his “Rebus” series, having decided to read them in chronological order (as I try to do with most authors).  It took until about book three for him to really settle in and find his voice (something I can relate to with my earliest entries.  There is the temptation to go back and edit them with the benefit of experience, but think that would be “cheating”, plus going back to the George Lucas quote, being of a certain age, the phrase “Special Editions” still sends a shudder down my spine…)

I’m not sure about other blog hosting sites, but WordPress (which I use primarily as it was the first one that I came accross and seems incredibly user friendly) has a count on how many people have read a post as well as interestingly, whereabouts in the world they are.  Some entries have had a handful of views (I think I’ve managed to gain a small number of “regular readers”) and others have been picked up and shared across Facebook (the entry made the day after the Playoff Quarter final against Fife had well over 100 views within the first couple of days of posting)

As for picking a point when I feel its ready to share, that depends. I usually have an evening where I type a the bulk of it out then return to it over the next couple of days and knock it into shape/change things around before hitting “submit”. Alternatively, one or two posts have been written over the course of a few months in a process where I return to them from time to time and make small alterations, but these are usually when I have a particular date or month for submitting in mind (an anniversary for example, or a particular point of the season)

Once you get into the swing of things, it becomes easier, plus writing is possibly better (and cheaper) way of preserving memories than a game worn jersey…

 

“Enter the Arena”

“Drifting on an endless sea  
On our way to nowhere
Oblivious to our destiny
Slowly drifting on and on and on”

“Seemingly Endless Time” – Death Angel

I mentioned in a previous post how back in the day, there used to be an online forum called “Into the Storm”.  Said forum was largely frequented by people that had been watching for a while and really knew their stuff. At the time, as a relative newbie, I found it slightly intimidating, but also an invaluable place of information, thoughts and opinions.  Reading it certainly helped me get to grips with how the game works.

In a funny parallel, in my early concert-going days, I used to be impressed by older music fans wearing old and obscure tour t-shirts from years gone by, and over time it became me that would be wearing “old and obscure t-shirts”.  In much the same way, I guess that I am now one of those people that has been “watching the game a while” and as a result, I’d like to think I maybe have thoughts, experiences and opinions that are of use to others that are newer to the sport (a direction I’ve found that my writing takes subconsciously from time to time)

With almost alarming regularity (usually at the end of a season), Facebook will feature a post or two from someone that has only recently been bitten by the Hockey bug (an achievement that to some of us is pretty impressive as this is something that has happened despite the state of the rink, the toilets, the sightlines, etc, etc), and with complete innocence, the question will pop up “Do you think the Storm will ever play at the Arena again?”.  Said post is usually met with a number of polite comments, numerous sarcastic ones and the usual gifs, memes, etc. (It may also be worth mentioning that whilst writing the first draft of this blog entry, a post appeared on the Facebook “Elite League Banter Page” from someone that couldn’t believe that there had once been over 17,000 fans attending a game in Manchester and that Storm had once had a 9,000 fans a game average).   However, for those not in the know, here’s some reasons of why (in my opinion at least) it’s pretty much guaranteed that it’s never going to happen…

 

It’s just way too big

On 23rd February 1997, 17,245 fans crammed into the arena to record the famous “sell out” game. It was almost certainly a huge PR coup at the time, but many would argue about the term “sell out” was an exaggeration as that phrase would possibly suggest that every ticket was “sold”. It’s certainly no secret that a large number of free tickets were the norm at the time, be it either through sponsors or people that worked at the arena (I admit that several of the games in my first season watching came through freebies from a friend of a friend that worked there). In hindsight, I’ve sometimes wondered just what percentage of people actually paid for their tickets on a game night

  (Pictures courtesy of and with thanks to Peter Bradbury)

Fortunately for me, I was smitten with the sport from my first game,  plus I also had the advantages of being single at the time and having few responsibilities. For others, when the stream of free tickets dried up (around about the time that the arena sold the team), I guess the decision wasn’t so cut and dry. Here was something that you’re used to getting for free and you now have to pay for it? There must have been some serious soul-searching going on for many, especially for those with children

One of the things that bothers me with regards to free tickets is that if you’re giving something away for free, it could be argued that what you’re selling could be considered “worthless”.  At least with a discounted (rather than free) ticket, you’re making some type of financial commitment to what you’re purchasing.  Sure, there are success stories with regards to free tickets (I’m one of them), but again, you have to wonder about the figure of those that actually paid for theirs

By unfortunate coincidence, this transition also took place during the reign of head coach Terry Christiensen.  Fans that were used to seeing the fast flowing and successful style of Kurt Kleinendorst were now subjected to an unsuccessful, revolving-door policy team with less skill and something that was less exciting to watch, something that certainly won’t have helped attendance figures

Another thought is this.  17,000+ people in attendance, a classic game, a win against a rival and this was the only time it ever happened?  If you can’t retain something like those type of attendance figures after a game of that pedigree, I don’t think you’ve any chance of making a proper go of it for any length of time

Another thing bothers me from that night. I believe the “Sold Out” signs went up early, so there must have been any number of people that was used to just turning up on the door and had made the trip into town especially to watch the game, only to be turned away. That must have left an awful taste in the mouth, especially for what was to become the biggest game in the teams history so far (and must have been made worse by the stories of the number of free tickets given away). Again, unless you’re a die-hard, you would probably have to do some serious thinking before you went again, if indeed you did go again.

Which brings things nicely on to….

 

The Dividing Line

Hockey in Manchester already has a number of things going against it. As well as living in the shadow of two major football clubs, rugby, cricket, etc, there’s also it’s chequered history to take into account. With the demise of the original Storm, a number of people (a large percentage having lost season ticket money) walked away from the game. The thing is that once you break a habit (and to some of us, Hockey is a habit or way of life), it’s very difficult to get back into. The money you’d have once put aside gets spent on other things and when you have to find it again, is it really worth it?

You only have to look at the drop off in figures from the final Storm season to the first season of Phoenix at the arena – a period of time that was less than 12 months. Average attendances had already been on quite a steep decline for a couple of seasons when Storm were at the arena. According to “The Hockey Annual”, the average attendance in the final (incomplete) season of Storm was 3,305, whilst the Phoenix average the following season was 2,068. Obviously, I’m guessing that a number of people will have walked away as they had lost money as mentioned above, whilst others only wanted to watch “Storm” rather than “another team” (I still remember leaving Deeside having just watched the very first Phoenix pre-season game and overhearing someone say “It’s just not the Storm, is it?”), but it’s still a worrying drop in numbers (especially, if memory serves, the break-even point for Phoenix at the arena was 3,000 – something that possibly should have been achievable at the time if enough people had bought into it?)

Unfortunately the Hockey Annual only lists teams with an average attendance of over 1,000 so as a result, Phoenix attendance figures aren’t mentioned in either the 2007-08 or 2008-09 edition (although in fairness, the 07/08 season was spent largely on the road with “home” games being played at either Deeside or Ice Sheffield, so that would be understandable)

It should be pointed out that during their time at Altrincham, Phoenix attendances did slowly creep up, averaging 1,300 in the 2013-14 season and 1,000 2014-15 season (source: The Hockey Annual once again) which brings us nicely onto…

 

A House Divided

To the best of my knowledge, Manchester is the only city with a split in the potential Hockey watching fanbase of the local area.  Whilst upon the demise of the arena era of Storm many had issues with Phoenix and decided to stay away, the same can be said with the resurrection of the Storm name and the demise of Phoenix.  Whilst there are a number of Phoenix regulars that have either now thrown their lot in with Storm by becoming season ticket holders or even just taking in the occasional game, there are still a large number of Hockey fans that will not watch Storm under any circumstances, be it at Alty, the arena or anywhere else for that matter, thus putting a dent into the prospective numbers required to make a game (or games) at the arena practical.

Again, as mentioned in a different post, potential audience figures are important, be it for a one-off game or something more regular.  The sport is an easier sell to someone that already has some knowledge or experience of it than it is to a complete novice, so whilst the gulf in (potential) Manchester Hockey fans is unfortunate, to a certain degree it is also understandable from certain perspectives

 

Nostalgia just ain’t what it used to be

Top of the advantage list of playing at the arena are the facilities (although this is pure speculation – I’ve not been there for a good few years, but I’m making an educated guess that the toilets, etc are a huge improvement on Alty? (admittedly, that’s not particularly difficult if even half of what I’ve heard is true and I’ve little reason to doubt it)), but what else is gained?  I get the impression that for most, the whole concept of watching Storm at the arena is just a nostalgia thing in wanting to remember the good ol’ days that the weekly pilgrimage was made into Manchester city centre, rather than some town in Greater Manchester.  The problem here is that it’s not just that feeling you want to recreate, you also want to recreate the long lost days of youth and memories that go with them.  A bit like wanting a band to play their “greatest hits” if you go to see them in concert, you appreciate those songs over their more recent releases as they remind you of a certain place and time, usually the moment that you first heard that particular song.  It’s human nature, but also a temporary thing.  If regular games were to be played there, how long before the novelty wore off?  As some may have noticed with the whole resurrection of the Storm name, as the novelty has started to wear off, a number of once regular faces are no longer seen at the rink

Alternatively, if it was to be a one-off, what then?  I very much doubt that many having watched an arena game are going to then return to Alty and be happy with the way things are there.  Is there anything to be gained from it all?

 

Taking the above into consideration, I dare say that there’s more chance of getting a new rink than seeing Storm at the arena again, although on the plus side, some of us save a small fortune every week as it’s free to park at Alty.  One only has to look at places like Sheffield (£5 if bought in advance or £7 on the night) or Nottingham (no official car park as such so left to the mercy of a local NCP which won’t be cheap) for example, so for all it’s faults, maybe playing out of a small rink has some advantages after all?

 

 

“We Are… The League”

“How much pain do you need to feel?
How much shame do you have to conceal?
There is no sunshine, just endless nights
Nobody’s there, nobody cares when you cry”

“Poisonous Shadows” – Megadeth

 

There comes a time for most Hockey fans where just watching their team at the local rink isn’t enough, so steps are made to watch the game on a more global and higher level.  This usually involves adopting an NHL team, where along with getting a weekly live Hockey fix,  number of happy (and in most cases, countless unhappy) hours can be spent watching games broadcast from the other side of the pond.

To some, a choice of team is easy.  As mentioned in a previous post, those that already follow the North American game have a multitude of reasons for nailing their colours to a  particular mast, be it family connections, an ex-player playing for a particular club, playing as the team in a video game, etc.   For those that fancy taking their fandom into the post-Elite season (and in some lucky cases, into the months of May and beyond), here’s some suggestions and ideas behind picking a team (for those that just don’t have enough disappointment in their lives already…)

 

“Keep it in the Family”

Pretty straight forward, but if you’ve a better-half or family member that already follows a team, that can be a pretty good option (and could potentially save arguments in the long run).

On the flip side: ‘er indoors son had the misfortune of inheriting my fandom of the Toronto Maple Leafs, around about the time that he started to really get into the sport and had the double misfortune of this being the mid-00’s, just after the season-losing lock out when their fortunes went into freefall (at least I’d seen such things of myth and folklore such as long Playoff runs, being a contender, etc, so it wasn’t so bad for me).  However, there was the occasional (albeit brief) highlight such as this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdkJs_bOqXU ), that we still talk about to this day.  Yep, when it comes to bonding either with your partner, friends or even potential step-children, Hockey can sometimes be a great asset…

 

“When East Meets West”

Insomnia sufferers can feel free to skip this part.  One of the advantages of following an East Coast team is that face off is usually around about midnight UK time (and non-Toronto fans sometimes have the added bonus of matinee games played at even more reasonable hours – something I’ve only known happen a handful of times to the Leafs in all my years of following them, one of them being last season when they celebrated their centenary and I managed to watch a game at 7pm (something that would be very easy to get used to).  Word is that schools in the area watched the game as part of their day.  I admit that it is a little sad to say that I was impressed.  Almost as impressed as the story I once heard that an episode of “Coronation Street” was delayed one particular evening (although I believe that it’s not uncommon) as a particular NHL game went to overtime 

On the flip side:  With West Coast games starting at about 3am, I guess you can plan on having an early night, getting up in the early hours and simply going to work when the game ends.  The only downside of that I can see is that I’m usually in a bad enough mood when I arrive in the office in the morning, but on the back of watching my team lose?  Can’t see that working too well…

 

“Location, Location, Location”

If you’re intending to take in a home game at any point in the future, I guess the ideal thing to do is plan a holiday around it.  With that in mind, certain cities certainly lend themselves to tourists more than others.  This can come in handy when trying to convince prospective non-Hockey following better-halves into spending a few days in a particular city, entirely coincidentally when your team has a home game, obviously.  I mean, what are the chances?

On the flip side:  Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that for example Pittsburgh is a wonderful place to visit but can’t really see it being on Judith Chalmers (ask your parents) list of favourite places to take a holiday…

 

Favourite Player

I held (a now pretty much disproven) theory for a long time that a large number of Storm supporters were also Penguins fans due to the Frank Pietrangelo connection.  As much as we aren’t really seeing as many ex-NHL players in the Elite League as we did in the old ISL days, the occasional name does still come through (I have memories of seeing Jay Rosehill playing in a Leafs shirt for example), so here’s another option.

On the flip side:  Once again, as mentioned in the post “Leaving Here”, this can back-fire if said player then leaves to join a rival team (as mentioned in said post, I sulked for about a week when Curtis Joseph left the Leafs to join the Red Wings)

 

For more inspiration, “Ice Hockey Nights in Europe” by Jonathan Northall is well worth a read.  A book compiled from the stories of NHL fans from this side of the pond, it offers an interesting look into the experiences of fans of “the show” and how we suffer to follow our respective teams (including a number of entries from yours truly)

Hopefully that’s of some help.  Unlike die-hard followers of “Game of Thrones” , us UK based NHL fans know only too well the feeling of crushing disappointment in the early hours of the morning….

“Endless Pain”

“Well I used to think that bad times lay behind me,
I used to think I’d had my share of pain
My friends all tried to tell me I was dreaming,
Yeah, but I just stood behind you all the same…”

“Love U ‘Til I Don’t” – The Wildhearts

 

Confession time:  Even by usual standards, this months post is going to be a bit random. However, what follows may be a cautionary warning to those that are thinking about broadening their “Hockey fan horizons” in looking for a team to follow across the pond in tandem with their UK based club, but more of that later, so whilst it’s not exactly Storm or Manchester Hockey related, it’ll hopefully be of use to some (and no doubt amusement to others!)

One of the things I’ve found about blog writing is that it can be incredibly cathartic (and for those following the current series between the Leafs and Bruins, you’ll understand how writing this has possibly helped with my current state of mind.  It must be fantastic to watch as a neutral – as someone with a dog in the fight, not so much).

It’s also no secret to some close friends that I’ve been struggling with my usual passion for the game for a multitude of reasons over the past season or two (some reasons I’ve managed to work out and others I’m still searching for), but it’s fair to say that this past week or so has brought some of it back (something that obviously may all fall apart in the next couple of days at the time of writing!)

At the time of starting the first draft of what follows, it’s 7:25 on a Saturday morning, I’m hungover and surviving on approximately 4 hours sleep.  This, ladies and gentlemen, is the glamorous world of the UK based NHL Hockey fan.  I had the idea and even have an almost complete post about how to go about choosing an NHL Team to follow for a while (one of those rare occasions where the blog/song title and subject matter came pretty much at the same time) and in it’s mostly-written form is one of my “spare posts” – something that I was either going to use in the off-season where writing becomes harder (for obvious reasons) or for one of those months during the season where there’s not much going on (I was hoping that said occasion would tie in nicely with the start of an NHL season, hopefully fooling people into thinking “hey, he doesn’t just throw this stuff together after all!  Who knew?”)

So, laptop precariously positioned amongst last nights empty beer bottles, biscuit wrappers and crisp packets (and not yet even getting around to make myself a much-needed coffee to help clear my hangover), let me begin “The Ballad of a long-suffering Leafs fan…” (I’ve just realised that this would make the great entry point for a yet-to-be-made film)

The story begins at the turn of the century, at a point that most fans find themselves at some stage of their fandom.  Aware that (arguably) the “best league in the world” exists across the pond, the decision was made to maybe check out some games on television and adopting a team (for newbies/people that haven’t reached that stage yet, as mentioned above, I’ve a mostly written piece almost ready to go with (maybe not entirely serious) hints and tips on how to go about it, so hang in there)

I mentioned briefly in the blog “Dirty Black Summer” that for me personally,  it was a fairly simple decision to make.  At the time, my brother was engaged to someone from Toronto (they’ve since married and he’s emigrated) so in my infinite wisdom, it made sense to throw my hat into the Maple Leafs ring as maybe that could be my best chance of getting to see a live game at some point in the future.  (Obviously, any type of research whatsoever would have revealed that Leafs tickets are the most expensive in the NHL and that they are also incredibly rare, but where’s the fun in research?)

A couple of other interesting points are that this being the late 90’s/early 00’s, the Leafs were actually a pretty good team/organisation and so not only were Playoffs every season pretty much the norm, but deep Playoff runs too.  Also social media, especially as we know it today, wasn’t even on the radar so it was possible to record the game in the middle of the night and unless you were incredibly unlucky, be able to watch it completely spoiler-free the following day.  (This is something that is almost impossible to imagine these days.  I actually tried it earlier in the season (recording it to a Sky box rather that the trusty old VHS tape of yesteryear, obviously) and by lunchtime realised that I have a almost insatiable social media addiction. Needless to say that I made it through and thankfully the Leafs won, but I’m not sure I could manage it again!  Oh, and the shakes from severe Twitter withdrawal stopped after a couple of days)

Another thing of note is that in those days, NHL coverage was pretty much limited to a couple of “as live” games (as in usually broadcast a day or so behind in the regular season or an hour or so behind in the case of Playoffs) on Channel 5.  As the internet was pretty much exclusively dial-up, there were almost certainly no *cough* “dodgy websites” offering game streams, so for the longest time (or certainly Playoff time), it was a case of tuning into internet radio to follow the game.  To be honest, this isn’t quite as bad as it sounds.  With a bit of practice, you could usually begin to picture the game and the action in your head (then tune into Channel 5 for the footage later if required – a bit like a primitive version of “forgetting to turn Flashscores off” when watching these days – please don’t tell me I’m the only one…)

Fortunately, around 2002 (from memory as I sadly can’t find confirmation of the exact year anywhere online) there was a revelation – NASN (or “the North American Sports Network” to give it it’s full title) arrived on our screens.  As it would suggest, here was a subscription channel showing all the major American sports and a couple of shows – “Pardon the Interruption” was a particular favourite where two hosts would argue over the big topics of the sporting day, along with “NHL on the Fly”, etc). Words cannot even begin to describe what a big deal this was at the time, especially from a Leafs fan perspective, as it promised to broadcast “Hockey Night in Canada” (complete with “Coaches Corner”) every Saturday night

Sadly, this only lasted for a couple of years.  NASN was replaced with another channel, “Hockey Night in Canada” and even the promise of a regular Hockey game on a Saturday night disappeared from the schedule and not even Channel 5 showed games any more

By coincidence, this also tied in with a decline of Leafs fortunes.  The lockout of 2005 changed the game in numerous ways, including the introduction of a salary cap.  From a Leafs perspective, this was a terrible position to be in, (and from pickled memory) already having a number of large contracts on their books and a less-than-great GM (to put it politely.  This is the same GM that traded Tuukka Rask to the Bruins in exchange for Andrew Raycroft (what do you mean, who?  Oh, believe me, us Leafs fans remember and it’s also a reason I can’t look at Rask to this day…)  Where once Playoffs had been a regular occurrence to the point where it was pretty much taken for granted, they now became a pipe-dream.  After being eliminated in the second round by Philadelphia in 2004 (I love Jeremy Roenick – his book is highly recommended reading , but not sure I can ever forgive him for scoring the game winner in that final Playoff matchup, although like he says, we should have beaten them.  Yep, still hurts), they would not return to the post season for almost another decade

Around the same time, on this side of the pond, my better-half’s son had started to take a keen interest in the game, having been introduced to it from watching Manchester Phoenix (by coincidence, his first game had featured a fight – a revelation to someone that had been brought up on football) and he was instantly hooked.  In turn, this led to a love of the Leafs (he was given a choice, honest!) but whereas I had memories of big names and success, he was starting at ground zero (also funny how things change.  Back in the day, I’d insist that he try and get a few hours sleep pre-game on a Saturday night and now that he’s in his early 20’s and I’m now that little bit older, it’s me getting a nap in before a game)

Fortunately, the internet had also improved in the following years.  The quality of the afore-mentioned “dodgy websites” improved from “barely watchable” (and there was nothing like the connection dropping out when you had a one goal lead with two minutes to go, I can assure you) to the point where it’s almost as good as watching on television (something I’d have gladly done and paid for if NASN had still existed, but what can you do?)

This brings us nicely up to the current day.  At the time of writing, the Leafs are up in the series three games to two against the much rivalled Boston Bruins.  As well as all the usual pressure that come with the Playoffs, we’ve also got the factor of not making it past the first round in 15 (long) years and we’ve also still got the spectre of the infamous “it was 4-1” game to put to rest (covered pretty well in the post “Good Times, Bad Times” for the unfamiliar).  Maybe this is why I was walking down my road at 3:30am this morning with a Canadian flag draped over my Leafs shirt, the pressure of an incredibly important game having been lifted from my shoulders and the need to breathe fresh air in the moonlit night to help settle the nerves

Will this finally be the year where we advance?  I’m hoping so.  I’ve been fielding questions from friends that are fans of other teams since September about do I think the Leafs will actually win the cup this year.  As much as I don’t for one second believe we’ll get anywhere near that far (I’m a professional pessimist at the best of times), we’ll know about the series in the next couple of days.  To be honest, I’d be quite happy to get swept in the next round, just so long as we actually make it to the next round (and the return to a normal sleep pattern would certainly be appreciated)

In the meantime, my stress levels are pretty high and I’m very grateful that all this coincides with Easter weekend.  Another slight blessing is that tomorrow nights game (at the time of writing) is a rare early evening game (not sure my nerves would let me have my usual “pre-game sleep”) and I’m sure that the neighbours will be happy about that too!

In the words of fellow Leafs fan and the highly recommended “Down Goes Brown”, “Caring about sports is something I do for fun that is less fun than anything else I do”

 

 

“Antisocial”

“Zero conversation,
Words upon a page
No communication, no respect”

“Up To Zero” – Overkill

I know it’s possibly difficult for some younger readers to believe, but there was actually a time before the internet.  Being of a certain age, I not only remember it but I’ve also seen how the “Hockey watching experience” has evolved in tandem with advances in technology

First step was the good ol’ mobile phone, something that these days we take for granted.  Visitors to Alty over the past few seasons will have been familiar with the Jon Hammond line “put your phones away and talk to each other”.  Obviously, back in the day the only thing mobiles were capable of was making phone calls, sending text messages or maybe the occasional game of “Snake”, so for a lot of us, period breaks were spent browsing the match night programme (an invaluable source of information at the time, and pretty good time killer) or “talking to each other” (Jon would be proud)

As far as scores from other games taking place at the same time were concerned, it was pretty much just a case of crossing fingers and hoping for the best (unless of course, you were in touch with someone at home trying to follow on Teletext and supplying you with updates.  Old time Storm fans will remember that Playoff game in Bracknell for instance (a game I sadly/foolishly missed out on, having decided somewhat prematurely that we had no chance and the season was done, spending  my evening avoiding what limited social media there was at the time and attempting to forget the game was taking place)

As time went on, you could start to use your phone to access the internet so things became much easier, to the point where we now have the “Flashscores” app, something that has become invaluable to most of us.  In a funny twist of fate, said app now has a lot of us “talking to each other” (there’s that phrase again) as we inform surrounding fans of the latest developments in important games around the country

In another “it’s funny how things turned out”, I originally joined Twitter with the sole intention of just using it for score updates and over time it has slowly become my social media platform of choice

However, possibly the biggest change in the way we now experience the game has been the advent of social media

To start with, the original Storm website contained a basic forum of sorts with no type of log in required – you simply posted as you went along under any assumed name that took your fancy.  For the more “selective” fan, there was “Into The Storm” – a fan page that featured an independent forum that always felt more “mature”, rather than a “free-for-all”.  Speaking as someone the had their first experience of Hockey at the arena, this was a place (to my novice eyes at least) that was frequented by people that really appeared to know their stuff and even the occasional fan from other teams.  Whilst it was very welcoming, it also didn’t tend to suffer fools (or “trolls” to use the proper/modern term) gladly

As a result, this was a place I tended to “lurk” rather than get involved at the time as it was somewhere I knew I could really learn something

Having lived so much of my life without it, I considered (and still consider) social media to be a bit like a huge “virtual pub”.  Here is the opportunity to share thoughts, observations, opinions and even arguments with not only the group of people that you are currently physically with, but with fans from around the country, and even around the world.  As a result, I’ve always maintained the attitude of trying not to speak to someone on social media in a way that I would if they were sat in front of me

Sadly, it would appear that not everyone sees things that way, something that I put down to seeing the internet as a modern invention rather than having had it there all my life.  Some would appear to love the animosity the internet brings, giving the opportunity to verbally abuse others anonymously with no fear of retribution.  This in turn has also led to the term “banter” which appears to just be an excuse to be offensive

It’s only fair to point out that from my experience that this type of attitude isn’t exclusive to just Hockey fandom. I’m a big music fan so frequent a couple of news sites that have comment sections.  Some of what appears there makes “banter” on Hockey forums look tame, so maybe the whole thing is the result of a recent change in social attitude?

There’s also the ability to spread misinformation.  One famous line (one that I quickly learnt to ignore) that used to appear with alarming regularity (especially in the off season) would start “I’ve got a friend that works in the Storm office and they said that…” with regards to potential player signings. Needless to say that such rumours seldom came to fruition, but depressingly, this also seems to be a habit amongst some that has continued to the modern day, with some people revealing knowledge or innuendo from “a reliable source” (funny how they never reveal said “source”), possibly, I’m guessing, as an attention seeking exercise. As mentioned in a previous post, to me personally the whole “I know something you don’t know” concept should have been taken to its logical conclusion a good number of years ago when a couple of Sheffield fans started the rumour that the wife of referee Andy Carson (a name that will need no introduction to Storm fans of a certain age) held a high position within the Steelers Supporters Club, resulting in countless meltdowns amongst Storm and Panthers fans (and a good amount of egg to be wiped off face by said fans when the truth finally came out)

On the flip side, it’s also worth pointing out that there have also been many positives.  I’m sure that any of us that have used any type of Hockey related social media have made friends with fans, either from the same or even rival teams over the years as opposed to just the small number of regular faces that you happen to be sat with on any given game night.  Online conversations have developed into chatting in person (I guess there’s another warning there about using respect when posting online – very easy to be disrespectful behind a keyboard, but you never know if or when your path will cross with the person in question) and “real life” relationships formed

We have to remember that Hockey in this country is still pretty much a minority sport, and for many of us, a fairly recent discovery.  Unlike say football or rugby for example, rather than having the love of the sport passed down to us from a family member almost like an heirloom, a good number of us have had to learn the rules and how the game works on the fly, so for us it has been a valuable tool in developing our knowledge of the sport and it’s intricacies.  It’s also a handy device for passing on said knowledge to newer fans as they are introduced

When you sit down and think about it, it’s sometimes funny how the sport has brought us all together.  We have a number of different people, all from different backgrounds, experiences and ages that now have the ability to come together and share our thoughts on a common interest in one easy to access place.  One of many depressing aspects of the original Storm folding was meeting up with old friends from watching the game and having lost the common ground, found that we had little to talk about anymore

We have a fantastic tool here with almost unlimited potential.  Maybe it’s time a few of us changed our attitude to how we use it?

“Disorder of the Order”

“Listen to what I’m sayin’, is it really what you want me to hear?
Back in the saddle baby, cos I’m never gonna disappear
I know for a fact that my mind’s in a mess but my conscience is clear
So all that I’m sayin’ is that the progress stops here”

“If It Ain’t Broke, Break It” – Orange Goblin

 

Those that know me will tell you that the movie “Slap Shot” is possibly my favourite film of all time and for a multitude of reasons too long to list here.  It may possibly also be worth pointing out that whilst just about everyone that owns a personalised Charlestown Chiefs jersey displays the name and number of one of the Hanson brothers (despite their actual names not adorning the shirts in the film – nit picking much?), I’ve always personally felt more of an affinity with Reggie Dunlop.  Maybe it’s an age thing?

With that in mind, upon taking a very rare period-break wander around the rink during the Cardiff game, when someone approached and (I guess) jokingly told me to “get the bloody drums back in 113!”, I couldn’t help but think of Reggie being asked by a fan “Why don’t you get the powerplay together?” and replying “Yeah, we’re working on it” (Hockey fans that don’t know the film practically word-for-word will have to trust me on this one).  It was certainly the final inspiration needed to make a long and very difficult decision – I’d like to think it was a sign from the Hockey Gods, and lets face it, they certainly move in mysterious ways… (some would say a bit like DOPS in that regard, eh Flyers fans? 😉 )

Taking the (now possibly infamous) poll results out of the equation for a second, the only other real feedback I’d received about the move across the rink had been from someone that had tried block 106 for the Guildford game, enjoyed the experience but ultimately had an understandable issue with the sightlines.  Admittedly, I’d read comments and received messages from people about the great atmosphere for both the Sheffield and Cardiff games, but I maintain that was very little to do with the drums or even where they were positioned.  Both games had the huge advantage of building up to a thrilling climax through two slightly different routes – the Sheffield game only really came alive when we scored early in the third period, giving a huge momentum boost that was built upon and maintained for the rest of the game, whilst the Cardiff game was a result of a huge amount of tension and then relief when we scored the empty-netter.  Neither night matched the general atmosphere of the Flames game which was slightly disappointing (if some would say, entirely predictable) and in the case of the Devils match, it was actually quiet even by the comparison of an average night in 113 (an attempt to get a mid-game chant of the familiar “Oh when the Storm…” going resulted in just a handful of us singing and giving up half way through)

One thing I’d tried to do was to get some neutral feedback on how the “106 experiment” sounded from other parts of the rink.  I knew someone that I could rely on to give me an unbiased opinion that was sat in 113 for the Sheffield game (more due to an unfortunate set of circumstances rather than personal choice sadly, but it certainly helped in the long run, although I’m not sure if that’s any sort of consolation).  The general feeling was that without the drums and despite the valiant efforts of a couple of regulars, the atmosphere there was pretty much flat, with little take-up of songs and chants (although it was noted that 114 was actually louder than normal).  The other worrying thing was it appeared that it was possibly only a few of us at the back of 106 really getting into things too

It may also be worth bearing in mind that outside of Facebook and the occasional tweet, maybe people didn’t know of the intention to try something new?  As mentioned previously, I’ve been loathe to have a particular area officially christened “The Thunder Block” until all prospective avenues have been explored, so that immediately put things at a disadvantage as that was something that was done via social media for the Guildford game.  Having said that, it’s also worth noting that a number of the familiar 113/114 regulars/noise-makers chose to stay in their normal seats that night, so that may no count for anything

In conclusion, it was certainly an interesting experiment, but the general feeling was that it looks like the Guilford game was a one off sadly, but if you don’t try you don’t find out.  As a result, the drums will be back in block 113 permanently for the upcoming Guildford game onwards, but it’s also been a valuable learning experience from a number of different perspectives.

I was recently talking to a football following mate and we were comparing our chosen sports against the respective German counterparts where “Ultras” are a big part of the atmosphere. We both came to the conclusion that the reason for the differences in attitude was possibly a culture thing, although there was also the thought that as we both come from a “rock music/gig going” background, we may have an appreciation for all things loud that isn’t necessarily shared with the average sports fan.  As I’ve never attended what I guess you would call a “pop concert”, I’m guessing that attitudes are different in a more “mainstream music” environment, so maybe I’m on to a loser by aiming to attempt to recreate an “as close to a DEL atmosphere as possible” at Alty as there may not be the call for it after all

Whatever the outcome, some may be relieve to hear that I’ve still no plans to hang the drumsticks up any time soon.  Despite my advancing age, in much the same way that the concept of watching a gig whilst sitting down is something I don’t think I’ll ever get my head around (you’ll still find me somewhere down the front when I’m watching a band where possible), I can’t imagine trying to watch a game and staying silent (hard enough keeping quiet when watching NHL on the tv!)

There you go, just over 1,000 words and only one mention of the Fife game 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Vote With a Bullet”

“So I did a lot of thinking,
And this is what it’s all about:
How much trouble can you make?
And how much sh1t can you take?” 

“Riskin’ It All” – D-A-D

Life is full of little lessons, and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt (or rather thought I’d have learnt by now) in my *cough*, *splutter* years, it’s always trust your gut instinct.  I feel fairly confident in saying that it’s never let me down (and can name at least one example where I ignored it at my peril, but that’s another story)

Those that read my last post will know the general feeling of euphoria that followed the Guildford game and how seeds had been sown to maybe make some big changes on match nights.  However, in the interest of fairness and a long time, foolish ambition to try and please everyone, that’s where the fun really began…

As mentioned, part of the initial thinking was to see if the mid-week game would make any difference to match night in Block 113. Maybe a situation where a number of noisy fans had experienced sitting together (a bit like an away game) and not in their usual seats would possibly inspire them to make a move to the traditional “home of the noise/drums”? This is something I’ve been trying to hint at for a long time.  If anyone did make said move, it was certainly hard to tell. As much as things got loud late on, that was almost certainly more to do with the events taking place on the ice rather than anything being started by the drummers. For much of the game, my usual trick of missing out the occasional word or line from a song to gauge how many people were singing at a particular point certainly didn’t suggest any difference between this and any other game night

With that in mind, my initial gut instinct was to just say “Sod it!” and set up shop at the back of Block 106 going forward.  The “Thunder Block” name was pretty much cemented in, so what was there to lose?  Maybe all it needed was someone to “pull the trigger” on it as I had done with making the decision to sit in 106 in the first place, thus saving discussions going around in circles until it was too late – more is lost through indecision than the wrong decision, and all that.  However, self doubt had other ideas and started to creep in, so there was the thought to maybe ask a small group of people, all with a different connection to the game, for their opinions (and they don’t have to worry,  I’m not going to name them here 😉 )

Three friends were selected and in the event of a possible tie-break, I knew what the decision of a fourth person would be without even asking, so all bases were covered.  I was pretty confident in my mind that it would be a no-brainer – we’d all be thinking along similar lines and 106 would be the new “home” of the “Storm Drummers” the following Sunday.  Fate, however, had other plans and I was out-voted 3-1 with the general idea being to put it to a Facebook vote.  I was honestly expecting the result to be pretty conclusive, thus making any further decisions fairly straight forward, rather than pretty much splitting the fanbase (or certainly the small section that uses the forum) which is how things turned out…

With the benefit of hindsight, I now realise that may not have been the ideal solution.  As much as fan numbers on the night were higher than expected, how many people that voted were actually at the game so got to experience it live, be it in a positive or negative way?   With that in mind, what you’re effectively doing in some cases is asking people if they want to move seats, or possibly “would you be happy if something you’re used to and played a part in the selection of your seat moved elsewhere?”, as I’ve been informed by a number of people that they have chosen to be near the drums

By the mid-week period, things looking close and having promised my fellow “drum corps” that I’d let them know what was happening by Wednesday night, it was time to make a decision again so plans could be made.  All were up for the idea of giving block 106 a trial run of two weeks to see how it goes, with view of returning to 113 if it doesn’t work out and the official title of “The Thunder Block” being put “on ice” until a final decision of a selected block is made

The biggest gamble in all of this is that the next opponent we face at home is Sheffield, so if the Flames game was indeed a one-off (and let’s face it, the circumstances weren’t exactly normal), I could have the prospect of being at least partly responsible for a loss to our nearest rivals on my conscience for a while to come. There is a point of contention that maybe we should have waited for a “normal” game night, but I’m of the opinion of striking whilst the iron is hot, and what exactly constitutes an “normal game” at this point of the season?  With the Playoff push very much in effect, every game could be considered a “big game” from now until the end March.

As mentioned above, it’s very easy to keep talking about things and never actually acting on them.  My feeling is that if we can build on what we had that night with a larger crowd, the atmosphere has the potential to be better than ever.  As someone pointed out, with 106 being closer to 109, it’s easier to unite the noise from the two blocks which could make a big difference and catch on around the rest of the rink.  I’m sure that when I’m in 113 that the drums can be heard on the opposite side of the rink anyway, albeit not as loud, so it should be the same if I’m in 106.  The difference at the Flames game was that there was a large group of very vocal fans surrounding the drums, so as mentioned, it was so much easier to start things off knowing they’d be carried on, giving extra confidence both to myself and those in the vicinity.

Whatever happens, the long term plan is still that we can hopefully recruit a couple more drummers, have some set up on opposite sides of the rink and really go for it.  As a result,  there’s still a very good chance I’ll be returning to my usual spot at the back of 113 at some point in the future, even if it does work.  Lets also not forget that sandwiched between 106 and 109 is the “Sponsors box” on the corner of 107.  Maybe it’s not just new fans that a great atmosphere could have an effect on?  So, it’s a big gamble and as is usually the way, only time will tell if it pays off.

To be continued…

 

 

“Judgment Night”

“Do you hear the thunder
Raging in the sky?”

“Age of Reason” – Black Sabbath

Thinking back to when the fixtures were first released, I’m guessing I wasn’t alone in looking at a January mid-week game against the Flames and expecting a bit of a dull snore-fest in front of a small, quiet crowd.  At the time of writing, it’s almost the third anniversary of a Wednesday night Challenge Cup Quarter Final against the Belfast Giants from the first season.  Apart from having a small (and very quiet) crowd that night, it also sticks in the mind as being the only Storm game since the start of the 2015 regular season where I didn’t have a drum with me (not that it would have made much difference to be honest), but that’s another story

As has become a bit of a “blog cliché”, isn’t it funny how things turn out?

What is amusing is how different things on Wednesday night could have been.  If we’d expected normal numbers at the game, the suggestion to move as many fans as possible over to one side of the rink to make it look as “busy” as possible (a trick also used by Phoenix in their first season at the rink when a game was due to be televised) wouldn’t have come up, it would have been like a normal game night and the now famous “Thunder Block” wouldn’t have come into being

When the idea to fill one side of the rink was proposed, something that threw me completely was the number of fans that upon the suggestion, said that they would “follow the drums”.  As daft as this sounds, it has only been very recently that I’ve realised that I’m no longer another “anonymous face in the crowd”, even if I still feel like and try to behave like one. Obviously, the pony-tail means that I’m quite distinctive and as I’ve mentioned before, as my taste in “fashion” hasn’t changed in the past 20 plus years, I’ve had people say that they remember me from the arena days.  There’s also the fact that bashing hell out of a drum on match nights also makes you a bit of a centre of attention (things that sound simple in hindsight but I’ve never really thought about).  To say that I’m struggling to get to grips with being some type of (very) minor rink “celebrity” (for want of a much better expression) or influence would be a huge understatement.  That was almost certainly never the intention when answering an old forum post back in the day, asking if “anyone was playing drums” in the upcoming first season back which is how I’ve come to be in this position in the first place

So, on to the Guildford game.  After my last visit to “the other side of the rink”, I started to research into looking where there could potentially be a second set of drummers (should we manage to “recruit” any, although looking at social media, that looks like a possibility) for my long proposed ideas for making the rink and atmosphere a louder experience.  As long-term readers and people that know me will know (I think I may have mentioned it on a few occasions) , a minor frustration I have is the wasted potential of having a small rink and not making the most of it.  The inspiration and ultimate dream is to try and create as close as we can to a German DEL atmosphere (I know, never going to happen but as the saying goes, “It is better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit”) or at least what Cardiff achieved at the old “Big Blue Tent”.  For instance, there are stories of away teams in the locker room hearing the noise of the Devils fans stamping their feet and cheering from outside before a game.  Conjures up quite a good mental image doesn’t it?  Or to put it another way,  from a home team perspective, how good would it be to hear that?  Must give you a terrific boost

With that in mind, the thought was that a second noisy block would be great for “call and response” chants, and over the past few weeks, I’d noticed that 106 was usually one of the less populated blocks on any normal game night.  This came in handy when the suggestion was made as it would hopefully save any potential conflict between those that had seats already booked there and those that didn’t.  It also had the advantage of being away from those that I know sit in 105 and don’t really want a bunch of noise makers sitting near them (as much as a large percentage were complimentary about my last visit, I did receive a couple of “complaints”, which is fair enough I guess)

Game night – I swear that I’ve attended Cup Finals and not felt the same pressure.  Here was the opportunity to put into practice something that I’ve been blogging about for two years and posting, writing about and generally hinting at for much longer.  The chance to show that if we can get a number of our more vocal fans together in one place, the effect will be something else.  On the flip side, there was also the fact that it could also go pear shaped…

Needless to say, from my own experience and judging from the responses on social media, I’d say that it was a complete success.  As much as the Flames fans were closer to the microphones, from the bits of the game that I’ve managed to catch (putting a blog post together has been the priority of my limited free time the past couple of days).  Knowing that any chant will get picked up on and carried is a great confidence boost and gives the inspiration for both myself and others to be much more creative.  Getting a “Linden Springer!” chant going after his fight was pretty spectacular for instance.  For others, I guess that singing as part of a group rather than an individual had a similar effect, and it’s always good when you hear others start chants off

The quandary is where do we go from here?  After much deliberation, the decision was made to possibly leave things as they are for the forthcoming game against the Blaze, just to see if Wednesday made any difference in that respect.  Block 113 is where the drums have traditionally been so far and where a number of us have season tickets. From there, I’m all up for a vote.  I’m almost certainly comfortable making a move to 106 permanent if it means a repeat of Wednesday night (even if the PA there is spectacularly awful even by usual rink standards and the view will take a little getting use to – as I mentioned on social media, I’d wear a Steelers shirt on a weekly basis if that’s what it took to get that type of atmosphere going!).  Admittedly, some of us have got used to watching from our own personal part of the rink, so the change in view may take a little getting used to, but we’ve still a number of games to experiment with, trying out different seats and such like, so chances are that those of us that want to sit in a “noisy block” will be able to find somewhere suitable for our requirements

Another thing to bear in mind is that we were down on numbers last Wednesday.  Just think what could be achieved with a normal weekend-sized crowd.  There is also the possibility that things may snowball in respect to those that sit in other areas of the rink – those that may have been a little more self-conscious of singing and joining in may feel a little more confident,  and so on and so forth.  I’ve written many times previously on using atmosphere as a big selling point (it’s certainly something that is referenced to by those that haven’t been before).

As I said at the start of this post, strange to think that all this has come from what should have been a quiet mid-week game…

The only downside I can see is that I’ll have to update my “Storm Drummers/Jack Daniels” blog logo – maybe a good thing that something else worked out better for a banner design after all!

 

 

 

Edited to change “Playoff Quarter Final” to the correct “Challenge Cup Quarter Final – well spotted! 😉 (It’s been a strange few days!)

 

 

“Call to Arms”

“We all want it,
On your show
Play it loud,
Don’t play it low”

“Blow your Speakers” – Manowar

 

A week or so back there was a theory on the Storm Supporters Facebook forum that one of the causes of a noticeable drop in attendances could be due to there not be enough advertising out and about relating to Storm. Whilst certain aspects of that argument may be true, all any potential advertisement in any form is going to do is get a prospective punter to take a chance on buying a ticket (and let’s face it, I can’t see many doing that as ticket’s are hardly cheap or certainly not cheap enough to take a gamble on) and get them through the front door.

So you get a newcomer to a game, be it through advertising or another avenue.  What then?

It’s no secret that the rink has its faults – there’s been many a comment, reference and even joke been made on social media about the standard of the rink toilets for example, but I think with enough work, we can make “Johnny Newbie” forget about those problems by really pushing the positives of Hockey fandom (and let’s face it, there must be a few, otherwise the team would be playing to an empty rink every week) but we collectively have to be prepared to work at it

As a long standing music fan (of a genre that is hardly considered mainstream), I’ve watched gigs in some proper spit and sawdust/feet-stick-to the-carpet places, places that make Aty look like the NYNEX/MEN/Manchester Arena (delete as applicable – for us that watched the Storm there, it will always retain the name of our first visit, no matter what it’s called these days), but it’s been the experiences that stick in the memory, not the state of said venue or even the venue toilets (although in fairness, even the grottiest of places have a certain amount of unique “charm” – some may argue a bit like the Storm Shelter)

This is where us fans come in. It’s only recently that I’ve realised that every single game is prospectively someone’s first, and as the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. With the game on January 1st heading towards being the annual “New Years sell-out” at the time of writing, chances are that along with the regulars and die-hards, there’ll be a number of newbies, semi-regulars and maybe even one or two that have fallen by the wayside over the past few months

In the case of newbies, this is the perfect opportunity to show them what they’ve been missing out on all this time, give them something to remember and tell their friends and family about. I would argue that word of mouth is going to work better than any form of advertising every time, especially as to the uninitiated it looks like a complicated sport upon initial contact (and how many people are genuinely going to come to their first game not knowing anyone there or the first thing about it?  I’m sure the introduction of most of us was through someone that had either been before or had at least seen a game and had a modest understanding of the rules and what was going on).  I’ve seen and heard stories about how the drums have been memorable to some, whilst the atmosphere is something that crops up time and time again reading comments from people who have just experienced their first game.  This is something we can all help contribute to

In the case of the semi-regular/those that may have or are in the process of falling by the wayside, this is the perfect opportunity to remind them of why they fell in love with the game in the first place. Hockey (and general sport) fandom can be a bit like a relationship – you’re going to have ups and downs and there are times where you are going to wonder why you bother and if it’s worth carrying on (I’ve often said that if ‘er indoors caused me half as much heartache as Hockey has over the years, she’d have been on a one way trip to “Dumpsville” a looong time ago!).  No doubt many of us know people that have cut back on the number of games they attend for a multitude of reasons – in some cases, we can possibly convince people that you can see through their issues.  It’s certainly worth a try.  What have we got to lose?

So what can we do? We make noise and have fun.  Regardless of team performances and success (or lack there-of in the case of this season, although there’s still plenty of Hockey to play), what it all comes down to is that this is something we do (or should be doing) for entertainment and enjoyment.

Whilst a small percentage of us took the long trip to Glasgow the other night, I know a number of us tuned into the Steelers/Panthers game on Freesports (it was certainly good to have something “Hockey related” to do whilst repeatedly hitting refresh on Twitter and having mini-breakdowns every time the “Flashscores” notification went off (or is that just me?)). Apart from being a really entertaining game, the other thing that really stood out for me was the noise and atmosphere created by the Steelers fans.  As much as it sounded great on the television, it must have been something else actually being there in person

t risk of repeating myself (not that it usually stops me as long time readers will have no doubt spotted by now), this will in no doubt have fed the team (there was a great quote on social media by Steelers coach, Tom Barrasso – “This is why guys want to be professional hockey players… For this type of event”) and it could be argued led in turn to their eventual victory over Nottingham.  There’s no reason why this type of thing couldn’t and shouldn’t be repeated at Alty – if not at every game, then certainly the “big” games and especially when there’s a (prospective at least at the time of writing) sell out

So let’s get behind the team – sing, shout, clap your hands, stamp your feet – do whatever it takes.  Let’s make it a classic night to remember, win or lose for everyone in attendance. In turn, there’s every chance that you can make people forget the state of the rink. get people hooked (or re-hooked in some cases) and you never know, you might even enjoy yourself!