Personally, I kind of wished they'd tone down the "gimmicks" at arenas.
Ottawa has a fanbase that tries very hard to fit into the "traditional hockey values" market, despite the fact that the team is barely 20 years old.
We should be trying to emulate the in-game experiences in cities like Toronto, Montreal, Boston, NY, Chicago, etc... trying to do schtick like they have in Columbus (et al) is going in the wrong direction, IMO.
Now don;t get me wrong, I'd love to see the org spruce up gameday entertainment, but that stuff needs to stay in the lobby, and NOT on the ice/ in the stands. No goofy goal gimmick (like, god I don't know, a couple of Centurions blowing those long-ass horns every time we score a goal), no silly stuff like having Sparty rappel from the rafters (unless we get to the ECF / SCF).
It just seems forced.
As a caveat, I dislike the cheerleader thing we've tried lately. And I got to know a lot of those girls because we used to all work together (I was an usher, and we had to coordinate at times), so don't take it the wrong way, but they got almost NO reaction. It was the most awkward thing in the world to stand there next to the girls while they di their routine, and have literally almost NO ONE CARE, or even notice.
The problem with the cheer girls is a fundamental difference in what the fans want vs what the org THINKS they want. I can tell you from experience, almost EVERY SINGLE GAME (and last season, I worked 39 out of 41 home games) I would have the cheer squad come to my section and try to "get the crowd into the game"... but the reason it never worked was because the crowd WAS ALREADY into the game... too into the game, in fact, to bother caring about 20 seconds of prepubescent cheer girls.
I just don't think cheerleaders and hockey mix well. It works for Football, because you have SO MANY STOPPAGES between plays, you need something to fill that time. The stops-and-starts in hockey are either too quick for people to even notice cheerleaders (what's the time between an icing whistle and the corresponding faceoff? 25 seconds?), or too long (like an intermission) that many fans will use the down time to go get food/ use the washroom/ stretch their legs by getting up and walking around.
So yeah. No more cheerleaders. I'm open to any other suggestions people have, though. AND, while I no longer work for the team, I still know PLENTY of people who work there (for the time being that is... let's hope the lockout gets resolved soon). I can always pass on really good suggestions to the guys I still know.
Right when the goal horn first sounds off, the arena flashes Orange. Youtube it, I'm too lazy to find a half decent video that shows it.
There are two massive butane lighters hanging from the rafters of the Saddledome that they fire up after every goal. You can see one of them in [IMG]this video[/IMG] about 14 seconds in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saskriders
Or how about a Sens Museum, that would be sick. It could pay homage to the original and modern Senators, and it would be a way to pay homage to guys that were a significant part of the Sens, but won't have their number retired/honoured due to a short(ish) time with the team (Chara, Hossa, Havlat etc.)
If you never go up to the 400 level, they corridor is lined with plaques of enlarged newspaper clippings detailing important moments/milestones in the franchise's history. It's a shame that it's so far out of the way - most fans wouldn't think to go up there unless they had a suite.
Personally, I kind of wished they'd tone down the "gimmicks" at arenas.
Ottawa has a fanbase that tries very hard to fit into the "traditional hockey values" market, despite the fact that the team is barely 20 years old.
We should be trying to emulate the in-game experiences in cities like Toronto, Montreal, Boston, NY, Chicago, etc... trying to do schtick like they have in Columbus (et al) is going in the wrong direction, IMO.
Well, in Montreal you can get sloshed and then grab the Métro and go to Bell Centre (or whatever they call it these days) and their fanbase is super electric. In TO while you have the suits getting there 7-10 minutes in you have the rabid people who will maybe go to one game per year going nuts up there. Over here in Ottawa, the novelty of the team is gone and there are still a fair amount of public servants (guilty as charged) who sometimes bring kids (also guilty as charged) and while we like cheering for the team and local heroes, on a weekday you're just...bleh...after work and you just settle in for the intermission snooze or something.
The age differential is also a concern in the crowd make-up. I've seen some games where Red Scarf Union (Army?) tries to get it going and then ushers/older fans start to quiet them down. There should REALLY be a section for SuperFans...I hear they have this in the Football Leagues in Europe, their noise can carry on pretty well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BonkTastic
As a caveat, I dislike the cheerleader thing we've tried lately. And I got to know a lot of those girls because we used to all work together (I was an usher, and we had to coordinate at times), so don't take it the wrong way, but they got almost NO reaction. It was the most awkward thing in the world to stand there next to the girls while they di their routine, and have literally almost NO ONE CARE, or even notice.
The problem with the cheer girls is a fundamental difference in what the fans want vs what the org THINKS they want. I can tell you from experience, almost EVERY SINGLE GAME (and last season, I worked 39 out of 41 home games) I would have the cheer squad come to my section and try to "get the crowd into the game"... but the reason it never worked was because the crowd WAS ALREADY into the game... too into the game, in fact, to bother caring about 20 seconds of prepubescent cheer girls.
Have them do handstand/cartwheels over the seats, that'll get a "rise" out of people.
More seriously, yeah the cheerleaders aren't needed. That nutcase with the fiddle or Johnny Shaka were nice additions.
Mostly though...we don't need all this extra-curricular stuff. Remember when we had Hossa/Havlat or Pizza Line? Crowd was going NUTS! A LOT. Once we have a team that's first overall or first in the Eastern bandwagoners will come back and so on. Also, the more times goes by the more young people come and then you'll get a much more vibrant crowd.
P.S. Please assign Canadiens/Leafs fan their own section, yeah I know the logistics blah blah blah but it might help things. No snarky comments on how those fanbases make SBP their section.
If you want to talk about Pizzaz and SBP, this conversation starts and ends with bringing back John E. Shaka
I know people keep bringing him up, but people gotta realize that this dude is getting old. Dude is in his 50's. I mean, we had his SON dance at some Sens games last year.
That's right: John E. Shaka Jr. did some work with the Sens.
All I'm saying is enjoy the guy now, I don't know too may dancers who dance as physically as he does keeping up into their 60's.
The Sens already have an awesome Highlands marching band that plays in the concourse on all Thursday-Fri-Sat-Sun games.
They're my favorite current Sens gameday... thing.
I really like those guys too. I thought it would be cool if fans would line up behind them and walk around the concourse before games, like a parade. The whole "Senators = Spartans" equation is really artificial, and I wouldn't mind if it was gradually phased out.
I would invest in a really good musician to play organ. That is traditional hockey. A little shot of Wagner during tv timeouts might be an improvement on "Thank God I'm a Country Boy?" or any of the other crap they play at games these days.
Personally, I kind of wished they'd tone down the "gimmicks" at arenas.
Ottawa has a fanbase that tries very hard to fit into the "traditional hockey values" market, despite the fact that the team is barely 20 years old.
We should be trying to emulate the in-game experiences in cities like Toronto, Montreal, Boston, NY, Chicago, etc... trying to do schtick like they have in Columbus (et al) is going in the wrong direction, IMO.
Now don;t get me wrong, I'd love to see the org spruce up gameday entertainment, but that stuff needs to stay in the lobby, and NOT on the ice/ in the stands. No goofy goal gimmick (like, god I don't know, a couple of Centurions blowing those long-ass horns every time we score a goal), no silly stuff like having Sparty rappel from the rafters (unless we get to the ECF / SCF).
It just seems forced.
As a caveat, I dislike the cheerleader thing we've tried lately. And I got to know a lot of those girls because we used to all work together (I was an usher, and we had to coordinate at times), so don't take it the wrong way, but they got almost NO reaction. It was the most awkward thing in the world to stand there next to the girls while they di their routine, and have literally almost NO ONE CARE, or even notice.
The problem with the cheer girls is a fundamental difference in what the fans want vs what the org THINKS they want. I can tell you from experience, almost EVERY SINGLE GAME (and last season, I worked 39 out of 41 home games) I would have the cheer squad come to my section and try to "get the crowd into the game"... but the reason it never worked was because the crowd WAS ALREADY into the game... too into the game, in fact, to bother caring about 20 seconds of prepubescent cheer girls.
I just don't think cheerleaders and hockey mix well. It works for Football, because you have SO MANY STOPPAGES between plays, you need something to fill that time. The stops-and-starts in hockey are either too quick for people to even notice cheerleaders (what's the time between an icing whistle and the corresponding faceoff? 25 seconds?), or too long (like an intermission) that many fans will use the down time to go get food/ use the washroom/ stretch their legs by getting up and walking around.
So yeah. No more cheerleaders. I'm open to any other suggestions people have, though. AND, while I no longer work for the team, I still know PLENTY of people who work there (for the time being that is... let's hope the lockout gets resolved soon). I can always pass on really good suggestions to the guys I still know.
Had half season tickets last year and I made a special point to not pay attention while they were in my section. I believe someone said they were all over 18, but in all reality from what I saw they looked about 15-16, and that just made me uncomfortable. If they brought in cheerleaders that were clearly grown women it wouldn't have been so bad. That being said if we want to gawk at pretty ladies there are plenty of better times to do that then during a hockey game.
Since you were an usher I actually have a question for you. During a game if a person is drunk, loud, and causing a distraction I can complain resulting in them possibly being removed correct? Does this also extend to loud children who put their feet up on chairs and whack people in the head with inflated toys? Personally I find the latter to be much more of a distraction. Parents who are unable to recognize and control their children's poor behavior in public deserve to be ejected as well imho.
Had half season tickets last year and I made a special point to not pay attention while they were in my section. I believe someone said they were all over 18, but in all reality from what I saw they looked about 15-16, and that just made me uncomfortable. If they brought in cheerleaders that were clearly grown women it wouldn't have been so bad. That being said if we want to gawk at pretty ladies there are plenty of better times to do that then during a hockey game.
Since you were an usher I actually have a question for you. During a game if a person is drunk, loud, and causing a distraction I can complain resulting in them possibly being removed correct? Does this also extend to loud children who put their feet up on chairs and whack people in the head with inflated toys? Personally I find the latter to be much more of a distraction. Parents who are unable to recognize and control their children's poor behavior in public deserve to be ejected as well imho.
Well, in all honesty, SBP falls in line with most other walks of life insomuch that children are pandered to more than any other demographic, so I really doubt that kids will ever get ejected. Especially considering that drunk patrons are ejected MOSTLY because the arena is protecting it's liquor license, and not because they're drunk.
SBP is required by law to eject anyone past a reasonable point of inebriation by the AGCO, who considers SBP less as an "arena" and more as a "20,500 capacity bar". And to that point, considering I don't really work there anymore, I can let you in on a secret: we don't toss drunks out because they're being a nuisance (though it is an added benefit sometimes), we toss them out because if there are too many visibly drunk people, AGCO has the authority to suspend the arena's liquor license. And if anyone here has ever bought a $13 glass of beer at a Sens game can attest to, I don't think I need to remind people just how much money the arena makes on alcohol sales.
A kid whining and kicking the seat does not threaten the arena's liquor license, and therefore won;t be met with nearly the same level of response.
I will give you a good hint, however: next time you're at a game, if there are kids really getting on your nerves, let your usher know. We won't kick them out, but if you're lucky, they (or their supervisor) might have a spare pair of tickets to relocate you somewhere else in the arena. Sometimes to a better seat. It won't happen very often, but it certainly does happen. I've relocated a ton of people in my time at the arena. Just remember to be nice about it, as I can't think of a single usher (myself included) who wants to go out of their way to help a douchenozzle who acts like they're too important to piss and demands free stuff (I'm not saying you would do that, but after working for years in the 100 level, I know that some people can be beyond rude).
Well, in all honesty, SBP falls in line with most other walks of life insomuch that children are pandered to more than any other demographic, so I really doubt that kids will ever get ejected. Especially considering that drunk patrons are ejected MOSTLY because the arena is protecting it's liquor license, and not because they're drunk.
SBP is required by law to eject anyone past a reasonable point of inebriation by the AGCO, who considers SBP less as an "arena" and more as a "20,500 capacity bar". And to that point, considering I don't really work there anymore, I can let you in on a secret: we don't toss drunks out because they're being a nuisance (though it is an added benefit sometimes), we toss them out because if there are too many visibly drunk people, AGCO has the authority to suspend the arena's liquor license. And if anyone here has ever bought a $13 glass of beer at a Sens game can attest to, I don't think I need to remind people just how much money the arena makes on alcohol sales.
A kid whining and kicking the seat does not threaten the arena's liquor license, and therefore won;t be met with nearly the same level of response.
I will give you a good hint, however: next time you're at a game, if there are kids really getting on your nerves, let your usher know. We won't kick them out, but if you're lucky, they (or their supervisor) might have a spare pair of tickets to relocate you somewhere else in the arena. Sometimes to a better seat. It won't happen very often, but it certainly does happen. I've relocated a ton of people in my time at the arena. Just remember to be nice about it, as I can't think of a single usher (myself included) who wants to go out of their way to help a douchenozzle who acts like they're too important to piss and demands free stuff (I'm not saying you would do that, but after working for years in the 100 level, I know that some people can be beyond rude).
Solid advice sir! The kid and his dad had the same package I believe which had them behind me almost every game. Eventually I wound up just turning around and asking the kid nicely to cut it out. Didn't want to be too rude because I like that we've got growing Sens fans excited at the rink. Good to know the reasoning behind ejections though because that always kind of confused me.
I've seen some games where Red Scarf Union (Army?) tries to get it going and then ushers/older fans start to quiet them down.
What? My god, what is this Peterborough? **Glares at the person cheering during the game**
Quote:
Originally Posted by lafite
I would invest in a really good musician to play organ. That is traditional hockey. A little shot of Wagner during tv timeouts might be an improvement on "Thank God I'm a Country Boy?" or any of the other crap they play at games these days.
This, although I don't have an issue with 'Thank God I' a Country Boy' specifically. My wife is a big Petes fan, and that song is enough of a part of the Peterborough Petes tradition that she never fails to amuse me.
Since you were an usher I actually have a question for you. During a game if a person is drunk, loud, and causing a distraction I can complain resulting in them possibly being removed correct? Does this also extend to loud children who put their feet up on chairs and whack people in the head with inflated toys? Personally I find the latter to be much more of a distraction. Parents who are unable to recognize and control their children's poor behavior in public deserve to be ejected as well imho.
In my whole life of watching hockey live hockey, I've never complained about nor have I ever been bothered by obnoxious drunk people. I think they add to the atmosphere. On the other hand, I'm forever having to get our security guard to get the damned kids who kick our seats to settle down. Oddly, they're never the same kids (I think we scare them off), but we're always ending up with kids behind us. We sit in the front row for a number of reason, one of which being that it makes it impossible for the boy to be a seat kicker.
Maybe a cool thing to do would be to incessantly yell "shoot!" every time the Sens have the puck in the offensive zone on the power play. It's fun fan interaction that also probably helps the guys decide what to do with the puck.
Maybe a cool thing to do would be to incessantly yell "shoot!" every time the Sens have the puck in the offensive zone on the power play. It's fun fan interaction that also probably helps the guys decide what to do with the puck.
Everyone wins.
LOL.. I had a guy right behind me last year. also a season ticket owner, so he was every game..
He'd go ballistic everytime the Sens were on the powerplay because they weren't shooting as soon as the puck would get on the defenceman's stick... Finally one game, Gonchar shot the puck and whoever it was blocked it and they had a breakaway and scored a shorty.. I turned around and said "see he finally listened to you, worked out great eh?"
The guy still yelled shoot every once in a while, but he definitely toned it down after that...
The age differential is also a concern in the crowd make-up. I've seen some games where Red Scarf Union (Army?) tries to get it going and then ushers/older fans start to quiet them down. There should REALLY be a section for SuperFans...I hear they have this in the Football Leagues in Europe, their noise can carry on pretty well.
This is definitely possible. They already sell large sections of seats to the Universities, and they're definitely not filled with the 'sit down and be quiet' types.
__________________ CanadianHockey________ __ __________Sens, Oilers, and Team Canada
I think it's fun to yell "shoot!" Most of the time when it happens it's because the Sens are cycling the puck and the tension for the spectators is growing. It's a great feeling at a game when your team has solid possession in the zone and the crowd starts to work itself up into a frenzy.
Not like the players are waiting for audio cues from the fans, but it's obviously more fun to get involved rather than not to.
I think it's fun to yell "shoot!" Most of the time when it happens it's because the Sens are cycling the puck and the tension for the spectators is growing. It's a great feeling at a game when your team has solid possession in the zone and the crowd starts to work itself up into a frenzy.
Not like the players are waiting for audio cues from the fans, but it's obviously more fun to get involved rather than not to.
Hey cool! One of the guys I hate at games posts on these boards.
Yelling "shoot!" while your team is on the power play is the equivalent of wearing a sandwich board that reads "I know wazzup!".
It's annoying.
In football the home crowd understands to shut up when their team is on offense so they can effectively communicate and take advantage of their opportunity. Keep your trap shut for everyone's sake.
Well, in Montreal you can get sloshed and then grab the Métro and go to Bell Centre (or whatever they call it these days) and their fanbase is super electric. In TO while you have the suits getting there 7-10 minutes in you have the rabid people who will maybe go to one game per year going nuts up there. Over here in Ottawa, the novelty of the team is gone and there are still a fair amount of public servants (guilty as charged) who sometimes bring kids (also guilty as charged) and while we like cheering for the team and local heroes, on a weekday you're just...bleh...after work and you just settle in for the intermission snooze or something.
The age differential is also a concern in the crowd make-up. I've seen some games where Red Scarf Union (Army?) tries to get it going and then ushers/older fans start to quiet them down. There should REALLY be a section for SuperFans...I hear they have this in the Football Leagues in Europe, their noise can carry on pretty well.
Have them do handstand/cartwheels over the seats, that'll get a "rise" out of people.
More seriously, yeah the cheerleaders aren't needed. That nutcase with the fiddle or Johnny Shaka were nice additions.
Mostly though...we don't need all this extra-curricular stuff. Remember when we had Hossa/Havlat or Pizza Line? Crowd was going NUTS! A LOT. Once we have a team that's first overall or first in the Eastern bandwagoners will come back and so on. Also, the more times goes by the more young people come and then you'll get a much more vibrant crowd.
P.S. Please assign Canadiens/Leafs fan their own section, yeah I know the logistics blah blah blah but it might help things. No snarky comments on how those fanbases make SBP their section.
This happened most games to RSU, on many occasions it was Senator fans that complained we were "being too loud" and "cheering to much"....such a sleepy city!
The key issue is that our fans are neither drunk enough nor big enough *******s. If we could get some Philly-ness going, that would would be be a great first step to livening up SBP crowds.
The key issue is that our fans are neither drunk enough nor big enough *******s. If we could get some Philly-ness going, that would would be be a great first step to livening up SBP crowds.
I wouldn't want us to be like a lot of the Leaf fans at SBP though, which I think is kind of what you're going for.
Okay, I get why they were glaring at me, the obnoxious guy wearing barberpole. My wife was wearing a Petes jersey, and we were sitting in Section 3. What arena glares at people for cheering for the home team when they're sitting in the so-called rowdy section (at least it used to be...), and wearing the home team's jersey.
Somebody glared at me at a Fat Cats game too. The only glares that I've ever got at the Bob have been from opposing team players. Jimmy Appleby certainly comes to mind.
I wouldn't want us to be like a lot of the Leaf fans at SBP though, which I think is kind of what you're going for.
I want us to be like Flyers/Phillies/Eagles fans in Philadelphia. Free batteries for everyone! If we get the Province to set up a court and jail in Scotiabank Place, we've won the battle.
Okay, I get why they were glaring at me, the obnoxious guy wearing barberpole. My wife was wearing a Petes jersey, and we were sitting in Section 3. What arena glares at people for cheering for the home team when they're sitting in the so-called rowdy section (at least it used to be...), and wearing the home team's jersey.
Somebody glared at me at a Fat Cats game too. The only glares that I've ever got at the Bob have been from opposing team players. Jimmy Appleby certainly comes to mind.
That's strange. Older people go to the Petes games so it might make sense. The rowdy section for Petes games is actually the North stands.
You married a Peterborough girl? Good choice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taoiseach
I want us to be like Flyers/Phillies/Eagles fans in Philadelphia. Free batteries for everyone! If we get the Province to set up a court and jail in Scotiabank Place, we've won the battle.
They already have a jail, so I guess we're half there.
