Yet another trip to Philips Arena last night with sir Miles (our 3 year old son) to see the Atlanta Thrashers. Last Thursday I had a feeling in my gut that we should hold off on using a pair of free passes, and I’m glad we did, as the Sharks manhandled the Thrashers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in town last night, themselves also fighting for a precious playoff spot, and catching the Thrashers in the second of games on back to back nights. I had a belief that the Thrashers prior night 3rd period lead-squandering and shootout disappointment vs. the Panthers would have them extra motivated to stop their three game skid. I was right, as they won in OT, 3-2.
As far as the arena, at least 25% of the seats were empty, but the fans are coming a long way in terms of their hockey knowledge, and were loud. The people/companies that own the premium seats in sections 101-107 need to show up. These were the emptiest sections in the building, and the players could see them every team they sat on the bench (probably the only time they look at the crowd at all).
I was pleased to hear a lot of fan commentary relating to the finer points of the game, and for that I am thankful. In the last two weeks I’ve had the pleasure of seeing WCHA (college) hockey, ECHL (minor league pro), and NHL (pro). Though the knowledgeable fans in St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center far outnumbered those in Atlanta’s Philips Arena, it would have been difficult for clueless fans to be more than a seat or two away from a true hockey fan.
The main thing that fans need to improve on - when the play is live, STAY SEATED. When the whistle blows, you can get up. Use the TV timeout times to make your entrances and exits.
The Thrashers fans also need to come up with a post-goal chant/taunt. Other than “Let’s go Thrashers,” there isn’t a whole lot of fan unity through song.
I love the guy named “Rabid Fan” who chugs a beer on the stadium camera in the aisle between sections 110 and 111 with 2 minutes to go. I hope he continues to be a season ticket holder, and the Philips marketing/game production team doesn’t cop to the politically correct and “family friendly” crowd. Thanks to Gymnasia for her Flickr image of Rabid Fan.
The best Miles Moment was after the PA system blared the song “Final Countdown” (1986 song by the band “Europe”), Miles kept singing for a couple minutes…”THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!”
1 response so far ↓
1 Major Dalton, Green Mt Boys // Mar 30, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Commnder Thompson,
Well done sir in your continued efforts to raise the boy with a positive exposure to the most demanding sport in the world of athletics. I love that Miles knows the lyrics to “The Final Countdown”. Good times. Also I commend you in your calling out the no shows with their fancy corporate seats. The owners of these tickets have a responsibility to ensure that someone occupies the seats. Go Thrash.
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