Hockey fans like to think tradition is important in our sport. While other sports such as basketball and football cater to the flavor of the day, hockey is built on decades of tradition.
We have our own terminologies, many of which have come under assault in recent years. The traditional hockey term of dressing rooms has been replaced by the unoriginal term locker rooms. Center ice has been replaced by the neutral zone. Two-on-ones and three-on-twos have been replaced by the generic term odd-man rushes. And perhaps worst of all, the boards are starting to become known as the wall, especially in non-traditional markets.
It is enough to make a hockey fan scream.
However, if a hockey fan screams and nobody can hear it over the too-loud arena music, does the scream really exist?
Over-the-top game presentation has long been a trademark of the National Basketball Association, and while critics have praised the league for their marketing, NBA ratings and interest are a fraction of what they were a decade ago.
Sadly, this type of game presentation is creeping into our game, and fans must voice their opinion to stop the spread.
Last weekend should have been one of the greatest moments in recent Chicago Blackhawks history. The team is playing well behind rookie sensations Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and Sunday’s game against Detroit launched a new era of home games being televised on local television.
Yet the big story came in the area of game presentation. Longtime organist Frank Pelico was largely absent from the weekend’s games, his duties being limited to the national anthem and post-game proceedings.
Anyone over the age of 25 who grew up as a hockey fan associates the organ with Chicago hockey. While the pipe organ did not make its way from Chicago Stadium to the United Center, organ music stayed a big part of the Blackhawks. While other teams shunned organ music for recorded music, the Hawks stayed traditional.
Ironically, now that many teams are featuring more organ music than they have in recent years, Pelico finds himself watching games as a spectator. Hawks fans are understandably outraged, flooding message boards, blogs, and the front office with complaints.
Southern California’s two NHL franchises demonstrate the radical differences between various arenas when it comes to game presentation. While the Los Angeles Kings take a traditional approach to game presentation, the Anaheim Ducks feature a nightclub atmosphere – something most people outgrow before they reach 30.
The Kings start with a great introduction on their 2400-inch ICE TV, also known as an on-ice projector. The accompanying music by Hans Zimmer and Linkin Park – played at reasonable volumes – provide the perfect accompaniment to the visuals.
Once the game starts, the game presentation stays top-notch. Organist Dieter Ruehle, who was the organist at the last two Olympics, leads the crowd in traditional yells such as “Go Kings Go.” He does a great job of mixing classics like Kalinka or Hava Nagila with modern adaptations of bands such as U2 or Green Day. Ruehle maintains at least a 50/50 ratio of organ music to recorded music, and both are played at reasonable levels.
Thirty miles southeast at Honda Center, the assault on the senses is impossible to avoid. The introduction music is played way beyond the capabilities of the sound system, making the music painfully loud and virtually impossible to understand. While this is happening, a couple of dozen spotlights move in a fast, haphazard manner across the ice, creating a sense of motion sickness.
Sadly, the presentation gets no better once the game begins. While the music stays too loud and the organist adds too many Disneyland-esque drum rolls in most songs, the spotlights return far too frequently. When the spotlights are thankfully reduced, several migrane-inducing strobe lights are used in conjunction with the music at most whistles. The result is an atmosphere that resembles a WWE event or a teen-oriented nightclub, but certainly not a hockey game.
As someone who has spent most of his life in traditional hockey environments, there is no question which arena is more appealing. And the California market is more savvy than the Ducks seem to give it credit. Many, if not most, hockey fans in the region are transplants from traditional markets. If I had a dollar for every time one of these transplants told me they will not go to Ducks games because of the distracting game presentation, I might have enough money to buy the team and change the game presentation myself.
While no other NHL arena – certainly not the United Center – approaches the distraction level of the Honda Center, the loss of another hockey tradition in the sake of modernization would be a travesty.
Rocky Wirtz has done many things right since assuming leadership in Chicago. He would be wise to do one more thing right – bring back Pelico.
Im sorry but stuff changes with time and i dont think people not going to games at the Honda Center is a big deal since they have sold out 45 consecutive games
The music at Honda Center is way to loud, yes the Ducks have sold out over 40 straight games, but not
for the music, the Ducks are the champs. I hear complaints all the time from the fans.
The atmosphere at Jobing.com arena in Glendale, AZ for a Coyotes game it's much better. The music is way too load and too frequent. The pre-game is bareable and the Pack girls are great - but once the puck drops, let's stick with the focus on hockey (based on the Coyotes home record, maybe there's a reason NOT to focus on the hockey). Isn't it the older folks lkie me (over ...40...) making most of the decisions to buy tickets? We don't want this loud, show-like presentation all the time.
Last edited by dmsilvest on November 15th at 1:32 PM.
Ducksduo -- I know of at least two seats that are going unused in Anaheim many nights -- mine. Friday night, I had no reason not to go to the game (other than the normal 1.5-2 hour Friday commute there)... but I just couldn't take the assault of the senses. I stayed home and watched on TV, and while I'm the first to say hockey on TV is not anywhere near as good as in person... in this case, it was better. I didn't have a splitting headache and dizzyness that comes from Anaheim's game presentation -- it was great. Selling the seats on the ticket exchange, even at the minimum price, is impossible so far. Fortunately, I found some people to give the tickets to, but it's still frustrating.
On the other hand, I can't wait until tonight's game at Staples, where I also have season tickets. Great game presentation, and the overall experience is far more enjoyable.
If the Ducks stay a .500 team, it will be interesting to see how many people cancel their tickets next year, and how many of us that do so will be largely because they've created a non-hockey feeling environment at the games.
Anyone notice how they continue to blare music when the players are in positioned to take a face-off? And many times the music continues once the puck is dropped! I would rather be subjected to the way over the top PA announcer. If I wanted to listen to music I would do so. I'm there to watch a hockey game. If team's feel the need to entertain the fans 100% of the time that tells me that they do not believe their product is worth watching. Bring back the organ, now that's entertainment.
Thanks for writing this article. The loud music and noise and special effects are more examples of why today's NHL stinks. The NHL is aiming it's product at the 12-22 crowd, and leaving the rest of us who remember it more as a rugged adult Cadillac brand of sport completely behind. I miss the organ music, no advertising on the boards and ice, helmetless players and referees accompanied by far less stickwork and cheap shots, etc, etc.
Outstanding blog...you could also add the obnoxious rink announcer screaming at us that the team is on the power play, followed by some even more obnoxious and overdone noise or roar.
Bottom line is that the Ducks and others teams with similar presentations need to find a balance between the kinda fruity night club stuff and the old fashion way. I personally dont care either way but i do love to see young kids enjoy their time at the rink and with the way kids are now there seems to always have to be something happening which isnt always the case in todays NHL
Last edited by ducksduo1510 on November 16th at 12:47 PM.
Nice article. I miss the old NHL, too. I'm glad to see my team, the Red Wings, have stayed relatively "old school." No elaborate pre-game intros, blaring music, or obnoxious PA announcers (Bud #### is awesome). I definitely miss the days of "Old Time Hockey." I hate the new way of scheduling games. I'm sick of seeing the Wings beat up on St. Louis, Nashville, and Columbus every night. We need to play Toronto or Montreal more. We were fierce rivals with them back in the day.
"Nightclub atmosphere." LMAO!!! Great one, grapes! I live in Las Vegas and I can't tell you how distracting it can become when at the intermissions, the chicks shooting T-shirts from an airgun with the team mascot at the ECHL's LV Wranglers' home hockey games are hired strippers from Treasures Gentlemen's Club.
So much for the family-oriented atmosphere. "Daddy? What does that girl do," says the little boy. ".....," drools the daddy.
Unbelievable.
I really hate it when the ex-NBA goofs running the NHL fail to realize they're bringing the NHL down to the NBA's plummeting popularity.
I'm a relative newcomer to hockey, all we had in Columbus before the Jackets was the ECHL's now-very-defunct Chill (which is a regret of mine since in retrospect, I wish I'd attended a couple of Chill games). But as the daughter of a Hawks fan who was alive the last time the Hawks won the Cup, I'm pretty confident in my knowledge of the game.
And what I know is that Gary Bettman #### up the league and good. One, Columbus is probably in the wrong conference (meaning the idiotic commish doesn't know his directions), two, the NBA sucks and now the ####'s trying to turn the NHL into the NBA on ice, and three, some of those expansion decisions make me wonder what Buttman's on and where can I get some of that...
When the fighting started going out of the league, that pissed me off. The first game I ever attended was Jody Shelley's first NHL game, meaning it was a pretty violent game. He probably lost the fights, too. I don't really remember.
I haven't watched the NBA since I was eight years old, I don't need my favorite sport turned into basketball on ice!
I'm just glad that since Bill Wirtz kicked the bucket Hawks fans get to watch their games on TV... Dad remembers when they stopped showing 'em and his whole family was pissed since they couldn't afford game tickets. I think he's happy the games are on again, too.
And hey, Raiderz, yeah, you sure beat up on Columbus last night, when it went into a shootout. (That was sarcasm, people.)
I have Blackhawk season tickets and I'm tired of the NBA / NFL hype at the games. Let our sport alone, please. This is a sport where guys play hurt, where fighting is actually a fight and not a slap fest, where the best athletes compete at a high level and blood is part of our heritage.
Our players don't dance after making a nice pass or celebrate a huge hit.....we get up and do it again with no fanfare and no disrespect to the game.
I hate aluminum and composite sticks, the new uni's and miked players during the game. Don't enlarge the nets or take away fighting. Let the players play and police themselves, it's worked for 90 years. Stop the loud music and let me talk to the person next to me about the game when there is a play stoppage. Take down the protective nets, too. If people would pay attention to the game and not talk on their cell phones or do the wave, they wouldn't get hurt.
I don't want our game to be like the NBA or the NFL with all the hype, dancing and music during a game. This game is concentration, speed and focus from both the players and fans.
Someday, the "great one" or "super Mario" will run this league and then we'll get back to basics. Until then, we'll have to deal with guys who used to work in the NBA and our now ruining our game.
(To the sound of violin music)
Wahhhhhh, wahhh, wah.
Thats all i hear from you pathetic morons. Honestly, its the 21st century, the game does not need to stay stagnant. I don't disagree that overly loud music disrupts the game, and is distinctly not hockey-like, but for everything else, stop whining. Why not have cheerleaders? They are fun to look at during long pauses and exceedingly long intermissions. New uniforms are a good thing. As long as they make the players better, there is no harm in them. They often look better as well. Take down the protective nets? Tell that to the girl who was killed parents. I'm sure they could have a great conversation with you. I don't necessarily think that the nets are needed, however they are there as a reaction to a tragic and now avoidable event. Why is everyone so against new sticks? All the players now use them. All of the players like them. If the players think the new sticks make them better players, does that not make the product on ice better automatically? If you want to only see old time hockey, get the NHL network and a HD-DVR and record all of those classic games, so that you can live in the past. Nuff said.
Thanks for all the comments -- it is great to see so many of us want to preserve the traditions of our game! When I have talked to people on the street as well, I get the same reaction.
The netting -- please, take it down -- ugh, it's destroyed the view from so many seats. At the very least, cut it back so it ends at the goal lines and not the faceoff circles -- that way, upper level side seats outside the bluelines would not be affected.
You're welcome, grapes! How about this for tradition: replace the Plexiglass with chicken wire or chain link fencing like they did in the Fifties AND THEN let's see how many of those so-called nouveau die-hard fans can tolerate the shavings, snowings, blood, and sweat that the players willingly give up for the game. I betcha those seats will be up for sale on eBay faster than you can say, "Don Cherry."
Are you the same blogger who wrote the following blog on 6/30/06?
"By now, most fans know about Burke's personnel moves...But outside of Anaheim, hockey fans might not be aware of the difference in the overall game experience under Burke.
...The Pond's sound system had long been substandard, and many fans felt the music followed suit. Much of the music was pop-oriented and hockey-style rock music was noticeably lacking.
By mid-season, fans were complimenting the Ducks on their aggressive music, and the new goal song of Bro Hymn by Pennywise received national media attention.
By next fall, a $1 million Harmon-Kardon sound system upgrade will be implemented, ensuring the sound quality will meet the music quality.
Overall game presentation took on a far different tone than during the Disney era. The Wild Wing cartoons were replaced by hard-hitting clips, many featuring big hits and fights that likely would not have been shown in previous seasons.
...Regardless of the outcome on the ice, one thing is certain -- fans will continue to enjoy the experience of going to a game at the Arrowhead Pond. Long viewed as one of the league's most aesthetically pleasing arenas, the Pond has become one of the most exciting arenas as well."
(http://community.foxsports.com/blo gs/grapes17/ 2006/06/30/New_look_for_Ducks_exten ds_beyond_the_ice):
Why has "one of the most exciting arenas" in the NHL suddenly become a travesty in just one year? Fickleness, thy name is Grapes17.
BTW, the Kings didn't start using on-ice pictorial projections until after the Ducks did this in
Last edited by lady_stanley on November 26th at 11:18 AM.
Yes, that is what I wrote. And Burke's moves during the first year brought some much-needed enthusiasm to the games -- on and off the ice. My issues have been with what has transpired since that point.
The first year after the lockout -- Burke and Samueli's first -- the atmosphere was improved. The music was hockey-oriented, instead of loud rap and hip-hop. A new sound system was touted as being a siginificant upgrade.
The problem is, they went away from the hockey-style music, instead again choosing to play a mix of pop, rap, hip-hop, etc., and at volumes that are way too loud. When the new sound system arrived, it was a disappointment. Although a marginal upgrade on the old one, it is still not nearly as clear as most new arenas, and the fidelity isn't up to par.
Unfortunately, they turned the music up loud -- way too loud. Had they kept the music they were playing in 2005-06, and at those volumes, it would have been fine with the new system.
Also, the spotlights and strobes did not appear until about a month and a half into the 2006-07 season, causing a very significant distraction.
In the 2005-06 season, the Pond was energetic and exciting, while the game presentation was solid. Unfortunately, the game presentation has become way over-the-top,taking away from the game instead of adding to the experience.
If they went back to the 2005-06 game presentation, my next blog would be saying how good the game presentation would be. Unfortunately, the Ducks have gone a different direction with game presentation since then, and it is far worse in my opinion.
Last edited by grapes17 on November 26th at 3:46 PM.
The lasers and strobes have been there long before 2006-07. The Ducks used these at least as far back as the 2003 playoffs, along with projecting still photos on the ice (something the Kings imitated), granted the Ducks don't use this presentation during the regular season (they still do it for the playoffs).
Also, if your premise is that NHL clubs need to move back towards a "traditional" hockey presentation, then you are contradicting your blog from June 2006. The changes made from "Disney on Ice" hockey to Mighty Ducks 2005-06 hockey wasn't a move towards a "traditional" hockey presentation. The extracurricular hockey presentation may have moved away from Disney, but I wouldn't say it was in the mold of a "traditional" hockey experience.
I agree that the music tends to be loud at the Honda Center, but the organist is too loud too, and has been for as long as I remember. Every time fans try to start a chant, rather than accompanying the crowd, the organist tends to overpower the crowd. But as I said, this is nothing new.
But apart from the louder music, I can't say a lot has changed from 2005-06. The Ducks still show their bumps and bruises and show replays of more controversial plays and fights (something they never did while owned by Disney). The music was in no way more "hockey" oriented in 2005-06 than it is now. They still play quite a bit of alternative/Southern California punk influenced music, including Bro Hymn, so if they mix in some rap/hip-hop, it isn't enough to detract from the overall mix of music played in total.
Last edited by lady_stanley on November 26th at 5:15 PM.
The strobes and spotlights were used only in pre-game festivities in the past. To me, they were overused, but the use of spotlights in a pre-game is fine. In a pre-game, the spotlights and lights is what you're watching, while during the game, they are a distraction from what you're trying to watch (there are stil many things to watch during a whistle, such as line changes and communication on the ice).
It is only this year the strobes have become used at every whistle -- they were used occasionally last year, but this year, it is intolerable for anyone affected by strobe lights.
Sure, the Pond was not Chicago Stadium in 2005-06, but it's the overkill of now that makes it too non-traditional. The music was hard rock that season -- to me, that's been around hockey long enough to qualify as at least somewhat traditional. The rap and hip-hop, which is played noticably more than two years ago, is more associated with the NBA, as are the spotlights and strobes at every whistle. In 05-06, the music just became more hockey-style, the replays were increased, and those were good changes. Had they stopped there, they'd be fine.
The bottom line is -- in 05-06, the changes enhanced the game experience. The changes since then, in my opinion, have detracted to the point where it is now worse than in the Disney era. Some may agree, some may disagree, but that is my opinion.
Basically, turn down the music and lose the spotlights -- those are the things that overkill the senses.
So basically turning down the music and losing the spotlights is what is overkilling your senses. Mainly just those two things? If that's true, then I'd say using words like "travesty" is hyperbole and overkill.
I doubt that the non-hockey part of the game is what will be the determining factor attendance level. There is a large enough waiting list that there will be other people who will take the place of the relatively few STHs who give up their tickets because the music is too loud or the strobes and spotlights are too annoying. What will drop attendance is a drop off of the team's on-ice performance, especially if the Ducks fail to make the playoffs.
I hate to bring this up again, but a call to last week's NHL Hour on XM Home Ice 204, hosted by Gary Bettman, pointed out similar issues in Phoenix. A Coyotes season ticket holder said most of the people who used to sit around him cancelled their tickets because of the overkill of sound and lights. And I may be doing the same unless things change -- I love the game, but I simply can't take the headaches induced by the too-loud sound and the strobe lights.
Tonight, my Ducks tickets will go unused -- I just am not up for the nightclub environment tonight, and they're pretty much unsellable on the ticket exchange these days.
On the bright side, at least Staples Center still provides an enviroment in which true fans can actually see the game without the nightclubish distractions. Whether the team is playing well or not, I enjoy hockey. I just don't enjoy it in a nightclub environment. Loud music is okay, but when I literally can't shout to the person beside me -- which is the level the music is at where we sit -- then it's way, way, way too loud.
I stand by "travesty". I do not believe it to be hyperbole or overkill. When lifetime hockey fans throw in the towel because the pain (yes, it is painful, and my hearing usually takes a day or two to come back) involved in going to a game outweighs the benefit, that should be a sign to the organization that things need to change.
Also, the season ticket waiting list is very small -- it was not even established until training camp. It's hard to believe that many people have signed up since then.
As a life-long hockey fan and sports fan in general, sports has always been a big part of my life. I have combined that with my interest in writing to create a long-term interest in sportswriting , something that has manifested itself in various sportswriting opportunities over the years.
