Matt Pettinger, Smarter than he Looks

This time of year it’s fashionable to discuss improving the game of hockey. The award for Best Idea that No One Will Listen To goes to Caps Left Winger Matt Pettinger. In the latest issue of ESPN the Magazine Matt was asked what he would do if he was NHL Commissioner. His response:

“I’d have free public skates at every NHL arena in the U.S. If people saw how hard it was to do the things we do at full speed with the puck while on skates, they’d gain a new appreciation for the NHL.”

It’s quite obvious that Matt has more hockey insight than the past season’s -13 suggests. As I have mentioned before, one of the biggest barriers to hockey in the U.S. is that the game isn’t accessible to the masses. We all grew up playing horse in the driveways of just about every friend we have, or playing baseball or football in the yard. At least in the South, few people grow up passing a puck around the driveway. Ice rinks are few and far between. Public skates are limited to some of the most inconvenient hours imagined and the rental skates are so poorly maintained that almost no one can have a good first experience.

On its face, Matt’s idea might seam unfeasible. Arenas are busy, busy venues. The only time you can see ice at most arenas is game day. There is no way you can fit an arena full of people on the ice. But realistically speaking I think teams are closer to being able to do this than you think. The Thrashers do make their ice available after games, not to the public but to local teams. In exchange for the ice time the teams are charged with selling 200 group tickets to the game. There are two problems with this approach. First, by making the ice available to people on hockey teams you aren’t indoctrinating newcomers. These people are already fans of the game and appreciate the challenges of skating. Second, games are usually at night at the ice isn’t available until after a game. Participants usually miss a portion of the 3rd period of the game getting ready for their turn on the ice. Missing the 3rd period of a close game, or the thrill of overtime or a shootout in a really close game, diminishes the chance to make a fan out of someone new to the experience.

How would I make it work? First, teams should target groups of school age children who are active but may have never been exposed to hockey. PTA’s, church youth groups, scouts, and a broad range of youth sports leagues—not just hockey leagues. Their ticket is good for both the hockey game and the special public skating session. Second, instead of skating after the game let them skate before the game. School is out in time for kids to be on the ice from 3:30-4:30 or so. That leaves the ice crew enough time to prepare the surface so for the game. And let’s face it, 50 kids on ice skates aren’t going to make ice in the south much worse than it already is. The team already has a great relationship with the local rinks so I’m sure an arrangement for rental skates is possible. The Thrashers have many kid-friendly activities before home games. The time between skating and the game will give the kids an opportunity to grab some food in the CNN food court and then take their turn in the kid’s mini-game the Thrasher’s staff always sets up there. Sticks and a ball on foam aren’t the same as hockey on ice, but they have a blast and it helps them “get” the game. By the time they tire of this they can go back into the arena and enjoy the face-painting, sign-making, autograph signing fun available at the “Philip’s Experience.” Maybe this one game is the only time the kids make it to see the Thrasher’s all year, but I guarantee you they will remember it and the family might just get hooked.

If you want to consider some of the other suggestions floating out there:

• At Usual Place of Abode you find suggestions for better announcers, an original six tournament and MNF style player introductions.
• At FoxSports Al Strachen suggests wood sticks, player marketing and firing Gary Bettman in 10 Ways to Fix the NHL.
• Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas news suggests putting microphones on the coaches, helmet-free shootouts, moving the league office to Atlanta in 10 Ways to Avoid an NHL Ice Age.
• Sports Talk Buffalo calls for an American superstar and better explanations of official reviews.
  

As to why my rant centers on Matt Pettinger....some of you might recall a little playoff pool I entered a while back. If the results of this playoff pool are clear on anything it’s that I have no business betting on hockey. I managed to best TheFalconer and CapsChick, but JP….well he got the best of me. The overall winner was CapsNut and so all us losers needed to write nice things about the Caps. This piece, on the brilliance of whatshisface, is my penance.