Today’s skate is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and I’ve already been working for two hours. Most fans arrive around 10 am and many stop by to say “hi” and catch a peek of the art on today’s drawing board or which player’s are out looking at their own drawings. It’s a great opportunity for fans to see the players at arm length and most of the guys are great about giving autographs and posing for photos with the fans after practice. I’m still an unabashed fan of the game and vividly remember how special it felt to meet the players when I was a little boy. One thing hasn’t changed about the NHL over my lifetime; its players are still the most gracious, fan friendly professional athletes I’ve encountered. The thing that has changed dramatically is the age of the fan waiting to meet them! Kids lined up around the block when I was little, while moms and dads waited patiently in the car. Today, even at a Saturday skate, the adults far outnumber the kids and are prepared with custom photos, jerseys, sticks and pages of hockey cards to be signed. The change in the age of the fan base and their reasons for being here demonstrate what NHL hockey has lost in Chicago, and desperately needs to win back; the adoration of kids.
I didn’t collect autographs as child, and really don’t now, unless its for a fan, charity, or business. When I was a child I just wanted to meet Bobby Hull or Stan Mikita because they were the players I emulated. Hockey cards were for looking at and trading, not hermetically sealing in plastic. I played hockey with my autographed ‘Juvenile’ sticks and eventually broke them all! Today’s fans are not only into the game, they’re into the personalities, history and celebrity of the players. I know one super fan that asks players for their sticks and now has more than 200 in his collection! Its great to have loyal adult fans, but when I’m at the Edge, I concentrate on bringing stuff to give away to the younger fans. There are probably quite a few players on this young team who’d rather not be refereed to as ‘kids’, but it’s the ‘kid’ in the player that I appreciate the most! After practice today, Duncan Keith and I will turn into game show hosts as we come up with ways to get kids excited about Blackhawk Hockey again, the way I felt as a little boy! Its kept me hooked for a lifetime. But that’s another chapter….
Go Hawks!
-tib
