One thing that seems to be missing from the NHL and from the majority of fan bases in most American sports is that rabid in arena fan support that other international sports seem to have. Sure, arenas can get loud at times, but overall fans are content to sit in their seats and not do much. For a game like baseball I can understand that. Wait forever between pitches, a few seconds of action and then you breakdown the next statistic filled situation. Same for football in that you wait 40 seconds or more and then get a few seconds of action then wait again as the 350 pound linemen pick themselves up to start all over again or get themselves off the field. They're slow, plodding games. Sure they're popular, and there are plenty of fans for those sports. However the same sit in your seat attitude that works in those sports shouldn't work in the NHL. 

The sport that's easiest to draw a parallel with though is the other kind of football or, soccer. Sure, most NHL players don't go diving all over the place and "writhe" in pain until they realize there won't be a penalty called. What I think is similar is the pace of the action and the sudden nature of breakaways and quick scoring. That consistant action makes for a sport that should have people cheering and yelling all night rather than hardly even paying attention. How can the NHL or individual teams get this started? By creating Supporters Clubs and Sections. 

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Sure, I imagine that in this day and age of hyper negotiated CBAs and rules about player events and what days they're allowed to work and the number of hours you can force them to practice much less interact with NHL fans that this idea likely wouldn't work. That being said I still love it. 

Back in the day of the IHL and ECHL Roadrunners after early(-ish) Sunday games the teams would have an open skate on the arena ice. Sometimes they'd involve the players, (or just a few) and other times the entire team would be out there. Sure, it's a minor league type of thing to do to. In the minors no one really knows your players because they rotate around a lot. It's an easy grassroots way to connect with kids, their parents, and anyone that generally wants to hang out with the players. Would this type of thing work in say New York? Maybe. You'd have to limit the number of people, but how good would it look to finally see Sean Avery skating with some little kids?  

The vast majority of players that I've ever spoken to or just seen video of are so incredibly friendly, with a few exceptions or course, that I think they'd have fun with it too. Sure, it's cumbersome to do and it could be a logistical nightmare, but I miss these small time, fan base connecting events. Sure the Coyotes have some different things each year. Coyotesfest, last year they did a carnival, but it's actually something to be able to skate on the NHL ice surface and seeing the arena from down there on skates. Plenty of fans have been on the floor of the arena, but taking some laps around, not so many. So borrow some skates from the Ice Den or Polar Ice and let's get the fans on skates. 

Everyone has one these days, but I didn't have an awesome web enabled phone until this season. Sure it was alright for sending texts and getting phone calls, but it was no iPhone. I still don't have the latest and greatest but the Palm Pre I got over the summer is miles ahead of what I had. It's great how many things you can find out and follow on them now while you're watching the game at the arena, at home or most usefully, when you have to be somewhere else when you really want to be watching the hockey game. Just a few things that I use it for...

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