nivek_wahs
04-27-2007, 03:30 AM
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/sports/story.html?id=d388e3db-7078-4ce2-9042-7f4764d6c367
Tigers find home very hospitable
Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, April 27, 2007
Talk about a tough crowd.
Not only are the Calgary Hitmen warding off Western Hockey League elimination tonight in Medicine Hat, they are trying to stay afloat in a building that has been a full house for 188 games in a row.
That's five consecutive years of selling out 4,006 seats in the Medicine Hat Arena -- a WHL record by far -- and as the Hitmen drove up on Thursday, people had already set up camp for tickets.
"It was funny, (Riley) Merkley made a comment, 'Well there ARE only 10 seats in this rink, so they want those tickets, I guess,' " said Calgary rearguard Karl Alzner, whose Hitmen are down 3-1 in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference final series. "It's small and tight, but the fans are crazy and the sound seems like it gets amplified 10 times in this rink."
Sure, the Hitmen play in the Pengrowth Saddledome in front of an average of 9,000 fans, but a sellout at the 'Dome is 16,337.
"I was looking across the rink (Wednesday) when we were playing at home and I saw all these orange jerseys," Alzner said. "So it was amazing to see how many people came all the way up to Calgary to cheer them on. I think every single person in this whole city probably knows all about them."
Because most fans won't walk through the Medicine Hat Arena doors, they came by the busloads on Monday and Wednesday to see their ferocious Tigers at the 'Dome.
"It's very tough to get tickets, extremely tough," said Dave Andjelic, the Tigers' marketing director.
The Tigers dish out 3,800 season tickets a year, leaving a small amount of tickets up for grabs on game day. There's no standing room allowed. The barn maxes out at 4,170 bodies, including players, but that's more than enough to raise the roof.
"When people yell at you on the ice, you don't really hear that," said Alzner. "You only hear when someone makes a nice play and they're all cheering and pumping them up a little more."
"It can be a little bit distracting from the game itself, but they try to make it a fun place to go . . . it can be a little bit intimidating," said Tigers play-by-play man Bob Ridley.
Ridley recalls a brutal heckling incident that involved rabid Tigers' fans in Section 2, above the visitors' bench, 10 years ago during a game against the Regina Pats.
"The Regina Pats team kind of got fed up with their antics," he said. "So prior to the game, the players had gone up and put a bunch of vaseline all over their seats so the fans couldn't sit in their seats. They were really miffed about that."
kodland@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2007
Tigers find home very hospitable
Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, April 27, 2007
Talk about a tough crowd.
Not only are the Calgary Hitmen warding off Western Hockey League elimination tonight in Medicine Hat, they are trying to stay afloat in a building that has been a full house for 188 games in a row.
That's five consecutive years of selling out 4,006 seats in the Medicine Hat Arena -- a WHL record by far -- and as the Hitmen drove up on Thursday, people had already set up camp for tickets.
"It was funny, (Riley) Merkley made a comment, 'Well there ARE only 10 seats in this rink, so they want those tickets, I guess,' " said Calgary rearguard Karl Alzner, whose Hitmen are down 3-1 in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference final series. "It's small and tight, but the fans are crazy and the sound seems like it gets amplified 10 times in this rink."
Sure, the Hitmen play in the Pengrowth Saddledome in front of an average of 9,000 fans, but a sellout at the 'Dome is 16,337.
"I was looking across the rink (Wednesday) when we were playing at home and I saw all these orange jerseys," Alzner said. "So it was amazing to see how many people came all the way up to Calgary to cheer them on. I think every single person in this whole city probably knows all about them."
Because most fans won't walk through the Medicine Hat Arena doors, they came by the busloads on Monday and Wednesday to see their ferocious Tigers at the 'Dome.
"It's very tough to get tickets, extremely tough," said Dave Andjelic, the Tigers' marketing director.
The Tigers dish out 3,800 season tickets a year, leaving a small amount of tickets up for grabs on game day. There's no standing room allowed. The barn maxes out at 4,170 bodies, including players, but that's more than enough to raise the roof.
"When people yell at you on the ice, you don't really hear that," said Alzner. "You only hear when someone makes a nice play and they're all cheering and pumping them up a little more."
"It can be a little bit distracting from the game itself, but they try to make it a fun place to go . . . it can be a little bit intimidating," said Tigers play-by-play man Bob Ridley.
Ridley recalls a brutal heckling incident that involved rabid Tigers' fans in Section 2, above the visitors' bench, 10 years ago during a game against the Regina Pats.
"The Regina Pats team kind of got fed up with their antics," he said. "So prior to the game, the players had gone up and put a bunch of vaseline all over their seats so the fans couldn't sit in their seats. They were really miffed about that."
kodland@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2007