Billy Blade
02-04-2005, 11:56 AM
Well, the much anticipated new scoreclock over last summer turned out to be a bit of a flop in the eyes of most fans. The four large 8' by 12' screens were so blurry and unwatchable fans had to suffer through what was called a "manufacturers defect" for over half of the season. Tonight when the Blades take on the Prince Albert Raiders, it will also be the long-awaited debut of the "upgraded" screens.
The picture quality is a night and day improvement, but the size of the screens was actually reduced to be 7' by 9'. The original cost of the clock was about $600,000 and the undisclosed cost of the screen upgrade is being shared by the Blades and Credit Union Centre. “We are paying an upgrade fee . . . but it’s a significantly reduced upgrade fee (because of problems with the previous screens),” said Blades marketing director Mike Jenkins.
Hopefully the attendance will be good for this possible first-round playoff matchup between the two rivals. The large amount of snowfall we are receiving today might prove to be a bit of a spoiler with the Saskatoon region now expecting 20 centimeters or more over the next 24 hours. :eek:
The new clock:
http://www.saskatoonblades.com/clock.html
The picture quality is a night and day improvement, but the size of the screens was actually reduced to be 7' by 9'. The original cost of the clock was about $600,000 and the undisclosed cost of the screen upgrade is being shared by the Blades and Credit Union Centre. “We are paying an upgrade fee . . . but it’s a significantly reduced upgrade fee (because of problems with the previous screens),” said Blades marketing director Mike Jenkins.
Hopefully the attendance will be good for this possible first-round playoff matchup between the two rivals. The large amount of snowfall we are receiving today might prove to be a bit of a spoiler with the Saskatoon region now expecting 20 centimeters or more over the next 24 hours. :eek:
The new clock:
http://www.saskatoonblades.com/clock.html