Quote:
Originally Posted by Muta
At last Tuesday's supporters evening, I told Tommy directly that one of the easiest things they can do to elevate the fan experience in the off-season is to have multiple nights similar to the one they hosted. Doesn't always have to be at a pub, but the point would be to get their players and staff directly engaging with the fans, especially the non-hardcore ones; answering questions, laughing, being available - things that NHL players do not do with their fans on an one-on-one level. I don't think Calgary is used to that kind of direct engagement with their sports teams, and this can really work in the Cavalry's favour. Tommy agreed.
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A buddy of mine played in the Flames poker tournament years ago and met David Moss who was hurt at the time and out of the lineup. My buddy is a goalie, a pretty lively character, and had a few drinks and told Moss that his beer league team was playing at the Corral the following week the same night as a Flames home game and that he should stop by if he wanted to see some top tier beer league goaltending (jokingly). Fast forward to a week later and the guys are all in the room getting dressed to play and the door swings open and Moss crutches his way into the room, sits down, cracks a few jokes and chats with the guys for 10-15 minutes before they take the ice. I can tell you that the impression it made on those guys will last a lifetime. I don't think more then 6 months have gone by since where I haven't heard this story retold while out having beers with guys on that team talking about what a good guy Moss is and how awesome it was that he took the time to crutch his way across the lot in the middle of winter to visit with the guys when he could have easily just gone home after the Flames game ended.
People seriously underestimate how much of an impact the simplest of gestures can have and I agree with you Muta that Calgary is a community ripe for the picking when it comes to having a team show they give a ####. We have very little to be excited about when it comes to pro sports in this city right now as displayed by this whole arena debacle. The Stamps used to feel that way for me while growing up but they have done an absolutely pitiful job of adapting over the years and the whole fan/community experience feels antiquated, stale and boring now which has left myself and many others feeling very little connection to the franchise anymore.
Soccer feels fresh and different and is about to explode with popularity amongst casuals like myself in Canada, I already see the shift happening within my own local friend groups who love sports but aren't necessarily soccer fans (yet). Give them a reason to care about the team and people will respond. I think many are hungry for it.
(sorry for hijacking the thread with my thoughts, I'm just so sick of the local pro sports landscape in this city and how little anyone seems to care that I cannot wait for a team out there to show a little creativity and a little heart within the community to invigorate this sports fan. Whoever shows up and does it will have my money and my loyalty for the long haul I can assure you that.)