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Icing on the Palace
All-Star events make a hockey weekend, with some whimsy, in Tampa's Ice Palace.
From the Tampa Tribune, Jan. 24, 1999 (Front page)
By DIRK LAMMERS
TAMPA - Referee Paul Stewart delays the start of the Heroes of Hockey game and asks a center to snap posed shot with legend Gordie Howe.
Cammi Granato, who won a gold medal with the 1988 U.S. Women's Olympic team, is awarded a penalty shot after Howe and his two sons are penalized for "Too Many Howes on the Ice."
Teemu Selanne jokingly calls for a replay after losing a photo finish on the team puck control relay.
This is not your typical hockey night.
Saturday's Heroes of Hockey game and NHL Superskills competition sported a more laid-back, fan-friendly atmosphere that culminates with today's 49th NHL All-Star Game (4 p.m., televised on WTVT, Channel 13).
During Saturday's events at the Ice Palace, helmets are left behind in the locker room, letting fans see the flowing locks of hockey star Jaromir Jagr and Tony Amonte. Players chat and kid around during play.
Laid-back, yes, but it's no small production, says Frank Supovitz, the NHL's vice president for special events. It takes about 75 people to produce the lasers, lights and music that go into the festivities.
"It's more of a show and an entertainment piece than a game," Supovitz says. "It's a lot more laid back so you can do a lot more."
Fans who arrived early at the Ice Palace entrance were greeted by vendors who hawked beer, soda and cotton candy. Fans browsed a merchandise stand selling everything from $18 T-shirts to $100 replica All-Star jerseys. A scoreboard-size jumbo screen entertained early birds with hockey clips set to music videos.
Across Channelside Drive, fans partied at The Outpost and Newk's sports bars before heading to the Palace for the evening's events.
Fans' fashion choice for the venues was, of course, the hockey jersey, from a classic Toronto Maple Leafs sweater to the Los Angeles Kings new purple-and-black road jersey.
Tampa resident Greg Scott, proudly wearing his Gordie Howe No. 9 Detroit Red Wings jersey, watched in awe as "Mr. Hockey" took a pregame skate alongside the other Heroes of Hockey.
"I saw him in the '60s and '70s," says Scott, a 38-year-old Detroit native. "He was a boyhood idol. He's like Madonna today, or Michael Jordan.
"He was the greatest player that ever lived."
Even some players arrived in awe, especially ones making their first appearance in an All-Star uniform. To meet the greatest players in the game is a thrill even for a pro.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," said the Nashville Predators' Sergei Krivokrasov. "You always watch the game on TV and hope you're going to be here someday."
Dallas Stars center Mike Modano, one of just five American-born players to earn a spot on the All-Star roster, says he's glad the league kept the new "world" format this year.
The NHL All-Star game used to be a conference vs. conference matchup, but the NHL switched to World vs. North America last year to celebrate players' participation in the Olympics.
"It's just added a little zest to the game," says Modano, noting the huge influx of European talent during recent years. "You could probably get a couple of teams out of them." A block or so away at the Tampa Convention Center, kids and adults continued flocking to NHL FANtasy to make a personalized hockey card or test their skills at slap shots, play-by-play and goaltending.
By 1 p.m. Saturday, more than 3,500 fans ranging from newbie to diehard walked through doors, adding to the estimate 17,000 through Friday, says Anne Grotefield, the NHL's director of special events.
Grotefield says many of those attending FANtasy aren't going to the actual All-Star game, but they'll still feel a part of the weekend's festivities.
"That's what it's for, so people who can't get a ticket can have FANtasy to enjoy together as a family."
Those who did want to go had a chance - if they were carrying some cash. Scalpers were selling tickets from $75 for Saturday's events to $175 a piece for a pair of club seats for the whole weekend.
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All-Star events make a hockey weekend, with some whimsy, in Tampa's Ice Palace.
From the Tampa Tribune, Jan. 24, 1999 (Front page)
By DIRK LAMMERS
TAMPA - Referee Paul Stewart delays the start of the Heroes of Hockey game and asks a center to snap posed shot with legend Gordie Howe.
Cammi Granato, who won a gold medal with the 1988 U.S. Women's Olympic team, is awarded a penalty shot after Howe and his two sons are penalized for "Too Many Howes on the Ice."
Teemu Selanne jokingly calls for a replay after losing a photo finish on the team puck control relay.
This is not your typical hockey night.
Saturday's Heroes of Hockey game and NHL Superskills competition sported a more laid-back, fan-friendly atmosphere that culminates with today's 49th NHL All-Star Game (4 p.m., televised on WTVT, Channel 13).
During Saturday's events at the Ice Palace, helmets are left behind in the locker room, letting fans see the flowing locks of hockey star Jaromir Jagr and Tony Amonte. Players chat and kid around during play.
Laid-back, yes, but it's no small production, says Frank Supovitz, the NHL's vice president for special events. It takes about 75 people to produce the lasers, lights and music that go into the festivities.
"It's more of a show and an entertainment piece than a game," Supovitz says. "It's a lot more laid back so you can do a lot more."
Fans who arrived early at the Ice Palace entrance were greeted by vendors who hawked beer, soda and cotton candy. Fans browsed a merchandise stand selling everything from $18 T-shirts to $100 replica All-Star jerseys. A scoreboard-size jumbo screen entertained early birds with hockey clips set to music videos.
Across Channelside Drive, fans partied at The Outpost and Newk's sports bars before heading to the Palace for the evening's events.
Fans' fashion choice for the venues was, of course, the hockey jersey, from a classic Toronto Maple Leafs sweater to the Los Angeles Kings new purple-and-black road jersey.
Tampa resident Greg Scott, proudly wearing his Gordie Howe No. 9 Detroit Red Wings jersey, watched in awe as "Mr. Hockey" took a pregame skate alongside the other Heroes of Hockey.
"I saw him in the '60s and '70s," says Scott, a 38-year-old Detroit native. "He was a boyhood idol. He's like Madonna today, or Michael Jordan.
"He was the greatest player that ever lived."
Even some players arrived in awe, especially ones making their first appearance in an All-Star uniform. To meet the greatest players in the game is a thrill even for a pro.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," said the Nashville Predators' Sergei Krivokrasov. "You always watch the game on TV and hope you're going to be here someday."
Dallas Stars center Mike Modano, one of just five American-born players to earn a spot on the All-Star roster, says he's glad the league kept the new "world" format this year.
The NHL All-Star game used to be a conference vs. conference matchup, but the NHL switched to World vs. North America last year to celebrate players' participation in the Olympics.
"It's just added a little zest to the game," says Modano, noting the huge influx of European talent during recent years. "You could probably get a couple of teams out of them." A block or so away at the Tampa Convention Center, kids and adults continued flocking to NHL FANtasy to make a personalized hockey card or test their skills at slap shots, play-by-play and goaltending.
By 1 p.m. Saturday, more than 3,500 fans ranging from newbie to diehard walked through doors, adding to the estimate 17,000 through Friday, says Anne Grotefield, the NHL's director of special events.
Grotefield says many of those attending FANtasy aren't going to the actual All-Star game, but they'll still feel a part of the weekend's festivities.
"That's what it's for, so people who can't get a ticket can have FANtasy to enjoy together as a family."
Those who did want to go had a chance - if they were carrying some cash. Scalpers were selling tickets from $75 for Saturday's events to $175 a piece for a pair of club seats for the whole weekend.
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