Ice Hockey: Thinking out the box ...

With the 2020-21 ice hockey seasons delayed until the end of the year, it’s more important than ever for clubs to stay in touch with their fan base.

And that means thinking out the box.

While 50-50 raffles and ‘shirt off the back' draws are vital, and well established ways of generating income at a time when revenue streams have all been turned off,  clubs need to get creative and funky if they are to bridge the yawning gap from lockdown to  puck drop.

And it isn't just about hard cash. The sport has to engage if it is to keep its fan base involved, enthused and willing to hang on until the rink doors re-open.

Some have worked incredibly hard - but the rest need to look at what they have done, how they have done it, and fully grasp that clinging to the old ways is utterly invalid this side of lockdown restrictions easing.

Cardiff Devils output has been as sharp and professional as ever - as you’d expect from a club that leads the way in so many aspects of its organisation  - while Dundee Stars online output has been terrific. 

The club’s TV channel has been creative and inventive and tapped into the rich source of material called ‘past players.’ 

Glasgow Clan has also hit a fine run with their online  ‘Clan Chat’ programmes which have caught up with former players.

Celebrating your greatest skaters - whether they laced up two or 20 seasons ago - keeps the attention of the fanbase, but, of equal importance, it acknowledge’s the club’s history and alumni. 

Frustratingly, the team with the most illustrious history, Fife Flyers, doesn’t seem to recognise, let alone value, its alumni. 

There’s 83 years of history right there waiting to be unboxed - a vault of treasures which would engage with all the fans who have drifted from rinkside but who retain links to, and affection for, the club, and could be won back with some simple steps.

But the award for ‘thinking out the box’ has to go to Glasgow Clan who have three player signings lined up for this weekend.

They have wrapped them around a drive-in screening of the Mighty Ducks hockey movie on Sunday afternoon - a perfect way to get families along, make fans feel connected once more, and they get a feel-good factor of a trio of new names.

Clan have had a tough off-season. The collapse of shopping, Intu, under a debt mountain, cast a shadow over their home rink, the search for a coach goes on, while the dressing-room has been hollowed out by a raft of retirements.

Staging an event like this changes the mood music and gives its fanbase something to look forward to; something different, something fun, hopefully with the sunshine on order too.

Of course events take time and resource to stage, and lockdown hasn’t made these things any easier - but they can be done. I’d argue they HAVE to be done, whether online or in real life.

It’s been five months since the 2019-20 season was curtailed abruptly by lockdown.

It will be the best part of a further five months before we are rinkside again seeing any competitive action.

Hockey is a gate-based sport. It has to do everything - absolutely everything - to keep those fans engaged right now.

Lockdown has changed our lives forever. Past habits, past passions and routines have been ditched. Many people will have emerged with new priorities and interests.

Making the assumption they will all rush back to their seats come face-off may not be the wisest approach to the 2020-21 season.