Owen Sound asks fans to bring a sock

From a press release from the Owen Sound Attack:

In co-operation with Giant Tiger of Owen Sound, fans are encouraged to wave a white sports sock when they attend Owen Sound Attack home playoff games. Approximately 3,000 white socks will be laid out on the seats of the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre to encourage fans to get involved in the game and cheer for the Owen Sound Attack. Read the full release

Blogger Sunaya Sapurji comments: "What? Was there a run on hand towels in Owen Sound?"

Philly Phanatic turns 'red' at Philly Zoo

From the Philadelphia Phillies web site:

"During the first event held on Monday on the Impala Lawn at the Philadelphia Zoo, the Phillie Phanatic took his shirt off, put on a pair of goggles and was hoisted on a crane, courtesy of Crane Manufacturing, and dunked into a huge red can of MAB paint. The Phanatic Safe Formula turned the green mascot into a shade of bright cheery red."

Read more...

For sale: one used Memorial Gardens score clock

From SooToday.com, an article about a sale of items from the old Sault Ste. Marie Memorial Gardens. The arena is being torn down later this year, but you can purchase keepsakes like the bench, seats, and even the scoreclock. Cash, cheque or credit card. Read more...

Columbus Blue Jackets fans love shirtless fat guy

Columbus Blue Jacket fans have fallen in love with Kevin Schroeder, a 320-pound fan who rises from his seat during a timeout, peels off his Blue Jakcets jersey -- revealing a message on his billboard belly -- and dances.

Read more from The Columbus Dispatch

Goal Horns from around the NHL

Here's a detailed list of goal horns and goal songs from around the National Hockey League:
2KHockey.net Forums -> GFG Horns - Accuracy Guaranteed!

Meet the Mets, and their angry celebrity fans

Meet the Mets, and their angry celebrity fans: "Trying to sell people on a losing baseball team is always an intriguing marketing proposition, and something, as a Mets fan, I'm quite familiar with. It's a little disturbing to drive by Shea Stadium midseason to see a slogan..." (From AdFreak)

Gateway Grizzlies introduce a Krispy Kreme burger

The Gateway Grizzlies baseball team is introducing what they call "Baseball's Best Burger":

The burger, which was debuted at the Grizzlies' December 10th sale, consists of a thick and juicy burger topped with sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon. The burger is then placed in between each side of a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut.

...

The Grizzlies have added a unique concession item each of the least two seasons. In 2004 “Baseball’s Best Hotdog” hit GMC Stadium. It consists of a 1/5 pound Farmland 8 inch All Beef Black Angus Hot Dog, topped with two strips of freshly cooked bacon, 1 oz. Sautéed Onions, 1 oz. Sautéed Sauerkraut and ½ oz. Cheddar Cheese Sauce, all on a fresh baked bun. In 2005, the “Swiss Brat” was introduced. The “Swiss Brat” is made from a Landshire Bratwurst with a slice of Swiss cheese in the middle of it. 1oz. of Sautéed Sauerkraut is served on top.

“We have had the opportunity to bring in a new concession item for the past two seasons and each of them have been very successful. We look forward to Baseball’s Best Burger and the excitement it will bring to the ballpark,” said Grizzlies General Manager Tony Funderburg.

Las Vegas Wranglers host "Dick Cheney Hunting Vest Night"

From a press release on the Las Vegas Wranglers web site:

Bright orange hunting vests with the slogan “DON’T SHOOT, I’M HUMAN” will be given to the first 1,000 fans that attend the Las Vegas Wranglers game on Friday, March 17. The vest will also feature a Wranglers’ logo.

...

In addition to the Dick Cheney vests, the team will wear green St. Patrick’s Day uniforms that will be auctioned to fans during the game with a portion of the proceeds to assist in Wranglers’ supported charities.

The Las Vegas Wranglers play at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and is an affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames.

Montreal retires Boom Boom's #5

What a moving ceremony on Saturday night in Montreal, as the Canadiens raised Boom Boom Geoffrion's #5 jersey to the rafters. If there's one thing the Canadiens do right, it's honouring the rich history of the "Blue Blanc et Rouge".

With Geoffrion's passing earlier that same day, the ceremony took on somewhat of a solemn tone, turning into a memorial as much as it was a celebration of his life.

All the usual elements of a jersey retirement were in place -- a tribute video, former teammates, and emotional speeches. All of the elements were made even more poignant by the presence of his family, many of whom flew from Atlanta -- on the very same day that Geoffrion died. Boom Boom's banner was raised alongside Howie Morenz, who was Boom Boom's father in law -- and who was memorialized nearly 7 decades ago to the day at the Forum.

It's too bad Hockey Night in Canada didn't show a live broadcast of the ceremony. We watched the ceremony in french on RDS, while HNIC showed Toronto vs. Tampa Bay.

Update: More on the ceremony from NHL.com

Mascots of the Central Hockey League

The Central Hockey League web site has photos and bios of all the team mascots:

- Stomp
Amarillo Gorillas
- Fang
Austin Ice Bats
- Clawed (& Lil' Bugger)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Slapshot
Colorado Eagles
- Stinger Ray
Corpus Christi Rayz
- Bruiser
Fort Worth Brahmas
- Bucky
Laredo Bucks
- Eli
Lubbock Cotton Kings
- RiverThing & Sheldon
Memphis RiverKings
- SlapJack
Odessa Jackalopes
- Clyde S. Dale
Oklahoma City Blazers
- Sir Sting-A-Lot
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- Bladez
Tulsa Oilers
- Sonic's ThunderDog
Wichita Thunder
- Crusher
Youngstown SteelHounds

Old fashioned jumbotron?

"Very cool article from 1939 about the first programmable electronic sign in Times Square (think the grandfather of the Jumbotron). Every single change of a light, and there are 27,000 of them, is punched as a row on a 160 column roll of paper that gets fed through the vast machine." Click here...

Islanders welcome back entire 1980 Stanley Cup team

Last week, the New York Islanders rounded up all the members of the 1980 Stanley Cup winning team for a special alumni tribute night. Anyone who's tried to organize an alumni night will tell you -- it is not an easy feat to round up that many players, 26 years later.

Here's an outline of the tribute night from the New York Islanders web site.

Here Come The Hawks

From the Chicago Blackhawks web site, you can download the original 1960's recording of "Here Come The Hawks"

“Here come the hawks, the mighty Blackhawks!
Take the attack and we’ll back you Blackhawks!
We’re flyin’ high and now let’s wrap it up!
Let’s go you Hawks, move out!!”

It's two-and-half minutes of pure cheese. Enjoy!