How much does beer cost around the NHL?

A must read for hockey and beer fans: Puck Daddy's 2010 NHL Beer Cost Matrix, Version 1.0.

Since the start of the season, we've been commissioning fans in every NHL city to seek out label and price information for the beer in their arenas. This is because (a) we wanted something more in-depth than the information in Team Marketing Report's Fan Cost Index and (b) some NHL teams actually refused to provide concession price information when it was requested.

(And by "some NHL teams," we mean the Montreal Canadiens, who told us they don't "give out" information that's posted on signs inside their arena for 20,000 fans to see 41 times a year.)

The readers were told to report back with the beer types, sizes and prices for the largest brews available at their games. As you'll see, some provided a bit more than that and some provided a tad less.

See the matrix / chart here...

Recommended reading: BackTeching

If you like hockey, video, and technlogy, then you should check out BackTeching. It's a new blog by Chris Devivo, who's the Director of Media Technology for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's using the blog to chronicle some of the cool video technology being installed at the new arena in Pittsburgh. Tell him I sent you!

From the history vaults: 1934 pre-game ceremony for King Clancy

Should have posted this last week, closer to St. Patrick's Day.... GreatestHockeyLegends.com has a great look back at a March 17, 1934 pre-game ceremony that the Toronto Maple Leafs held to honour King Clancy. He was presented with a green wool sweater with a shamrock on the back.

While the rest of the Leafs wore their familiar blue, King Clancy wore this very special outfit for the first period. In the second and third Clancy had to return to his normal jersey as Lester Patrick, coach of the opposing New York Rangers, complained about the alternate jersey on the ice...

The Leafs were hosting "King Clancy Night." Clancy was as big a star as Toronto has ever seen. They honored him with the night, the jersey, and a number of stereotypical gifts that would keep any Irish eyes smiling.

Several junior players stepped on to the ice through large potato props. Red Horner emerged from a boxing glove. New York Ranger's star Bill Cook hid in a shamrock. All the while the Knights of Columbus Minstrel Band played Irish music.

But the highlight of the night was when Clancy was introduced to the sold out arena. There has never been anything quite like it in sports before or since.

Here's Clancy's own memories of the event:

When my turn finally came, the lights were all turned out and, dressed in royal robes and wearing a crown, I was ushered in on a big throne pulled by Hap Day. As the float reached the middle of the rink, I got hit in the face with a handful of soot from (Hap) Day and (Charlie) Conacher. When the lights came on, I looked like Santa Claus but my face was pitch black. It took me two or three days to get that stuff off."

Read the entire article (with photos)...

(via Kukla's Korner)

Weekly Twitter round-up, March 21

• Our e-marketing team just emailed to let us know that the Alfie 1000 Microsite is live. Check it out: http://www.ottawasenators.com/alfie/
• RT @cdevivo: New blog post., short & sweet. Mellon scoreboard vs. Consol Energy Center visually. http://bit.ly/cmQXw8
• Cool job: "Jumbotron and A/V Technician" at un-named Philadealphia entertainment venue http://bit.ly/cwTFxJ
• More good stuff from Puck Daddy - the cost of beer around the NHL http://bit.ly/cGpnsG
• In honour of St. Patrick's Day - some green mascots http://bit.ly/aoveji
• A fun kiss cam story from Puck Daddy: http://bit.ly/9mdomW
• Great read for St. Patrick's Day - a look back on a special Leafs game honouring King Clancy in 1934 http://tinyurl.com/ydy9beq
• From last night's Sens game - @kimberlyg_ with Rick, the world's largest leprechaun http://tinyurl.com/ybtbere

St. Patrick's Day Promos

Anybody seen any really good / creative / original St. Patrick's Day promotions yet this year?
So far the best we've seen is from the Syracuse Crunch:

The Syracuse Crunch announced today that that the first 1,500 fans at this Wednesday’s March 17 game vs. Manchester will receive a green cowbell in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day, courtesy of Ale ‘n’ Angus Pub. (Read the full press release...)

Any other good ones out there?

Weekly Twitter round-up, March 14

Here's the collection of fun links & notes that I posted in the past week to Twitter. If you want to read these every day, instead of once a week, follow me here.

• GameOps.com blog - mascot round-up http://bit.ly/btdmLP
• I propose a new internet acronym: SOMCL. Sitting on my chair laughing.
• Video: how many times can Matt Carkner bench press 90kg in 20 seconds? http://tinyurl.com/ykh69m8
• The Bruins Bear reminds you: never leave the game early to beat traffic http://tinyurl.com/yjfbnxe
• @peteshelly More about Cotton Eye Joe here: http://tinyurl.com/y85oplv
• Puck Daddy weighs in on national anthem etiquette http://tinyurl.com/yagz2y3
• Check out a new blog from @cdevivo http://www.backteching.com a mix of hockey, technology and video
• Swedish viral video about a certain hero that Sens fans may know http://tinyurl.com/yesk2q8
• Video from Saturday's night's Sens pre-game ceremony - gold medal winners Botterill, Virtue, Moir: http://tinyurl.com/ylz77pk
• Cant' believe somebody is complaining about this: Chicago fans cheering during Star Spangled Banner: http://tinyurl.com/y8c5byt
  
• Just sent a text to 44144, still waiting for a dolphin to text me back. Dolphins not as smart as they think

Weekly Twitter round-up, March 7

Some links and notes I posted to Twitter this week. Follow me here, please.

1. Prediction: CTV is going to play that "I Believe" song if any Canadians win an Oscar.
2. Gotta see if I can find the Frankfurt Lions goal song on YouTube. Schuerzenjaeger - Zillertaler Hochzeitsmarsch
3. Ever wonder what music they play at hockey rinks in Germany? Now you know: http://bit.ly/b5BHSq
   
4. Gord Wilson: the hardest working man in hockey. http://bit.ly/coZ9o8
5. RT @bgrantcampbell: Breakdown of Sidney Crosby's goal, courtesy of the Tor Star: http://www.thestar.com/staticcontent/776280
6. RT @PixelPictures: http://twitpic.com/16uwdm - Dallas Cowboys Jumbotron control room - controlling the world's largest HD screen.
7. What Youtube will look like in the year 2025. http://bit.ly/cQdoq9 I think we'll see most of these features way before then...
8. Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj talks music. Classical music. Interesting: http://bit.ly/aEsiud
9. It's Don Cherry night in Boston http://bit.ly/boSbiZ
10. RT @griffinshockey: @glengower another dance video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiLuH5ecqmg
11. Ron from Nashville just sent me a link to this great intermission dance video http://tinyurl.com/ye42nvz

This week's Twitter round-up - Feb 28

Some recent links and notes we posted to Twitter over the past couple of weeks. Check out my live feed here.

1. RT @CanadaCool: Brian Williams of NBC left behind a thank-you note to Canada: http://bit.ly/dCsvPh VIA @smalltownpete
2. Watching CTV, just learned their promo voiceover guy is Lee Marshall, who has a very interesting resume http://bit.ly/b51fri
3. RT @MuppetNewsflash: A Fraggle perspective on curling -- http://bit.ly/ch9ERK
4. Quiet please, we're curling http://bit.ly/cMGC5S
5. Karma pays back the raptor for eating a cheerleader http://bit.ly/dBio46
6. RT @humplik: The BEST video clip you'll see today. I promise. Thanks @kennyhotz. http://ow.ly/1pffM0
7. What's your pick for the top moment is Daniel Alfredsson's career? http://tinyurl.com/ya8h9ww
8. Muk Muk rally for full mascot status at Vancouver 2010 http://bit.ly/aILUXO
9. Article about the new 22,000-seat arena in Louisville Kentucky http://tinyurl.com/yftvkz3
10. Best figure skating routine ever: Chris Farley on SNL. http://bit.ly/aeIMdX "Pump up the jam they will."
11. More mascots eating cheerleaders (SFW) http://bit.ly/95ZAV0
12. Awesome video: Canadian men's hockey team raps http://tinyurl.com/yeq83yg
13. Nicely done. RT @6thSens: Memorable Senators hair. http://bit.ly/bdEo6P
14. RT @CanadaCool: Curling today! Ten Great Songs About the Sport (who knew?) http://bit.ly/aKr2ci VIA @justkarl
15. Zamboni company disavows any connection to Richmond's malfunctioning ice-resurfacing machines http://tinyurl.com/ygze9hq
16. If you enjoy watching mascots eat cheerleaders, here's another video for you http://bit.ly/a0xMx0
17. Not suprisingly that "failed marriage proposal" at the NY Rangers game yesterday was indeed a hoax http://bit.ly/akQ8ed

This week's Twitter round-up

I'm posting less and less to this blog, and using Twitter more and more for short links & comments. Starting this week, each Sunday I'll post some of the "best of" stuff from my Twitter feed. You can check it out (no subscription required) at http://twitter.com/glengower/

• RT @Ottawa67sHockey: Valentine's Day Rose Ceremony for the player's Moms' http://yfrog.com/1dqaulsj (via @pajoho)
  
• Interesting read re: technology at the new Penguins arena in Pittsburgh http://bit.ly/8ZOa4E
  
• More about that 50/50 technology: http://5050central.com/
  
• Video: the future of the 50/50 draw (unlike other videos tweeted tonight, this one is actually serious) http://bit.ly/aazCOz
  
• Covering all your stadium favourites: We Are The Champions (another bizarre video) http://bit.ly/cQ2XfY
  
• How come nobody told me about this before? http://www.yourmascotsucks.com/
  
• Raptor devours cheerleader http://bit.ly/9Z24vh
• Scoreboard will be lowered to 62 feet above the court. http://tinyurl.com/ygyaojz
  
• NBA All-Star game in Dallas: The stadium’s video scoreboard, at 72 feet tall and 160 feet long, is twice as large as the court
  
• Sens TV: Pre-game ceremony featuring Olympics players from both the Sens and the Caps http://tinyurl.com/yfe3zlh
  
• Sens TV: Gordie Howe gets a standing ovation last night at the Sens game: http://tinyurl.com/yf9fchk
  
• NiWoTa, who do a lot of video animation for the Sens, just launched a new web site http://tinyurl.com/ydkjej3
  
• Auditions this Saturday to become a president @ Washington Nationals http://gameops.com/wp/2010/02/11/racing/
  
• http://twitpic.com/12imm3 - Best teaser photo EVER on OttawaSenators.com today (Ruutu)
  
• Song of the Day: "The Power", as covered by The Apples http://bit.ly/3lGPc2
• My Little Pony Glue Factory: http://bit.ly/bJ5nCv This season's hottest gift
  

New York Times article about New Jersey Devils organist

Nice article about Pete Cannarozzi, the arena organist for the New Jersey Devils: Devils’ Organist Remains Part of Arena’s Rhythm. Some highlights from the article:

Hockey was once played to the sole accompaniment of an organ: the mighty Barton, its pipes built into the walls of the old Chicago Stadium; Gladys Gooding playing “Rangers Victory Song” at the old Madison Square Garden; Paul Newman storming into the booth of the Charlestown Chiefs’ arena in the film “Slap Shot” to tear up the sheet music and demand of the organist, “Don’t ever play ‘Lady of Spain’ again!”

...

“I am absolutely a firm believer in what the organ means to hockey,” said Lou Lamoriello, the Devils’ general manager. “It adds so much atmosphere and flavor. Younger fans want rock music, videos, and we accommodate them. But I hope we never lose sight of the traditions of hockey and what organ music adds to the experience.”

...

Once the game starts, the Devils also use plenty of recorded music and scoreboard videos, but Cannarozzi still plays. He exhorts the crowd with a four-note “Let’s go, Devils” chant; accompanies an announcement about snack stands with “Food, Glorious Food,” from the musical “Oliver!”; and fills the time during a video goal review with the theme from “Jeopardy!”

“The main thing about the job is to get the crowd pumped up during the game, and entertain the audience,” said Cannarozzi, a longtime studio musician and musical director for Ashford & Simpson.

Kyle Hankins, the Nashville Predators’ organist, said: “We help underscore the hockey game in real time, just as any composer would do for a Broadway show or jazz pianist would do at the Blue Note. You can’t get that flexibility out of a CD or MPEG. Also, the timbre is comfort food to the ears that carries some nostalgia for young and old alike. Listening works a lot better than trying to shove a hot dog down your ear canal.”

Paul Cartier, an air-traffic controller and the Yankees’ organist, has been the Islanders’ organist off and on since 1979. He has seen a lot of changes.

“It used to be just me and the P.A. announcer, nothing else,” Cartier said of entertaining crowds at Nassau Coliseum during the Islanders’ Stanley Cup dynasty in the early 1980s. “It was awesome. I probably did a full 15 or 20 songs a night, and all the chant stuff. On some stoppages I didn’t even do anything; sometimes I let it just breathe.

“That doesn’t happen anymore. It’s all recorded, no dead space allowed. Now I’ll play two or three songs, tops. The only time I get to play a full song is when someone gets injured.”

The rise of prerecorded music at N.H.L. games dates to the mid-1980s. The Devils announcer Mike Emrick told the story of Mike Keenan, then coach of the Flyers, who signaled the game director in Philadelphia to crank up the rock music to pump up his players during warm-ups.

...

“It all depends on whether your producer likes organ music,” said Larry Olsen, the Carolina Hurricanes’ organist since 2000. Olsen said that his producer, Pete Soto, was a longtime Rangers fan who appreciated the organ’s place in a hockey game.

“The younger ones tend to like sound effects more,” Olsen said. “Some teams have laid off their organists for budgetary reasons, and because they figure the effects will do the job.”

But some organists detect a comeback for their music.

Jeremy Boyer, the Blues’ organist, said: “Here in St. Louis, the team toyed with the idea of changing the goal song to ‘Crowd Chant’ by Joe Satriani and replacing the traditional goal song, ‘When the Blues Go Marching In,’ played on the organ. When the team put the songs to a vote on its Web site, the St. Louis fans voted for the organ playing after goals in a landslide.”

An organist can come in handy in an emergency, as when a bank of lights failed here on Jan. 8, causing a 100-minute delay before the game was postponed.

“We had to wait for the N.H.L. to make a ruling on what to do,” Cannarozzi said. “In the meantime, we had to entertain everyone, so we went round robin: videos, ads, Dave doing a couple of prerecorded songs, me playing a couple of songs. It was a lot to do for an hour and 40 minutes.

“In the meantime, people were coming up to us and asking us what was happening,” he added. “They were almost hostile. So I played ‘We Are Family,’ ‘Thanks for the Memories.’ I tried to keep it light and up."