When I first read the news of what had transpired with the Icemen organization these past few days, disappointment was my first reaction. It eventually led to anger and downright fury with the organization that I love, but the initial response was extreme disappointment. From day one, the Evansville Icemen have been an organization centered around the fans. They have been about providing big league entertainment with that small town, personal feel. You could walk into Swonder on any given game night and strike up conversations with all your friends who just happened to be the scorekeeper, the PA guy, the crowd hype guy, the booster club members, and the music maestro extraordinaire. It really was the CHEERS of hockey. You literally knew everyone involved and what they did on game nights. You could then leave the game that night and have an after game meal and beer with those same folks. It allowed us as fans to feel a certain connection with the team that you don't get anywhere else. Over the course of the past year, there have been some changes that I would say not everyone has agreed with and certainly has caused some backlash, but most importantly it has led to a disconnection between fans and team. Many fans, including myself, are starting to feel that this is not THEIR Evansville Icemen. It feels more and more like a cash machine just existing to profit FROM the fans, not provide TO the fans as they always have.
The disconnect between fan and team was made even greater with the events of the past week. First was the abrupt dismissal of our DJ/resident music genius, Michael Shockley. On top of his game night duties of music/sound effect playing on game night, Michael also wrote the game night script for our PA Guy Stephen Rickard, designed a website for the Icemen, and also created and moderated the Icemen Fan Forum. He was also instrumental in starting the Booster Club of which I am a proud member. Without him, there is no guarantee that this team would've seen the light of day as long as it has. A large part of the success of the team was his endless work in making sure the fans were entertained. Whether the game was a 2-1 OT thriller, 6-1 loss, or 24-4 blowout win, Michael made sure that every fan in attendance was involved and into the game the entire time. From playing songs like Sweet Caroline, If you're happy and you know it, and Rock and Roll Part II where fans inserted our own flavor at the end, to playing For whom the Bell Tolls when the Icemen came out on the ice, Shocker made sure it was an experience for everyone. I even remember sitting at home one night and listening to itunes, when 36 Mafia's "It's a Fight" started playing. I immediately thought, this would be a great song to play after an Icemen player had fisticuffs with the other team. I emailed Shocker the idea, with limited expectation of it ever actually being played. At the next home game that involved a fight, not only did he play the song, he had made an entire sound clip wrapped around it. That absolutely blew me away. He went out of his way to take a suggestion from a fan, and turn it into a staple of the game night entertainment that any fan can now identify with. If you ask any fan about any song that Shocker has played, and I guarantee they will have at least one memory of an event or circumstance surrounding it. That's what made Michael Shockley so great. He took everyday songs and clips, tied them into the game and did his damnedest to make sure everyone had a pleasurable and memorable experience.
That's why I was extremely disappointed to learn that the team had stripped him of all of his duties. Not only that, but they had served him with a C&D regarding the team name and logo, and they hired an outside company to start a brand new website and new fan forum, effectively ignoring the years of work that michael had put into maintaining a fan friendly forum that has seen huge success. They hired an outside contractor to provide the audio/visual presentation at games next season, effectively assisting him out the door with a size 12 in his ass. It was this treatment that I was appalled by. That you could take someone as dedicated as Michael Shockley, who did all that he did on a strictly volunteer basis, and not only say you're no longer needed, but to say you need to immediately stop using the team name and logo. The fact that they were willing to dismiss his hard work and dedication as easily as they did does not sit well with me. It is something that I have struggled with ever since I first read the news. It also worries me as to who or what is next in line. It seems like OUR Evansville Icemen are slowly slipping into oblivion. Piece by piece our team that we've grown to love is evolving into a new and completely different feel. It's no secret that I haven't been a big fan of the Muskegon evolution I've been seeing in Evansville, and I fear it's only a matter of time until we see this kind of sight in the new arena:
They are slowly but surely removing every piece of the "old" Icemen and inserting what they feel the organization should be. Whose to say they won't come after the Booster Club next and try to create a team run "Fan Club". They are really going in an opposite direction than the fans, and that is where the disappointment lies. They are effectively driving a wedge between the team and fans. The games will no longer have that bit of personal Evansville Icemen flavor, but will end up being more of a cookie cutter, generic sporting event experience, which in turn is going to lead to lots of failed expectations. The experience is going to, if it hasn't already, fall well below the standards that the Maniacs have set for Icemen hockey. Which will lead into major disappointments down the line, and I for one have had just about all the disappointment I can stand for one off-season.
This is my first post of the off-season, but if news like this continues to develop, you can bet you'll hear a response from me about it. Keep checking back for updates as we gear towards another season of Icemen hockey. ~Gonzo
