Talked with Komets Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Scott Sproat today, and he said the team is NOT going to hold a moment of silence for the late Tim Hoke on opening night Oct. 22.
``We've got something else planned which we're going to use during the third period,'' Sproat said. ``We've been trying to think of something appropriate to do for Tim, and a moment of silence just didn't seem like the thing to do to honor Tim.''
Sproat would not explain further what the team was going to do, other than to say he's sure Tim would have appreciated it.
Hoke died
Comments
Why not both?
Moment of silence just before game and then special third period ceremony....
One or the other, not both. I think it's great that they are doing something more special than a moment of silence.
If you do both, what do you do in the next few years when there are lot of people coming up who, with all due respect to Tim, have given more to the franchise than he did. How do you top things for them then? Tim was very important, but there are a lot of people coming up who even he would say have meant quite a bit more to the franchise.
It's definitely a balancing act, but that's something you have to consider when a franchise is 60 years old.
Well, a moment of silence only takes about a minute and its geared towards respect for the person...
The 3rd period plan I'm assuming is gonna be geared towards a celebration of his time affiliated with the Komets organization and his hand in helping make Komets hockey popular with the non-diehard... Etc...
I think people underestimate the moment of silence... Not everyone gets a tribute such as that. Its a big show of respect for the person, IMO and shouldnt be taken lightly.
Tim Hoke has been a big part of Komets hockey for a long time and deserves both.... Its only one night.
- 1 minute for silence
- 10-15 (?) for a tribute
How much time did Tim dedicate to Komets hockey?????
In my opinion he deserves a moment of silence. There have been others that got that and Tim meant as much to the Fans and to the Komets as anyone else. This isn't a contest of who was more important. This is respect for a man that poured his heart into the Komets and did it for nothing as I recall reading. He did it because he loved it and he wanted to give the games to people out there that either knew little or nothing about the Komets or those who couldn't get there. I happened to be one of the ones he touched and encouraged to goto games....look, I am a season ticket holder and members of the family are to because of Tim....I am not the only person who has that story.
I am not arguing, I am just making a case for him.
He deserves it. Period.
He deserves it.
As a good friend of Tim's I have to agree with the other ones on this subject. Why not both??? It takes more than a minute waiting on the linesmen to drop the puck. Tim deserves it.
I'm guessing another factor they are considering is that on opening night, especially an anniversary night, a moment of silence gets lost in everything else going on. They are actually honoring Tim more with this presentation than they would be with a traditional moment of silence.
And if you do two things for Tim, how many things do you do for Eddie Long, Bob Chase, Len Thornson, etc. when the time comes? You also have to be considerate of the families of past people who have received moments of silence. Are you saying Tim is more important they were if you do more? All things that have to be considered. As an example, did Tim do more for the Komets than Dick Zimmerman or Vi Ullyot or Colin Lister? Tim would be the first to say no way.
The Komets are actually doing something special for Tim, more special than a moment of silence to recognize his significance. They could easily have simply had a moment of silence and been done with it.
You can also be sure the Game of the Week gang will do something special for Tim as well.
Who is calling the games now?
Hit, I was wondering the same thing, who was going to be Randy's partner now up there. I bet this first game back will be difficult for Randy. Maybe I should think of something to bring for him....that might make his night a little better....a gift from the redheads. FMM, you in? I know you bake really tasty alcohol-fueled treats, and I can probably try to do something (maybe you can message me an idea that would be doable with my limited kitchen skills...). Let's bring something for him and Otto that night to really make them feel...well, if nothing else, we can make them feel full :)
And I agree with whatever the Komets will do for Tim. A moment of silence certainly shows respect. A tribute of any kind from his beloved Komets will do the same, in my opinion. To be shown by your team that you were loved, honored, respected, and that you are missed shows that you were (and are still) loved and missed. That is what matters in my book. As long as it is not a roast, it's all good!
Wait... are you saying my treats are alcohol-fueled or I'm alcohol-fueled when I'm baking them? Well... both might be true on occasion! Gotta make sure the rum is fresh.
I'll think on that and let you know what I come up with. It's a great idea, I'm sure goodies will be well received. :)
I wonder if George Drysdale (sp?) will fill in, I know he's called games before when someone wasn't available.
I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now.
I think it is wonderful that the Komets have planned some sort of tribute for Tim. Without knowing what it is, I still think a moment of silence before the game is more than appropriate. As stated above, the moment of silence is just a "moment". Maybe after the "moment of silence" a quick explanation to the crowd to watch for a Tim Hoke tribute during the third period would be advisable.
I can't help but think that part of this has to do with the length of time involved with the normal opening night ceremonies which happen each year. Those who have attended "opening night" know what I'm talking about. Introductions of the players and staff from the past take a bit of time. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating changing any part of recognizing those who have contributed so much to the history and success of the Komets. As Blake has stated, this is part of being a hockey city with 60 years of history. We are awfully lucky.
If time is a problem, I would reconstruct the schedule of events before the game. Remembering that, after all, a hockey game needs to be played, I would bump up the time of recognition by another 15 minutes than last year's celebration. For instance, I'm not sure I need to see a "history" of Komet hockey before the game ( or maybe just a much shorter version). I would take the pregame warmup, then the recognition time, then resurface the ice, allow both teams to loosen up for five minutes, make the player introductions, moment of silence, both anthems, and drop the puck. To save a few minutes before the first period, after the first period, and after the second period, I would use both zambonis to resurface the ice.
The game isn't until Oct 22nd. Certainly advertising the fact that fans need to be in their seats at 6:00pm for the 7:30pm start shouldn't be all that difficult.
Anyway, these are just my ideas. Certainly these could be improved on. Still, I believe that Tim should be mentioned and honered with a moment of silence. I believe that two zambonis should be used to resurface the ice at every opportunity as this is a night that traditionally goes long.
Blake, you are correct that we will go through this more and more as time marches on. It may become a "balancing act" as you stated.
It's one of the sad duties that a successful franchise with a storied past must overcome.
Unfortunately it may be time the front office takes some time to think how they should handle this type of thing in the future.
By the way, I still think the Komets need more scoring!
Some great idea, Alan, especially with the two zambonis for the floods. Good gravy, whey have we not been doing that all along?? Every other level of professional hockey does that except us. And the way you described the moment of silence was pretty cool too, with the "more to come" sort of thing.
I have always disliked how we handle the opening night ceremonies, not that they are too long (which they really are), but that the other team is on the ice waiting for the puck to drop, and...oh wait, here's another opening ceremony thing that now delays warmed-up players from skating. How annoying for those players and for anyone who knows anything at all about this game and the players who play it. It needs to change. Surely management has heard this all before. They just do not care.
FMM, yes to the alcohol-fueled....LOL....and we'll just stay in contact about this and see what we come up with. This could be lots of fun! :)
*Some great ideaS (plural intended), Alan**
Because the Komets don't want to pay the extra money to use two Zambonis that they would be charged.
Snuff said he was down with it...lol
Thanks for the nice comments, BlueLineBaby!
Blake, pretend like I'm a four year old and explain to me why it would be any more expensive to use two zambonis. Doesn't the Coliseum have two on hand? Couldn't the Coliseum use another employee to drive the second one ( maybe an employee who would be at the game working anyway)? Seems to me like it might just make some common sense ( from the Coliseum's point of view) to have the second zamboni up to speed in case of a breakdown. ( Wasn't it last year or the year before that the zamboni broke down when it was exiting the ice?) Seems to me it would be a benefit for the game, the fans, and the Coliseum.
Thiis game is usually a sellout. You'd think someone could work something out on the expense. Sellouts mean more ticket revenue for the Komets.. Sellouts mean more parking and concession revenue for the building.
I'm wondering if the team or the building have even thought about it.
Blake, I'm only suggesting the use of two zambonis for opening night, not the whole season. I just wanted to make sure I was clear on that before I received any response. I just can't believe the expense would make my suggestion cost prohibitive. To me it would be a win-win-win for the K's, the crowd, and the Coliseum. Like I said above, I bet no one has even thought about it.
It is too bad they can't use two for the season, though. They always have to stop the clock between the second and third period to get all their extra stuff done. Two zambonis would make quick work of flooding the ice and maybe stop the practice of elongating the 18 minutes between the second and third periods.
Did it break down? I thought it just ran out of gas.
I bet they could get a wrecker service to sponser the 2nd one on opening night, but then everyone would complain about the additional advertising
Alan, I agree with that too. Plenty of people complain about the long time between periods (at least I have heard it, maybe it's not really "lots" of people). You would think that at least on opening night when everything else has been delayed, that could at least be a consideration. It's just that, a consideration.
And RK, yes, it actually broke down in the tunnel, just as it went off the ice, right before the game, further delaying the players from getting on to the ice. For 45 minutes, I believe. It was insane. The only truly funny thing about it was Larry playing "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni" while it was sitting in the tunnel and seeing if anyone even noticed. Most people did not.
Talk about having another employee on hand....whoever got that thing repaired enough to drive off and away? I bet he got a serious bonus from someone.
And to say they did not have want to pay for the extra zamboni is crazy....who owns that?! It's already in the building, isn't it? They drove it right up from wherever it was, in the basement, or garage, or wherever. They already have to have another one there. All it takes is maintenance, gas, and insurance. (I'm just talking crap, since I really don't know for sure what all it takes....I DO know they have two, for sure, though...). But you see my point.
Oh well, wishful thinking. Like I say at my own job....it makes sense, that would be why we can't get this done! LOL...