Chesapeake Icebreakers assistant coach Nelson Burton recalls instances where he has watched families walk into Show Place Arena for a game and tell their children: "We'll see you after the game."
"I can't imagine that happening at MCI [Center]," says Mr. Burton, referring to the home of the Washington Capitals. "You keep your eye on your children 99.9 percent of the time; you know exactly where they're at and what they're doing. Here, the parents go one way and the children go another, and they just have a great time.
"It's nice to see that, because I have children and sometimes I bring them here, and when I am coaching, I know they're OK sitting up in the stands," he says.
Such is the life of a fan of the minor-league Icebreakers, affiliates of the Tampa Bay Lightning who play in the East Coast Hockey League, a notch or two below the Capitals and the National Hockey League. Much like their baseball counterparts, the Bowie Baysox Class AA team, which plays a few miles up Route 301 during the summer, the Icebreakers specialize in offering family entertainment at bargain prices.
Taking the family to see the Wizards and Caps usually requires taking out a second mortgage, and getting tickets to the Orioles or Redskins can be next to impossible anyway. The Icebreakers, however, average only 2,500 folks at the 5,450-seat Show Place Arena, so fans usually can walk up to the ticket office on game night and get decent seats.
And with free parking and the top ticket at Show Place going for $15 - $4 below the cheapest Caps ticket - the price is definitely right. On top of that, 11 of the team's 17 remaining home games this season will be on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.
"The atmosphere is so friendly," Mr. Burton says. "It's so much fun for the children because so much of what the team does is oriented toward them."
That includes a promotion at just about every home game. On Feb. 6, the team is giving away sports bags to the first 1,000 fans 6 and younger, and there will be a "Salute to Dr. Seuss" on March 5.
That also includes Frostbite, the team's popular polar bear mascot, who has flocks of children following him around every game.
"You always know where he is," Icebreakers spokesman Scott Emmert says. "Just look for the crowd of kids. They just love him."
The team also encourages personal contact with fans, much more than the Caps can do. The Icebreakers have six post-game skates, where fans who bring their own skates can use the ice after the game and perhaps meet some of the players.
Icebreakers players also visit area schools to read to children, talk about the importance of education, or just involve the students in a game of street hockey.
"A lot of the time, we are done for the day by 12 and we have the rest of the afternoon off," says Earl Cronan, an Icebreakers left wing. "Personally, I would rather spend the afternoon talking to some kids in school or just giving something back. I would get bored.
"We have families coming out and rooting hard for us, and none of us are making a lot of money off of hockey right now, so the least we can do is give something back to all the people who support us," Mr. Cronan says. "That's the attitude I take to the schools and the youngsters."
Mr. Burton says the up-close view that families get at an Icebreakers game adds a dimension most fans will never get at the MCI Center.
"Here, you can see how much the players love the game and how hard they play," Mr. Burton says. "You are close enough to see them wince when they miss a pass or grimace when they hit the post [with a shot]. At the next level, most of the time you are so far away from the ice you can barely tell who's who. And the players all have helmets and masks on.
"But here, the players are close enough to high-five them when they come off the ice, and a lot of the kids like doing that."
****BOX
WHEN YOU GO:
DIRECTIONS:
Show Place Arena is off Route 4 in Upper Marlboro. Take Exit 11A off the Beltway and drive about seven miles. Signs will point to the arena, which will be on the right.
GAME TIMES:
Friday and Saturday games are at 7:30 p.m., and weeknight games start at 7. The Chesapeake Icebreakers' Feb. 14 game against Huntington starts at 2 p.m.
TICKETS:
Adult tickets are $15 and $13; tickets for children 12 and younger and seniors 55 and older are $9. The team's Web site (www.icebreakershockey.com) enables fans to print out two-for-one coupons for children's tickets for select upcoming games. Parking is free. INFORMATION:
Season/group tickets: 888/ICE-HOCKEY
Team telephone: 301/952-0300
Team address: Chesapeake Icebreakers, 14450 Old Mill Road, Suite 201, Upper Marlboro, Md. 20772.
MUST SEE:
* The Icebreakers run promotions and giveaways at just about every game. The team sponsors four post-game skate opportunities for fans the rest of the season, starting with the Feb. 14 game against Huntington (a ladies-only skate).
* The Icebreakers will hold a "Fan Appreciation Night" March 27, its next-to-last home game of the year. That night, the team will give away T-shirts to the first 1,000 fans 16 and younger, hot dogs will cost $1 all night and fans are invited to a post-game skate.
Intimacy of rink warms feelings of Icebreakers fans.(Family Times)(Events)(Field Trips)Chesapeake Icebreakers assistant coach Nelson Burton recalls instances where he has watched families walk into Show Place Arena for a game and tell their children: "We'll see you after the game."
"I can't imagine that happening at MCI [Center]," says Mr. Burton, referring to the home of the Washington Capitals. "You keep your eye on your children 99.9 percent of the time; you know exactly where they're at and what they're doing. Here, the parents go one way and the children go another, and they just have a great time.
"It's nice to see that, because I have children and sometimes I bring them here, and when I am coaching, I know they're OK sitting up in the stands," he says.
Such is the life of a fan of the minor-league Icebreakers, affiliates of the Tampa Bay Lightning who play in the East Coast Hockey League, a notch or two below the Capitals and the National Hockey League. Much like their baseball counterparts, the Bowie Baysox Class AA team, which plays a few miles up Route 301 during the summer, the Icebreakers specialize in offering family entertainment at bargain prices.
Taking the family to see the Wizards and Caps usually requires taking out a second mortgage, and getting tickets to the Orioles or Redskins can be next to impossible anyway. The Icebreakers, however, average only 2,500 folks at the 5,450-seat Show Place Arena, so fans usually can walk up to the ticket office on game night and get decent seats.
And with free parking and the top ticket at Show Place going for $15 - $4 below the cheapest Caps ticket - the price is definitely right. On top of that, 11 of the team's 17 remaining home games this season will be on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.
"The atmosphere is so friendly," Mr. Burton says. "It's so much fun for the children because so much of what the team does is oriented toward them."
That includes a promotion at just about every home game. On Feb. 6, the team is giving away sports bags to the first 1,000 fans 6 and younger, and there will be a "Salute to Dr. Seuss" on March 5.
That also includes Frostbite, the team's popular polar bear mascot, who has flocks of children following him around every game.
"You always know where he is," Icebreakers spokesman Scott Emmert says. "Just look for the crowd of kids. They just love him."
The team also encourages personal contact with fans, much more than the Caps can do. The Icebreakers have six post-game skates, where fans who bring their own skates can use the ice after the game and perhaps meet some of the players.
Icebreakers players also visit area schools to read to children, talk about the importance of education, or just involve the students in a game of street hockey.
"A lot of the time, we are done for the day by 12 and we have the rest of the afternoon off," says Earl Cronan, an Icebreakers left wing. "Personally, I would rather spend the afternoon talking to some kids in school or just giving something back. I would get bored.
"We have families coming out and rooting hard for us, and none of us are making a lot of money off of hockey right now, so the least we can do is give something back to all the people who support us," Mr. Cronan says. "That's the attitude I take to the schools and the youngsters."
Mr. Burton says the up-close view that families get at an Icebreakers game adds a dimension most fans will never get at the MCI Center.
"Here, you can see how much the players love the game and how hard they play," Mr. Burton says. "You are close enough to see them wince when they miss a pass or grimace when they hit the post [with a shot]. At the next level, most of the time you are so far away from the ice you can barely tell who's who. And the players all have helmets and masks on.
"But here, the players are close enough to high-five them when they come off the ice, and a lot of the kids like doing that."
****BOX
WHEN YOU GO:
DIRECTIONS:
Show Place Arena is off Route 4 in Upper Marlboro. Take Exit 11A off the Beltway and drive about seven miles. Signs will point to the arena, which will be on the right.
GAME TIMES:
Friday and Saturday games are at 7:30 p.m., and weeknight games start at 7. The Chesapeake Icebreakers' Feb. 14 game against Huntington starts at 2 p.m.
TICKETS:
Adult tickets are $15 and $13; tickets for children 12 and younger and seniors 55 and older are $9. The team's Web site (www.icebreakershockey.com) enables fans to print out two-for-one coupons for children's tickets for select upcoming games. Parking is free. INFORMATION:
Season/group tickets: 888/ICE-HOCKEY
Team telephone: 301/952-0300
Team address: Chesapeake Icebreakers, 14450 Old Mill Road, Suite 201, Upper Marlboro, Md. 20772.
MUST SEE:
* The Icebreakers run promotions and giveaways at just about every game. The team sponsors four post-game skate opportunities for fans the rest of the season, starting with the Feb. 14 game against Huntington (a ladies-only skate).
* The Icebreakers will hold a "Fan Appreciation Night" March 27, its next-to-last home game of the year. That night, the team will give away T-shirts to the first 1,000 fans 16 and younger, hot dogs will cost $1 all night and fans are invited to a post-game skate.
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