This isnӴ the first time that a hockey team has used fighting and violence to pull in paying customers professional hockey
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This isnӴ the first time that a hockey team has used fighting and violence to pull in paying customers.

In the mid-1920s, when professional hockey first came to the Big Apple, Tex Rickard was the maestro of promotions. He ran Madison Square Gardens and hired ambulances to race through Theatre Row and do a Pied Piper on curious and bloodthirsty pedestrians.

Rickardӳ peak performance came when Eddie Shore and his Boston Bruins arrived to battle. A Shore picture, placed below the caption WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, brightened up buildings and lampposts throughout New York. Seventy-five years later, some teams and leagues are still using fighting to promote hockey in their areas. And some are even less subtle than the unsubtle IceHogs.

In 2000, the Orlando Solar Bears - of the now defunct International Hockey League - held a ԇuaranteed Fight Night.ԠThis was only a week after they'd hosted a "Boy Scout Night." Then, two years later, the Houston Aeros ֠whoӤ played the Solar Bears that night in Florida - were drawing poorly on Thursday evenings (They were averaging only 5500 fans per game, but this number decreased by a further two-thirds on Thursdays). So, the Aeros copied Orlando and announced two Guaranteed Fight Nights, against the Milwaukee Admirals and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. These two dustups were to be sandwiched between ԃhuck-A-PuckԠand ԃasino NightsԮ

"We know how much fans enjoy a good brawl,Ԡthe Aeros announced, Գo we are going to guarantee a fight. If there is not a single five-minute fighting major given to a player, every fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the following home game."

It was a no-brainer for the Aeros. "We have nothing to lose," the teamӳ president said. "If there's no fight, fans get a ticket to another Thursday game.Ԡ Dave Barr explained his reasoning for the promotion: ԓelling hockey in Houston is a whole lot different than selling it in Portland, Maine, and I think people understand that."

"ƨockey isn't the biggest thing in Houston,ԠPR spokesman, Sandy Kirk added. ԗe were trying to do something to attract people who otherwise wouldn't come.Ԡ And, the Admirals, from a traditional hockey hotbed, werenӴ offended by Houstonӳ promotion. "We would not have had a Guaranteed Fight Night,ԠMilwaukee executive Brian Manthey said. Ԃut each team has to decide what will work in their own market." Another market in North Carolina also planned a Guaranteed Fight Night. The Cape Fear FireAntz - of the now defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League - were averaging only 3,145 fans per game and needed a boost in attendance. ԗe don't feel like we're promoting a fight,Ԡtheir media guy, Galen Clavio stated. ԉt happens, it always will. It's part of the game. I haven't told anyone to go out and start taking swings at people. The team is going out to play a game.Ԡ "People who are opposed are being very vocal,Ԡhe added. Ԑeople who aren't, are buying ticketsŮԠ Like the Admirals out west, the AntzҠopponent, the St. Petersburg Parrots werenӴ against guaranteed fisticuffs. "I might not be as appreciative as I should,ԠParrots' Coach Bruce Ramsay said, Ԣut, if it helps the league, I'm all for it ŠIn reality, fighting is part of the game and always will be.Ԡ The fight went on, but the Atlantic league didnӴ. But then, two new circuits were formed on the south-east coast ֠the South East Hockey League and the World Hockey Association 2 (self-named the Next Generation of Hockey). The latter are allowing a ԇuaranteed Fight NightԠon February 19, 2004 and itӳ in Orlando once again. Guaranteed Fight Night is one the SealsҠmany promotions. They are hoping to expand their average attendance, of only 3,129 fans, through: Nascar Night, Parrothead Night and ԡn Appearance by the Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders.Ԡ

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Not everyone are Fight Night cheerleaders, however. AHL president and CEO Dave Andrews ordered the Aeros to cancel their guaranteed dustups, threatening to fine them big time. "We try to promote the integrity of the game,Ԡhe stated, ԩn everything we do and something like this promotion doesn't fit well in our plans. It was an ill-conceived idea. It is disrespectful to the game itself and it is disrespectful to the players. It suggests that gratuitous violence is a big part of the sport and that's just not the case." Brian McKenna, president of the East Coast Hockey League agreed, when he commented on the FireAntz promotion. "It's a sham,Ԡhe said. ԁt the AA level, skill of the sport is promoted, not the fighting, even though it is a part of the game. The sport should not have to contrive a gimmick to add to the game." The NHL didnӴ make any apparent comments on Guaranteed Fight Nights. Their stance has been even more pronounced, as shown when they slapped around Tie Domi and Bob Probert for premeditated fighting (see Domi Profile). Atlantic Coast league Commissioner Jim Riggs didnӴ agree with these other leagues. "It's pretty harmless,Ԡhe shrugged. ԉf a fight happens to break out, then it does. If not, the FireAntz will be footing a very large bill for the following game. This type of promotion should draw a different crowd than a normal game would, and the teams will not be going out of their way to fight. They will be on the ice to play a game." However, Riggs - now the SEHLӳ Commissioner - did place an official at the game to ensure that things didnӴ get out of hand. Some have supported, and others have criticized, the Guaranteed Fight Nights. Most Houston fans were supportive. The Aeros conducted a poll, which provided four options: "Should have stayed Fight Night!" "I like Win Night better!" "I'm there to watch hockey!" and "Don't really care!" Nearly three-quarters of the responders favored the Fight Night. Some support fight nights because they have witnessed that fighting is a distinct part of hockey. ԉt's not like we were promoting something that isn't part of the game,ԠSandy Kirk continued. Ԕo us, 'Guaranteed Fight Night' isn't any different from 'Guaranteed Goal Night' or a 'Guaranteed Sack the Quarterback Night' in football."

Sports Illustrated senior writer, Kostya Kennedy didnӴ like the Guaranteed Fight Nights, but disliked the AHLӳ hypocrisy even more. ԃan a person so clueless -- or disingenuous -- really be a league president?Ԡhe wrote. ԉ don't blame Andrews for killing the promotion ŠBut to imply that the Aeros were doing anything but marketing the very stuff that pro hockey sells is preposterous ŠIf Andrews wants to pretend gratuitous violence isn't at the heart of pro hockey, he had better not follow the NHL on satellite. He would have been shocked -- shocked! Ǝext thing, he's going to find out there's no SantaŮԠ A fan illustrated Andrewӳ inconsistency even further. The league hadnӴ complained when Houston had used a hockey fight picture on their seasonӳ tickets, and yet had condemned guaranteed fights. Kathy Johnson criticized the fight nights for a different reason. She thought these spectacles would attract the wrong type of hockey fans. Ԇighting is part of the game,Ԡshe wrote in Sports Zone last year. ԁt what price, though, is (the Atlantic Coast Hockey League) willing to bring in one-time customers? Will this ҤifferentҠcrowd Šactually stay to watch hockey when fighting takes a back seat to skating and a power play?Ԡ And of course, this is the crux of the fight night situation. The teams in these non-traditional hockey areas need to attract a new fan base to keep their new sport in business.

"It has been asked quite a bit,ԠClavio added, Էhy promote fighting when it's already part of the game? My answer would be that culturally what you see is fans who want the fantastic. NASCAR and wrestling are big down here. They are violent sports that are promoted violently. We are not putting out blood ads.Ԡ

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So, the FireAntz drew the line at Ԣlood ads,Ԡbut condoned Guaranteed Fight Nights. And the Ice Hogs, conversely, only hold a Guaranteed Win Night, but use Ԣlood ads,Ԡwhich the United Hockey League hasnӴ banned. Is one worse than the other? Is hockey fight promotion detrimental to the sport? Should fighting be quietly condoned, but publicly condemned?
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